Cannibalism Arc

This story arc or saga name is not official. This story arc or saga has no official name and is subject to change at any time.

Cannibalism Arc
Kanji	共喰 (ともぐ)い編
Romaji	Tomogui-hen
Story Arc Information
Saga	Decay of the Angel Saga
Chapters	Chapter 46 - 53
Volumes	Volume 11 - 13
Episodes	Episode 33 - 37
Story Arc Guide
Previous Arc	The Guild Aftermath Arc
Next Arc	Perfect Crime Arc

The Cannibalism Arc (共喰 (ともぐ)い編,, Tomogui-hen^?) is the fourth story arc in Bungo Stray Dogs and is the first story arc in the Decay of the Angel Saga. It introduces a new group of antagonists, the Rats in the House of the Dead.

Synopsis

A new criminal organization called the Rats in the House of the Dead makes its existence known to the Agency. Little is known about it and its alleged leader, Fyodor Dostoevsky, but a downward spiral begins when Yukichi Fukuzawa is attacked and left gravely ill. Both him and the Port Mafia's leader, Ōgai Mori, have been infected with a virus named Cannibalism. After forty-eight hours, the virus will destroy the hosts' internal organs, unless one of them dies before the virus outbreak, thus nullifying the other's illness. The Agency and the Port Mafia start a blood feud to save their respective leaders before it is too late.

Summary

Attack of the Masked Assassin

Fukuzawa loses consciousness after being shot by poison.

Fukuzawa is seen strolling during the night when he sees bloodstains on the pathway. He immediately follows the trails and is suddenly attacked by a masked assassin, but successfully counters the attack. Out of nowhere he is then shot by poison, which causes him to lose consciousness.

Due to the attack and the possible damage it could cause the Port Mafia, the Mafia takes on the action to find the assassin's hideout, but is a step too late.

Hawthorne reveals to be the masked assassin.

Mori is seen together with Elise doing shopping, when the car they entered explodes. Mori is barely saved by Elise. Mori is contacted by Akutagawa, updating that the masked assassin has been caught in the net. Akutagawa takes on the masked assassin and learns his true identity, the Guild's Nathaniel Hawthorne, who apparently doesn't have memories of his own.

Meanwhile, Dazai investigates the pathway Fukuzawa was attacked on, and deduces who the killer is.

Mori stabbed.

After the car explosion, Mori and Elise are approached by a police man asking their situation. Mori reassures the policeman and tells them they are fine. The police man suddenly stabs Mori, revealing himself as Fyodor Dostoevsky. Elise tries to catch up to Fyodor, but loses him in the crowd.

Dazai shot by a sniper.

Dazai confronts Fyodor about the poison he used with Fukuzawa, and relays that he knows what he's after - to secure the book to wipe Yokohama of ability users. He reveals the poison injected is imbued with a cannibalism ability - in order to save the one, the other one has to die. During their conversation, Dazai is shot by a sniper eventually left by Fyodor.

Attack of the Port Mafia to the Agency

Port Mafia's front forces to attack the agency.

The cannibalism virus slowly affects Fukuzwa and Mori's lives. Learning that the way to disable the virus is to have the other one dead, the Mafia takes on the first action to attack the Armed Detective Agency. Meanwhile, the Agency has decided to guard Fukuzawa's room and defend him from the Port Mafia forces.

The agency's frontal force reveals to be a decoy by Tanizaki's Light Snow.

This reveals to be a decoy by Jun'ichirō Tanizaki's Light Snow. He reveals that the other agency members have taken Fukuzawa out and relays Ranpo's message to capture the ability user who created the virus. Tanizaki is then held hostage by the Port Mafia.

During the agency's escape, Ranpo tells the agency that having a frontal assault on the mafia is guaranteed to lead to deaths, hence they will be changing the rules - track down the culprit and have Dazai touch him using his ability (which nullifies other Abilities).

Pursuit of the Virus Ability User

Armed children fire at Kunikida and Atsushi.

Kunikida and Atsushi set off to the hideout of the virus ability user named Alexander Pushkin. During their pursuit of Pushkin, they are intercepted by a group of armed children who are giving the virus ability user, their older brother, time to escape. Kunikida and Atsushi face the armed children, eventually hurting some of them in the process. Eventually, a child with an attached bomb sets off the bomb upon remembering Fyodor's words that the man with the notebook(Kunikida) is a dangerous man.

Atsushi restrains the "fake" Pushkin.

Atsushi soon catches up to the virus ability user and restrains him. The man turns out to not be Alexander Pushkin, whom they are pursuing. At the underground tunnel, Kunikida survives the explosion and sees all the children dead as a result of the blown up rocks. Yosano and Ranpo arrive to Atsushi's aid. The man gives the agency a police file about the virus ability user which also turns out to be a fake and relays Fyodor's message about "no changing the rules".

Armed Detective Agency and Port Mafia Stand-off

Tanizaki held hostage.

At the Port Mafia base, Tanizaki is seen being held hostage. Tanizaki is threatened to leak the agency's interals otherwise Gin, an assassin, will "take care of" his younger sister. Tanizaki provokes Michizō Tachihara, who is pointing a gun to him. Tanizaki manages to remove the ties around his hands thanks to Kunikida's ability. Eventually, Tanizaki manages to escape from Black Lizard's watch and proceeds in planning to murder Mori.

However, he is attacked by Kōyō Ozaki. Tanizaki is then saved by Kyōka's arrival. Tanizaki and Kyōka both escape from the building. Fukuzawa is revealed to be confined in Anne's chamber.

Agency sets out to face the Port Mafia.

The agency regroups, deciding whether to fight the mafia or not. He tells that once the mafia knows Fukuzawa's whereabouts, they will resort to terrorism including capturing the agency's family, friends, eventually threatening them if the agency won't bring Fukuzawa out. Due to this, some of the agency members including Ranpo, Tanizaki, Yosano, Kyōka, and Kenji decide to fight the mafia. Meanwhile, Atsushi still decides to track down the culprit with the help of Katai Tayama.

Tanizaki, Yosano, and Kenji being attacked by Port Mafia guards.

Seventeen hours left until the virus outbreak, Kenji, Tanizaki, and Yosano infiltrate the Port Mafia building. Upon infiltration, they are attacked by the Port Mafia guards. The infiltration soon fails when Motojirō Kajii comes out bringing lemon bombs for explosions, making the agency members have to pull back. Ranpo, on the other hand, faces Chūya Nakahara and traps both of them into a novel. Kyōka threatens Ichiyō Higuchi to give the code to the safe room where Mori is sleeping. The interrogation is interrupted by Akutagawa's presence. Akutagawa and Kyōka face and attack each other. Their fight is halted due to Motojirō's bombs.

Fyodor at Katai's place as seen at the footage.

At Katai's apartment, Astushi and Kunikida are unable to find Katai in the room. The two proceed to check the footage of the room's hidden camera, which reveals Katai being shot by Fyodor.

At Anne's chamber, Fukuzawa hears about what's happening outside , and decides to leave the chamber to meet with someone.

Battle of Fukuzawa and Mori

Fukuzawa and Mori faces each other.

Fourteen hours left until the virus outbreak, after fleeing the Port Mafia building, the agency members have learned that Fukuzawa is gone. The mafia also learns that Mori has left the building in his own volition.

Fukuzawa and Mori both arrive at a western-style building and decide to face each other in order to halt the "cannibal" with one of their deaths.

Katai reveals to be alive and Natsume's appearance.

Twelve hours left until the virus outbreak, the agency investigates as to where Fukuzawa must have gone. Dazai is seen recovering at the hospital due to the shot he received when he met Fyodor.

Fukuzawa and Mori then soon attack each other, eventually resulting in Fukuzawa's defeat. The battle is interrupted by Sōseki Natsume's presence, who tells the two leaders that Katai has uncovered the enemy's hideout, and orders the two to act before the foes are able to disappear again.

Pursuit of the Rats

Akutagawa and Atsushi looking for the virus ability user.

Dazai has teamed up Akutagawa and Atsushi to infiltrate the enemy's hideout. Upon arriving, Akutagawa successfully gets past over the guards and infiltrates the hideout using Rashomon. Atsushi also catches up to Akutagawa at the hideout. The two soon set off to find the virus ability user, and learn about a bombproof metal door that could be the enemy's HQ.

Meanwhile, Fyodor is seen communicating with a mafioso regarding the update on both the agency and mafia's leaders.

The virus ability user reveals himself.

Akutagawa and Atsushi arrive at the metal door. However the door will be hard to open due to network speed, hence Akutagawa telling Katai to prioritize locating the enemy. After some time, Katai contacts them and tells them that he have found the virus ability user's location which happens to be two meters behind them. Akutagawa is affected by the virus after being shot. Pushkin then leaves them and escapes.

Atsushi and Akutagawa chasing after Pushkin.

Pushkin is seen talking to Ivan Goncharov while escaping to carry out his next order, which is to make it out alone. Pushkin shoots Akutagawa and Atsushi while escaping, eventually destroying the mine cart they were in. During their pursuit, Pushkin gets away, but Atsushi manages to catch up to him using his ability. However, they were interrupted by Goncharov's appearance.

Tanizaki and Kenji monitoring the outside of enemy's hideout.

Meanwhile, Dazai is commanding Tanizaki and Kenji while patrolling the enemy's hideout in order to catch Fyodor. Back at the old mine, Akutagawa and Atsushi face Goncharov. The agency has failed to locate Fyodor at the enemy's hideout.

Agency and Mafia confront Pushkin.

With the virus slowly deteroriating Akutagawa's life, he decides to let Atsushi use Rashomon together with Beast Beneath the Moonlight. Atsushi eventually overpowers and defeats Goncharov using the power of Beast Beneath the Moonlight Rashomon: Black Tiger's Supreme Claw. Pushkin manages to escape the mine, only to find the agency and mafia waiting for him outside. The virus eventually vanishes after Pushkin is confronted.

Fyodor arrested.

After the battle, Goncharov reveals that Fyodor was never at the hideout in the first place, and reveals that their communication was through music by picking up the radio signals and communicating orders from a radio show. Fyodor is seen at a cafe somewhere. Upon leaving, he sees Dazai waiting outside together with Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald. He reveals that he found Fyodor using the Eyes of God. Fyodor is then arrested by the Special Division for Unusual Powers.

Aftermath

Dazai and Atsushi after the cannibalism.

At the aftermath, the agency is seen at the S.S. Zelda having a celebration after the event. On the outside, Dazai asks Atsushi how is it like working with Akutagawa, to which the latter describes it as awful. Atsushi then reveals an agreement he made with Akutagawa, this agreement being that Akutagawa can kill Astushi as long as he doesn't kill anyone for Six months. Akutagawa agrees to the agreement.

Chapters

46. The Masked Assassin

47. Mutual Destruction, Part 1

48. Mutual Destruction, Part 2

48.5. Mutual Destruction, Part 2.5

49. Mutual Destruction, Part 3

50. Mutual Destruction, Part 4

51. Echo, Part 1

52. Echo, Part 2

53. Echo. Part 3

Episodes

33. The Masked Assassin

34. Cannibalism (Part 1)

35. Cannibalism (Part 2)

36. Cannibalism (Part 3)

37. Echo

Appearances

Characters

Akiko Yosano         Alexander Pushkin         Ango Sakaguchi         Atsushi Nakajima         Chūya Nakahara         Doppo Kunikida         Edgar Allan Poe         Elise         F. Scott Fitzgerald         Fyodor Dostoevsky         Gin Akutagawa         Ichiyō Higuchi         Ivan Goncharov         Jun'ichirō Tanizaki         Katai Tayama         Kenji Miyazawa         Kirako Haruno         Kōyō Ozaki         Kyōka Izumi         Lucy Maud Montgomery         Michizō Tachihara         Motojirō Kajii         Naomi Tanizaki         Nathaniel Hawthorne         Ōgai Mori         Osamu Dazai         Ranpo Edogawa         Ryūnosuke Akutagawa         Ryūrō Hirotsu         Shōsaku Katsura         Sōseki Natsume         Yukichi Fukuzawa

Battles

Image	Battle	Result
	Yukichi Fukuzawa vs. Masked Assassin	The Masked Assassin ambushes Fukuzawa and infects him with the Cannibalism virus.
	Ryūnosuke Akutagawa vs. Masked Assassin	Akutagawa faces the Masked Assassin and discovers his true identity: the Assassin is Nathaniel Hawthorne, the former reverend of the Guild.
	Ōgai Mori vs. Policeman	Dressed up as a policeman, Fyodor tricks Mori, stabs him and infects him with the Cannibalism virus. Fyodor manages to run away despite Elise chasing him.
	Doppo Kunikida and Atsushi Nakajima vs. Armed Children	Atsushi and Kunikida manage to pass through the armed children, but a little girl dies in the fight.
	Jun'ichirō Tanizaki vs. Ryūrō Hirotsu, Gin Akutagawa, and Michizō Tachihara	Thanks to Kunikida's ability, Tanizaki manages to untie himself; he faces the three Black Lizards executives and escapes thanks to his ability before running towards Mori's room.
	Jun'ichirō Tanizaki and Kyōka Izumi vs. Kōyō Ozaki	Kōyō stabs Tanizaki in the back to prevent him from killing Mori. Tanizaki is then saved by Kyōka.
	Akiko Yosano, Kenji Miyazawa, and Jun'ichirō Tanizaki vs. Port Mafia	The three of them easily pave a way to the Port Mafia's headquarters entrance.
	Chūya Nakahara vs. Ranpo Edogawa	Ranpo lures Chūya into battle; before any blow is dealt, Ranpo traps them both in a book provided by Edgar Allan Poe.
	Ryūnosuke Akutagawa vs. Kyōka Izumi	The two exchange blows and words, but Kyōka withdraws from the battle because of Kajii's impending attack.
	Yukichi Fukuzawa vs. Ōgai Mori (Mansion)	The two leaders agree that a duel to the death is the only way to prevent a bloodier conflict from happening between their two organizations. Fukuzawa manages to neutralize Elise but the Port Mafia boss tricks his opponent and stabs him in the throat. The sudden intervention of Sōseki Natsume prevents Mori from killing Fukuzawa.
	Yukichi Fukuzawa and Ōgai Mori vs. Illegal Immigrant Group	Ten years ago, Fukuzawa killed about twenty thug guards in order to save Mori who faked his capture in order to obtain some intel.
	Ryūnosuke Akutagawa and Atsushi Nakajima vs. Alexander Pushkin	They eventually face the real virus ability user, but Akutagawa is infected with the Cannibalism virus during the fight. Pushkin flees.
	Ryūnosuke Akutagawa and Atsushi Nakajima vs. Ivan Goncharov	As they now fight against Goncharov and his ability granting him control over stone, Atsushi and Akutagawa are in trouble. They eventually overpower Goncharov by merging their two abilities, and Akutagawa lends his Demonic Armour to Atsushi.

Impact

• Fukuzawa and Mori's shared past is explained.
• Sōseki Natsume appears for the first time in his human form. Until now, he has been only seen in his cat form as Kirako Haruno's cat, Mii-chan.
• Four members of the Rats in the House of the Dead have been identified: the leader Fyodor Dostoevsky, the virus ability user Alexander Pushkin, the former Guild member Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Ivan Goncharov.
• Fyodor is arrested.