theory: dazai is not completely human
In Chapter 1 of the Stormbringer novel, there’s this intriguing passage.
Quoting my own shitty interpretation, it reads:
“Abilities, of course, can’t be controlled by machines. Only human souls can seize them. However, simultaneously, it means that the limitations of abilities are defined by the soul…the ability thinks ‘there is a human’, and hence, grows under control [of the human].”
Now, this is interesting because 1) it means that abilities are canonically sentient, and 2) it associates with the souls of humans.
Adding into consideration the plot of Dead Apple, it’s apparent that the human’s soul must be stronger than the ability itself. This enforces the symbiotic relationship between the user and the ability- the user allows the ability to manifest, and in exchange, the ability enhances the parameters of the capabilities of the user.
But what if the ability and the soul, are not in this relationship?
Here I want to introduce an official artwork by Harukawa35-sensei. It’s apparently on one of the DVD sets sold a few years ago:
And at the bottom you’ll notice:
That Dazai’s bandages unravel– to what? To nothing.
This could easily be a piece of imagery. But I think it’s too bold to mean anything abstract.
Because this scene exists:
(I’ll explain more about the relevance of this later.)
It’s openly revealed that No Longer Human is constantly active. Based on what we’ve seen from others, we also know that they can cause changes on the direct physical form of the user.
This alone can be made into a simple conclusion- that No Longer Human is inflicting solid effect on Dazai’s form, which is transparency of this flesh. And it can just end there.
Let’s bring up, say, Atsushi’s tiger. Or Chuuya’s Corruption. The commonality with these two is that both are, although demonstrating visible effect on the flesh of the users, they are, in some way, under control. They take some time and some specific circumstances, but they are indeed manageable. And this management allows the user to return to their unmodified human form.
Taking this, it would mean that Dazai’s soul is not completely controlling his ability.
What exactly would this look like?
No Longer Human isn’t exactly out of control. Because if it can, it hasn’t gone wild. But it’s not in control, either, because it always exists on the user’s (Dazai’s) body. Meaning, the human we see as Dazai compiles both his original human soul, and also the direct entity of his ability.
I said before that I’ll explain the relevance of the Odasaku scene.
Let’s say that the space under the bandages was transparency. Transparency, taken up by the manifestation of the ability.
If the hypothesis that Dazai is made both of soul and ability is true, this means that Dazai’s soul is dependent on his ability, and his ability is dependent on his soul. The more Dazai stayed in the Port Mafia, the more he was consumed by the darkness that was despair. If Dazai’s soul was healed by Odasaku’s dying wishes, it means that, the moment he said so, he was given a meaning to life- his soul was partially healed, and needed less dependence. And thus, the bandages revealed following this scene unraveled a complete and intact face.
So I could just stop here. But there’s more.
Because there’s another possibility I’m thinking about. (Though it won’t be very well-received, from what I gather.)
I think the best way to start it is to analyze what the existence of No Longer Human means.
By definition, No Longer Human is a non-exceptional nullifier. It deactivates every ability it touches.
The theory I’m about to propose builds on the guess that No Longer Human is a living paradox. If it expels everything that is an “ability”, that can’t exclude itself. Because its existence itself is indeed an ability.
Theoretically. What would this lead to? Or in other words- what specific behavior would this manifest as?
Of course, self-destruction.
I stated earlier that Dazai’s soul and ability depend on each other. They’re reliant. They’re connected.
So yes- I will say, that Dazai’s ability inflicts self-destruction on its user.
Not just in the form of physical transparency, like it seems to be doing under his bandages.
What if Dazai himself indeed wasn’t human?
In which case- the ability will have overwhelmed the human soul. Following its occupation of the spirit and flesh of a human, it will have consumed the user; until the remnants of the original human are reduced to such little humanity, that all that’s left is the growing self-destruction of the ability.
Sticking out on a limb, I say that the possible placement of Tsujima Shuuji as the “original human” would make sense.
And the new, ability-consumed soul?
thank you for reading my bullshit theory till the end bye now have a wonderful day
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