Atsushi Nakajima

Atsushi Nakajima is the main protagonist of the Bungo Stray Dogs franchise. 
As an orphan, Atsushi was thrown out of his orphanage, becoming starved and homeless, after those running the orphanage considered him "worthless". While looking for someone to mug for money, he chances across Osamu Dazai, who is trying to kill himself. Rather than mugging him Atsushi instead stops him from killing himself. Atsushi is subsequently hired by Dazai to work for the Armed Detective Agency and discovers that he has a power called "Beast Beneath the Moonlight" that allows him to turn into a large tiger with enhanced abilities. 
In order to test Atsushi, the other members of the Armed Detective Agency set up a test, in which they pretended that a lunatic with a bomb had a female employee, Naomi, hostage. Junichirō, who was playing the role of the bomber, pretended to start the 10 second countdown for the bomb. Atsushi was hired by the agency after he selflessly shoves Naomi to safety then leaps onto the bomb to shield the oncoming detonation with his body.
Atsushi later takes the ex-assassin Kyouka Izumi under his wing, making it his duty to protect her.
He was voiced by in Japanese and in English. In the Live Action, he was voiced by Yūki Torigoe.
==Appearance==
Atsushi is an 18-year-old young adult with light gray hair, pale skin and an average height. His hair is short, with purple on the top half and yellow on the bottom, framing his irises. He keeps a loose lock of hair longer on the right side of his face, near his yellow eye. 
Before joining the Armed Detective Agency, he typically wears a white button-up long sleeve shirt, often rolling up the sleeves to his elbows. He pairs it with a long, loose black tie, black fingerless gloves, a lengthy black belt, gray trousers, and black shoes.
However, during battles, he undergoes a transformation into the white tiger known as Beast Beneath the Moonlight. This form allows him to confront his archenemy, Ryūnosuke Akutagawa. In this state, he gains raging abilities, akin to a white tiger, with the exception of a single gold eye and elongated claws. He can partially transform into the Beast Beneath the Moonlight, resembling a tiger, and when needed, he borrows Ryūnosuke Akutagawa's coat to enhance his strength.
==Personality==
Atsushi initially lacks confidence in himself due to his past, particularly being thrown out of his orphanage and being called worthless. However, this gave him an iron-clad determination to survive in life, and to not die. Atsushi simply wants to stay alive and is able to find comfort in the simple fact that he is not yet dead. He is fond of saying, "at least I still have my life" whenever he faces the countless extreme hardships in his life. Atsushi is also kind and pure-hearted and wants to do his best to help other people and protect them.
While he was living on the streets, Atsushi didn't like the thought of having to mug others for food or money, despite the fact that he was heavily food & drink deprived. On the day of his change encounter with Dazai, he could just barely bring himself to come to the decision to mug the next person he sees. However, when he notices that this person threw himself into river, Atsushi instead jumps in and saves him, showing his selfless nature.
Although he is more confident now compared to the beginning of the story, Atsushi still experiences paralyzing fear of fighting alone and often believes he works better with other than by himself. He initially felt frighten when Fukuchi threatened to cut his head off which triggered his fear of facing big threats alone and when Akutagawa arrived to help him, felt a sense of assurance, knowing that he is not alone anymore. 
Overall, Atsushi's growth as a person revolves around him building his confidence up and continue to learn from and get stronger from his experiences such as his clashes against the Port Mafia, the Guild, the Rats in the House of the Dead, and the Decay of the Angel. 
== Ability ==
Beast Beneath the Moonlight - Atsushi possesses a powerful ability into a white tiger. Originally, he did not have the control of his ability, which led to his director kicking him out from the orphanage, although the former was fully unaware of his state of being transformed. Under Fukuzawa's ability, however, Atsushi is able to control his ability very well; upon his full or partial transformation, the traits include enhanced speed, strength, stamina, and senses, and body regeneration.
==Gallery==
Nakajima.Atsushi.(Bungou.Stray.Dogs).full.2595447.png|Atsushi with tiger limbs
0337 Nakajima Atsushi full.png|Looking after ex-assassin Kyouka Izumi
Bungo-stray-dogs.jpg|With the rest of the Armed Detective Agency
File:0004 Nakajima Atsushi full.png
==Trivia==
*He is named after and based around the Japanese author Atsushi Nakajima. Nakajima wrote a 1942 story called Sangetsuki, which was about someone who transforms into a tiger.
*He has given an asymmetrical haircut as a prank from his time at the orphanage.
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