The Special Division for Unusual Powers (
In times of activities caused by criminal entities, the Special Division manages such incidents through supervising the concerned parties and through cover-ups to prevent the public from learning about the ability-related cases as much as possible. Though the general approach of the Special Division is to not terminate hostile ability users,[1] they may nonetheless dispose them if deemed necessary.[3]
History[]
Post-War Era[]
In the midst of the post-Great War chaos, Sōseki Natsume devised the Tripartite Framework, a plan that aims to preserve the balance of peace and order in Yokohama. The Special Division and the military police were tapped to oversee and handle affairs during the daytime, the Port Mafia at night, and the Armed Detective Agency in the twilight. When this plan came to fruition, Natsume retired shortly after.[4]
Arahabaki Incident[]
- Main article: Fifteen Arc
In the aftermath of the Arahabaki incident at least seven years ago, the Special Division has filed a confidential report surrounding its full story and the details of activities from the Port Mafia's gifted users during the incident. The report was written by Ango Sakaguchi and is kept under the jurisdiction of the Home of Ministry Affairs and the Ninth Confidential Resource Office. It is also hinted that the Special Division has investigated and written reports on the background and identity of Arthur Rimbaud, the conspiracy about the research facility that disappeared, and the actions undertaken by Osamu Dazai and Chūya Nakahara to uncover such information. Furthermore, a supplementary report to the Arahabaki incident report has been designated as a top-secret document, whose details are thus far undisclosed.[5]
Dragon's Head Conflict[]
- Main article: Dragon's Head Conflict
Six years ago, the dispute that pitted various underground organizations against one another known as the Dragon's Head Conflict plunged Yokohama into a deadly battlefield. As the conflict raged on for at least 80 days, the Special Division sent Tatsuhiko Shibusawa in hopes of ending the conflict with his ability. To note, Ango opposed the idea of employing Shibusawa, but the higher echelons disregarded his claim and proceeded to hire Shibusawa.
However, Shibusawa did not have any intention of maintaining peace whatsoever and produced even more deaths along the way.[2] In the end, Dazai and Chūya of the Port Mafia settled the dispute themselves, which garnered them the infamous moniker of Twin Dark.[6] In the aftermath of the conflict, the Special Division covered up the deaths produced by Shibusawa overseas and granted him protection, as they recognized him to be an asset who can stand up against a possible nationwide gifted takeover in the future.[2]
Mimic Incident[]
- Main article: Dark Era Arc
At least four years ago, the Special Division assigned Ango to infiltrate the illegally-acting Port Mafia to monitor and report their movements. Subsequently, mafia leader Ōgai Mori thought of a way to acquire a skilled business permit that shall recognize their violent operations to be legal. While Ango was an intelligence agent in the mafia, he once travelled to Europe to gather information, upon which Mori chose to use the guerrilla organization Mimic, which he deemed to be an adversary with the highest potential that can lead him to obtain the permit the mafia needed. In this regard, Mori tasked Ango to get in contact with Mimic, which later left Europe and illegally migrated to Japan with the mafia's assistance.
Thereafter, as the guerrilla group arrived in Japan, Ango infiltrated Mimic as a mafia member and passed insider information on the organization to the mafia, though Ango also passed such knowledge to the Special Division as a triple agent. The Special Division thought to pit Mimic and the mafia – two dangerous, illegal organizations – against each other to kill two birds interfering with the safety of Yokohama with one stone. Hence, they manipulated matters by having Ango leak mafia information to Mimic, which sent the mafia to engage in combat with Mimic's onslaughts on the mafia's operations and territorial bases.
Mori and Taneda meet secretly to discuss their respective terms in the Mimic incident.
During this time, the conflict between Mimic and the mafia was established. When Ango returned to his primary affiliation, he facilitated a confidential meeting between Mori and the Special Division director, Santōka Taneda. With Mimic and the mafia disrupting Yokohama's peace and order, Taneda requested the mafia to exterminate Mimic and, in exchange, issued Mori with the skilled business permit, henceforth acknowledging the mafia's once illegal modi operandi to be licit. Eventually, Sakunosuke Oda from the mafia single-handedly eliminated the members and leader of Mimic, André Gide, in a death battle.[1]
Influence[]
The Special Division monitors activities during the fog incident, a large-scale ability-related incident in Yokohama.
Despite being a secret service, the Special Division has vast influence in Japan as a government agency with various connections and networks, most closely with the military police. Generally, the Special Division utilizes their gifted agents as much as possible to catch gifted criminals. For instance, Taneda was known to have buried countless of villainous ability users by understanding their powers with his own ability.[7] Aside from their abilities, Special Division agents are also armed with their preferred weapon. Though the most common choice is a pistol or handgun, some members opt for other weapons such as a katana.[8]
Using their jurisdiction and power, the Special Division makes it their mission to provide peace to the general populace at any cost, even at the cost of their own members' and other good people's lives. In dire cases, if necessary, they must bend or even break the law for the sake of preserving peace, an example of which is by having to eliminate extremely antagonistic adversaries that endanger Yokohama like the Decay of the Angel rather than their usual arrest and indictment procedure.[7]
The Special Division arrests Fyodor in cooperation with the Armed Detective Agency.
As one of the three constituents in Natsume's Tripartite Framework, the Special Division has collaborative ties with both the Armed Detective Agency and the Port Mafia in Yokohama. As such, the Special Division cooperates with and occasionally seeks aid from the two gifted organizations upon several instances where and when needed, including investigating the serial suicides of ability users and, by extension, eliminating Tatsuhiko Shibusawa; suppressing the Dragon made incarnate during the aforementioned incident;[2] and arresting the Russian leader of an underground organization, Fyodor Dostoevsky.[9]
Though they have comparatively wide influence and authority, the Special Division ensures and maintains balance with other government departments and secret societies such as the North American gifted organization, the Guild. For instance, the Special Division cannot make drastic actions that might cause tension with the Guild despite the latter's criminal activities during their arrival in Yokohama.[10] The Special Division also has connections with foreign gifted organizations like the English Order of the Clock Tower.[2]
Taneda with a skilled business permit.
One of the responsibilities and powers of the Special Division is to issue the skilled business permit, a certification that gives eligibility and legality to a group's activities and business as a gifted organization.[1] Due to its considerable importance and value, it cannot be acquired merely through money, mere influence, and sheer merits.
Under normal circumstances, the Special Division issues the special permit with the help or endorsement of eminent figures on the interested party. For example, the Agency was able to acquire a skilled business permit through the backing of Sōseki Natsume, an esteemed and recognized individual in Yokohama. Thus far, the Agency[11][12] and the Port Mafia[1] are two organizations known to possess skilled business permits.
Due to eyewitnesses present at the scene, the Special Division was unable to completely cover up the sinking of Moby Dick in Yokohama.
In their pursuit of preserving peace for the people of the country, the Special Division mostly manages ability-related incidents through cover-ups, regardless of how exclusive or extensive the incident is. For example, with their capability, the Special Division wrote an investigative report to help lessen Kyōka Izumi's crimes of killing 35 people. Specifically, it mentions how she has inherited the ability of her mother and how her parents were affiliated with the government before their deaths, as their records were erased by the government due to their line of work as professional assassins.[13] Another case was the Special Division's attempt of covering up the Guild incident,[14] which ended with the gigantic airship Moby Dick sinking in Yokohama waters.[15] However, due to its large-scale impact and the numerous eyewitnesses at the time of sinking, the Special Division was unable to completely cover up the incident.[16] A unique case covered up by the Special Division, specifically by Ango for relatively personal reasons, was Dazai's record of crimes during his time as a mafia executive. This was made possible upon employing the help of the Seventh Agency,[17] a criminal enterprise created by the government that specializes in political cover-ups and the like.[18]
From their monitoring endeavors, the Special Division keeps a watchlist of dangerous ability users under the constant surveillance of their agents. However, extremely dangerous ability users managed by the Special Division may be killed in some cases. The highest-ranked extremely ability user in the list is Yukito Ayatsuji, also known as the "Homicide Detective", for his dangerous Ability of causing accidental yet guaranteed deaths of criminals.[3] They are also known to have a jurisdiction and authority that Ministry of Justice cannot even interfere.[19]
Structure[]
Ango with the division's Special Forces surrounding the bank.
The Special Division is under the direct jurisdiction of the Home of Ministry Affairs. The organization is headed by Santōka Taneda, and Ango serves as the Special Division's assistant counselor;[10] the two of them belong to the organization's few elites as part of their policy.[1] The Special Division comprises the country's most high-ranking ability users,[10] some of whom accompany elite officials in certain instances. The Special Forces (黒の特殊部隊, Kuro no Tokushu Butai?, literally "Black Special Ops Forces") act as the Special Division's implementation forces, which specialize on tactical and field operations.[1][9][18] Assisting the Special Forces is a certain monitoring team, though it eponymously monitors various ability-related activities and users in most cases.[1] The Special Division also has regularly scheduled services that carry official documents and investigative reports in armed transport vehicles.[13]
Facilities[]
- SKIF [3]
- Yokohama City Central Library - One of the secret bases of Home of Ministry Affairs[20]
Members[]
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Trivia[]
- For reasons yet to be expounded upon, the Special Division has ties with Chūya, also known by his identification code, Ability User Number A5158.[2] Since the Special Division has knowledge on the Arahabaki incident,[5] this may be the primary cause for such connection to exist between the Special Division and Chūya.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Bungo Stray Dogs: Osamu Dazai and the Dark Era.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Bungo Stray Dogs: DEAD APPLE (Film).
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Bungo Stray Dogs Gaiden: Ayatsuji Yukito VS. Kyōgoku Natsuhiko.
- ↑ Bungo Stray Dogs Manga: Chapter 50.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Bungo Stray Dogs: Dazai, Chūya, Age Fifteen.
- ↑ Bungo Stray Dogs Manga: Chapter 31.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Bungo Stray Dogs Manga: Chapter 64.
- ↑ Bungo Stray Dogs Anime: Episode 19.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Bungo Stray Dogs Manga: Chapter 53.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Bungo Stray Dogs Manga: Chapter 26.
- ↑ Bungo Stray Dogs: The Untold Origins of the Detective Agency.
- ↑ Bungo Stray Dogs Manga: Chapter 15.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Bungo Stray Dogs Manga: Chapter 43.
- ↑ Bungo Stray Dogs Manga: Chapter 37.
- ↑ Bungo Stray Dogs Manga: Chapter 36.
- ↑ Bungo Stray Dogs Manga: Chapter 39.
- ↑ Bungo Stray Dogs Manga: Chapter 70.
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 Bungo Stray Dogs Manga: Chapter 69.
- ↑ Bungo Stray Dogs Gaiden Manga: Gaiden Chapter 4.2.
- ↑ Bungo Stray Dogs Manga: Chapter 33.