emiri

*you gotta love those beautiful eyes~* 

But seriously, though. His eyes have a lot of expression. Especially like this one: 

In this post, I want to focus particularly on those eyes. Because they have a meaning. 

Manga spoilers!!! (you have been warned~)

Off the top of my head, I can only name about three (maybe four?) instances where we see those eyes. Dazai’s irises are usually filled in black, with light to show his usual expression, and without light to show his “dark” side (of course). But I think there’s another type: white irises with round pupils.

Here’s some instances. 

The above ^ picture is when Higuchi tells him, about his true nature (or more, what she thinks of his true nature). He seems shocked, but soon undermines her statement, saying that people do change.

(okay you have to appreciate that hair. *beautiful*.)

After this scene, Dazai reveals that he already knew the existence of the sniper as part of Dostoevsky’s plan. Do you see where I’m going?

After this Dazai admits he knew that he was being followed- and also that he knew it was a Hunting Dog. 

-yeah. They don’t look too similar, but they have that look to them- white irises, black pupils. And this scene, Dazai had also already planned for- he was captured by the Mafia on purpose.

So, cumulatively, my theory is that when Dazai has those “shocked” eyes- white irises, round black pupils- he already knows what’s going on. Whether this is feigned or not I’m not sure. A possibility is that, although he knows the situation already, he’s still shocked- perhaps, “betrayed” by human emotion. 

Genuinely don't think I've seen anyone talk about chapter 25 as a pivotal moment for Dazai so I'm gonna put this out here because I think his reactions here kind of negate that whole omnipotent Dazai interpretation which I hate with every fibre of my being.

Firstly, he's like, clearly caught off guard here. And don't try to tell me he wasn't, because this is just one instance of his genuinely horrified reaction to Q's release and when he realized what was actually going on with Atsushi, Naomi and Haruno.

Him being caught off guard carries significance here because you'd never catch him screwing up this bad later in the series - which is exactly my point.

We all know about Harukawa-sensei's note about how the eyes are drawn with less light and with bigger pupils for characters that are steeped in darkness, right? So, characters in the mafia have darker eyes for the most part because they work in darkness/have succumbed to their darker sides, etc.

I think there's a bit more to it than that though - take a look at Fyodor for what I mean.

His eyes are drawn quite light, and we all know that he's... well, definitely not a good person.

The important thing is though, that he seems to think his world free of ability users is a good thing - that his cruelty is justified. Look at Gogol, Sigma, any of the Hunting Dogs, even some people in the Guild.

It seems to me like there's a few things the eyes indicate:

Bloodlust/propensity to violence - generally represented by larger pupils; gives a more deranged look to the character

Character's self-perception of darkness/hopefulness - the amount of and origin of light in the eyes; has a lot to do with the whole reason to live theme of the story

It's not objective darkness of a character they measure, it appears to be a lot more subjective than that and I wager it's rooted in the character's own perception of themselves and the world around them. (Check out Kyouka's eyes and how they change over her story for a really good example of what I mean here!)

Mild spoilers to anime

Akutagawa is a character that oftentimes is pitied by the fandom for how he was treated by Dazai. How he never got acknowledged.

What most may forget, is why Akutagawa is a perfect reflection of Atsushi. Why are they shown as opposing one another.

To me, obviously, the main reason is his relationship with Dazai - where one was failed, the other was recognized and admired by the mentor. That, however is not the end of their similiarties.

A starking trait they share is the sisterly bond that plays a huge role in their lives, and morality. For Akutagawa it is his own sister, who, as we know from his backstory, served as one of main points of him joining the mafia (since Gin was weaker surviving in the trenches was harder, as a non-ability user).

Well, but who is the sister for Atsushi?

Kyōka.

Akutagawa who gave his whole life to the Mafia in promises of being admired, and keeping his sister safe got crushed when he saw that first of all, somebody got all that praise and recognition without the suffering. And second of all, Atsushi, unlike him did actually save his "sister" from Port Mafia and gave her a better life.

That most likely was the reason for his anger when seeing Kyōka.

It is not stated clearly in the canon, but I am sure that all of us would blame ourselves if a loved one of ours got pulled into Mafia as the practically only way of saving them.

However I believe Akutagawa is not just a reflection of Atsushi, but also Dazai. In my previous post I stated that Dazai does not feel guilt and that causes him the greatest pain. Akutagawa is the opposite - his guilt swallows him whole.

Where Dazai's body is kept alive no matter how hard he tries to commit, Akutagawa's body fails, despite him clinging to life.

I believe Rashomon is also a reflection of Corrpution - both inherently violent, following the character everywhere they go. Both dependent on Dazai at some point.

Both characters bitter, because of betrayal.

Where Corruption had to be regulated and stopped by Dazai, Rashomon is accepted and used fully by Atsushi.

SSK is fixing the flaws of SK, despite sharing some failures (such as the cycle of jealousy and anger continuing from Chuuya to Akutagawa).

Kunikida’s the Magician: life, manifestation, harmony. God of alchemy, manifestation, order

Artifacts: books and quills, doves, jade.

His worshippers are people who want to physically improve their lives and gain willpower, and grants strength for people on all paths of life to carry on; soldiers and students, friends who want to help their friends. Elevated to Godhood by Fukuzawa. The Magician of Life is often in struggle with Death.

Fukuzawa’s associated with the Emperor and he’s a dualling figure with Mori: The light of the moon, Gods of divinity and order, structure, protection, mercy, new phases of life like the phases of the moon. Fukuzawa nurtures the good sides and Mori the bad until its a perfect harmony.

The god is for Fathers or just generally people with authority and trust over subordinates, these are the ones who pray for the ability to protect and defend others and you pray to them like parents when starting a new phase of life. Artifacts: wolves and ravens, snow and fog, the moon of course. Both of them were, somewhat unwillingly, elevated to godhood by Natsume. Mori is saltier than Fukuzawa (engaged in some polite I Do Not See) and he knows he was groomed somewhat and they were elevated for the duty of controlling Titans and lesser gods and maintaining stability of the cosmos. Wed divorced wed divorced with kids.

Yosano is the goddess of healing, magic, the night and mercy. She’s a factor of death and one of the trio Fukuzawa raised. People focus on her for the darker traits she harbours which is why she prioritises death via mercy over being the god of the battlefield. Obsessed over by soldiers and adored by emo teenage girls.

Artifiacts: butterflies (her messengers and helpmeets). Lowkey she has a grudge against mortals for The Great War but she understands them even if she doesnt like it. Brought up both under Mori and Fukuzawa’s influence and people see her as the middle ground between them both.

Ranpo is the god of intellect and cunning, a trickster god. War strategicians pray to him, but also students similar to Kunikida. Patron to detectives, thinks they’re the fucking funniest people on Earth. Was already a god but was brought up largely by mortal Fukuzawa who was raised to godhood later. Regarded as the first son of Fukuzawa and haaaated Kunikida at first, its why he’s more popular for students pray to than Kunikida. Likes Yosano though, they’re tight-knit and people going to war are expected to pray to them both at the same time and you can leave one’s offerings to another. Artifacts: jewels, shiny things, cats, novels, plants. Kids are dissuaded by eating too much sugar by saying that Ranpo will eat them.

Ranpo, Yosano and Kunikida are closest to each other and to Fukuzawa and that’s where the base of their loyalties lie. They’re considered deeply important alone and in a trio, and it’s common to have a three-sided chapel for the three of their worship. Some people consider these three to be one god with three ‘faces.’

Atsushi’s the newest god on the pantheon after he fucking died and was godified by Dazai, a decision that has everyone–and I mean everyone–side-eyeing him. And following in true soukoku fashion he’s a dualling god. Nobody is happy about that. Akutagawa was brought up in Dazai’s shadow and elevated to godhood after similar abuse by Dazai leading to his death. Mythology varies in saying whether the two gods hate or love each other, sometimes both, but doomsday and slavery is often associated with Akutagawa. People see the duo as dissimilar but its the opposite, they blur into each other. they’re visceral death, the undeserved, the too-young. Abuse victims pray to them, as well as parents from well families as a prayer to keep their kids safe. Akutagawa in particular, god of illness, tragedy, minor of siblings, duty and devotion, rewards through penance and Atsushi over love/hate, loneliness, friendship and companionship, healing. Salvation after death. Artifacts: lavender, tigers, dragons, figs.

Dazai and Chuuya are the second generation of soukoku, gods of death. Dazai was elevated to godhood, Chuuya was always a god though he doesn’t know how. There’s no clear defination of life/death, these two are near-thoroughly blurred. Chuuya’s artifacts are camellias, sheep skulls, fire Dazai’s are sake, bandages, water. Waiting/newly wed couples pray to Chuuya, Widows ask for Dazai. Its forbidden for dogs to be harmed under Chuuya and Fukuzawa’s temples. Dazai has his cats.

Junichirou and Naomi are of siblings, family and illusion(truth/lies). Junichirou is the sun, Naomi the shadows. Naomi is for the sisters, Junichirou for the brothers. Akutagawa is a friend of his. Its known to call on them for the murder of familial abusers. If you have a spat with your sibling you have to mad dash offer confess and pray FAST before your sibling gets the gods favour over you lol.

Kenji is for prosperity, fertility, agriculture and life again. Major with farmers, protects over children. Communists love invoking him. Killed in the storm that destroyed his hometown and raised to the mortal life for his spirit by Fukuzawa

Life: Fukuzawa, Kenji, Atsushi, Chuuya, Kunikida, Junichirou

Previous chapters + 125 spoilers

I'll be talking about the new official illustration that came out in this chapter.

OFFICIAL ILLUSTRATION

Atsushi is seen halfway lying on the floor, as if he has difficulty standing up. He is exhausted but is not giving up. That's why the lines "You can still stand... You can still fight." It can be that those words come from his comrades.

Two swords are next to him, look like the Amenogozen and the Tsuki no gozen. These are the only two swords in this image. The blades are broken, sticking down to the other panel. A broken sword can symbolize: "overcoming adversity, rising stronger from defeat, and embracing new beginnings."

The view behind Atsushi looks calm. No buildings whatsoever. It's white and grey. White symbols a "new beginning" that gives hope. Grey symbols "neutrality, balance, and detachment"

Meaning it can be that good things will happen soon.

On the right side, there are the characters who have been slashed by Amenogozens. But Ranpo is also in between them. This can mean he has been slashed, too, but we didn't see the panel, or something happened to him when the explosion came after Fyodor putting the two swords together.

The characters are also fading to red. Red like the sky in the lower panel.

The color red can mean "sacrifice,danger, sorrow." It can also be something positive, but in this context, it's negative.

"Sacrifice" fits since Atsushi tried to sacrifice himself for his friends and sacrificed himself for Akutagawa.

I don't need to explain the "danger" and "sorrow" parts.

The destroyed Yokohama airport is shown in the image. It's the current situation right now after Amenogozen destroyed it.

There's also a Shinto-Shrine in the image. In the previous chapters, there were many shrines in the middle of the airport, where the transformation of the Amenogozen happened.

Torii gates are used for Kamis (Gods). They can travel through it. Since Amenogozen is basically a God, many shrines have appeared making a circle, so it makes sense.

Still sitting under that same tree in the cemetery, eyes seeing the ghost of a weathered gravestone that's not there. Letting his hand brush along the grass, drawing the shape of a grave that was never dug.

Sometimes he lies down, pressing his cheek to the earth as he closes his eyes and imagines he can feel Oda's presence in the earth. Like a scar upon the earth from a wound it never received.

It's the only way he knows how to be close to Oda without risking ruining everything he's been working for. Sometimes, there's a selfish part of him that wishes Oda was buried here, at least then he'd have known him and everyone else he sacrificed knowing to save Oda. He detests himself whenever this thought cross his mind, but still, it keeps coming back.

Eventually, Chuuya sniffs him out again.

Despite knowing exactly where Dazai is each time, it takes Chuuya a while to come drag him out of the cemetery. Dazai's beginning to suspect Chuuya waits on purpose. He complains about Dazai being morbid and napping in a cemetery, but his heart's never in it.

One time, Dazai tells him, "I'd like to be buried here."

Chuuya dismisses it, telling him to quit being dramatic, that Chuuya's not going to leave enough of body for him to be buried if he doesn't stop running off by himself.

Atsushi’s hallucination part 1

Atsushi’s hallucination part 2

Elise and the Tanizakis are not fanservice

BSD fashion

Anarchism

The tragedy of BEAST Dazai

Atsushi and the Headmaster

BEAST Dazai again

Atsushi and Kunikida

Singularity, black hole, white hole

Dazai and Akutagawa, controversial topic but I wholeheartedly agree with OP

Why did Dazai want Akutagawa to be paired with Atsushi?

OP, thank you for pointing out the romanticization of Oda and Dazai’s relationship

BSD, the irony of being powerful

This famous panel is mistranslated

The length can BSD go when it comes to realistic abuse representation - an Atsushi analysis

Some characters’ way of talking

Kunikida’s journey to become a parent

The quote Atsushi said to Akutagawa

Good day, anon! Thank you for your question, I appreciate it:)

Alright so in fiftheen, it's mostly in the subtext of the story.

a good example of this is Dazai's will to live in the fifthteen light novel.

So in the beggining of the story, Dazai is shown to be ultimately bored of life, he only stayed alive to somehow get closer to the human condition, thus, a reason to live yet to be found.

But with the passage of time and nothing catching Dazai off guard or closer to the value of human life, he was basically giving up.

Until Chuuya showed up, of course.

So back to the main point however, Dazai was bored, and when he first met Chuuya, he was still bored.

It was up until the moment that Chuuya kicked the gun right out of Dazai's hands that he got caught off guard and emotionally moved. (Check out the link if necesarry!<3)

Chuuya's impact on Dazai's life is actually so important to the narrative of Fifthteen, paralleling Rimbaud and Verlaine's partnership as well.

It was Chuuya who gave Dazai an intrest in the Port Mafia, not just because of the possibilities of finding meaning through other people, but to find meaning in his partnership with Chuuya.

So, in short, Chuuya helped Dazai find meaning, but honestly, Dazai said it better:

Anyways, it wasn't only Dazai that was battling with a reason to live, Chuuya was too.

In the start of the novel, Chuuya was heavily struggling with his identity, and in order to fill that void, he blindly was loyal to people who constantly overworked him.

It was Dazai who shifted Chuuya's perspective, albiet quite manipulating, it still got Chuuya to realize how he truly wasn't being a leader to the sheep, he was just being used.

I think the scene im painting is sort of evident for die hard bsd fans, Chuuya's (and Dazai's?) verbal confrontation with the sheep:

to make it quick and actually get to the point: Chuuya found a purpose thanks to Dazai and his recruitment to the Port Mafia.

Now you all probably think i'm absolutely off the rails wondering what this have to do with the original question, but i promise, I have a point! Just walk this through with me and you will get it too:)

During Fifthteen, we don't fully see hints of them dying together, but we do see Chuuya and Dazai metaphorically at the brink of death giving each other a reason to keep going through their partnership.

Their reasoning to live is so intrically connected to one another, as well as their dream of persuing the real human condition.

And that's what the subtext of Fifthteen is all about, their partnership bringing a fresh new outlook on something they believed was dead or possibly didn't exist.

But time passes, soukoku's narrative is running out and being "replaced" with shin soukoku's.

Their motivations, their abilities, and their lives are so intertwined that of course, if one dies, the other will follow.

I feel like this is a right/left brain analogy 🧵

Dazai covering his right side, the side supposedly responsible for the emotional & artistic things. It says alot about his mindset, accurate for that time.

It’s intriguing, then, Kouyou covers the “logical” side

I feel like this lends to why Chuuya & Kouyou do get along well. While both Chuuya & Kouyou are no doubt very intelligent (Asagiri literally refers to Chuuya as a genius) they both still lean very much into their emotional side as well. Even if Kouyou seemingly does so less.

Kouyou reveals herself, however, not only in her care for Chuuya but we mainly see it how she handled the situation with Kyoka.

She could have insisted Kyoka come back without ever changing her mind but when Dazai presents her with a way to save Kyoka from dark, she agrees quickly.

Kouyou clearly cares & wanted to help & protect Kyoka even if she went about it poorly. She was trying to help based on her past experiences, lest we forget that she tried to leave the mafia herself once, for *love* no less. She also tends to get emotional when talking about her past or her wish to help Kyoka.

But once she was presented with another solution, a far better one, she didn’t do “what’s best for the mafia”. Kouyou agreed to what was best for Kyoka & that was definitely a more emotional choice.

This is an area where Chuuya & Kouyou align. So, of course they would get along.

Chuuya always seems to find the balance between his logic and emotion. However, he can easily & often does lean more into his emotional side first, then his logical side.

It’s similar for Kouyou, even if we don’t see it as much from her.

Back to Dazai then, when he left the mafia & the cover on Dazai’s “emotional side” was gone Dazai seemed to also move more towards that balancing of the two sides.

He started off heavily relying on his logical brain & struggled emotionally. Often feeling numb or apathetic mostly, hence his suicidal ideation.

Then he meets Chuuya & this shifts. Chuuya forces him to experience new feelings. As Chuuya is a living breathing example of most things Dazai felt the world lacked. It opened Dazai to the idea that there is more to the world, there is more to *people*. Chuuya intrigues Dazai enough to make him want to live a little longer again. Chuuya gave him a reason to keep going, a promise of more.

From the moment he met Chuuya, it was a process of letting more & more emotions seep into his mind & his heart. We see how he feared for Chuuya in 15 even after they just met, even though Dazai *knew* it was a plan.

I might even venture to go as far as to say Dazai may not have feared for someone else’s life that hard before. It was a burst of unrecognizable emotions to him. After this, he only had more & more emotion seep in as the years went by. In Storm Bringer he was ready to sacrifice the city to give Chuuya a choice.

That relationship opened Dazai up to others later, namely Oda & Ango. Which only further encouraged the intermingling of his logical brain and his emotions. Then reaching the point at which the bandages were finally removed entirely and then he, like Chuuya, moved to striving to find the balance rather than relying on one side.

Bringing us back to current Dazai as he is still attempting to find that balance.

He still leans more towards his logical side. This, of course, in contrast to Chuuya who, while intelligent, more easily leans into the emotional.

Yet another thing between them that completes & balances each other. Soukoku will always pull the other back when drifting too far.

So, of course, Soukoku complement each other & it benefits them both.

Having Kouyou on Chuuya’s other side I think also does help Chuuya stay grounded while in the mafia. Chuuya isn’t one to lose who he is but I think having someone else who he knows *cares* like he does helps.

Now, additionally, if we apply this to Beast, I think this also says alot about beast Dazai & why Asagiri says beastzai would be the hardest for someone to portray.

Because *this* Dazai, is perhaps *too* far into his emotional side. He’s always intelligent but in beast, his actions aren’t fully logical, they’re emotional.

He appears cold & calculating as always but he saw another version of himself suffer the great loss of a best friend & allowed his emotional desire to prevent that from happening take control. Thus, his emotional side takes over, thus him covering the opposite side from canon Dazai, he’s covering his “logical” side.

I feel like this is the main difference between all the various Dazai we’ve seen.

PM Dazai relied heavily on his logical side, especially before meeting Chuuya. He rarely took emotion into account unless it involved the 3 people he actually cared for. We see him make emotional choices when it involves Chuuya, Oda, and Ango. Dazai did seem to let more and more emotion seep in over time as a result of knowing them, however, leading to that moment the bandages are removed.

Beastzai is leaning far too heavily into his emotional side, getting lost in it even. Acting solely on an emotional desire rather than a logical one. His desire to prevent a tragedy. He only was using his intellect to further that emotional desire.

Canonzai went through a steady progression, meeting Chuuya starts to open him up, this extending over time to Oda & Ango, leading to the cover on his “emotional” side being taken off.

But beastzai skipped all of that, all the *progression* to that point for canonzai & so beastzai just got all these intense emotions he never experienced before all at once when he saw canonzai’s memories & therefore he sunk far too deep, too quickly into his emotions.

Now current/ADA Dazai is the balance of the two extremes, and seemingly the closest to happiness.

ADA Dazai uses his logical brain as always but he also actually takes emotion into account as well and has more people he actually cares for now.

I think that says alot to the theme of bsd, leaning into that “everything is grey” dynamic. Everything is about the *balance* of things. Showcasing that anything in extremes in either direction doesn’t work.

Anyway, just some thoughts I had and interpretations of mine. Take them as you want, as always.

Oh and just to be clear, I don’t think Dazai was ever “emotionless”, even at his worse. Even if he was numb and apathetic. He was also lonely.

Just saying the more people he came to care about (Chuuya, Oda, Ango then later the ADA) the more he was able to feel a variety of emotion.

My original post:

Atsushi’s hallucination part 1

Atsushi’s hallucination part 2

Elise and the Tanizakis are not fanservice

BSD fashion

Anarchism

The tragedy of BEAST Dazai

Atsushi and the Headmaster

BEAST Dazai again

Atsushi and Kunikida

Singularity, black hole, white hole

Dazai and Akutagawa, controversial topic but I wholeheartedly agree with OP

Why did Dazai want Akutagawa to be paired with Atsushi?

OP, thank you for pointing out the romanticization of Oda and Dazai’s relationship

BSD, the irony of being powerful

This famous panel is mistranslated

The length can BSD go when it comes to realistic abuse representation - an Atsushi analysis

Some characters’ way of talking

Kunikida’s journey to become a parent

Atsushi’s hallucination part 1

Atsushi’s hallucination part 2

Elise and the Tanizakis are not fanservice

BSD fashion

Anarchism

The tragedy of BEAST Dazai

Atsushi and the Headmaster

BEAST Dazai again

Atsushi and Kunikida

Singularity, black hole, white hole

Dazai and Akutagawa, controversial topic but I wholeheartedly agree with OP

Why did Dazai want Akutagawa to be paired with Atsushi?

OP, thank you for pointing out the romanticization of Oda and Dazai’s relationship

BSD, the irony of being powerful

This famous panel is mistranslated

The length can BSD go when it comes to realistic abuse representation - an Atsushi analysis

Some characters’ way of talking

Kunikida’s journey to become a parent

Based on what we have, I actually think we can assume that Fukuzawa, Ranpo, Dazai, all of the higher ups in the PM, and the govt. are aware of the deal and that Dazai will go back. Here's why:

Prior to Fyodor's arrest, Dazai had been maintaining an essentially crimeless record (and if he does do something morally questionable, he either had government backing from Ango, or was done in a way that can't be pointed back to him).

However, before anything could progress in S4, Dazai purposely put himself out in public to get arrested. I'd even argue that he had Ango purposely release some of his old crimes rather than it being written on the ripped page of the book (and if it was actually written in the book, then Dazai must have anticipated it in the first place because he knows Fyodor would do that).

This idea is further cemented by the fact that Ango, Mori, and Chuuya are actually aware of what Dazai is doing (more than the ADA even). Dazai had contacts in and out of Mersault ready before his arrest.

To make these plans in the first place, Dazai had to have talked to (at least) Mori and Ango. This would have to be roughly around the same time as when Mori and Fukuzawa made a deal. What if all of this was just one meeting?

Because let's face it. Fukuzawa only saying "except Yosano" was such a red flag moment. If there was anyone Mori would have wanted back in his control, it would either be his angel of death or his demon prodigy. The conversation must not have ended there...

Also, why was this deal even created in the first place? I feel like there could have been a different agreement, and this just looks like an excuse to get Dazai to go back. Fukuzawa agreeing with this deal is weird because he knows what the PM is like. Why would he subject his employees to possibly experience working there?

Dazai may have actually purposely put himself up for the taking in preparation to a future enemy that needed him back in the PM- back in his hometurf with all the manpower he could command and to give soukoku the free reign they had once again (without the limitations of the law on Dazai).

So anyway, now we have Dazai with his crimes leaked, which would have been fine alone because it could be played off as part of what was written on the page, but then he kills some guards in Mersault and commits jailbreak, along with several other crimes in just 30 minutes. In addition, he is clearly shown to be working with Chuuya, a well-known criminal, who has also committed several crimes while there.

Say what you will about Mersault security (which is actually good but just couldn't keep the demons on hold lmao), but they would 100% have records of what Dazai had done there. Even if he could be considered crimeless before, he can no longer be called crimeless again now. His actions here are beyond the manipulations of the book. To have these crimes (in France) erased would require the government to have an agreement with another country and to have Dazai go into hiding for some time again (doable, but troublesome).

That leaves us to the fact that Dazai is back to willingly committing crimes and partnering up with Chuuya as Soukoku for an extended period of time. All of these acts are known to Mori and Ango.

This implies that the choice had been made prior to S4, and this is why Dazai could do all these crazy schemes.

This also clears up why Ranpo and Fukuzawa no longer consider Dazai in the ADA roster recently. Not because they don't care for him, but because he is secretly no longer part of the ADA in the first place, and Dazai's safety is now under the concern of the PM.

Scarily enough, this could also possibly set up Dazai as the next boss of the PM in preparation for the next big enemy. One thing some people in the fandom noticed was that Mori had mentioned before that Dazai would become the boss when he turns 23. This fits in the timeline well because Dazai is several months (or maybe even weeks) closer to his 23rd birthday (or he may already be 23 right now). All of this may have been pre-planned for longer than we think.

Also, as a personal opinion on the other possible transfer candidates, they actually have better hold on the ADA and would not function well in the PM.

The PM would clash with Kunikida's ideals (though it would be interesting to have the future leader of the ADA be put in the PM the same way the future leader of the PM was employed in the ADA)

Tanizaki would be a great candidate, especially for his skills (and it would be interesting to have another redhead in the PM hahaha), but I highly doubt Naomi would take his transfer sitting down (Naomi would probably even attempt to join the PM) and, in turn, Junichiro would hate to bring his sister in the PM as well. Tanizaki's entire shtick involves his care for his sister, and taking that away brings him back to having no motivation to go crazy.

Atsushi is actually my 2nd option. Moving Atsushi to the PM would make him learn more about how the PM functions, and this allows SSKK to spend more time building their relationship. Chuuya could watch over the two of them as an aide to Dazai's mentoring, and this could lead to more character growth for Atsushi. Unfortunately, this voids Atsushi's plans to learn how to fight under Kunikida's tutelage, and the "no killing" deal with Akutagawa slightly lessens its impact because they would now be in the criminal organization rather than the opposing one (I'd rather have Akutagawa join the ADA tbh. This would further cement the "no killing" idea that Atsushi demands of him and build the SSKK partnership.)

Kenji is also a good bet, but the PM already has Chuuya, which makes having Kenji redundant. Kyoka would not return without an all out brawl and would actually waste all the efforts from S2. Ranpo would be insufferable lmao, and he is not made for Mafia types of strategy (he's smart! But he is not here for the manipulation and long chess matches. He doesn't have the patience for that when he can get straight to the point), and I'm not sure who in the PM he would have synergy with yet...he works best as a detective.

NOW, I may be wrong, because who knows what Asagiri will pull on us, and all of this is based on what is shown (I'm not sure if we could trust it lol), but this is the theory I came up with based on my understanding of events. Dazai planned to go back, and the tripartite knows of it.

Before anyone says this is a waste of Dazai's character development, I'd argue that there may be a misconception as to what Dazai is actually here to learn.

Odasaku knows that good and evil does not matter to Dazai. Dazai choosing to save people is not Dazai's character growth because he has ALWAYS been capable of that despite his unconventional means. The real character growth that Dazai needed was that there was a world beyond the darkness that he insists on putting himself in, and that he is capable humanity. Mori realized this too by proving the humanity in Dazai by chasing him out with Odasaku's death. Dazai has also realized this, and is now ready to return to his hellhole as a new man touched by the light. He is ready to be a leader, not the tyrant that he would have been without this lesson. Mori just prevented another insane mafia boss from taking the throne.

In addition, the PM has repeatedly been defined as the organization that protects the city in the dark. Being in the PM does not hinder Dazai from saving people (again, they've done so before while there). This might actually give him more power to move around and defend Yokohama more efficiently.

These are my first thoughts on parts of chapter 120. It includes my personal interpretations and theories of certain things.

Warning: Spoilers ahead

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1. Akutagawa & "True strength"

In my previous theory, I believed Rashoumon was in control of Aku's body (hence the old speech and clothing choice).

In BSD, abilities are the soul. "True strength" and "within yourself" could point to Rashoumon.

It could be that Akutagawa has inherited the purpose of his ability (Rashoumon). Therefore unlocking its full potential and or memories. Hence the drastic change that Atsushi sees.

The "purpose" stuff was another thing I briefly mentioned in my previous theory. In short: Purpose = job (e.g. the bookmark)

"This blade serves the heavens"

This blade = "I" (Akutagawa/Rashoumon)

The heavens = probably "the book"

"This soul follows the path of righteousness"

This soul = Rashoumon

This would mean: Rashoumon is righteous.

"The path of the knight"

Knight = Protector/Defender

This could mean Rashoumon is the book's protector.

So his purpose could be the book's "Knight", just like Atsushi is the book's "Bookmark".

If we want to say it in book terms, it'd be the book's cover.

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"Idea. Will. All are empty."

This is directed at Akutagawa. Saying that he has no individual thoughts or will, he is just an empty shell.

I believe this can be seen as saying "You're a puppet."

This could mean that the current Akutagawa is like this because his role as the "knight" is needed (A god-level threat to the book has appeared and needs to be dealt with).

Meaning, it could very well be his soul's (Rashoumon's) purpose (the knight) has taken control. Making him a puppet with the only thing moving him being his purpose.

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2. The higher dimension

First off: If we think of the real world where we are, then the BSD universe would be a "lower dimension" to us.

In BSD, the book can change/shape their world and therefore is part of the "higher dimension"

Basically, anything that doesn't follow the law of abilities and/or our everyday normal earth standards, can be considered as a higher dimensional being/thing.

As Fyodor explained: Stabbing a page will "kill" the character drawn on it. No matter how OP they are, they will never be able to perceive our dimension (reality) and therefore will not be able to stop it.

To make it easier: An author can write a story where the mc faces an enemy and dies. The author controlled the story/fate of the mc. The mc would never be able to stop that from happening.

...Actually this example would be closer to what the book does...they are a similar plane of existence but not the same. Fyodor's example is better for Ame-no-Gozen though.

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Let's think of it the other way around to better explain:

In short: if you were to write/draw a character, that character would never directly be able to harm you or interact with you. That's because we're in a higher dimensional plane of existence.

Stories may just be fiction to us but to the characters they are real, just like life for us is real.

When a character becomes aware that there is a higher dimension/they are in a story, they still can't physically/directly interact with our world. The most they can do, is "break the 4th wall" and indirectly interact with the audience (e.g. talking to/looking at the camera/us).

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Random:

The book is a higher plane of existence than anything in the BSD universe. Hence why anything written in it becomes the truth.

Ame-no-Gozen is a lower dimension than the book.

Therefore, if someone wrote Ame-no-Gozen out of existence in the book, it would be considered true and he'd be gone.

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3. Fyodor's Plane

This entire "plane to board" thing has had me worried since the previous chapter.

I know they want us to think of this:

But it still feels odd. He gets on that, becomes undetectable. Is that what he's really planning to do though?

He says it's not his concern (whether they live or die) but it seems like a definite lie. In one way or another, it matters.

He seems to be in a hurry. It doesn't seem fake, in actuality it seems like he's trying to hide how urgently he needs to leave.

He completely dropped the whole "Dazai wasn't it so I'll just take Atsushi" and switched to "I don't care whether any of you die".

Honestly, he probably decided to drop the "other half" stuff when he realised Atsushi didn't have the same thoughts as the tiger.

And the "idc what happens to you lol" is more like "I need to leave quickly so let's stop here" which shows urgency.

Which means, Fyodor has somewhere to be...and fast.

Okay, this next theory is a long shot even for me, but what if he needs to get to Sigma before he wakes up?

Don't ask me why, I'm not sure. But it sure is something to think about. It's time-sensitive and we're aware that Sigma hasn't woken up yet. It seems to fall into place with the urgency.

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4. Fukuzawa's Survival

This seems like a challenge to battle but Fukuzawa knew there was no way of fighting Ame-no-Gozen. So who is he challenging?

Fyodor.

Yep, Fukuzawa will fight Fyodor...

All the people (including me) that believed Fukuzawa will die at some point in the story, might be right after this battle.

Why does he say it like that?

And why does he look like he hesitated?

I checked the Japanese and it's: 特には (toku-ni-ha)

Which means:

Note: The "ha" (pronounced "wa") is a particle.

Fyodor, what do you mean?! Is it that you care about his survival "in particular" or "not particularly"? (...I should just leave this to those who are fluent in Japanese. I'm overcomplicating stuff again.)

Anyway, I feel like there's more to this than what we're seeing (Or maybe I just forgot something...)

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5. Where's Rampo?

...no, seriously, where is he during all this?

He's probably doing stuff in the background to help fix this situation but we haven't even seen a glimpse of him since Fyodor came back.

Maybe we'll see him during the Fyodor vs Fukuzawa fight.

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██████████ Completed!

TLDR:

Akutagawa is basically Rashoumon right now.

Akutagawa is the book's "cover" (protector/knight)

Higher & lower dimension = Pretty much the same difference between us and any character in BSD.

Fyodor may need to get to Sigma before he wakes up. Hence the urgency to leave the fight.