Bungou Stray Dogs, written by Kafka Asagiri and animated by Studio Bones, is an action-based series that presents different characters with unique abilities. Surprisingly, the anime uses the names of real-life individuals for its characters, with abilities based on their written literary works.

The plot of Bungou Stray Dogs is centered on the clash between the Port Mafia, a notorious villain organization, and the Armed Detective Agency, an organization that protects society from the Port Mafia's propaganda. Occasionally, foreign organizations like the Guild also joined the fray. The anime revealed several unique and powerful abilities throughout the storyline's development. So, which of the abilities in Bungou Stray Dogs are the strongest?

Updated August 31, 2023, by Emedo Destiny: Yet another Bungo Stray Dogs season is airing, and the series maintains just as much intrigue as it did when it first aired. Some might argue that it is even more exciting, as different mysteries are solved, character relationships are deepened, and more plot points are explored. The anime also features more interesting characters with unique abilities, many of which are pitted against the Armed Detective Agency, who continue to attempt to prove their innocence. They are pursued by a group called the Hunting Dogs, a military unit consisting of powerful individuals, each with special abilities of their own that are quite formidable in their own right. Some of their abilities are outlined here, as well as others in the series that deserve special recognition.

20 A Feast in Time of Plague

This ability belongs to Alexander Pushkin, a member of The Rats in the House of the Dead and one of Fyodor Dostoevsky’s lackeys. It is a poisonous ability that acts as a virus and can only be inflicted through open wounds. It also works using two hosts, and once activated, it eats at the life force of both individuals until one of them dies.

It works within a period of 48 hours and was used to incite a battle between the Port Mafia and the Armed Detective Agency by infecting both their leaders. Members of both groups fought hard to kill the heads of their opponents, but Pushkin was eventually tracked down and forced to undo his ability.

19 Black Cat In The Rue Morgue

This ability belongs to Edgar Allan Poe, one of the Guild's brightest minds and a man with a knack for mysteries. It allows him to trap anyone in a novel they are reading until they are able to solve the mystery contained in the piece of literature. It can be employed through books and any other medium as long as the targets have begun reading parts of the novel.

Poe considers himself to be a rival to Ranpo Edogawa and spent six years coming up with a murder mystery that would take care of him for good. Unfortunately for him, Ranpo was able to solve it but still acknowledged his efforts, helping the two develop a more amicable relationship.

18 Draconia

Draconia is a very useful ability against other ability users, and it belongs to Tatsuhiko Shibusawa, the main antagonist of the film Bungo Stray Dogs: DEAD APPLE. It allows him to create a special mist capable of separating users from their abilities, and in order to regain their lost powers, the users have to defeat their stolen abilities in combat and accept them as theirs.

In situations where it is difficult for an ability to manifest on its own, the mist creates an alternate version of its victim capable of thought and communication. If the ability user is unable to defeat it, it is turned into a gem and added to Draconia’s collection room.

17 Midwinter Memento

Belonging to Hunting Dogs member Mochizo Tachihara, Midwinter Memento allows him to manipulate metal. It is a versatile ability capable of working remotely and can be used on multiple objects at once. It can also be used on a large scale with a significant amount of force, making him a very dangerous opponent.

Having gone through extensive training and accumulating relevant battle experience, Tachihara is able to use his ability very intelligently. As shown in the fight against Hunting Dogs leader Ochi Fukuchi, he broke his sword into multiple tiny pieces and used them to invade his superior’s flesh. Though he lost the battle, he was able to drive a powerful foe into a corner with great flexibility and intelligence.

16 Gasp Of The Soul

Gasp of the Soul is an ability belonging to Teruko Okura, vice-captain of the Hunting Dogs unit. Through direct contact, she is able to freely manipulate the ages of her victims and can also use this ability on herself. It is mainly used for torture, as she can rapidly age a person and cause them to develop severe illnesses and complications.

At the height of the interrogation process, she can either restore their original age or keep it going, depending on her motives. Though she is extremely dedicated, she is also very temperamental and has earned herself the nickname, blood-briar queen.

15 Another

Yukito Ayatsuji’s Another, once activated, is a process that can’t be stopped, not even by Ayatsuji himself. It triggers the accidental death of its victim through any cause, giving no respect to distance or any material obstruction in its way.

The unique feature of this ability is that it can’t be offset by anything else, including No Longer Human, Osamu Dazai’s formidable ability. Another can only be applied on criminals and no one else. It even exempts those who might indirectly cause a crime by using manipulative means.

14 The Perfect Crime

The Perfect Crime is a powerful ability possessed by Mushitarou Oguri. It allows him to remove, and replace if he wishes, any evidence of a committed crime. This makes him the nemesis of any detective, even a very good one. It does this by changing the reality of any bit of evidence that may exist.

Although this ability comes with certain limitations, like its inability to tamper with what witnesses have seen or heard at a crime scene, it is still capable of doing a lot of damage.

13 Vita Sexualis

Vita Sexualis comes to Ougai Mori’s aid in unique ways. With the ability to conjure up and manipulate Elise, a young girl subject to his will, Mori always has a trick up his sleeve, or a terror lying in wait.

Elise is fast and strong and can’t be killed, but her appearance depends on Mori’s strength at a particular time, meaning that his weakness or sickness can prevent him from using this ability. This interesting ability is derived from the 1909 erotic novel also called Vita Sexualis.

12 The Overcoat

Nikolai Gogol could pull off the perfect mind trip if he wanted to. With The Overcoat, he has the power to move anything through space, using a pocket dimension connected to his cloak. This dimension has a 30-meter vertical range that allows him to transport things like weapons, body parts like torsos and legs, and even a whole person.

Derived from Nikolai Gogol’s 1842 short story, this uncanny ability gives Gogol the element of surprise and an easy way to make his opponent jumbled and overwhelmed.

11 Demon Snow

Kyouka Izumi can summon a terrifying specter, called Demon Snow, who at first only took orders via a phone which was a gift from her mother. After getting full control of her ability, Kyouka is able to summon Demon Snow without needing the phone, giving her a reliable means of protection and attack always at her side.

Demon Snow presents itself in a female form holding a katana she uses to attack, cut into bullets for defense and pierce into opponents’ bodies.

10 Anne of Abyssal Red

The Anne of Abyssal Red is the signature ability of Lucy Maud Montgomery, a former member of the Guild. Lucy’s ability is powerful and difficult to escape after it traps the victim. The ability moves Lucy’s opponents to a different space – Anne’s Room, an entrapment with a single way out, which is camouflaged.

The victims trapped within Lucy’s self-made dimensional space are monitored by a weird-looking doll named Anne, which prevents any possible escape. Another interesting aspect of this ability is that after Lucy's enemies have escaped from her entrapment, they lose memories of what happened during their imprisonment. Consequently, her former opponents are unaware of her true ability since they don't even remember, giving her the element of surprise.

9 Beast Beneath the Moonlight

Beast Beneath the Moonlight is the ability of Atsushi Nakajima, the Bungou Stray Dogs’ protagonist. Initially, Atsushi could not control his ability due to self-doubt and the unacceptance of his true capabilities. However, he gradually changed throughout the series. After his fight with Akutagawa, Atsushi's control over his abilities evolved.

Atsushi's ability transforms him into a white tiger, boosting his speed, strength, and agility. He can also transform fully or partially, depending on the gravity of a fight. The Beast Beneath the Moonlight also grants Atsushi powerful, almost-instant regenerative abilities alongside enhanced senses.

8 The Great Fitzgerald

One of the unique abilities in Bungou Stray Dogs is Francis Scott’s Great Fitzgerald. This ability boosts Francis’s physical strength proportionate to the amount of money he spends. Consequently, depending on his wealth, his strength can become almost limitless.

For the Great Fitzgerald to take effect, Francis needs to verbalize the amount of money he spends. After the declaration, green markings appear on his body, signaling the ability’s activation. Another interesting aspect of the Great Fitzgerald is that Francis can use other people’s wealth to boost his strength. However, their permission is also an essential requirement.

7 Thou Shalt Not Die

Thou Shalt Not Die is the ability of the Armed Detective Agency's physician, Akiko Yosano. Yosano is a strong and someone sadistic woman; even her colleagues fear her. Akiko’s ability lies in physical restoration; she can heal fatal injuries, but she has to injure her patients to the point of death for the ability to activate. Hence the name, “Thou Shalt Not Die.”

What elevates this ability above others is that she can self-heal almost any injury, making her immortal. Akiko's ability in activation summons a butterfly that heals the wound or affected area completely, without leaving scars.

6 Rashomon

Rashomon is a powerful ability owned by Port Mafia's Akutagawa Ryunosuke. Akutagawa is one of the executives of Port Mafia due to his superhuman strength and capabilities. Like most typical villains, he is an arrogant individual who believes that the strong should be the apex authority in society, classifying weak society members as subjects to the strong.

Akutagawa’s ability, Rashomon, is a powerful yet versatile ability. Rashomon transforms Akutagawa's overcoat into a black, thread-like substance with high attack power – incredible sharpness capable of cutting through even space. It can also be used as a defense against certain attacks.

5 Flawless

In Bungou Stray Dogs, Sakunosuke Oda possesses one of the strongest yet underrated abilities. Oda's ability, “Flawless,” is precognitive, allowing him to predict the future. Specifically, Oda can see five to six seconds into the future with Flawless, enough time to escape some attacks and certain dangers.

For instance, in the Season One of Bungou Stray Dogs, he was able to escape an explosion because he predicted it. However, this ability can be quite tricky. If Oda predicts a dangerous future that he can change with his actions, doing so can create another unfavorable outcome. This was what happened in Oda’s fight with Andre Gide.

4 No Longer Human

Osamu Dazai, a former executive of Port Mafia and a central member of the Armed Detective Agency, has a widely-feared ability. Osamu Dazai's incredible ability, "No Longer Human," is a unique one, lacking any form of attack power; however, it is quite powerful, especially against other ability users.

No Longer Human nullifies any ability. However, physical contact is required for the ability to activate. Dazai's power is absolute since it works on all ability users. Even Chuuya’s Corruption is useless against Dazai. Furthermore, since No Longer Human only works on ability users, Ranpo's deduction skill and Lovecraft's tentacle form can't be nullified.

3 Dogra Magra

Kyusaku Yumeno’s Dogra Magra is a living hell for characters in Bungou Stray Dogs. Kyusaku, widely referred to as "Q," is one of Port Mafia's members. Q is a child, which makes them formidable since most recipients of their ability are usually unsuspecting. Beneath Q's cute, doll-like face is a twisted personality that loves carnage.

Q’s Dogra Magra ability is a mental but powerful one. Dogra Magra places a curse on anybody that harms Q. This curse contorts the consciousness of the affected individuals, probing them to attack anyone within range since the curses place them under strong hallucination.

2 Crime and Punishment

Crime and Punishment is the ability of Fyodor Dostoevsky, a key member of the Decay of the Angel and the head of the Rats in the House of the Dead. Although Bungou Stray Dogs didn’t fully explain the potential of Crime and Punishment, the little information that was depicted about the ability makes it a powerful one.

Based on the scenes Fyodor featured, it is clear that contact is not a requirement for Crime and Punishment ability. The ability is an instant-kill one, and this was shown when a government agent mysteriously dies after grabbing Fyodor’s dress.

1 For The Tainted Sorrow

Undoubtedly, “For The Tainted Sorrow" is the strongest ability in Bungou Stray Dogs. Chuuya Nakahara, an executive of the Port Mafia, uses the ability. For The Tainted Sorrow is a gravity manipulation ability; Chuuya can alter and even reverse gravity. Consequently, he can control the projectiles of bullets and even fly.

However, the true form of Chuuya’s ability is “Corruption.” Corruption increases Chuuya’s gravity control exponentially, allowing him to level buildings and other large obstacles easily. However, this ability has one downside: Chuuya can’t control it. If left unchecked, Corruption will eventually kill Chuuya. So to counter this shortcoming, Chuuya can only use this ability in the presence of Dazai, who can nullify the ability.

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