Recommends – Bungo Stray Dogs, Great Writers as Detectives and Gangsters
What if Dazai and Akutagawa were a detective and a mafia enforcer in modern Yokohama, with powers named after their own books?
Bungo Stray Dogs turns the giants of Japanese literature into detectives and mafia killers. It sounds like a gimmick for about one episode, then it is simply a very good detective show.
The premise – A starving orphan pulls a man out of a river
Atsushi Nakajima has been thrown out of his orphanage and is starving by a river in Yokohama when he pulls out a man floating in it. The man is Osamu Dazai, of the Armed Detective Agency.
Dazai is hunting a man-eating tiger that stalks the city, and Atsushi's first case is closer to home than he thinks.
Why it works – Every power is a book
Each gifted character is named after a real author, and each power after one of their works. Dazai's No Longer Human cancels other abilities. Akutagawa's Rashomon turns his black coat into a beast.
Takuya Igarashi directed it for Studio Bones in 2016, and Taku Iwasaki's score gives Yokohama a stylish, slightly gothic swing.
The verdict – Stay for the rivalry
Season one is twelve episodes, from the manga by Kafka Asagiri and Sango Harukawa. The rivalry between Atsushi and Akutagawa gives it a spine of real bite.
If you like mysteries with a sense of humour and villains with a sense of style, give it three episodes.
Where to watch
Bungo Stray Dogs was listed on Crunchyroll in the USA when we last checked, in October 2026. Catalogues change by country and by month, so check the service where you are.
Shop the Bungo Stray Dogs collection
Liked Bungo Stray Dogs? This is where it leaves the screen: every Bungo Stray Dogs design we carry, in one place.
Bungou Stray Dogs Armed Detective Agency Vintage Anime Oversized T-Shirt$20.99
Bungo Stray Dogs Osamu Dazai Embroidered Jet Tag Keychain$9.99
Bungo Stray Dogs Lucky Bag$16.99
Bungou Stray Dogs Armed Detective Agency Vintage Anime Oversized T-Shirt$20.99
Anime & Manga Gift Box$18.99
Bungo Stray Dogs Lucky Bag$16.99
Source: the Anime Crush Anime Guide.