Top 25 Most Powerful Abilities of Bungo Stray Dogs!

The fictional characters and their talents in Bungo Stray Dogs are all named after real-life authors and poets. Some of the superpowers in the show are even a nod to the original source material.

Despite their unique personalities and intuitive insights, not all of them are equally potent. Some skills are weak and useless, while others are so powerful that they may warp space and time itself.

In Bungo Stray Dogs, there are a wide variety of skills to choose from, but these ten stand out for their extreme potency.

25. Gasp of the Soul

Sky Casino arc Chapter 75 is where first encountered Gasp of the Soul.

At first, it’s not evident what Gasp of the Soul actually is; nonetheless, it soon becomes clear that Teruko has the ability to control the aging process of those she touches, including herself.

However, this skill’s potential is severely curtailed by the fact that it isn’t particularly lethal. Teruko only ever hides her true identity or resorts to torture in order to learn information through using this power.

24. Gone With the Wind

The series doesn’t show us much Gone With the Wind, so it’s hard to get a feel for how powerful the ability is.

Margaret’s talent, Gone With the Wind, is fundamentally a weathering-type power that enables her to wither away any substance she chooses to destroy. We have witnessed her destroying paper, wood, and fabric.

But her threat to mummy-fy Kaiji suggests her power is more than we realize.

23. Discourse on Decadence 

Spies for the Japanese government have a tough time, but thanks to Ango’s ability, Discourse on Decadence, they have it much simpler.

Ango can learn about the past lives of things and people he touches with the help of Discourse on Decadence.

However, if Ango takes in too much data at once, he loses consciousness. Fortunately, a stinging feeling or a firm slap is all it takes to bring him back to reality.

22. The Matchless Poet

Doppo Kunikida is an uncompromising man who won’t budge from his principles. The Matchless Poet accurately captures his outlook on life and his ideals.

By tearing a page from his notebook, Kunikida can make any object appear before him thanks to the assistance of the Matchless Poet. However, the largest thing he could ever make would be bigger than his notepad.

Over time, he masters the art of materialization without the aid of his notes. He even allows others to activate his power if they have a copy of one of his notebook pages.

21. Black Cat in the Rue Morgue

Imagine for a moment that you could step into the pages of your favorite book or manga. Black Cat in the Rue Morgue is where Poe’s power can make your favorite book come to life.

Poe’s victims who read The Murders in the Rue Morgue will find themselves immersed in the pages of their current novels. The scene, however, is not one from a traditional fairy tale. A murder mystery can be the focal point of many locations, and it’s not uncommon to encounter deadly assailants.

Yet, Poe doesn’t merely resort to murder with his newfound power. On occasion, he’ll take his prey to places where they’ll be temporarily safe.

20. Anne of the Abyssal Red

The Anne of the Abyssal Red lures its prey into a seemingly innocuous location called Anne’s Room. After all, it gives off the vibe of a (dark) babysitting room.

If a target is brought into Anne’s Room, they will have to play a fatal game of tag with a huge doll-like creature known only as Anne. Besides being able to knock out her prisoners, Lucy has the ability to lock them in a hidden part of her room for all eternity.

19. Light Snow

When it comes to passive powers, Light Snow is among the best in the Armed Detective Agency. Light Snow’s potential is limitless because it may be used to create any sort of illusion.

Tanizaki can manipulate his environment by hiding from or rearranging nearby objects and people. As an added technique, he can make several projections of himself to confuse his foes.

18. All Men Are Equal

Concentrating a large number of people who rely on powerful skills in one place is dangerous, especially if some of them aren’t completely in command of their powers.

Bring on Yukichi Fukuzawa and his ability to make everyone feel like they’re on the same level. Any man who passes the Armed Detective Agency’s entry exam can have his powers muzzled by the organization’s umbrella program, All Men Are Equal.

In contrast, Fukuzawa is extremely susceptible to his opponents because he cannot inhibit the skills of anyone who is not a member of the Agency.

17. Thou Shalt Not Die

If it weren’t for its many restrictions, the power of “Thou Shalt Not Die” may have become devastating.

Akiko Yosano, the only doctor at the Armed Detective Agency, has the power Thou Shalt Not Die. If the injured individual is already functionally dead, this skill can restore full health to them.

Thou Shalt Not Die is a powerful healing skill, but in order to use it, Yosano must put her victims in grave danger. More so, Yosano can’t use this skill to treat poison or internal wounds.

16. Vita Sexualis

With the help of his Vita Sexualis, Ogai Mori is able to bring his willful daughter Elise into the world. Mori can mold her character to serve his purposes.

Elise is quick on her feet and has saved her user from many dangers. Mori can’t call Elise while he’s sick or physically weak because doing so drains his energy.

15. The Precipice

Both Akutagawa and Atsushi struggled to defeat Ivan Goncharov’s The Precipice on their own.

By using the Precipice, Goncharov may master the element of earth, giving him a distinct advantage over his foes, as the element of earth is present in every part of the universe. As an offensive tactic, he can send forth rock giants, and as a defensive maneuver, he can deploy rock hands.

He also employs his talent passively, tracking his enemies’ movements so long as they remain on the ground.

14. Strait is the Gate

Since they both do essentially the same thing, Gide’s Strait is the Gate and Oda’s Flawless can be compared and ranked as equally potent.

Strait is the Gate allows Gide to see five or six seconds into the future, much like it does for Oda. As a result, Gide is better able to avoid harm from the bad guys and make his way to a more secure position.

Since Flawless and Strait is the Gate cancel each other out to generate a singularity, the former is worthless against the latter.

13. Flawless 

To have any power over time itself is to have an extremely powerful skill. Time-related powers were presented gradually throughout the series, with Sakunosuke Oda’s Flawless being one of the earliest.

Oda can see five or six seconds into the future with Flawless and predict what will happen.

To the contrary, if he alters his behavior or choices, the future he envisions would shift as well, putting him in the path of some unknown threat.

Moreover, if an adversary is aware of the nature of his gift, it is relatively simple to alter the future he sees.

12. Time Machine

Since Time Machine was first shown in the light novel, not all fans are aware of its existence. The light novel only gives us a glimpse of this talent, but from what we do know, we can safely say that it is significantly more potent than any other temporal manipulation power we have seen before.

In the sixth light novel, we meet H.G. Wells, a new character with the capacity to travel through time. With the help of a well, one can travel 55 minutes into the past and stop the clock at any point in history.

Using her power is limited to times of extreme necessity because she cannot send the same person back in time twice.

11. Rashomon 

Ryuunosuke Akutagawa, the principal antagonist of the Port Mafia arc, has the ability of Rashomon. Anything Akutagawa wears has the potential to morph into a black, shadowy beast. The void itself is not safe from this beast’s appetite.

Despite its intimidating appearance, Rashomon is no match for formidable foes like Fitzgerald, and it takes a while to use its space-devouring strike.

10. Beast Beneath the Moonlight

At first glance, Beast Beneath the Moonlight doesn’t look like much. What, exactly, is remarkable about assuming the form of a white tiger? However, Atsushi’s talent is more nuanced than it first appears.

Atsushi gains the ability to ‘cut’ skills as well as tremendous reflexes and regenerative capabilities from Beast Beneath the Moonlight.

Ability-cutting by Atsushi prevents opponents from regaining their ability, in contrast to No Longer Human’s nullification, which allows targets to restore their ability after he stops touching them.

In conjunction with Rashomon, Atsushi’s ability-cutting rendered Goncharov’s rock golems incapable of regeneration.

9. Mirror Lion

The Mirror Lion ability is wielded by Ochi Fukuchi, commander of the Decay of the Angel group.

Mirror His possession of Lion grants him a one hundredfold boost in the efficacy of any object in his possession. This stuff might be anything from a katana to a pebble. The fabric of space and time itself is no match for his arsenal.

Because of his talent, Fukuchi has earned the reputation of a renowned ability user. He has yet to suffer a defeat at the hands of his enemies in the manga.

8. Illuminations

Unlike other abilities, Illuminations doesn’t have to follow the rules of physics in order to be terrifying. In the past, Arthur Rimbaud had the skill of illuminations, but now Paul Verlaine makes use of it.

Those with this power are able to enclose themselves in spherical environments where they are free to do any desired manipulations of matter. Also, they can use the powers of the deceased by transforming them into persona.

Even though Illuminations has a significant advantage in strength, it is still no match for Dazai’s neutralization.

7. The Overcoat

Nikolai Gogol, a member of the infamous Decay of the Angel group, is in possession of a space-manipulating skill known as “The Overcoat.”

In order to activate his Overcoat ability, Nikolai uses his coat as a gateway to transfer and transport objects within a range of 30 meters. Using this portal, he can even transfer living beings. Through the Overcoat, he has successfully moved firearms, telephone poles, and even his own body.

In addition, it appears he can circumvent the nullification of No Longer Human and continue the war against Dazai. This remarkable feat is made possible because he avoids physically interacting with Dazai during the transfer.

6. Dogra Magra

Dogra Magra is an exception to the rule that the strongest talents in this series are offensive. As a result, the people around you become little more than puppets who may be made to dance to your tune when you use this talent.

Kyusaku must cause their victim pain in order to release Dogra Magra. When that happens, the assailant has complete dominion over the victim’s consciousness.

Dazai’s No Longer Human is currently the only known way to disable this ability. However, Kyusaku can still activate Dogra Magra by repeating the same technique, even after it has been nullified.

5. Draconia

The abilities of Draconia may make you think of those of No Longer Human, yet they are unique.

Shibusawa, with the help of Draconia, is able to split the powers of all ability users except for Dazai. The talents take on a life of their own and turn on the people who employ them.

A lost ability can’t be restored unless the helpless user destroys the red diamond that’s part of it. As long as Shibusawa’s arsenal of skills is producing singularities, Draconia can bring him back to life as well.

4. Crime and Punishment 

What little we do know about Crime and Punishment points to Fyodor’s ability to kill on contact. Even when Fyodor was influenced by Draconia’s mist, it did not turn against its user.

Fans of Crime and Punishment often attribute its success to the concept of karma. Because of this power, the sins that a person is aware of will be used against them, and they will die.

To be effective, Dazai’s killing touch necessitates physical contact, rendering Fyodor’s ability worthless against him. If Dazai is touched, he will use his No Longer Human ability, which will eventually render his touch useless.

3. Upon the Tainted Sorrow

While it has been defeated on numerous occasions, Upon the Tainted Sorrow is still among the most potent space-manipulation skills in the Bungo Stray Dogs universe.

Chuuya Nakahara, a former associate of Dazai and current member of the Port Mafia, uses the ability Upon the Tainted Sorrow. Simply by touching a person or an object, he can alter its gravitational pull in any direction and with whatever amount of force he chooses.

However, Rimbaud’s Illuminations, which employ hyperspaces that modify physics, and No Longer Human’s nullification render his talent ineffective.

2. No Longer Human 

If the ability to become nonhuman actually existed, it would be useless. But in the world of Bungo Stray Dogs, this skill comes in handy more often than not.

When Dazai uses No Longer Human, all other ability users he comes into contact with have their abilities nullified for as long as he does. Neither human nor environmental powers can be used against him.

Dazai’s nullification is effective against abilities, but it has no effect on non-abilities like the Great Old One from Lovecraft. Also, he can’t benefit from skills that would otherwise help him, such Thou Shalt Not Die, which is a major drawback.

It’s also worth mentioning that despite the fact that No Longer Human is placed higher than Upon the Tainted Sorrow, Chuuya would have topped Dazai on a list of users rather than skills.

1. I am a Cat

In the Bungo Stray Dogs books, Soseki Natsume’s “I am a Cat” is the most potent supernatural power. Using this power, Natsume becomes a cat with the capacity to read minds and predict the future.

Natsume had appeared as a cat multiple times during the series, usually right before a disaster. Also, he has prevented many such disasters.

We don’t know how, but he also has the ability to quickly destroy buildings. Despite the fact that I am a Cat’s actual nature has been exposed, there is still much we do not know about this power.

Honorable Mentions

Strong abilities that aren’t abilities by definition were left out of the top 25.

Corruption is an aspect of the Arahabaki that is imprisoned within Chuuya. When released, it just disrupts the Bungo universe’s power scaling.

We also have Lovecraft’s Great Old One to consider. Howard Phillips Lovecraft can undergo a partial or complete metamorphosis into a very resilient eldritch creature upon activation. Dazai says that even if it looks like a talent, it isn’t. It could be another divine being, like Arahabaki, but that’s only a guess.

Bungou Stray Dogs

The Bungou Stray Dogs manga was written by Kafka Asagiri and illustrated by Sango Harukawa. An anime adaptation of the story exists as well.

The protagonist, Atsushi, is a weretiger who eventually becomes a member of the Armed Detective Agency, a group of individuals with specialized skills who work together to maintain order in their community.

At times, the agency is threatened and must persevere in the face of overwhelming odds.