#bsd characters

[daily-chuuya-time]

Today's Chuuya is Lunging !

Have a good day everyone and don't forget to do some simple stretches if you can ! (^^)

[lemonchu2]

All the generations of soukoku.

[gigglestick-9000]

Everybody!! Tell me your bsd rarepairs!!

[sorcerersandskillusers]

I want to talk about one of the most terrifying and interesting bsd characters who almost no fan remembers.

This character nearly tore down the ADA without ever getting involved herself, yet the entire fandom has ignored her because of her terrible anime adaptation.

Who am I talking about?

Nobuko Sasaki

If you haven't read Dazai Osamu's Entrance Exam, then you probably don't even know who this character is, in the anime she is watered down to the lovesick girlfriend of an actual villain, and you probably dismissed her immediately. But in the light novel, we get to see how dangerous and cunning she really is, to the point she nearly gets the better of Dazai and almost causes the ADA to be shut down. (Fukuzawa says he would have closed the agency if they hadn't caught her)

In terms of intelligence I'd put her on the same level as Mori, just slightly below the super human genius characters i.e. Dazai, Fyodor and Ranpo

The Azure Apostle

For those who don't remember, Sasaki was the Azure Apostle, a mysterious figure who challenged the agency with several horrifying cases, which would all lead to mass casualties if the agency failed to stop them. These were; uncovering an underground organ smuggling operation (which the agency failed to stop and which massively hurt their reputation) stopping a bombing of Yokohama port which could have killed hundreds of people, and preventing a commercial aeroplane from crashing into the city (this was not included in the anime)

Each of the people, who committed these crimes, had no Idea they were being manipulated and thought it was their own idea the whole time. There was no evidence that anyone else had been involved at all, and the agency had no way to connect her to any of the crimes. And she even makes the genius move of framing Dazai, the mysterious new member with suspicious knowledge of the underworld and a hidden past, as the true culprit.

In fact, she only made one mistake, challenging Dazai. If Dazai had been basically anyone else, they would have been cornered and arrested, but since Dazai's mind works on a level even master strategists can't imagine, he was able to turn the tables on her.

But even after Dazai sees through her plans, the ADA still has to act exactly the way she wants them too and stop the plane crash. Even when they know they're being manipulated, they still have to do exactly what she wanted.

Finally, after Dazai and Kunikida confront her and get her to admit to being behind all those crimes, even then they are powerless to stop her.

Even after being involved with so many massive crimes, Sasaki herself hadn't done anything illegal, so within the law the ADA is completely powerless to stop her.

They can't arrest her, and if they try then the agency will be put in even more danger as will many innocent lives. She has completely trapped the ADA, and even Dazai in a choice to follow the law and let her go or take justice into their own hands and prove they will stoop as low as she did.

In the end, there she has them in a perfect deadlock, let her continue her mission, or kill her themselves. Both are bad outcomes for the ADA.

In the end, Dazai has her killed by using a third party (Rokuzo) to shoot her, so the agency can't be blamed for her murder, though this ends her plans it deeply scars Kunikida and shakes his resolve in his ideals.

The trauma from this event still haunts Kunikida to this day, we see that when he is affected by Q's curse, Sasaki is who he sees.

So thats the Azure Apostle, a terrifying master mind who nearly brought down the Armed Detective Agency, but now lets look at the other side of this character.

Nobuko Sasaki Herself

We know several things about Sasaki as a character and her history from the light novel. That she was a brilliant criminal psychologist and was internationally recognised despite being so young

,that she was the ex-lover of the Azure King and the real mastermind behind his plans, and that she had very little motivation of her own.

That's not meant to be an insult to the character, she says herself that she never really had much direction in life, even with her incredible intelligence she never really had anything she wanted to achieve.

But the Azure King was the opposite, he had powerful drive and strong ideals, he wanted to punish criminals who couldn't be touched by the law and when he failed to change the law as a bureaucrat, she offered him an alternative.

A very important thing here is that neither of them were manipulating or forcing the other into this path, as far as we see they genuinely loved each other, each providing something the other couldn't, Sasaki her mind and the Azure King his drive.

When the Azure king died, Sasaki had no path of her own to follow, so she simply kept following his, even though she doesn't seem to have really cared about his cause.

All of this creates a very unique character, you can't say she was driven by revenge, because she wasn't really driven at all. It's more like she was running on momentum, she had chosen a path to follow and could not stop even though there was nothing pushing her down it any more.

She's a perfect antithesis of Kunikida and was the best possible villain a light novel about him could have had.

A man who brings his ideals into reality with his own hands against a woman who uses others to enforce ideals that were never hers to begin with.

Anyway, I made this because Sasaki is criminally underrated in this fandom, If you haven't read "Dazai Osamu's Entrance Exam" I highly recommend it, I've only put a tiny fraction of the amazing story here.

[thatkarleesidraws]

Stormbringer II

[charlies-a-thief]

Drawing headcanons from my instagram

[astraeuslight]

"Do you understand, Chuuya? Your soul is nothing more than a program of 2383 lines of code, that researchers thought up on a whim."

[corrwmice]

[picklebunbun]

"Beauty and the Beast"

══ Series..

ᯓᡣ Beast! Chuuya x GN! Reader

SUMMARY|| Just the beauty and the beast plotline, but I changed a few things.

From the moment of his birth, The Young Prince was given everything.

Respect was graciously given by him the minute he was born into royalty. His people wrapped around his delicate gold finger. And without a care in the world.

He would throw them away at any chance.

…

Once upon a time in the hidden heart of France.

An eloquent brush gathers splotches of red.

A handsome young prince lived in a beautiful castle.

Vibrant colors stain his cheeks and eyes.

Accentuating his sharp features.

Chuuya’s parties were enamored by the people of France–Civilians would rip their fingernails off to even attend. To keep up with its reputation, it was as splendid as people made them out to be. Women with their extravagant dresses dance and sing as they cling onto their husbands’ arms. All with over-the-top wigs stuck onto their heads–It was a wonder how their heads didn’t tilt over by the excessive amount of hairspray they stick on their mounds of hair. The needless accessories could come out as pounds.

Although his events were attended by the wealthiest in France, and he never had to lift his pretty little finger. Chuuya was unkind and extremely selfish. His room may be made of gold, but his heart was not. Indirectly stealing from the impoverished victims in France. Spending everything on his self-centered desires. Relishing in the anguish his people bled. The childish lord was distant, his judgemental eyes glaring down at the mutts who fell at his feet.

Fiery locks were curled into a high up-do, accentuating the heavy makeup that lays on his face. Resembling that of a young woman. But it suited him quite well–despite him being a man. The feminine appearance emphasized his sharp eyes and his malicious expression. An expression that terrifies everyone to their core–which Chuuya has always used to his advantage.

“Master, it's time.”

His butler, a lanky man with dirty blonde hair shaped into a thin ponytail, and glasses pulled out a pocket watch–intricate cherub designs were engraved on the outside, you could tell how delicately the watchmaker carved the ornament. Slender fingers hidden behind his ivory, silk gloves--the clock opens to show the time. The prince had to make his appearance soon.

Chuuya looks over, dead eyes glancing at the roman numerals. He nods and gestures to his makeup artist to hand over his brass candle holder, drops of fire glide over the air as Chuuya brings the candle over himself. His manicured hand takes it with an iron grip. He raises his hand-held mirror to see a beautiful face looking back at him. Red rosy lips curl up in a cruel smile, the warm light filtering over his features.

That will be the only time where he’ll seem human.

“You look exquisite, Sir Chuuya.”

“Don’t I? The colors blend together with my face, making it one beautiful painting.”

“I couldn’t agree more.”

Chuuya chuckles, reeling in his own egotistical delusions–he was truly the most perfect man in the world. His hand grazes his cheek, white face paint not even staining his tanned fingers.

He stands up. His lifts bring him up to an extra 2-inches. It’s not like his height was anything to be ashamed of, he just wanted to feel taller. Not much of a difference anyways, he was still smaller than everyone else.

Of course Chuuya always had to have the most expensive and gorgeous things. His chandeliers would well be over his servant’s salary. Not like he paid them fair wages in the first place.

Oh well.

He doesn’t have to fuss about that. They were only stupid pests. All at the heel of his foot.

...

“Oh how divine!”

A melodic voice chimes in. The singing was that of an opera singer, absolutely flawless. Not grating in the slightest, and perfect for the occasion. But it didn’t seem to lift the redhead’s spirits. If anything, he seemed bored out of his mind.

Though, the party was his idea in the first place.

“Glamour, music, and magic combine!”

Women and men were swaying just like flowers blooming in the spring, they were all passionate yet elegant. You can consider them as peacocks from the way they were trying to tempt Chuuya. Despite their gracefulness, The Lord was unimpressed. He recalled how his eldest brother threw events like this, until he moved away with his husband. A man with long black hair and a charming smile. Verlaine never seemed to visit either–far too occupied with his ill lover to care about his family anymore.

“See the maidens so anxious to shine!”

Chuuya could vaguely see the worried expressions of his suitors. All of their makeup would’ve been ruined by the sweat if it wasn’t for the great amount of setting spray and powder. It was amusing how everyone wanted to be by his side all the time.

“Look for a sign that enhances chances!”

The tempo of the song turns faster and so does the dancing.

“They’ll be his special one!”

Tails of men’s tailored suits and the skirts of women’s dresses hover over the air as they try to keep up the racing music.

“Let us sing with passion, busto, fit to bust, oh!

not a care in the world!”

Her voice echoes over the ballroom as the maidens waltz in a circle.

They all begin trying to rapidly move with the song, and a few of them would trip if it wasn’t for…

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.

They all stopped.

The pianist still rested his fingers on the keys but did not push them down. He was entranced by the sudden noise. The singer brought her arms down, instead, her claws were out. She was not a woman that backed down so easily.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.

Murmurs were heard. Ladies grab onto their husbands just in case a disaster strikes–but what would they do? A few backed away to prepare themselves.

The pianist looked at the singer,

and she looked back at him.

The suitors looked around,

and they all looked back.

Until they all looked back at Chuuya.

And while he was about to take the first step…

BANG.

“AAAAAAHHHHHHH!”

Screams were heard, but mainly from the women as they held each other for safety.

The door swung open!

No amount of will-power would ram the doors open!

They stand at a frightening 20 feet!

Chuuya quickly retreated. Like a startled cat.

��Kunikida! The candle!”

His butler rose his head up, adhering to his master’s command. Kunikida searches for the brass candle that was by his side. The light reflected on his glasses and he picked the object up. Those glasses were gifted by Chuuya. Kunikida was a klutz before he received them–until that point, he didn’t know he needed spectacles. The prince was frustrated and annoyed by how careless he was and was about to fire him ‘til he figured out what was wrong.

Kunikida immediately made his way to his boss.

“Here, Young Sir..”

Chuuya took it forcefully from his hand. His fingers grazed Kunikida's clothed ones. Even though his behaviour is expected, Kunikida felt a twinge in his heart. He thought since he knew the young master the longest.. Maybe he would be exempt from his unpleasantries. But that didn’t happen anytime soon.

The freckled man stepped over to the intruder.

“Who dares disturb my party.”

His voice was stern, fit to send shivers down anyone’s spine.

Though.. The figure did not speak.

“Are you mute? Deaf? Or just plain stupid?”

The hooded one did not lift his head either.

Chuuya scoffed.

“Hello?! Can you hear me?”

“My apologies, Lord Chuuya.”

Everyone was slightly taken aback. Not by the man speaking, but from his thick Russian accent. It was clear the man was a foreigner.

“So he does speak.. Tell me intruder, what do you seek?”

The pale individual stays silent for a moment, taking something from out of his pocket.

“I wish to stay here for shelter..”

Before Chuuya could protest, the hooded figure went on.

“..In exchange.. I offer you this singular red rose..”

And there it was.

Blood red petals were the main highlight of the plant. It was exquisite, the mere sight of it could make someone gasp in awe. The rose exuded beauty, untouched by the sinful pests of the world. Prickly thorns stick out from the sides of the stem–if you grab it tight enough, blood would come out, and it would be the same color as the petals.

The rose was precious, one of a kind.

No other rose would be as perfect as the one Chuuya was looking at right now.

But the sight of it made him laugh.

How foolish the stranger was to even offer up the stupid plant in the first place. For all the indecencies the intruder has committed, how could he think a simple rose would fix it? The obtuseness of this man was astounding.

Chuuya’s hand smacked the rose away.

And he laughed right in the stranger’s face.

“Hah! Hahahaha!”

Everyone else chuckled with him.

And when Chuuya stopped laughing, everyone else stopped.

Chuuya scowled at the intruder. Disgusted by the sight of him. Eyebrows knit together from his burning anger. Everything was bubbling up inside of him, and his guests were prepared for him to unleash hell.

“You’re joking right? How stupid do you have to be to break in here, risk breaking my fine doors, and try to fix everything by offering up a pathetic plant? How disgusting. EIther I have your head, or you leave this town altogether.”

The redhead rolled his eyes, stomping the rose with his shoe–disposing of the thing until it was a red mush on the ground.

…

The stranger stayed silent.

Chuuya was getting enraged.

“Well?! Are you going to spe.. W.. Wh..”

He was cut off from a light emerging out of the Russian man’s hood.

The prince looked back, and everyone looked back at him. They were all scooting away, all of their eyes were back at the stranger.

And they gasped.

The women were terrified.

The men were shaking.

Chuuya turned around to see him again.

But it wasn’t the same man anymore.

It was a gorgeous angel, it seemed like gold surrounded him. His pale skin was that of the snow, like he was made for the winter. Red lips were the same color as the rose, plump and kissable. The angel’s hair was flowing with the wind, ebony black and stunning. And his eyes… His eyes were a deep, royal purple. You could be entranced and hypnotized by his irises. In fact, you could be hypnotized by his beauty.

There were few people that the freckled man would consider magnificent. And the Russian man was the most magnificent person Chuuya has ever seen.

Were those angel wings?

Was he so beautiful that he actually grew wings?

Am I imagining it?

At that moment, Chuuya didn’t have the mind to be scared.

“DIsgraceful. You dare frighten me with empty threats? You are a cold and cynical man.”

Chuuya dropped to his knees and begged for another chance. Blabbing about how precious he was.

“Please, My Angel! Forgive me! I can’t afford to be punished! Please!”

The angel scoffed.

“You’re too late, Sinner. From now on, Everyone in this god forsaken castle will be stripped of their humanity. As for you..”

Chuuya peeked his head up, tears pooling at the corners of his eyes.”

“You.. will be converted to a hideous beast… Until you learn to love before your 22nd birthday.. You will forever be a monster”

CRACKLE CRACKLE.

The converting beast’s back breaks as he morphs into an aggressive creature. Instead of screaming, he growls in pain. Howling at the servants to do something.. Anything! But everyone was trying to rush out of the castle as fast as they could. Screams of horror reverberated behind Chuuya.

Everything was so painful, he couldn’t handle it. He gasps for air as he claws his paintings.

Clawing the especially dear painting of him and his brother together.

When they were just children.

[alexstar0899]

My photography collage drawings.

[daily-chuuya-time]

Today's Chuuya Could Just Die Thinking About Something Gross !

Have a good day everyone, and don't forget to eat something if you can! (^^)

[eggsbenedict8]

One positive thing from chapter 122 is akutagawa holding his coat like a princess dress

[gigglestick-9000]

I just think it’d be so funny if the reason the Tanizaki Siblings act the way they do is because when they entered the agency, Fukuzawa put them on the spot and asked what their relation to each other was and (as to not be separated) Naomi said they were dating and Tanizaki said they were siblings at the exact same time and ever since then they’ve just had to keep running with the bit because they’ve made it this far and it’s too late to turn back now, might he as well keep going with the bit.

[sorcerersandskillusers]

The genius writing of Akutagawa and Dazai's relationship.

Dazai and Akutagawa's relatuionship is incredibly interesting and is essential to the story as a whole.

Here I want to talk about how we see Dazai’s careful manipulation of Akutagawa at the start of BSD and what his motivations are for doing it.

In Dazai's entrance exam we see how Akutagawa is still pursuing Dazai even after 2 years. But he is going after him more for revenge, he has clearly become more independent but still desperately wants to find Dazai and hopefully understand why he was left behind.

Akutagawa sternly watches the agent go. “Wait. I’d like to ask you something.” The agent stops in his tracks. “I’m looking for someone. He has the ability to nullify others’ skills upon contact. Know anybody like that?” “Sorry, afraid not.” “Then get out of my sight.” “You got it.” He begins to walk again before disappearing into the darkness of the evening twilight. “…Where did you go? Why did you suddenly disappear?” Akutagawa soliloquizes, alone on the street. “For a moment, I thought you might have been the Azure King, but I was wrong. Where are you? There’s no way you’re dead. You are somewhere here in Yokohama. I just know it.” The winds of the night collect his words and carry them away. “I’ll find my mentor if it’s the last thing I do. I’ll find you, former Port Mafia executive Dazai.”

By the time the manga really starts we see that Akutagawa's attitude towards Dazai has changed a lot.

This is his first time seeing Dazai in years and he is able to keep his cool and brush it off. He is even confident enough to threaten Dazai when we know Akutagawa before this and even later in the series would never.

Dazai taunts Akutagawa here, poking at the old insecurity’s and letting him know Dazai is still not impressed with what he's achieved. you can see from his reaction Aku is affected and shows that even though he's acting tough, he hasn't really escaped his past.

This is where the mind games begin.

Look at Akutagawa's face when he enters ,you can see that he is really nervous about confronting Dazai here, and Dazai pointedly ingoring him like he's nothing when he tries to intimidate him really just emphisises that Dazai doesn't see him as a threat.

Akutagawa tries so hard to be in control here, Dazai is chained up, sententenced to death, has no friends or allies there to help him while Akutagawa has the whole mafia at his back. But still its clear that Dazai is 100% in control of the situation.

Akutagawa hitting Dazai, threatening to kill him, saying how he is no threat, we would never see him do this kind of thing later in the series. Dazai here very carefully brings him right back to the state he was in before he left.

Dazai bringing out every old insecurity, dismissing everything Akutagawa strived to achieve and the strength he uses to justify his existance. We see Akutagawa trying to justify why he doesn't need Dazais approval, how he's a traitor and doomed to die anyway, but Dazai just talks about how disapointing and pathetic Akutagawa was as a student and for Akutagawa who's ability and talent are what he values most thats a deep wound. Akutagawa is trying so hard to control the present but the fact that Dazai's words affect him so much shows that he is still very much trapped by the past.

An important note is that we know for a fact this is Dazai lying. He says multiple times in the Dark Era that he sees huge potential in Akutagawa and that he thinks he could be the strongest ability user in the port mafia. All of this is Dazai deliberately getting under Aku's skin, breaking down the confidence he built in the years after Dazai left.

But what Dazai said that cut the deepest was comparing him to Atsushi.

The fact that Dazai had taken on another pupil after him, and that he said he was better means that Akutagawa was just weak. And we see how after this Akutagawa developes his hatred of Atsushi since to him Atsushi is everything he despises but some he won Dazai's approval.

Akutagawa is brought right back to how Dazai used to train him, the hell he went through to earn Dazai's acceptence, and somehow this random weak coward gets everything he ever wanted dispite everything he did to earn it.

By the Guild arc we see that Akutagawa is now completely motivated by Dazai again. This is also important because he is a lot less cocky here, it's clear that losing to Atsushi really has pushed him to start fighting with everything he has.

On Mobi Dick we see that Akutagawa has completely abandoned the mafias orders and is solely focused on killing Atsushi.

We also see just how much Akutagawa's attitude has changed from when he met Dazai in the prison, here even just the chance to talk to Dazai makes him throw everything else away. He's desprate and confused and needs to know why Dazai would choose Atsushi over him.

Then, Akutagawa learns a bit of Atsushi's past.

This is it, I think that here (even though he would never admit it) Akutagawa kind of realises that him and Atsushi want exactly the same thing, but to Akutagawa approval has to come from Dazai while for Atsushi even he doesn't know how or when it will be enough.

Atsushi thinks his life has no value unless he saves others, Akutagawa thinks his has no value unless he kills others. Both are wrong and both need to learn that from the other.

(Atsushi and Akutagawa's dynamic is also incredibly well done and will probably get an analysis of its own but this one is too long already)

Now I want to talk about why Dazai did this, why he dragged Akutagawa back to this state even after he has seemingly moved on. I don't think it was just to control him (though thats probably part of it), I think it was because he knew that the only person who could save Akutagawa was Atsushi.

Very important point: Dazai was not the one who made Akutagawa think his life had no value, or the reason he was so eager to kill. Both of these are part of Akutagawa long before he meets Dazai. We see in The Heartless Cur that Akutagawa was already very quick to kill and had no will or reason to live.

In the Dark Era Dazai tells Oda that he wants Akutagawa to learn to temper his rage and not always jump to killing.

“That skill user Akutagawa was one of your subordinates, right?” I said, tracing my memory. “I heard he had a rather aggressive skill…but even he’s no match for them?” “Akutagawa—he’s like a sword without a sheath.” Dazai grinned from ear to ear. “He’ll surely become the Mafia’s strongest skill user in the notso-distant future, but for now he needs someone who can teach him how to put that sword away.” I was surprised. I had never heard Dazai openly speak so highly of one of his men like that before. “Is he really that talented?” “When I first saw him over in the slums, I was horrified. His talents are extraordinary, and his skill is extremely destructive. Plus, he’s stubborn. If I’d left him to his own devices, he would’ve ended up a slave to his own powers until he destroyed himself.” Dazai didn’t freely make people work under him, period; much less a boy on the verge of starvation in the slums. But Dazai seemed to have his own reasons for doing it.

Notice how Dazai says he needs "someone" to teach him to sheath his sword, not that "he" can/will teach him.

Dazai seemingly regressing Akutagawa back to being 100% dependent on his approval was because Akutagawa never really escaped it. He was still just an attack dog who killed indescriminatly and whose self worth was tied entirely to his role in the mafia. If Dazai had just left him alone he probably would have ended up destroying himself just like Dazai predicted. But when Dazai met Atsushi he knew he had found a way to save Akutagawa too.

This is not me (or Asagiri) trying to justify Dazai's abuse of Akutagawa. Dazai himself says about Atsushi's headmaster that the methods he used were horrific and unforgivable, but that doesn't mean they didn't shape who Atsushi is now.

In the mafia Dazai wouldn't have cared about how he "saved" akutagawa, he says it to Akutagawa himself.

He immediately pointed the gun at Akutagawa, who was still on the ground. “I have this friend who’s supporting several orphans all on his own, you see,” he continued, his weapon still drawn and aimed at the boy. “Akutagawa, I’m sure Odasaku would’ve been patient enough to give you the guidance you needed had he been the one who’d found you on the brink of starvation in the slums. That would have been the ‘right’ thing to do. But ‘righteousness’ doesn’t take very kindly to me. And there’s only one thing people like me do to useless subordinates.” Dazai mercilessly pulled the trigger the moment he finished his sentence.

We even see this play out in BEAST, Oda and the ADA are able to really help Akutagawa and teach him the value of life both his own and other peoples, what Dazai did wasn't nessacary or justified. But it is what happened and can't be changed.

Obviously Dazai was also struggling with horrific things of his own, but that doesn't change or excuse what he did. Everything he put Akutagawa through left a mark, so to undo that damage and let him move on he needed to make him and Atsushi truly understand eachother by breaking down the walls Akutagawa had put up.

In the end this isn't a moral exploration, good and bad in general have very blurry meanings in bsd (and in real life). I just wanted to deconstruct this since it's such incredible writing that I almost never see talked about. And it's extrememly important for understanding the latest chapters.

[thoughfullovercreator]

Analysis of the new official art of Fyodor for Volume 26

It’s truly magnificent.

I am going to go heavy on the flowers because its meaning is very relevant for the following but don’t worry, there are also many interesting things we’ll analyse. Too many things to say. I am gonna try to stay focused and do something neat. Let’s talk first about the floral background, and the skulls which is honestly the first thing I that intrigued me.

The flowers we can see on the foreground and background are lilies.

• The lilies are a symbol of purity and innocence, representing Fyodor’s ideal vision of a “pure” world free of sinners.

They are additionally associated with the concept of new beginnings and fresh starts, renewal, which could refer to the creation of a new world free of sin. A new start for a pure humanity that Fyodor wishes to establish.

In numerology, lilies are often associated to 7 and 9 :

• The number 7 is linked to spirituality, which aligns with the symbolism of lilies as a representation of purity, enlightenment, and divine connection. And it makes sense with Fyodor’s strong religious beliefs and that he seeks to bring people to a sinless life while fulfilling the will of god.

• The number 9 is associated with completion, humanitarianism, and transformation, which complements the lily’s symbolic role in representing renewal (such as resurrection in Christianity) and which also reminds of the nature of Fyodor’s ability to be brought back to life (like a new man) through the sacrifice of his killer.

Basically « humanitarianism » is the belief in promoting the welfare of others and taking action to alleviate human suffering. But we’ll look at it on a spiritual view. Basically, in religion, humans suffer in sin : That, therefore, Fyodor is going to take it upon himself to « save » people.

We’ve also, throughout the manga, seen that Fyodor is a « people person » this fact along with this new official art also resonates with a saying of the REAL Fyodor Dostoyevsky : « Every man is not only responsible for everything he does but for everything everyone else does » but anyway I am digressing.

Lilies also signify a higher consciousness, acting as a bridge between the earthly and divine realms. Like Fyodor who acts like the right hand of god by bringing the godly virtue upon humans.

One single thing that is very important that I haven’t said yet, is that the Lily is also associated to death since death itself could be associated to renewal. We could see lilies in churchyards, it is also offered to the family of someone deceased for memorial purposes.

So

HEAR ME OUT : We can also notice ONE SINGLE lily next to Fyodor’s hand on the foreground which could symbolise here Fyodor’s imminent or future death that awaits him OR we can understand that, since said flower is next to his hand, that it’s death and renewal that he’s giving/offering to the world.

• The skulls: These morbid elements ground the viewer in the reality of his actions’ consequences: a massacre and massive destruction to achieve his goal. The combination of lilies and skulls reflects the duality of his intentions, which he perceives as noble but are profoundly destructive.

Conclusion about the association of Lilies and skulls : What we could keep in mind is that the lilies strengthen the idea of purity or “moral justification” that he attributes to himself in his quest, while the skulls remind us of the violence and sacrifices he is willing to make for his ideology.

The Cape and the Fur : Fyodor’s cape is often highlighted when he is represented in key moments of the manga, either by its proportion in the image or often by its movements. Even today, this is the case in this official art.

Fyodor’s black cape is lined with fur, emphasizes his role as an authoritarian and almost divine figure. The fur evokes a high status, a certain royalty, while black often symbolizes mystery (indeed, we know little to nothing about Fyodor) or even evil in collective imagery.

Fyodor’s expression and gaze : His calm, almost mocking expression highlights his disdain for his opponents and his sense of superiority. His half-closed eyes add an intriguing aura, as if he is silently judging those who look at him, aligning with his role as an antagonist.

Posture and Aura: His elegance and calmness highlight his role as a methodical and imperturbable antagonist, convinced of the righteousness of his actions. Indeed he has faced numerous people that opposed his ideas throughout his quest. The last one so far was Fukuzawa and at that, Fyodor stays imperturbable, confident in his beliefs.

The Ushanka in His Hands : More than a simple cultural symbol, it could reflect his connection to his roots or the idea of Russia, especially with the fact that he’s bringing it to his chest. Lols it made me think about the fact that he told Atsushi that he was going to go back « home », which, we could guess, would be « somewhere » in Russia as something he couldn’t wait to do. Like at the end of one’s day when you can just go back home after you finished work/ school etc.. this kind of relief and anticipation.

I don’t know if it has its place here but I am just sharing my thought, make of it as you wish.

The general symbolism.

The image seems to reflect the paradox of the character. Fyodor views his plan as a quest for purity and perfection (lilies), yet he sows death (skulls) along the way. The ushanka and other Russian visual elements reinforce his identity and his conviction that he is acting for a higher ideal, even though his approach is cold and ruthless.

Voilà !

Thanks you for sticking around till the end. Do not hesitate to give me your thoughts on it (comments or dms).

It is my first time making an analysis, I was very much excited to make one and today was the day.

.