#sorry this isnt gramatically correct but yk

[the-demon-prodigy]

thoughts on the role of the protagonist in bungo stray dogs

today im talking abt the protagonist stuff i see in the fandom all the time! i'll only be talking abt dazai and atsushi here, but anyway dazai would NOT make a good bsd protagonist, not personality wise nor thematically.

first of all, the story of bsd is about people who are lost, who dont know how to live. atsushi is the best fit for that thematically because he starts the story at the very bottom: just kicked out of the orphanage, no friends, etc etc. by the time that the story takes place, dazai has already gotten a good chunk into his little healing journey so its not a good idea for him to be the protagonist because part of him is no longer a "stray dog" thematically.

another thing is that the story could not follow pm dazai, this is because the story of bsd at the end of the day is partially abt the strength of perseverance and hope and its a story about choosing to do the right thing, it would be thematically contradictory for it to follow pm dazai. anyway atsushis personality also fits because he is honest, uncertain, yet he is also determined. he has a stronger connection to the shows themes overall.

also, dazai wouldnt be a good protag simply because the story would be too simplified. dazai views the world in a very complicated way, which would muddle the story, but he also solves everything too easily which would remove the stakes.

as the author himself stated, dazai fits best into the mentor role because he is a living representation of the eventual success that comes to a person if they ig apply the overall themes of the story in their life? hes kind of a success story at the point of the current story and i feel like the story also sorta needs that solid proof of how strong its themes can be like i just mean like the story needs someone who's already gone through a mostly complete arc to reinforce its themes and their actual relevance. and dazai also likes being secretive so hes cuter as a mentor idk also atsushi needs guidance and i cant think of anyone else who could do that for him you know??

also a lot of the story parallels fall apart if atsushi isnt the protag bc the parallel between dazai and chuuya is strengthened by the one between akutagawa and atsushi and vice versa.

also a character like dazai who has a lot of connections and fits in a lot of places in the plot is best in a secondary role because they can guide/push the story along with their influences but they dont drive the story firsthand because if they did then it would be cheap/not really earned and bsd is partially abt thriving after making an effort. in conclusion, atsushi is a good, thematically sound protagonist, and as much of a good character as dazai is, he doesnt fit into the protagonist role