"Nobody makes it through this life being completely honest."

“He might seem cold-blooded, but he’s more human and his heart is more brittle than anyone else. So much so that if it was filled with human love or betrayal, it’d break easily. Which is why, I think, he chose from the start to avoid it all, to love humanity.”

OKAY HERE WE GO sorry in advance if these are more shizuo centered 

Shizuo and Kadota didn’t actually interact much in high school. They became more acquainted after graduation. [source]

But with that said Kadota is one of those people who really understand what is ‘off limits’ for Shizuo so Shizuo feels comfortable talking to him. 

I said before but Shizuo was considered Raijin’s Shadow Boss.

 In contrast to this Izaya claims that Kadota must be Raijin’s Light Boss. Kadota contests this since he thinks Shishizaki-senpai is a better light boss. [source]

Raijin High School is actually a pretty good school to get into and it isn’t the easiest. I don’t know this just always kind of served as proof to me that Shizuo isn’t dumb. You don’t get into Raijin if you’re dumb sorry. He had to study and work at it.

Once Shizuo beat up some guys with a soccer goal post. Because of that they also started calling him ‘Sorcerer under the Goal’ [source]

In high school every boy, Shizuo and Shinra included, received a love letter on white day. According to Izaya it was ‘revenge’ for somebody slipping love letters to the girls and signing it from Shishizaki-senpai. [source]

On that note, even in high school Izaya liked to listen to himself talk. You don’t need to encourage him if something is happening and he wants to talk about it he will come in and talk about it. [source]

AND WHEN HE WAS TALKING THEY WERE IN THE LIBRARY AND SHIZUO HAD TO FUCKING CONTROL HIMSELF TO NOT BEAT IZAYA THERE OR YELL AT HIM CAUSE YOU AREN’T ALLOWED TO DO THAT IN THE LIBRARY (I love shizuo) [source]

Shinra is actually the one who is normally off with Shizuo. I know fanfics tend to pair Shinra with Izaya friendship wise but in reality Shizuo and Shinra drag each other around more. 

On that note Kadota is always that background observer. He doesn’t interfere with Izaya’s shenanigans unless it affects him/his friends even back then [source]

Izaya supposedly got Shishizaki-senpai injured in a fight with another gang member and also got the sophomores in trouble with dragon zombie [source]

I mentioned this before but even though Shizuo knew the love letter he received on white day was fake he still went to ‘meet’ whoever had sent it because his brother once told him ‘Brother you are bad with words, so you should cherish every letter you receive or send.’ [source]

That day later became known as Bloody White Day because the guys they met there thought the love letter was from Shizuo and Shizuo realized he was framed. What happened after that was inevitable [source]

Over 50 of the 300 students missed graduation cause they were in the hospital [source]

Other high school shenanigans include:  ‘The Pool of Hell Opens - Chlorine Gas Everywhere!’ incident, ‘Real Flesh Art in the Art Room’ incident,  'Cultural Festival Campfire Explosion’ incident and the ‘Field Trip to the Shambles - the Okinawa Arc’ [source]

There are multiple sources that say gasoline canisters being rolled down the hall was the norm.

Izaya has called Kadota Dotachin since high school [multiple sources]

Izaya got ‘noticed’ in high school by Kine as someone who could work for awakusu (although he didn’t start really working for them until after)

Izaya and Nakura co-founded Amphisbaena in high school (tho you know that from the anime). Although tech they started ‘gambling’ in middle school it didn’t take off until high school. It was just baseball gambling in middle school. [source = volume 9]

Shinra was manipulative even in high school. He tried to manipulate Shizuo and Izaya into making up by forcing them to both come to their coming of age ceremony. It didn’t work. [source]

I mentioned this before but I’ll add it here: Shizuo sincerely respects the mixed martial artist fighter Traugott Geissendorfer. When Shizuo got into a fight with izaya at their coming of age ceremony traugott was able to stop him (with Simon’s help). It was thanks to Traugott that Shizuo realized he was ‘weak’ and that it was only through his own self training could he become strong. This is why he is envious and dreams to one day be as strong as those who train themselves to be are. [source]

Kadota wore a hakama at his coming of age ceremony. [source]

Shinra almost died at the coming of age ceremony [source]

They’ve just animated the moment where Durarara had my favorite scene transition ever. But it’s a transition that really only works in a book, so…a post about it!

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3