#BSD timeline

[nighttimeebony]

So recently, my boyfriend and I have been trying to figure out when Bungou Stray Dogs is taking place. More specifically, we've been trying to pin down a precise month in the anime using details from the anime, as well as character profile sheets for things like ages and birthdays. With all that said, here's all the time-relevant information I was able to gather from season 1 of the anime.

EDIT: I made a second post breaking down season 2

A couple quick things to establish before I really get into it. Firstly, all of the evidence I gathered for this comes from the anime, not the manga; obviously, there are some inconsistencies and continuity errors between the manga and the anime, but because the anime is in color with more detailed backgrounds, that made identifying potentially time-specific details (like weather, plants, and cars) easier.

Secondly, I did not include the episodes from the Azure Messenger arc. The reason for this is because the Azure Messenger arc is meant to take place two years prior to the manga and anime, so any timeline details in those episodes are likely to be either inaccurate or potentially inconsistent with other evidence.

Thirdly, the one thing that made this job so much easier is the fact that almost every character has both an established age at the beginning of the series, as well as a clearly defined birthday, but I'll only really be relying on main characters for plotting out a timeline. This includes everyone from the ADA, and only some of the recurring characters from other organizations like the Port Mafia or the Guild, especially if those characters' ages are in some way related to the characters from the ADA.

Now, with all that out of the way, down the rabbit hole we go.

Episode 1:

Atsushi is 18, and his birthday is May 5th. We also know that Atsushi was kicked out of the orphanage recently. In orphanages and the foster care system, children have to remain under the care of those facilities until they age out of the system at 18. Considering the orphanage's attitude towards Atsushi, I think it's safe to assume that they likely kicked him out as soon as he turned 18 and were no longer legally responsible for him. So, at the very least, Atsushi was kicked out of the orphange at or near the beginning of May, making him freshly 18 as opposed to 18 years and six months, or something like that. He's fresh off of being 17 instead of being closer to 19.

Atsushi mentions that he hasn't eaten in several days, and is considered to be on the brink of starvation. This is clearly a bit of a hyperbole, since the human body can survive for roughly 2 to 3 months without food, and while Atsushi is clearly very small and skinny, he's nowhere near emaciated, so "several days" in this instance probably means about a week, give or take. We also know from Dazai that the tiger has eaten livestock and farm animals, so Atsushi is clearly subsisting off of something, even if it is small and he's not eating anything during the daylight hours.

Another reason why we know Atsushi has only gone a few days without eating instead of weeks or months is because of something called refeeding syndrome. When the body goes too long without food, reintroducing food, even in small doses, is like a massive shock to your system. Once your body has grown accustomed to the fact that you're not going to feed it, it starts subsisting off of itself in order to survive. (In short, your body will literally eat itself if you go too long without eating.) So, once your body gets used to this after a certain amount of time, reintroducing food to your system is like exposing a Victorian child to the internet. Instead of welcoming the sudden influx of calories, your body will actually reject it because it's too overwhelming to properly absorb. In mild cases, the most you'll do is just vomit whatever you've eaten, but in more severe cases, it can actually be fatal. Basically, you have to re-teach your body how to eat and digest food. Based on the way Atsushi is able to scarf down several bowls of chazuke without vomiting, it's likely that Atsushi has only gone a few days without eating instead of weeks or months.

Dazai then goes on to say that the tiger has been causing chaos in Yokohama for two weeks, and that the tiger was spotted in the Tsurumi ward 4 days ago (Yokohama is a city, and Tsurumi is just one of the 18 wards that exist in the city).

In conclusion: It's been almost a month since Atsushi left the orphanage.

Episode 2:

Kunikida pulls out his notebook to say that Dazai received a complaint in August, and another complaint in September, and in the same month it's stated that he's racked up a 6-month long tab with the cafe. Since this scene is meant to establish Dazai's problem-causing behavior and that it happens often, the fact that Kunikida references calls from August and September seem to imply that these are the most recent calls that the Agency has received, and if that assumption is correct then this would mean that the series is taking place in October. Which, I suppose could be true, but it doesn't really align with other evidence we get later. But we'll still tuck it away in our back pocket for later just in case.

Episode 3:

Atsushi accurately guesses that Naomi and Junichirou were students before they started working at the Agency. We know that Junichirou is 18 and his birthday is July 24th. While we don't know Naomi's age, we can assume that she's most likely 16, since she's stated to be younger than Junichirou, still attends school, and only works at the Agency part-time because of that. We don't know how long the siblings have been with the Agency, but since Junichirou is stated to be an assistant rather than a detective like the others, it's likely that they haven't been there for very long. It's not a leap to suggest that Junichirou probably took his entrance exam not long after he graduated high school so he could provide for Naomi.

Since Japanese school terms end in March, and Japanese high schoolers are all 18 by the time they graduate, Junichirou would have graduated when he was 18, but would've turned 19 not long after, since his birthday is in mid-July. So Junichirou is 18, but potentially very close to being 19.

Additionally, Naomi is specifically a part-time employee, and since she's still in school, this is probably not a summer job, or else she'd likely be working full-time. In Japan, summer vacation lasts from around mid-July to the end of August.

Later in the episode, when Junichirou uses his ability, Higuchi mistakes it for snow and comments that snow is odd in "this time of year". According to Weatherspark, Yokohama doesn't tend to get a lot of snow, and when it does, the snow doesn't seem to stick around for very long. The months where Yokohama is most likely to get snow is in January or February, so at the very least, we know the series doesn't take place during winter.

Conclusion: We are most likely in late spring to early summer

Episode 4:

We don't get very many time indicators in episode 4, but when Atsushi is wandering around the city, we can see that the trees lining the sidewalks are lush and green.

Not only are the trees fully green, but they also aren't budding like they would be in early spring, or wilting like they might be in autumn. This remains consistent across multiple episodes. This strengthens my theory that the series takes place some time between late spring to early summer.

Episode 5:

There aren't a lot of time-specific details in this episode either.

Episode 8: (again, we're skipping the Azure Messenger episodes)

Again, not a lot of time-specific details.

We are introduced to Kyouka. Kyouka is 14, and her birthday is November 4th. We know that she's been with the Port Mafia for six months, but that doesn't tell us much about when the series takes place in the present.

Episode 9:

When Kunikida and Atsushi take Kyouka to a restaurant, there is a wisteria tree in full bloom just outside the window.

According to Gardenia.net, Japanese wisterias bloom around late spring to early summer, with various tourist sites specifying that they start blooming in mid-April, with the peak bloom ending in mid-May. After this, the flowers will develop into pods that ripen in late summer, and in autumn, the leaves will turn yellow. Considering that the leaves on top of the flowers are thicker, and the flower stems are shorter, this tree is likely just past peak blooming time, but not yet into pod development. Which makes me think that we're probably somewhere between the middle and end of May.

Later in the episode, when the detectives are trying to find Atsushi, Kunikida provides a photograph that he says was taken by a tourist.

Obviously, Japan can receive tourists at any time, but considering that Atsushi and Kyouka were specifically visiting popular tourist areas and locations when Akutagawa kidnapped them (and when you consider all the other evidence we have so far), it's possible that this is taking place during one of Japan's more popular tourist seasons.

Japan has two prime tourism seasons: spring and autumn. This detail by itself doesn't indicate much, but when you combine it with everything else we have so far, the case for the series taking place in late spring to early summer just gets stronger.

Episode 10:

No significant time-indicative details.

Episode 11:

In the dub, Kenji states that he's only been with the Agency for two months.

When Kenji and Atsushi are walking through the market together, a pedestrian walks up to Kenji and comments that his "vegetable garden isn't draining like it should." In Japan, the spring months of March to June are broadly considered to be the best times for gardening vegetables.

Episode 12:

Almost no timeline details in this episode

Other, more specific details:

Episode 1 takes place during a single night. It opens during sunset, and closes during the night. We'll call that Day One.

Day Two consists of episodes 2 + 3 + 4 + 5. Atsushi's entrance exam takes place early in the morning, he officially meets Junichirou and Naomi at the cafe for lunch, and are then sent out to investigate Higuchi's tip just after. The three of them are gunned down in the alleyway before being taken back to the infirmary, where Atsushi regains consciousness. When Atsushi wakes up in the infirmary, he's wearing different clothes, which could imply that he was kept there overnight, but there's no indication that that's the case. Junichirou is still being treated in the next room over, and when the episode cuts the next scene, it's still the same time of day outside that it was when Atsushi had his encounter with Akutagawa. (first screenshot: episode 3, just before the attack in the alleyway | second screenshot: episode 4, the first shot of the sky after Atsushi wakes up in the infirmary)

I'm guessing that Atsushi's clothes were probably too shredded and bloodied, so Yosano removed them to better assess his supposed injuries and dressed him in scrubs until his own clothes could be mended and cleaned. Then the Port Mafia attacks the Agency some time during the afternoon, and then, while the Agency is still cleaning up, Ranpo is assigned a case with the police that he and Atsushi go to investigate at about late afternoon, and the day finally ends with Ranpo, Dazai, and Atsushi going home. We only know that this has to be the end of the day because the police interrogation and the walk to the station both happen at sunset.

Episodes 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 all take place during the same day, with episodes 2 + 3 encompassing the morning to noon, and episodes 4 + 5 encompassing the afternoon and evening.

Episodes 8 + 9 + 10 all take place during the next day. We'll consider this Day Three. In episode 8, Dazai is kidnapped either early in the morning or late at night (since it's completely dark out when he encounters Kyouka).

And then Junichirou comes back to the office after fully recovering. Because of Yosano's ability, I doubt that Junichirou was in the infirmary any longer than a day. I'm guessing Yosano probably kept him overnight to finish her treatment, and then let him go back to work the next day once he was fully healed. Then the whole incident with the train happens, and Kyouka wakes up in the infirmary in the next episode. Again, we're given no indication that this episode takes place on a different day, since Dazai is still missing, but no one seems particularly concerned about it, whereas, if he'd been missing for at least two days at a time, the other detectives would probably start to get suspicious. Then, Kunikida and Atsushi take Kyouka to lunch and buy her tofu, and Atsushi and Kyouka have their sightseeing adventure before being attacked by Akutagawa. Then the Agency immediately set out to rescue Atsushi.

Episode 11 is where the specifics get tricky, because of the two-parter with Higuchi's plot and Kenji's plot. The first section of the episode is where Fukuzawa agrees to let Kyouka stay to become an official member of the Agency. I believe that section of the episode still takes place on Day Three. I'll explain why in a bit. Then, Kenji's half of the episode probably also takes place on Day Three (because again) Dazai is STILL missing and no one questions it, not even Atsushi. Then the episode ends after Kenji and Atsushi get beef bowls (presumably for lunch since the sun hasn't set), and then after the credits, we get a scene of Dazai reading in his dorm, where he says he'll tell the Agency he escaped the Mafia "tomorrow". This after-credits scene with Dazai also takes place during sunset, marking this as the end of Day Three.

Meanwhile, Higuchi's plotline takes place in the evening/night of Day Three, because we see her going home to her apartment, and later when she wakes up in the middle of the night to go save Akutagawa, the moon is still out.

Episode 12 definitively takes place over the course of two days. The episode starts with Atsushi waking up, surprised and confused as to why Kyouka is in his dorm. This marks the start of Day Four, just one day after meeting Kyouka. The reason why we know this takes place the day after Kyouka's introduction is because this is the first time anyone's had to address where Kyouka would be sleeping. If a few days passed in between episode 10 and 12, then Atsushi wouldn't be confused as to why Kyouka is rooming with him because he would have already known why she was staying with him, meaning that this is Kyouka's first official night in the Agency dorms since Fukuzawa agreed to let her stay to become a member. Then comes Fukuzawa's meeting with Fitzgerald, and Kenji's disappearance. That marks the end of Day Four. In the next scene, we get a text pop-up telling us that the events with Lucy in Anne's room are happening the day after Kenji went missing, which means that the last half of episode 12 officially takes place on Day Five.

So!

In conclusion: the first season of Bungou Stray Dogs takes place over the course of five days, and is set during the end of May.

If this is all correct, and the first season does actually take place in May, then there a couple of potentially interesting details regarding the characters ages.

Atsushi is freshly 18.

Dazai is technically only 21 by the time season 1 comes to a close, since his birthday is in June.

Chuuya is freshly 22, since his birthday is in April.

Kunikida is 22, but would be close to turning 23, since his birthday is in August.

Akutagawa is freshly 20, since his birthday is in March.

Kenji is 14, but would be close to turning 15, since (like Kunikida) his birthday is also in August.

Junichirou is 18, but would be close to turning 19, since his birthday is in July.

[akutagawas-fly]

Was watching the Fitzgerald Rising episode with my friend ive been showing BSD to and she asked when BSD takes place. My response was “nebulously 2000’s and up”

There’s a psp in the Dark Era. What gen?? Who knows lol but that’s at least 2004 and up

In the end it doesnt really matter tho cause the technology used in the main series is absolutely nuts sooo

Ok i lied

Im bored.

IF Dazai is playing a PSP 1000 we can put the Dark Era around 2005 because the PSP 1000 came out in December and there aren’t any holiday celebrations or indications of winter going on.

Dazai is 18 in Dark Era so we’ll use that age as the math for the other eras.

15 Era- 2002

Dark Era- 2005

Dazai’s Entrance Exam- 2007

Start of the Series- 2009

Now IF Dazai is playing a PSP 2000, this entire timeline shifts a few years since the 2000 came out in September 2007.

So it would look more like this.

15 Era- 2004

Dark Era- 2007

Dazai’s Entrance Exam- 2009

Start of the Series- 2011

And if Dazai is playing a PSP 3000, which came out in 2008, the timeline would look like this.

15 Era- 2005

Dark Era- 2008

Dazai’s Entrance Exam- 2010

Start of the Series- 2012

And of course, the manga started running in 2012 so it’s the most likely that Asagiri wrote the series to match that time and then started matching the technology as the years went on despite the series technically possibly being set in 2012-2013. And that’s why in the end, the year it’s set doesn’t matter.

[azapofinspiration]

So I keep seeing people saying certain things regarding the events of Stormbringer, so I’ve written up a basic outline of what happened.

The timeline in SB seems to be:

Day 0/Prelude (before Chuuya knew what's going on)

- Verlaine broke into the PM, stealing back the hat

- Probably at the same time (and one day before the main plot starts) he seemed to try to go after Dazai and Mori (since Mori was apparently originally at the top of the list) but found Dazai first who bargained to buy time, promising info from the PM’s internal files (meaning files the PM has, not necessarily ones about the PM as we learn later)

- Verlaine tried to eliminate Adam who'd followed him to Japan (didn’t work)

Day 1 (Chuuya's involvement starts)

- Verlaine moves onto his next targets, the ones close to Chuuya, the Flags and attacks them

- Chuuya is not there due to Adam's arrival and despite being some of the Mafia’s elite up-and-coming members, the Flags die

- Verlaine then attacks Chuuya, revealing himself

- Verlaine pokes at the Gate and opens it for a few seconds

- Dazai, who'd probably been keeping track of Verlaine's actions while preparing contingencies and a plan to ultimately defeat him, now knows about the Gate's power that Chuuya and presumably Verlaine have and ensures that it's stopped

- Dazai drops Chuuya off at Old World to try to get some final goodbyes

Day 2 (Super busy)

- Flags' funeral

- Adam and Chuuya team up and suspect Shirase is a target (which is odd because Verlaine obviously did want to meet Shirase but he didn't try to kill him so... Was that a red herring all along?) and go to help him

- Verlaine meets Dazai at the storage container for the promised info (that was promised 2 days previous) that's the entire reason he spared Dazai (later revealed to be about N and the lab) and Dazai does so to buy more time

- Showdown at the police station; Detective Murase is killed (and seems to have been a target all along, not Shirase)

- Chuuya takes a breather after the detective dies, but N contacts them

- The lab stuff, including N, revelations, Dazai's arrival in an active plot role, etc.

- Verlaine gravity bombs his exit out, revealing he can crack his own Gate open, and kidnaps N

Day 3 (2 Days after Chuuya encountered Verlaine and had his Gate cracked open)

- Chuuya punishes Dazai for leaking info about N that resulted in Murase’s death (and his torture) while Dazai explains what will probably happen with his plan

- Verlaine has his own confrontation with N that once again shows N is a lying liar who lies

- Dazai's many staged plans and contingencies is fully revealed as action continues (tons of parts where Verlaine was almost stopped but had to move forward with the next plan - it’s very convoluted but it works, almost justifying the time he bought)

- They manage to win

- N ruins everything

- Dazai gives Chuuya two minutes to decide between his own wants and the needs of Yokohama

- Final fight: Guivre vs Corrupted Chuuya

- The day is saved thanks to Chuuya

And then of course the epilogue skips around in terms of time, place, character, and which of the book’s themes need to be wrapped up, but this is the basic gist of what happened overall.

[minugasakuranohana]

БСД: основы таймлайна.

«КОТОРЫЙ СЕЙЧАС ГОД?»

Могу поспорить, что время действия в бсд — 2013 год (предельно допустимая и максимально возможная дата).

Доказательная база: 19 глава манги, информация о персонажах на момент основных событий, новеллы «Замечательные дни Куникиды и Катая», «Вступительный экзамен Дазая Осаму».

Арт к главе 19 выглядит как фотография. На ней изображены Фукудзава, Куникида, Рампо и Йосано. Можно предположить, что других детективов в агентстве на тот период нет. Дата: год: 200х. То есть от 2000 до 2009. В Японии дату указывают в формате «год, месяц, день», следовательно, можно предположить, что месяц — шестой (июнь).

День рождения Куникиды — 30 августа. В каноне ему 22 года, как и Дазаю.

Надо определить, за сколько лет до канонных событий была сделана фотография. Задачи сводятся к определению минимально возможного возраста Куникиды (это легче, новеллы строятся вокруг него). Однако стоит держать в уме, что его рост уже достаточно близок к канону. Дазай вот с 18 до 22 вырос на 181-174 = 7 см. (Анкета темной эры из гайдбука и канонная из манги). Ну да ладно, Йосано любит носить каблуки, но может надеть и невысокие, они оба с Рампо стоят не очень-то прямо...

Дазай Осаму вступил в вооружённое детективное агентство третьего числа зимнего месяца х.

7 число Утром шёл дождь. Мрачный и стылый зимний дождь: наступило время больших холодов. <...> Этот парень, который провалил бы тест на звание человека [Дазай], стал моим [Куникиды] коллегой четыре дня назад. — Вступительный экзамен, 1 глава.

В возрасте 20 лет.

— Дазай Осаму, двадцать лет, приятно познакомиться. — О, ему двадцать, как и мне. — Вступительный экзамен, 1 глава.

"Холода" в Токио и Йокогаме приходятся на январь. В феврале теплеет, в декабре теплее всего зимой. Так сказал Яндекс и диаграммы со средней температурой по месяцам в Йокогаме. С 3 января (?) 20хх года Дазай работает в вда.

"Холода" — это +7 – +8 градусов тЕпЛа. ТеПлА, Карл! 🤣

Государственные учреждения в Японии по своим законам отдыхают с 29 декабря до 3 января. Однако 2 и 3 декабря - не общегосударственные выходные, частные компании в это время могут работать. Суббота кое-где тоже рабочий день. [тык] и [тык], гугл транслейт и иже с ним вам в помощь.

На следующий день после вступления в ряды вда Дазая назначили напарником Куникиды:

Дазай стал моим напарником три дня назад. — Вступительный экзамен, 1 глава, всё ещё седьмое число.

То есть 4 января скорее всего не воскресенье, как и 3, 7, 11, 12 числа. А значит третье - не суббота. Хотя, знаете, для агентства офис — второй дом... Куникида с 11 по 13 в новелле ночевал в офисе) 13 число тоже рабочий день — Куникида отпрашивается у Фукудзавы, чтобы уйти после обеда. 100% по календарю подходят 2000, 2005 и 2011 года, довольно спорно - 2006 (7 января - суббота). Таким образом, основные действия могли прийтись на 2002, 2007, 2013, или, в крайнем случае, 2008. Причём, несмотря на календарь, вариант с 2002 годом кажется неправдоподобным. Слишком много гаджетов у персонажей.

Дальше: почему вариант с 2013 годом имеет право на ��уществование?

Время действия во вступительном экзамене - зима (январь) за 2 года до канона. 3 месяца назад Рокузо взломал агентство, уже после инцидента с Лазурным Королём. То есть приблизительно осенью. Инцидент с Лазурным Королём произошёл ещё раньше, но в том же году, когда Рокузо взломал вда. Куникида работает в вда не менее 3 лет: в «Замечательных днях» действие происходит 31 декабря, у агентства ещё нет никаких улик по делу Л. К.; Куникида уже достаточно долго работает в вдв, чтобы: Катай из его рассказов составил достаточно полное представление о характере Рампо, месяц назад помог вда раскрыть одно дело своими хакерскими навыками.

Скорее всего, Катай ушёл из агентства до того, как там появился Дазай. Его никак не упоминают в «экзамене», а он бы нехило облегчил задачи Куникиде, если бы работал вместо Рокузо. Однако когда Куникида вспоминает эпизод со взломом, он думает: с кибербезопасностью у нас всё было схвачено. Может, после этого инцидента Катай и ушёл?

Три месяца назад этот негодник Рокузо взломал информационную базу Вооружённого детективного агентства, и в нашем офисе воцарился хаос. Разумеется,мы ни в коем случае не упускали из виду вопрос кибербезопасности: суматоху быстро уладили и отследили хакера до этого самого склада. — Вступительный экзамен, 1 глава.

Всё это к чему? "Фото" из 19 главы могло быть сделано на полтора года раньше «экзамена», в июне года "канон минус четыре", более ранних сведений об агентстве у нас буквально 🤏 ничерта. Только примерное время создания и появления Йосано. Поэтому загадывать дальше уже необоснованно. (Ну вот когда Куникида присоединился к вда?) Если для "канон минус 4" взять максимально возможное число, 2009, то "сейчас" - 2013, а "экзамен" в 2011.

К тому же, манга начала выходить только в декабре 2012 года, практически 2013))) Ещё одно обоснование: брать что-то меньшее — неудобно по техническому наполнению мира, большее — немного опасно загадывать вперёд надолго.

Если фото сделано в "год канона минус три", то придётся объяснять отсутствие Катая там его социофобией. Если в "год канона минус два", то отсутствие Дазая — его тараканами и постоянным отстранением от агентства. Куникида и Йосано молодцы, как всегда: оставили место для отсутствующего коллеги, чтобы можно было подумать о том, кто не захотел фоткаться.

Если мы по этой же схеме пробежимся по календарю, считая, что экзамен Дазая происходил в декабре, то подойдут года: 2001 и 2007 или 2002 (но там 7 декабря — суббота). Канонные времена настали через 2 года и несколько месяцев, то есть варианты: 2003, 2010 или (спорно) 2004. Все эти варианты особого доверия не вызывают.

UPD от 11 июня 2025:

Но: если мы решим, что действие происходит в феврале, а не январе, таймлайн изменится. Основание — англоперевод новеллы: там сказано просто — "глубокой зимой".

И вдруг - восьмого числа. Когда на русском седьмое 🤦‍♀️ Кто молодец и перепутал числа? Мне что, всё пересчитать?! Ааааааааааа хелп. Надо по постановке проверить, вдруг там числа были ಥ_ಥ

В одном испанском и итальянском переводе это восьмое. Причем на итальянском середина зимы. Но в другом английском переводе седьмое число. Окей, 7 января выглядит все еще достаточно убедительно.

Вообще на самом деле логичнее, что шеф Танеда устроил Дазая работать с января. И будь то 7 или 8 число в 1 главе, 2011 год по календарю подходит для вступительного экзамена, следовательно, 2013 - в каноне.

P.S.: не воспринимайте это всерьёз, может, Кафка и сам не знает, какой сейчас год; может, с другими данными канона что-то однажды не сойдется.

P.p.s.: если есть опровержения, с радостью выслушаю. Мне эти теории не нравится, несмотря на логическую обоснованность. Вот так.

P.p.p.s.: шел бы этот таймлайн нахуй. Мир выдуманный. На этом всё (╯°□°)╯

[lotus-soda]

I think I may have solved the bsd mainline manga timeline

TW FOR MENTIONS OF SUICIDE AND DEATH!

Soooo this took me a week, but so worth it! The link to the google doc where everything is and is explained, is here! I hope you all enjoy! Thanks!

[minugasakuranohana]

And it wasn't the first time, I suppose. He had much time to do it before he met Dazai.

Kunikida has been working in the ada for at least one year:

Dazai's exam was in the winter. Probably in January.

Rokuzo met the agency three months ago, after his father and the Azure King had died. Maybe they died more than a three months ago.

"Magnificent days" timeline is 31 Desember. The Azure King is still alive because Kunikida is worried about finding him.

So, Dazai's entrance exam was one year and a few days after "Magnificent days".

Kunikida has been working at the ada for more than a year. On the day The Magnificent Days took place, he had been at the agency for over a month. And Katai could imagine the characters of the ada members and and predict how they would react to the situations Kunikida imagined.

Kunikida had his own entrance exam...

He could have almost died there too.

Oh fuck…Kunikida running towards cages of people as they fill with poisonous gas. Sasaki trying to pull him back and Dazai dragging him out of the room.

All the while Kunikida screams to let him go because he can’t let these people die. Falling unconscious in Dazai’s arms because he breathed in the gas.

It’s just a haunting scene.

And absolutely reinforces my belief that something other then this case happened that made that such a core part of his ideals.

This is the first time we see Kunikida try to sacrifice himself to save others. And it won’t be the last, not by a long shot.

[sableeira]

My drops of tears I'll turn to sparks of fire.

or ode to new beginnings

[piedpip3rrr]

Diagnosed worms

[nighttimeebony]

Continuing to plot out the timeline for Bungou Stray Dogs in season 2 of the anime.

You can go to my previous post on season 1 for the rules I established.

Just like the Azure Messenger episodes from season 1, I won't be covering anything from the Dark Era episodes.

Now, down the rabbit hole we go.

Quick recap. The events of season 1 occur over the course of five days, and by the end of season 1, we're comfortably set at the end of May.

Episode 5:

Within the first few seconds of the episode starting, we get a shot of a tree with flowers in full bloom in Kouyou's garden. The flowers most closely resemble Japanese Camellias, which is one of the most common plants in the Kanagawa prefecture, where Yokohama is located.

The Japanese Camellia blooms from late winter to early spring. They can start blooming as early as October, and finish as late as March. Considering that in this opening scene, the petals are falling, the flowers are likely close to bearing fruit, so we're probably on the tail end of their blooming season.

The park that Atsushi and Kyouka visit later in the episode is a real location in Yokohama: Yamashita park. Yamashita Park is famous for its "Future Rose Garden," which blooms every spring and autumn, making it very popular as both a tourist attraction and a date spot (the pictures of the park below are taken from yokohamajapan.com)

In several shots, we can see various flowers in the background.

There isn't enough detail for me to accurately determine what kinds of flowers these are, but they're very clearly not roses. They are, however, very similar to the kinds of flowers that typically accent the park in the summer months. And, since we don't see roses in any of the wide shots, it makes me think that we're past spring and have officially entered early summer (the picture of the park below is taken from trip advisor).

Episode 6:

Since the episode takes place almost entirely in indoor spaces, there aren't really any significant timeline details in this episode.

Episode 7:

Since "Grapes of Wrath" is an ability, we can't rely on the growth conditions of grapes for any time indications.

Episode 8:

There are young kids at a playground with their parents at the time that Kyuu's ability is activated. Considering that the next couple of scenes occur during sunset, I'm guessing that the scene of the kids playing is happening sometime in the afternoon, just a handful of hours before sunset. In Japan, elementary school lets out at around 3 in the afternoon, so if these kids have just gotten out of school for the day, it makes sense why they'd be at a playground. This could potentially indicate this is taking place during the school year, and that the kids aren't on summer break yet, which would support my theory that season 2 takes place during June. (Admittedly, this part is a bit of a stretch, but it's the only potentially relevant piece of information in the episode, so I thought I'd include it regardless)

Also, this is something I should have mentioned in my first post when talking about Naomi and Junichirou, but forgot to include, so I'll put it here: in Japanese schools, summer break typically starts in mid-late July and finishes near the end of August. The exact dates will obviously vary in different regions, but that time frame is the average.

Episode 9:

The episode opens with Fukuzawa walking through a park, where we can see roses blooming behind him.

I can't figure out what specific type of rose they are, but considering that they don't have any unique qualities or features, I'm just going to assume they're just generic roses, and generally speaking, roses tend to bloom from around May to October in Japan.

In the flashback scene, there's text on the screen that says the flashback took place 8 years ago. We know that Dazai was 14 when he witnessed the previous boss's murder, so, doing the math, Dazai is 22 by the time this episode takes place. Since Dazai's birthday is June 19th, this episode is, at the very least, taking place in late June.

Episode 10:

There aren't really any significant time-relevant details in this episode.

Episode 11: 

Still no time-relevant details in this episode. 

Episode 12: 

Same deal for episode 12.

Now! Some miscellaneous details that could potentially give us some hints about what year the series might take place in (honestly, I probably should've put this in my first post, but forgot):

Kyouka's phone most closely resembles a Motorola (note the short antenna, the placement of the camera, and the size of the display screen when the phone is closed), more specifically, a Motorola V300, which was a model of flip phone released in the early 2000s.

Now, considering we don't know the exact year that Bungou Stray Dogs takes place in, it's hard to know whether or not this model of phone is considered to be outdated, but at the time of writing this in 2025, the Motorola company no longer produces these kinds of flip phone models. And we do know that smart phones are a thing at the time the series takes place, because we see characters using smart phones throughout the anime and in the manga. Additionally, since Kyouka's mother gave her this phone, it's likely that it was hers first before she gave it to Kyouka, and just based on that, the phone is probably at least a little outdated for the time that the main story takes place. So, I'm guessing that the series is set some time in the 2010s.

In episode 9, Chuuya says that the night Dazai left the Port Mafia, he opened an '89 bottle of Petrus wine. Dazai also mentions that it's outrageously expensive. The more vintage a wine is, the more expensive it gets. Since Chuuya says he opened the bottle the night after Dazai left the Port Mafia (when they were both 18), that means that wine made in 1989 would have been considered vintage at the time, thus contributing to its high price. This also applies to episode 11, where Chuuya breaks out out a bottle of '64 Romane, that Kouyou then refers to as his treasure. If the series does in fact take place in the 2010s, wine from the '60s and '80s would be considered vintage, and also disgustingly expensive (which, holy shit, Chuuya, how much does the Port Mafia pay you????).

That, plus all of the technology featured in the show, makes me think that the series is set in the 2010s rather than the distant future, like My Hero Academia. Which, considering that the bsd manga came out in 2012, and the first light novel came out in 2014, it would make sense for Asagiri to subconsciously date the series at around the same time that he was writing it.

In episode 10, Ranpo says that Poe's sci-fi mystery novel takes place in the year 2050. The way Ranpo says it means that 2050 is considered to be a futuristic year for the time that BSD takes place, which only really tells me that I'm probably on point in assuming that this takes place some time in the 2010s.

Now, moving onto other, more specific details about the passage of time this season:

In episode 5, Kyouka tells Atsushi that she had a service provider make some adjustments to her phone. This could potentially tell us a few things about how much time has passed since season 1. For one, Kyouka would have had to set up an appointment with a service provider, and that usually takes at least a day or so. Secondly, changing a phone's operating system can take anywhere between a few hours to a few days depending on the specific changes you want done. Kyouka doesn't elaborate on the specific changes done to her phone, but we know the number hasn't changed, since Kouyou is still able to call it. However, later, when Kunikida shows up, he says he modified Kyouka's phone so that he will be notified whenever someone tries to call it. That specifically would take at least a day to set up. And that's not even mentioning the fact that Kyouka has a flip phone, not a smartphone, which means that this entire process could take longer.

After Kouyou stabs Atsushi, she says that she shouldn't have waited for Mori's permission before coming to get Kyouka, implying that some amount of time has passed since Kyouka joined the Agency. I'm guessing that the opening scene with Kouyou and Mori was her having that talk with him about what to do about Kyouka, and considering what I've already said about the blooming patterns of the flowers in her garden, it's possible that that opening scene is meant to take place during the events of season 1, shortly after Kyouka joined the Agency.

FOR ONCE, episode 5 actually takes place over the course of one day. We can tell this because the end of the episode occurs during sunset. So that'll be our Day One.

Episode 6 + 7 take place on the same day, most likely the next day after episode 5, based on the fact that the Agency is still posted up in the church, and the Guild is still unloading supplies from their ship. And then in episode 7, Naomi and Haruno have to get to safety after Chuuya reveals the Port Mafia's plan to use them as bait to lure out the Guild.

Near the end of episode 7, we get a pop-up text telling us that Louisa's strategy meeting with Fitzgerald is taking place the next morning. This is now Day Three. The same day, Kyouka re-emerges to help Atsushi, and this scene extends into the first half of episode 8. So, the last half of episode 7 and the beginning of episode 8 both take place on Day Three.

In episode 8, After Atsushi is captured and Kyouka is arrested, another text bubble pops up to say that "a week has passed." At first, I wasn't sure if it meant that it's been a week since Atsushi and Kyouka were taken, or if it's been a week since the fight between the organizations started. Given all of the other things happening in conjuncture with everything else (Margaret's coma, Kyuu being able to wander around Yokohama unsupervised, the aftermath of Ango's car crash, Dazai setting up the smoke devices around the city, etc.), I think it means that a week has passed since the conflict started. The conflict didn't officially start until episode 5 of season 2, where Fukuzawa, Mori, and Fitzgerald all declared war and started devising their respective strategies. And since we've established that three days have passed since then, that would mean that Atsushi has been held captive on the Moby Dick for a total of four days before Lucy helps him escape. I'm guessing that his escape happens on Day Seven. The episode ends during sunset, and extends into the opening scene of episode 9 where Atsushi meets with Fukuzawa to talk about his plan for an alliance. So, the end of episode 8 and the opening scene of episode 9 are both set on Day Seven.

The rest of episode 9 takes place the next day, with the episode ending at night.

With the exception of the opening scene, episode 9 occurs over the course of a single day, which would be Day Eight of the season overall.

Part 1 of episode 10 (Poe and Ranpo's section) also takes place during Day Eight. Considering that we don't see Ranpo or Yosano in episode 9 when the Agency and the Mafia establish a truce, it's likely that while the ADA was negotiating with the PM, Ranpo and Yosano were off investigating Poe's challenge.

Part 2 of episode 10 takes place the next day, on Day Nine. We know this because Atsushi has to ask Junichirou if it's true that Ranpo got important information on how to take down the Guild, and Junichirou confirms this by stating that Dazai and Ranpo are working on a plan as they speak. If Atsushi had to ask about how Ranpo got the information, it's likely that he wasn't there when Ranpo received the challenge from Poe, which makes sense, because at the time, he would have been working with the other Agency members on the alliance with the Mafia. And when we see Dazai strategizing with Ranpo, we can see that he's ditched the cast he was wearing in the previous episodes, which he did during the fight with Lovecraft.

Episode 11 also takes place on Day Nine.

Episode 12 is a doozy. The beginning of the episode, when the Moby Dick crashes happens at sunset on Day Nine. The scene between Chuuya, Kouyou and Mori is set at the same time as the Moby Dick's crash. We know this because the scene takes place during the same sunset, where we see them toasting to their victory while they talk about punishing Akutagawa for disobeying orders. This officially marks the end of Day Nine.

In between these two scenes, we cut to the remaining Guild members surveying the wreckage, and Kyouka's party at the Agency. These events happen the next day on Day Ten. We know this because, when we cut to the remaining Guild members, not only is it fully light outside, but we can also see construction equipment working on the wreckage of the Moby Dick.

Additionally, when Kyouka and Atsushi show up for the party, it's still the same time of day outside, Atsushi's clothes are repaired from his fight with Fitzgerald, and Kyouka is fully dressed in her regular attire instead of the white underclothes she was wearing during the crash.

The party at the Agency goes on for the rest of the day, because towards the end of the episode, we see Atsushi cleaning the tables and we can see through the window that it's gotten dark outside. The next scene between Dazai and Hirotsu at the museum takes place at night, and the ending scene with Atsushi and Akutagawa is also set at night, which marks the end of Day Ten.

So! In conclusion! Season 2 of Bungou Stray Dogs takes place in late June, about a month after season 1, over the course of ten days.

Holy fuck. If you're still here, I'm genuinely impressed, and also horrifically sorry that the post is THIS fucking long. There was a lot more to talk about in terms of dating this season.

[watch-time-flow]

"I'm still questioning why people assume I need help"

[minugasakuranohana]

Таймлайн войны

А также сколько лет Оокура Теруко?

(спойлер: не 12 и не 26)

14 лет назад (глава 65 манги): идут «последние годы войны», Йосано там. Мори снова нашёл её уже после заключения мирного договора, то есть дальше боевые действия не велись (глава 66): это время подписано как «спустя 3 года после поражения в войне». Однако с того момента, как Мори и Йосано отправились на остров Токоямидзима до самоубийства брата Тачихара прошло некоторое время (она успела исцелить его как минимум 175 раз, на медальоне счет пятерками), и с этого момента до окончания войны или возвращения Йосано в Японию тоже (она успела попытаться взорвать базу, о некотором временном промежутке у неё почти нет воспоминаний).

«3 года спустя после поражения в войне» - это таймлайн основания агентства (официального, спустя год со знакомства Фукудзавы и Рампо). Скорее всего, расследование дела Йосано стало первым официальным расследованием вда, и заказ мог поступить только от Нацумэ (Йосано на момент канона уже встречала его, скорее всего познакомилась сразу после того, как Рампо и Фукудзава забрали её).

Фукудзава (45 лет → 32 года) и Рампо (26 лет → 14 лет) встретились 12-13 лет назад. В главе 80 Рампо говорит, что раскрывает преступления уже 12 лет (может, с хвостиком). Ровно год прошёл до основания вда с момента встречи. То есть: вда основано 11-12 лет назад, а война завершилась 14 с небольшим лет назад.

Ну и в 55 минутах ��ыло подтверждено, что война закончилась 14 лет назад.

У Фукудзавы были все основания для удивления. В Йокогаме, в отличие от других городов, наемные убийцы представляют особую опасность. Именно сюда, в «Дьявольскую Йокогаму», с окончанием последней мировой войны страны-союзники направили вооруженные контингенты, которые под предлогом «наведения порядка», действуя крайне варварски и не считаясь с законом, захватили город и поделили его на независимые сектора. — «Неизвестная история создания детективного агентства»

Из-за принятых после войны ограничений многие обладатели сверхъестественных способностей были вынуждены покинуть свои должности, предпочтя тихую жизнь вдали от общества, а кто-то присоединился к преступным группировкам. — «Неизвестная история создания детективного агентства»

Но мир — не более чем передышка между войнами. Через четырнадцать лет после окончания войны на остров привезли самое опасное за всю историю изобретение — 55 минут, глава 2.

И это является причиной, по которой Оокура Теруко на данный момент старше 12 и даже 14 лет.

Может ли ей быть 26-27 — ещё одна известная теория? Тоже нет.

Вернёмся к главе 115, где была рассказана её предыстория, и расставим все точки над и.

Не в тему, но у неё автомат Калашникова или одна из иностранных "копий"?

Ладно, проехали.

大倉燁子 — Оокура Теруко

特殊部隊員でありながら見た目だけは十二歳の少女 — член подразделения особого назначения, выглядящий как девочка двенадцати лет

特殊部隊 — подразделения особого назначения, спецназ

員 — член, сотрудник

でありながら — быть, являться, представлять собой

見た目 — внешний вид

だけは — всего [лишь], только [л��шь]

十二歳 — 12 лет

の — частится принадлежности, или же «следующее существительное относится/принадлежит к предыдущему»

少女 — девочка

そんな彼女の真の年齢は本当に十二歳だった — её реальным возрастом фактически были 12 лет

そんな — такой/такая/такое/такие

彼女 — она/её

真 — настоящий, истинный, подлинный, верный; реальный

年齢 — возраст

は — ставится после того, о чём говорится в предложении

本当に — на самом деле; действительно; фактически; реально

だった — маркер конца предложения в прошедшем времени

己の異能で肉体と精神を強制的に成熟させ — силой своей способности она сделала свои тело и психику более зрелыми

己 — сам, 己の — свой собственный

異能 — сверхспособность, 異能で — с помощью сверхспособности

肉体 — тело

と — и

精神 — психика, душа

を — ставится после того, на что направлено действие

強制的に — в принудительном порядке, силой

成熟させ — доводить до зрелости

生後数ヶ月には関西地方の抵抗軍として敵を殺戮していた — через несколько месяцев после своего рождения она стала партизанкой в Кансае и убивала врагов

生後 — после рождения

数ヶ月 — несколько месяцев

には — указывает на время действия и тему предложения

関西地方 — регион Кансай (это далеко от Йокогамы)

抵抗軍 с чтением パルチザン — партизаны, партизанское движение, отряды

として — в качестве кого-либо, как, являющийся кем-то

敵 — враг, противник

殺戮していた — убивать, устраивать резню. Прошедшее время, длительная форма

そして抵抗軍の戦いに勝利はない薄く引き延ばされた敗戦があるだけだ — но в партизанской войне победа не существовала, была только небольшая отсрочка от поражения.

Значит на момент окончания войны Теруко было несколько месяцев. Партизаны должны были появиться после начала интервенции, когда Япония начала сильно проигрывать. К тому же, теруко нет на фреймах, где Фукучи, вероятно, на Токоямидзиме (главы 103.5 — 104.5). Вот когда они проиграли остров и все вернулись в Японию, он скорее всего попал в Кансай и нашёл Теруко. А остров проиграли немного меньше, чем 14 лет и несколько месяцев назад, уже перед концом войны.

Те, кто считает её двенадцатилетней (или тринадцатилетней) списывают со счетов дату окончания войны, те, кто считает, что ей 26 или 27 — тот факт, что она воевала именно "в течение нескольких месяцев после рождения", а потом ее нашёл Фукучи, который не 26 лет назад служил.

Теруко скорее всего 14 или 15 сейчас. Может, 16.

Фукучи и призвали-то на войну лет в — самое раннее — когда Фукудзаве было 29-30 лет, то есть 15-16 лет назад, плюс повоевать на острове немного времени. (Фукудзава сказал, что они знакомы 20+ лет, то есть максимум 29. С момента их знакомства до призыва в армию прошло 13 лет)

Теперь вернёмся к насущным вопросам, которые волнуют всех: а почему в главе написано 12? Да потому что Асагири всеми силами старается избежать любых даже намёков на возможность романтических и сексуальных взаимоотношений между персонажами. А ей ещё и реально ноль лет было. 12 лет — ещё совсем ребёнок (но по старому японскому законодательству после 12 уже не очень-то), но дай бог автомат весом плюс-минус 5 кг не уронит.

К чему в главе пару раз написали "настоящий" 真 возраст, "на самом деле" 本当に двенадцать? Потому что в следующем предложении поясняется, что способность делает человека во всех смыслах функционирующим на тот возраст, на который Теруко решит. И мозгами, и психикой, и телом.

Некоторую информацию Кафка оставляет для расчётов, а некоторую — для размышлений.

Опять же, если ей надо набить морду кому-то слишком надоедливому, она станет "взрослее", наваляет всем и пойдет дальше как малявка. А если посмотреть на историю японской армии случаи сексуального насилия там были не просто "случаями" (как в ебаном Тихом Доне), а повсеместной тенденцией. (Читаем незабвенную Википедию и Wikipedia о военных преступлениях Японии и выпадаем в осадок).

Вот поэтому Асагири отправл Теруко и Акико, ещё мелких, но уже попадающих, согласно статистике, в возрастные рамки жертв этих преступлений, в самый конец войны на самые напряжённые участи фронта, где у всех на уме только выжить (или сдохнуть наконец). Вот по этому Мори готов стрелять в толпу взбудораженных солдат которые зачем-то липнут к напуганному ребёнку, который активно протестует и, вероятно, успевает добежать обратно до Мори и спрятаться за него (а в Vita Sexualis гг лет в 11 подвергся очень реальной угрозе изнасилования, но там ему повезло. Однако когда он рассказывает об этом отцу, тот просто отвечает: «ну да, бывает...» Мори, может, и плохой человек, но именно поэтому он и пристрелит без зазрений совести и прикопает за что-то, что уже по его мнению плохо)

Мори также зол, когда Йосано спокойно говорит всего с одним солдатом, но этот человек после первого же разговора называет её "милым словом" ангел, дарит подарок и вообще, так что девочка даже немного покраснела (хитрожопый сволочь, если брать контекст Vita... Но когда Мори подходит, разговор резко уходит в политику. Мори вообще пытался ограждать Йосано от всего, что могло навредить 1) его планам; 2) ей самой и его планам ¯\_(ツ)_/¯)

В той же Википедии в связке с главами 104, 104.5, 65, 66 находим наиболее вероятный прототип Токоямидзимы — Чичиджима, он же Титидзима, 父島, "остров-отец", на котором произошло такоооое... [тык старое обсуждение]

À la guerre comme à la guerre. Но об этом как нибудь в следующий раз! (◕‿↼)

[lotus-soda]

The bsd mainline manga timeline is now updated!

Hello everybody! I updated it and finally after a month and a half of work the timeline is fixed up! It's still going to be updated even more, but I will not be closing it anymore! Thanks for all you guy's support I hope you enjoy!

[kaurwreck]

Actually, I'd argue that Bungou Stray Dogs is set in a timeline that very much parallels our own!

You're not wrong that Bungou Stray Dogs is its own timeline, but there are actually WAY more indicators of period inspiration than only World War I and closer connections between Bugnou Stray Dogs' timeline with ours. Rather than a completely separate world, Bungou Stray Dogs seems to be set in an alternative timeline in which the existence of skill users dramatically changed the global geopolitical landscape. And I know that because it's actually possible to roughly, and with several exceptions, trace the current Bungou Stray Dogs timeline to the 1930s. (Hence the Guild being dressed like 1930s Americans!)

The older characters in Bungou Stray Dogs are based on Meiji-era authors (namely Natsume, Fukuzawa, Mori, and Hirotsu). The Meiji era of Japanese history extended from October 23, 1868, to July 30, 1912, and was characterized by Japan shifting from isolationist feudalism to modernization and industrialization based on Western scientific, technological, philosophical, political, legal, and aesthetic ideas. (Otherwise, Japan was at risk of colonization by Western powers; it was a transition undertaken under duress.) That's why Fukuzawa is aesthetically a rōnin (the actual Fukuzawa was born in 1833, decades prior to the Meiji era), why Mori rattles off Western foreign political strategies with which Fukuzawa is unfamiliar (the actual Mori was born just six years prior to the Meiji-era), and, most importantly, why Yokohama is sometimes referred to as the Yokohama Settlement, and why it is implied that there are national powers in Yokohama. (For example, in 55 Minutes, an antagonist declares, "If the Yokohama Settlement and the various nations' military parties within it are wiped off the face of the earth, there will be no way for their governments to hide the truth.")

The Yokohama Settlement was established in 1858, through treaties with the US, England, France, Russia, and the Netherlands that opened several cities and five ports to those Western powers. Although the treaties were abolished in 1899, the influence of those treaties appears to persist in Bungou Stray Dogs' current timeline, implying that they did exist, but perhaps not with those specific powers, and perhaps not within the same time frame. (This is further supported when Chuuya debuts in the story's current timeline; he mentions to Dazai that he had only just gotten back from quashing trouble in the West, which may be referencing the western section of the Yokohama Settlement.)

The younger characters (such as Chuuya, Dazai, Atsushi, Kunikida, Ango, etc.) were all part of literary and poetry scenes characterized by the impacts of World War I and World War II on Japan. Although their ages relative to each other and the older characters are NOT the same as their real-life namesakes, they roughly correlate with the generational differences cultivated by Japan's transitions from feudalism to industrialization to post-World War I.

Further, World War I was called the Great War, which is also what Bungou Stray Dogs calls the ability-based war that transpired 15 years prior to the current canon timeline. Like the real-life authors, the Bungou Stray Dogs characters are consistently and constantly grappling with the impacts of the Great War, which created orphans (like Atsushi and Akutagawa), traumatized soldiers (like Mimic and Fukuchi), advanced and unprecedentedly destructive methods of warfare (in WWI, it was chemical warfare, in BSD, it's ability-users), and which prompted multinational treaties and organizations that sought to prevent such devastation from happening again (Standard Island in 55 Minutes; in the manga and anime, it's implied the United Nations exists, although the logo is just slightly different from the real-life United Nations, which was not formed until after World War II).

As you've pointed out, there are still SEVERAL differences between the real-world and Bungou Stray Dogs' timelines. Many of these can be explained by the existence of skill users, such as the mixed technology in the series, which ranges from the 1980s to the current day. Others are analogs, such as Verlaine and Chuuya, who were both created in response to the Great War, such as how WWI rewrote how wars and war technology were approached. Others are less easily explained by anything other than the butterfly effect, such as the seeming continuation of Japan's port treaties and, as mentioned above, how instead of the League of Nations, the aftermath of the Great War in Bungou Stray Dogs led to the creation of the United Nations, decades before the United Nations formed in our timeline. Further, in Bungou Stray Dogs, France, Germany, and Japan were allied in the Great War, with Japan withdrawing early due to Fukuzawa's intervention (France and Japan were allied against Germany in WWI). The most inexplicable difference is that one of the Western foreign policy strategists cited by Mori is Henry Kissinger, who was only a child in the 1930s. So on, and so forth.

However, that it parallels our timeline explains exactly what you've noted above, which is the reason why Europe is the center of geopolitical power. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, that was still very true, especially in the aftermath of World War I (and which would continue to be true if Europe had powerful ability users). It also explains why the most powerful ability user group, the Order of the Clock Tower, serves as the Queen of England's personal guard-- while the monarchy isn't Britain's head of government now, it was in the early 1900s. It also adds context to Season 5, Episode 61 of the anime, in which Fukuchi reveals that his actions were spurred by his learning that there would be another global war, one much more destructive and violent than the prior. In other words, Fukuchi sought to prevent the Bungou Stray Dogs' version of World War II.

And so while you're right that Bungou Stray Dogs exists in its own timeline, it's not fundamentally different from ours, and in fact, follows the same patterns and themes that the real-life character namesakes explored in their bodies of work. Following the logic of Bungou Stray Dogs existing in an alternate but parallel timeline, it roughly takes place in the early- to mid-1930s. However, it's a version of the 1930s in which skill users exist and have existed for long enough for their skills to shape the course of human history. Thus, the timeline in Bungou Stray Dogs is a sandbox of alternative history that nevertheless honors the ideas, traumas, and eras of the authors whose lives and literary works inspired the series.

That being said, it's a fictional universe subject to the author's purposes, so nothing is certain unless indicated by Kafka Asagiri. But understanding the historical parallels certainly explains a lot, and provides a nifty guide for understanding the underlying literary references.

Bungou Stray Dogs does not follow our timeline! Its an entirely separate universe. So the question "what year is BSD set in?" doesn't have an answer.

This is one of the most common questions I've seen about bsd, "What year is it set in?" or people saying stuff like "Why do the guild dress so old timey?" or "Why do the characters have flip phones but such advanced technology?" etc...

And the truth is, the series is set in a completely different world then ours, some series like Jujutsu Kaisen or Harry Potter are set in our world, and (mostly) follow our history. But the BSD universe is just fundamentally different, There was a war, heavily modelled after world war 1, less than 20 years before the present. There are loads of references to huge political events that simply didn't happen. in fact, it seems like the technology of bsd is many decades ahead of its politics. For instance, the Guild all being dressed like great depression era Americans fits if you consider that the great depression happened just after ww1 IRL.

Another difference is that In BSD Europe is described as the centre of global power instead of America, which might be explained by Dazai saying Europe has a high number of powerful skill users.

Maybe Abilities accelerated the growth of technology, they probably also changed the balance of politics.

What im saying is there is so much different in the bsd universe, that trying to match the story to a real life year or time period will never work, its like trying to find out what kind of wood a rock is made of, they have similarities but are just fundamentally different.

[candiedfright]

whether you're falling for dazai's façade or simply dismissing his feelings and actions as fake because you don't like him or whatever i just want you to know that when you say he doesn't care about people you do not know what you're talking about. no discussion about it. you just don't. how do you have the gall to even suggest that when that man is where he is now because he followed his friend's dying words. when he still holds on to the betrayal from the one that completed their trio to the point where there's very obvious bitterness in his treatment of him. when he treats chuuya so gently as he nullifies corruption. that man thinks of himself as less than human when he's one of the most human characters solely due to his complex emotions and because of the way he navigates his relationships. please do not try to tell me that he doesn't care when his reason of being is his interactions with others; which is true for anyone, but especially for him.

[soukokuforthesoul]

there was a boy in dazai’s childhood. a small, bright, fiery young thing. he was loud, always outspoken and energetic. sometimes dazai thought his smiles might split his face in half. he seemed to get along well with everyone for the most part, but when he didn’t, he wasn’t afraid to say anything about that. and his hair was a bright orange.

he stood out for a lot of reasons. his hair being one of them, though as he grew, the mess on his head was less prominent. once, in elementary, when the teacher told them to split up into groups, the boy offered dazai a place in his group. because everyone had chosen their respective groups, bunched up and clamoring with their friends, and dazai had been left alone there. he hadn’t wanted to join, felt compelled to sit out, but the boy outstretched his hand and said happily, “you can join my team!”

it was a treasure hunt of sorts. partway through the walk, dazai inquired why the boy had asked him to join. he said something about dazai looking smart, and how that would help them, also dazai looked lonely. after that, dazai didn’t help at all, lagging behind and pissing off the other children.

he didn’t like being judged by how he looked, it reminded him of his mother. people said his mother was very pretty, and they’d compliment her. but dazai knew she wasn’t pretty, he’d seen her passed out on the couch, lipstick smudged, a bottle of alcohol spilling into the rug from where it lay in her limp hand. she certainly wasn’t pretty then. therefore, dazai would not be smart for this boy, he didn’t have to meet his expectations, didn’t care to, either.

of course, his group was angry. the boy was upset. but he said nothing about it. he just ignored dazai and let him be, even when they lost. that was also weird, dazai thought, later that day. because usually people expressed their anger, like his mother did when she awoke in a mess. he wondered if the boy was even capable of anger, then, and toyed with the idea of trying to gain a reaction from him. in the end, he didn’t have to.

there was a fight on the playground a couple days later. between the boy and some older kid from a few grades up. the boy was obviously losing, too small, taking more hits than giving. a minute into the fight, after a lot of shouting and clashing, the older kid stabbed the boy with a pencil. and though dazai couldn’t see where it hit, he heard the pencil snap, heard the cry of the boy, saw a flash of blood. teachers were coming now, causing the other students to scatter. before the older kid could run off, the boy head butted him with the force of his unfiltered rage, sending them both knocked over. he continued throwing punches over and over until they were separated, and dazai watched curiously, hearing the teachers demand to know what had happened, and to get the boy to the nurse’s office, and, as he was ushered away, the boy shouted something about his parents.

later, dazai heard from a few others who’d witnessed it from the beginning that the older kid had insulted the boy’s parents, and that he’d lashed out at him almost immediately. the next day, the boy came to school with his wrist all bandaged up and was exempted from any writing schoolwork that day. when he heard the kid he’d fought had been injured enough to also come up bandaged and bruised, he seemed proud of himself. dazai felt mildly proud too, somehow. it’d been exhilarating watching the boy fight, face contorted into his anger. he’d looked so alive.

one day, the boy was kidnapped. nobody was exactly sure, but according to his parents, he’d been left with a babysitter for a couple days and when they returned, neither were there. dazai never heard anything of the boy again, so he figured he’d died, or something. the search had been called off pretty quickly, and what with the great war, there hadn’t been enough people to care anyway. eventually, dazai forgot about him entirely.

of course, until now. when a great rush of force came barreling towards dazai, under the name of the ‘sheep king.’ a boy about dazai’s age, unruly and brash, with auburn hair that sat like a mess on his head. he was scowling, a foot pressed to dazai’s chest as he demanded for answers.

dazai gazed at him blankly and said, softly, “chuuya nakahara.”

of course. he should’ve known immediately by the name mori had relayed, but he’d never known chuuya for his last name, hadn’t heard it in years. chuuya didn’t seem to recognize dazai, anyway, not anymore. so he said nothing of it.

he just watched as chuuya protected his family with the same rage he’d had that one day many, many years ago. he was entrance. at how he was ever so different, yet exactly the same. dazai wondered what chuuya would think of him if he remembered. (and all the same, he was almost glad that day would never come).

[bluemooniegif]

omg op is me!! this was so informative, thank you for your service 🫡

https://www.tiktok.com/@bluemoon.mp4/video/7300937773001821442

I consider you the timeline expert so uhh thoughts on this?

tiktok video recap: OP was trying to deduce who between Dazai and Chuuya was older. OP said Atsushi was freshly turned 18 when he was kicked out of the orphanage, at the start of May, and since the are only a few weeks (only 2 though, not 4) between that and him meeting Dazai, it would mean Dazai's birthday at the end June hadn't passed yet, making it so Dazai was actually 23 now and a year older than Chuuya, whose birthday already passed in April. This is a take I've seen before.

I would say a solid attempt. I do like the idea of Atsushi being kicked out because he finally turned 18 and they finally could do it, but the truth is Japan's age of majority was 20 until 2022, not 18. It would make no sense for the orphanage to kick out a minor in normal conditions.

I'm also still saying there's a solid chance Asagiri doesn't really care about being accurate to the exact month, more just to the general year, but we have enough to take a guess and force things to work.

so.

I think there was too much emphasis put on the fact that skk are the same age for it to be true, and we don't actually have any proof Atsushi was kicked on his birthday, even if it is a legitimate guess to try and make.

(continued under the cut ↓ )

1) The light novel being titled "Dazai, Chuuya, Age Fifteen" when they are the same age for barely 2 months sounds a bit ridiculous, but also have these quotes to show in-story what they say:

2) Asagiri said he probably should have titled Storm Bringer "Dazai, Chuuya, Age Sixteen" for continuity, but didn't want to:

3) The SB -> Dragon's Head Conflict timeline I made was based on Chuuya's birthday, placing its start at around January-February, right before his 17th birthday. We know there were 2 years between the DHC and Dark Era as per Oda's words, and real life Oda Sakunosuke and André Gide died in January and February respectively, solidifying that attempted timeline. We know Dazai is 18 during Dark Era (+2 years underground to enter the ADA at 20). If Dazai was a year older than Chuuya, that timeline wouldn't be able to hold, as Dazai would actually be 19 and a half by that point. (refer to this graphic for a breakdown by month, adding a year to Dazai's count for this theory to "work": )

4) On that same note, SB takes place one year after Chuuya joined; the Flags were celebrating his one year in the mafia. Because of the July + 3 months mention, so after Dazai's birthday, we know for sure it couldn't have happened in the supposed two months they would be the same age.

I also want to add that Atsushi never mentions being kicked out because he turned 18. The reason he gives Kunikida and Dazai is that the orphanage had to reduce the number of people in their care for monetary reasons after the Tiger attacked. Atsushi was always the scapegoat, so it wouldn't have surprised him to be the one kicked out, even if it was still frightening. Also again, an 18-year-old was a minor in Japan until very recently.

One very clear clue we have however, is 55 Minutes, which happens in the hottest part of summer. Asagiri said it happened sometime after vol10, so after the Guild arc. I would need to do a full reread to see how much time could have passed between the start of the series and the end of the Guild arc, but since all of it was happening around Atsushi and the Tiger (everyone was after the poor boy), we can probably fit it in a month or so (and make the ADA be so so tired afterwards)

As of now, I would place the start of the series more around July, after Dazai's birthday but before August so we have some leeway for 55 Minutes, but this will need a deeper dive to solidify the theory, and this post is getting too long.