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Chuuya shoots Dazai in Bungo Stray Dogs chapter 109
Chuuya and Dazai from Bungo Stray Dogs (Image via Bones)

Bungo Stray Dogs: Does Dazai Die After Chuuya Shoots Him?

Priya MajumdarBy Updated:7 Mins Read Anime

August 4 had been particularly difficult for Dazai kinnies and soukoku shippers who had to read Bungo Stray Dogs chapter 109. Contrary to what was believed within the fandom when the chapters prior to 109 came out, it turns out Dazai’s death was not an impossible factor to consider. 

With the contents of Bungo Stray Dogs chapter 109 being action-oriented rather than revelatory, it remains to be seen what the September issue will hold for soukoku now that Chuuya has finally shot her ex-partner, Osamu Dazai. To top it off, Chuuya doesn’t just shoot Dazai once but thrice in three different areas, whether it was to uphold the mafia tradition or for some personal grude, explanation on the same is still awaited from Kafka Asagiri. However, what is known 

Note: The following article relies on fan translation.

Dazai’s death at the hands of Chuuya in Bungo Stray Dogs chapter 109 was dramatic and unexpected

What transpired in Bungo Stray Dogs chapter 109?

The contents of the chapter started with Fyodor Dostoevsky offering Sigma a chance to get all the information that the latter desires through touch. Taking the bait, Sigma holds Fyodor’s hand and is bombarded with an informal overload. The scene takes place in such a manner that Fyodor is seen as a godly figure, bathed in holy light, as holds the tiny Sigma on his palm and granting his wish. 

However, the information is too much for Sigma to process. As he feels the need to pass the information to Armed Detective Agency, he collapses. The Sigma x Fyodor segment this ends with Sigma on the ground, with white eyes suggesting either death or blackout as Fyodor moves to the intercom.

Meanwhile, Aya Koda decides to pull the Holy Cross Sword out of Bram Stoker so as to break the vampire infection outbreak. With Fukuchi finally gaining access to a bomb in a different location, he orders the attack to be launched. Soon after, air troops drop nuclear missiles above cities. But unknown tanks are also spotted in the southeast region.

At this point, Aya finds a table and attaches it to the hilt of Stoker’s sword. The objective is to pull the blade out through force since Aya couldn’t do it herself. Following this, as she tries to push the table through the glass opening, she is reminded of her father’s words who tells her to fix her posture and bend her knees so as to amplify the pushing force. The Aya Koda x Bram Stoker segment ends with the table falling over.

The next segment involves soukoku, where the ex-partners meet once again. Turns out, Chuuya has not been unvampirized due to the effects of drowning. When Dazai tries to provoke Chuuya into touching him, Fyodor informs the latter of the tactic employed by Dazai, i.e., his No Longer Human would nullify the effects of vampirism on Chuuya. However, that doesn’t happen with Fyodor’s warning. Then, Chuuya shoots him in the shoulder, and the impact creates a small crater on the wall. 

Dazai still maintains that he can still convince Chuuya to come back to his senses, saying that their fates are entwined and that they won’t end up in a place like this. However, he is interrupted as Chuuya pushes the barrel of the gun on his forehead and shoots at point blank. He then shoots two more times, once on the left shoulder and left abdomen. A shocked Dazai succumbs to his injuries as he presumably dies with a rueful smile on his face and saying, “at long last. I’ve been looking forward to th…” This ensures the victory for Fyodor, who bids farewell to Dazai.

Speculations 

Following the spoiler release of Bungo Stray Dogs chapter 109, the fandom has been raging about possibilities regarding Dazai’s death, or rather his live status. The theories observing the same suggests that Dazai can’t exactly die. To theorize properly, many fans believe that Chuuya may have been unvampirized sometime during the drowning incident inside the Meursault prison. The panels to support this claim show Chuuya eyes returning back to normal and the lack of fangs. Moreover, the follow-up panels featuring Chuuya in the next few chapters don’t show his face in detail, which made many think that the Port Mafia executive may have returned to normal.

But then Bungo Stray Dogs chapter 109 showed Chuuya completely in his vampirized state. It has been noticed that Chuuya can take orders and process words, but so far, he has not been heard speaking. So, when Fyodor informed Chuuya to not get close to Dazai since the latter can nullify the effects of vampirism, Chuuya followed the command. However, he touched the barrel of the gun to Dazai’s forehead. 

If one takes events of Fifteen into account, it has been mentioned in the BSD light novel that Dazai’s ability can traverse through physical objects. This is reason enough to believe that he may have activated his ability and nullified Chuuya’s vampirism, if the theory of Fifteen stands correct. Next, many fans believe that if Chuuya was unvampirized due to Dazai’s ability, the two may have been pretending to play their parts of enemies since Fyodor was watching them on a surveillance camera.

The next piece of evidence that many believe is questionable is the shooting scene. First, Chuuya shot Dazai’s right shoulder, and the impact of the shooting resulted in the formation of a crack on the wall. The second shot was on Dazai’s forehead, but the area behind Dazai’s head didn’t have any impact on the shot. The effect of the third and fourth, however, once again impressed the crack upon the wall. The theory is that Chuuya, who is a gravity manipulator, may have controlled the speed of the bullet as it pierced through the forehead skin, as a result of which there were no blood splatters nor crack on the wall due to the bullet. So, Dazai may just be pretending to die.

https://twitter.com/dazasters/status/1687265855329935360

A few fans also allege that since Dazai’s forehead remains covered for the entirety of the Meursault phase, he could have, at some point, created the fake gunshot wound on his forehead since he predicted the possibility. As such, the touch of the barrel and the gunshot are just ruses on Chuuya’s part, who may have known about Dazai’s plan(s) and acted accordingly.

The high chances are that Dazai isn’t dead because if he dies, the plot will suffer a major blow. While, if the opening song of Bungo Stray Dogs is considered, the three players in this game are – Dazai, Ranpo, and Fyodor. The first two belong to the same organization and are going up against a major proponent of global terrorism. Sure, Ranpo may be the Agency’s trump Card (as per Dazai), but the taller detective’s death would become a greater problem. Moreover, if he dies, Ango won’t have access to the information inside the prison. While Sigma’s death, although tragic, can be dismissed, Dazai’s death could not be an easy choice for the author to consider.

On the rare chance that Dazai does not make it alive, Chuuya’s reaction upon snapping out of the vampirized state to see his partner dead would be a great shock. While he may not remember the deed, he would live with the guilt of killing his ex-partner, who he may not like outwardly but deeply cares about nevertheless. As such, he could go on a rampage and activate Corruption. But in this case, there would be no Dazai to nullify his ability, which is why Chuuya will face an eventual death. Now, Dazai and Chuuya are extremely popular characters, so even if one dies, the other’s death would be too great a blow on the fandom and the plot. 

So far, this evidence provided by Bungo Stray Dogs chapter 109 largely point to the survival of Dazai. However, these are still speculations as of now. If chapter Bungo Stray Dogs chapter 110 does choose to focus on Dazai, Chuuya, and Fyodor instead of veering to a different direction, it would be interesting to see an official explanation on Dazai’s game.

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Priya is an anime lover and writer at GamesHorizon. A graduate from EFL University, she is deeply interested in anything remotely anime, manga, and fan culture. In her free time, she likes to draw, cook, visit cafes, and read fanfiction on a variety of anime fandoms' ships.