Last week’s “Bungou Stray Dogs” Episode was straight out of a thriller novel. With a classic twist in the end, the episode stunned the viewers into silence and gave rise to a lot of questions. Port Mafia member Nakahara Chuuya’s timely arrival to save Kunikida and the group was nothing short of a surprise. This could be the Agency’s most challenging encounter with their enemy. Jono smartly made Kunikida doubt his ideals, which made Kunikida go into a reflective spiral. Kyoka and Atsushi are still in hiding, but for how long? With Ranpo and Dazai’s whereabouts unknown and the Agency’s mere survival on the line, how will the group prove their innocence? Let’s find out!
Spoilers Ahead
What Happens In Episode 8 Of ‘Bungou Stray Dogs’ Season 4?
Episode 7 of “Bungou Stray Dogs” Season 4 ended with Chuuya coming in a helicopter to save Kunikida and the group from the Hunting Dogs. His arrival went undetected even by Jono, who has a keen sense of his surroundings. Kunikida and the members get into the helicopter and are flying away with Chuuya just when Tetchou’s sword slices through the helicopter and into Tanizaki. Tetchou clings to his extended sword and rides up to the helicopter. Kunikida, who is a man of high morals, decides to buy some time for the team and jumps out, effectively pushing Tetchou down with him. Kunikida had a page of his book with him that transformed into a grenade. The grenade goes off as the two men fall down, and they are assumed dead. Chuuya takes the rest of the members to Port Mafia’s secret hideout, where they meet with Mori, the head of Port Mafia. The Port Mafia agreed to take the Agency members to safety in exchange for one Agency member. This member is undoubtedly Yosano, who was previously Mori’s assistant. Yosano objects to the idea and believes that Fukuzawa will never let her go. But Mori tells her otherwise. Mori also has information about movements after Dazai’s arrest.
On the other hand, Kyoka and Atsushi managed to stay hidden at the spot where Gogol killed the government officials. The two go searching for food and disguise themselves as they figure out their next steps. Atsushi plans to meet with Fitzgerald for help. Fitzgerald’s Eye of God is a device that can find out every piece of information available on this earth. But Fitzgerald is no good fellow. He had planned to rain down Moby Dick on the public in the previous season. But in these dire times, the Agency is already out of options, and Fitzgerald might prove to be the only person to help. Atsushi is in a dilemma, but he resorts to Fitzgerald’s help. When Kyoka and Atsushi arrive at Fitzgerald’s office, they find that Louisa May Alcott and Fitzgerald are injured. Fitzgerald is facing an assassin, presumably sent by Dostoyevsky. The assassin flees after losing the fight, but he plants his blood on a pen inside the broken television. When Fitzgerald touches the pen, the spell is activated, but thankfully, it is negated after Kyoka turns on the water sprinklers to dilute the blood. Atsushi and Kyoka make a deal with Fitzgerald. He calls Mori and tells him that he will help the Port Mafia help the Agency. Mori doubts Fitzgerald’s intentions since he could find out about Port Mafia’s secret hideout. He claims that it could be a trap.
In the meanwhile, we see that Taneda is in the ICU and is expected to awaken in the next 40 hours. Sakaguchi Ango is his underling, but he and Ango have always had a clash of ideals. While Taneda would sacrifice a few for the greater good, Ango finds the approach incorrect and would rather take the legal route to solve the matter. Ango also firmly believes that the Agency is in the wrong and would like to take them out as the law dictates.
No episode of “Bungou Stray Dogs” is complete without a fresh bit of information. While we know that the whereabouts of Dazai is unknown to the Agency, Fitzgerald knows that he could have been taken to Meursault, one of the most secure prisons for prisoners with disabilities. Then we see that Dostoyevsky is in a glowing yellow orb with a bed and a few books. Despite being held in a secure facility, he still has a pulse on the things happening on the outside. Dazai soon joins him there and thus begins a battle of wits and outsmarting each other. Dazai and Dostoyevsky’s encounter could lead to the unraveling of many more secrets and subplots.
Season 4, Episode 8: Ending Explained – Where Is Osamu Dazai?
As we see in the eighth episode of “Bungou Stray Dogs” Season 4, the Port Mafia is a shrewd bunch of people. Fukuzawa made a deal to bring the Agency to safety, and that is all the Port Mafia would do. As for helping them get out of the mess, Port Mafia shrugged off the responsibility, like picking a fly out of the water. Mori definitely has his ear to the ground, for he knows about Dazai’s movement after his arrest by Jono, but his information is still incomplete because of the clandestine nature of the activities. But then, that could just be the Port Mafia’s way of using the information as leverage. They already have a deal to get Yosano back; perhaps they are holding onto more information to get more benefits from the Agency.
Dazai and Dostoyevsky’s meeting, on the other hand, is a different ball game altogether. The two are on par with their intelligence and antics, which makes their face-off even more interesting to watch. A battle of wits ensues as soon as the two meet in prison, and it is revealed that Dazai got himself arrested to safeguard the Agency. Despite their similar natures, their interests lie on completely opposite sides. Both are equally intrigued as to how the other contacts the outside world.
We also see that Kunikida is a man of high morals and ideals. Despite Jono’s provocation, Kunikida asserts his belief in his ideals and decides to uphold them even if it means that he would have to sacrifice his life. In the end, Kunikida lived up to his reputation. He is now presumed dead after jumping off the helicopter. His loss would be a blow to the Agency, for he was instrumental in keeping the members in check to prevent them from going out of line or doing wrong. It remains to be seen what becomes of Tetchou, who also flew off the helicopter with Kunikida. He did say that the fall won’t kill him, so maybe he survived the fall but with some injuries.
All in all, as the anime is heading toward its conclusion, more and more conspiracies are coming to light. There are several smaller plot points that connect to form a bigger picture, and that is where the main story lies. Dostoyevsky is still pulling the strings on the Decay of Angels and the other minions, and Dazai is trying to mend things his way. Each episode of “Bungou Strays Dogs” gives us a deeper insight into the characters and their way of thinking. For those who live for the brain-tickling battle of wits, Dostoevsky and Dazai’s conversations are sure to satisfy the soul. It is like looking at Moriarty and Sherlock trying to challenge and outwit each other while playing on the gray area of morality. A full episode of just Dostoyevsky and Dazai pitted against each other would indeed be a treat for thrill seekers.
