Bungou Stray Dogs: Most Powerful Abilities, Ranked

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 28 September 2024, by Emedo Destiny: Following the conclusion of the fifth season and the likelihood of a sixth one, there is more than enough to review on the Bungo Stray Dogs series. Among the minimal number of anime to boast a truly unique power system, Bungo Stray Dogs, through the series, has crafted various complex and rather powerful abilities for its characters. With the previous season introducing another set of villains, the likelihood that the story will see more characters and, more importantly, new abilities is relatively high. Therefore, this piece is no more than an updated list of the series’ most powerful abilities so far.

25 Undefeated by the Rain

Reference: Be Not Defeated by the Rain

• Classification: Offensive ability
• Range: Close Range
• Anime Debut: Episode 4

Undefeated by the Rain is the ability of Kenji Miyazawa, a member of the Armed Detective Agency. The ability grants him superhuman strength and durability, making him an immensely powerful character.

However, this ability comes with a condition: It can only be activated when Kenji is really hungry. Otherwise, he ends up sleeping and is ultimately useless when he eats. Once activated, Kenji becomes extremely strong, as shown by the time he protected his village from flood waters by using his bare hand to change the shape of the mountain.

24 Illuminations

Reference: Illuminations

• Classification: Defensive, Supplementary
• Range: Mid – Long
• Anime Debut: Episode 26

Illuminations is an ability belonging to Arthur Rimbaud and Paul Verlaine, both of whom were French spies sent to investigate Japan’s mysterious military project. It allows the user to create a hyperspace that becomes completely isolated beyond normal space, over which the user has absolute control and is capable of different dimensions.

While the ability typically appears in small cube forms that can be used for different purposes, the user, that is, Rimbaud, is also capable of altering the range of his ability according to his objective, as he is shown to be capable of generating a hyperspace large enough for a shipyard. Illuminations proves to be quite the versatile ability as it also has a unique trait of being an almost impenetrable defense.

23 Golden Demon

Reference: The Usurer

• Classification: Offensive
• Range: Close – Medium
• Anime Debut: Episode 17

Golden Demon is an ability belonging to Koyo Ozaki, and a real-life reference to Koyo Ozaki’s novel, The Usurer. Golden Demon allows Koyo to summon a sword-wielding female phantom, just like Kyoka Izumi’s Demon Snow. However, unlike Demon Snow, Koyo can manipulate her ability freely and in whatever way she chooses.

With a phantom wielding a katana, Koyo’s ability focuses on attack power and relies on its impressive speed and accuracy to cut down her opponents. Appearance-wise, Golden Demon is similar to Demon Snow, as the phantom is dressed in a white and yellow kimono, with a cloak of shades of black and red, with red lines under the eyes.

22 All Men Are Equal

Reference: An Encouragement of Learning

• Classification: Supplementary
• Range: N/A
• Anime Debut: Episode 24

A rather peculiar ability, All Men Are Equal, is the ability of Yukichi Fukuzawa, the leader and president of the Armed Detective Agency. It is an inhibition ability that allows Yukichi to suppress the abilities of his subordinates and possibly monitor them regardless.

The ability can only be activated after applicants to the Armed Detective Agency pass the specifically prepared exam to measure their values, character, and overall ability. By suppressing the abilities of the detective agency members, Yukichi, through his ability, also affords his subordinates better control of their abilities, as shown with Nakajima and Kyoka Izumi.

21 A Feast in Time of Plague

Reference: A Feast In Time of Plague

• Classification: N/A
• Range: Close
• Anime Debut: Episode 33

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.

20 Black Cat In The Rue Morgue

Reference: The Murderers in the Rue Morgue

• Classification: N/A
• Range: N/A
• Anime Debut: Episode 22

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.

19 Draconia

Reference: The Museum of Draconia

• Classification: N/A
• Range: Close
• Anime Debut: Bungo Stray Dogs Movie: Dead Apple

Draconia is a very useful ability against other ability users, and it belongs to Tatsuhiko Shibusawa, the main antagonist of the filmBungo 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.

18 Midwinter Memento

Reference: Midwinter Memento

• Classification: Supplementary
• Range: Close – Medium
• Anime Debut: Episode 47

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.

17 Gasp Of The Soul

Reference: Gasp of the Soul

• Classification: N/A
• Range: Close
• Anime Debut: Episode 49

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.

16 Another

Reference: Another

• Classification: Offensive
• Range: Close – Long
• Anime Debut: N/A

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.

15 The Perfect Crime

Reference: The Perfect Crime

• Classification: Supplementary
• Range: Close – Medium
• Anime Debut: Episode 41

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.

14 Vita Sexualis

Reference: The Dancing Girl

• Classification: Offensive, Supplementary
• Range: Close – Medium
• Anime Debut: Episode 33

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.

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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.

13 The Overcoat

Reference: The Overcoat

• Classification: Offensive, Supplementary
• Range: Close – Medium
• Anime Debut: Episode 42

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.

12 Demon Snow

Reference: Demon Pond

• Classification: Offensive
• Range: Close – Medium
• Anime Debut: Episode 8

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.

11 Anne of Abyssal Red

Reference: Anne of Green Gables

• Classification: N/A
• Range: Close – Medium
• Anime Debut: Episode 12

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.

10 Beast Beneath the Moonlight

Reference: Moon Over The Mountain

• Classification: Offensive
• Range: Close
• Anime Debut: Episode 1

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.

9 The Great Fitzgerald

Reference: The Great Gatsby

• Classification: Offensive, Defensive
• Range: Close – Medium
• Anime Debut: Episode 23

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.

8 Thou Shalt Not Die

Reference: Thou Shalt Not Die

• Classification: Defensive
• Range: Close
• Anime Debut: Episode 4

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.

7 Rashomon

Reference: Rashomon

• Classification: N/A
• Range: Close – Long
• Anime Debut: Episode 2

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.

6 Strait is the Gate

Reference: Strait is the Gate

• Classification: N/A
• Range: N/A
• Anime Debut: Episode 15

Strait is the Gate is the ability of Andre Gide, the leader of the European organization Mimic. It is a precognition ability that allows Gide to foresee in his mind about five or six seconds into the future, similar to Sakunosuku Oda’s Flawless ability.

By looking into the future, Gide uses his ability to predict his enemy’s attack and maneuver around it. A notable show of this ability comes when Gide encounters Oda. With their abilities very similar, Gide and Oda confront each other, continually predicting each other, eventually resulting in a Singularity that lasts until both characters die.