Atsushi Nakajima

**Atsushi Nakajima** is is the main protagonist of *Bungo Stray Dogs* and a member of the Armed Detective Company.

## Statistics

* **Name**: Atsushi Nakajima
* **Origin**: Yokohama (Bungou Stray Dogs)
* **Gender**: Male
* **Age**: 18-19
* **Birthday**: 5th may
* **Classification**:
* **Blood Type**: AB
* **Height**: 170 cm
* **Weight**: 55 kg
* **Skin Color**: Pale
* **Eye Color**: purple-yellow
* **Hair Color**: light grey
* **Family**: none
* **Friends/Allies**: Osamu Dazai, Kyouka Izumi, Lucy Maud Montgomery, Yukichi Fukuzawa, Ranpo Edgawa, Kenji Miyazawa, Jun'Ichiro Tanizaki, Doppo kunikida, Kirako Haruno, Naomi Tanizaki, Katai Tayama, Akiko Yosano.
* **Enemies**: Ryunosuke Akutagawa, Ougai Mori, Chuuya Nakahara, Kouyou Ozaki, Arthur Rimbaud, Elise, Gin Akutagawa, Ichiyou Higuchi, Yumeno Kyusaku, Michizou Tachihara, Motojiro Kajii, Ryurou Hirotsu, Francis Fitzgerald, Alexander Pushkin, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Ivan Goncharov
* **Alignment**:
* **Status**: Alive
* **Class**:
* **Powers and Abilities**:

**Beast Beneath the Moonlight** (月下獣, *Gekka-jū*?): Atsushi has the ability to transform into a white tiger. At first, he doesn't seem to have much control over the transformation, likely due to the fact, or caused by, his unawareness of his state as an Ability user.

After becoming an official member of the Agency and under the influence of All Men Are Equal, he gains more control over his transformations - as shown during his second fight with Akutagawa, when he breaks the transformation on his arms to escape.

### Ability Traits

* + **Full Body to Partial Transformation**: Atsushi has shown several varying states of transformation, which range from a rather large full tiger form, to just slit pupils and tiger stripes on his face. He can transform and manifest various tiger body parts at wills, such as tiger forearms with claws, or a tiger tail.
	+ **Regeneration**: Also notable is that Atsushi's ability has extreme regenerative powers capable of healing bisection and amputation almost instantly. This was shown during his fight with Akutagawa.
	+ **Increased speed and stamina**: He has shown to possess immense speed, durability, strength, stamina, and endurance on several occasions. He has also been shown to be a natural fighter in close combat and has shown to very cunning in battle in several fights. However, after using his ability, Atsushi seems to become unconscious and collapses onto the ground.
	+ **Enhanced senses**: Due to the tiger's nature, Atsushi can hear and see above what is normal for humans.
* **Standard Equipment**:
* **Weaknesses**:
* **Notable Attacks/Techniques**:
* **Voice Actor**: (Japanese) Yuuto Uemura (English) Max Mittelman

### Power Stats

* **Attack Potency**:
* **Speed**:
* **Lifting Strength**:
* **Striking Strength**:
* **Durability**:
* **Stamina**:
* **Range**:
* **Intelligence**:
* **Key**:

## Appearance

Atsushi has light gray hair, pale skin, and is of average height with a slim build. He has segmental heterochromia, consisting of purple with yellow along the bottom curve of his pupil. His hair is short and swept forward in loose spikes with a lock left long on the right side of his face. This uneven style is the result of bullying he suffered at the hands of other orphans in the orphanage, and he never fixed it. Additionally, he has a prominent black streak in his hair.

Initially, he wears rags issued by the orphanage. After he joins the Armed Detective Agency, Akiko Yosano and Doppo Kunikida issue him a white button-up with the sleeves pushed to his elbows, a loose black tie, black pants, black, fingerless gloves, and a suspenders/belt combo with a long stretch of the belt dangling loosely from the buckle.

When he transforms into a partial tiger, his eyes become tiger-eye like and he develops fangs. If more drastic, his limbs morph into tiger limbs, and his tail emerges.

## Personality

Atsushi is enthusiastic and passionate, caring deeply about his fellow members of the Armed Detective Agency and for the well-being of civilians and of people in bad situations. During his Entrance Exam that all members must pass to join the Agency, he is faced with a simulated bomb threat. He uses his body to cover the bomb and shield the other members, whom he had never met.

His traumatic past affects much of his daily life, and he is tormented with nightmares, flashbacks, and the internal monologue of the Orphanage Director who abused him. He has a severely low sense of self-worth and is somewhat naive, which causes him to initially feel helpless when confronted with dangerous situations. When paralyzed in guilt and/or fear, he has difficulty reacting or understanding what to do. He also tends to react strongly and believe things at face value, trusting others' judgment above his own, even abandoning his own instincts

For example, when learning of the seven billion yen bounty on his head, he becomes convinced that he is putting the Agency at risk. He feels intense guilt and decides to leave, believing it will keep the Agency from being targeted. He is advised by Kunikida to learn how to become useful rather than worry about the Agency being attacked.

He has a strong sense of morality, which also directly stems from his upbringing. He believes his worth in life depends on his ability to protect others and has an aversion to the abuse of one's power and to preventable deaths. He values life and tries to help even his enemies. This is seen through his interactions with Kyouka and Lucy, and during his battles with Akutagawa.

Although still struggling with his self-esteem and the words of his late Headmaster, Atsushi gradually improves his confidence and sense of self after joining the Armed Detective agency. He continues to be strengthened by several missions and the clashes between the Port Mafia, Guild, Rats in the House of the Dead, and Hunting Dogs (among others). His will hardens in these tough situations, and he becomes steadfast, reliable, and intensely caring.

## Relationships

* Orphanage Director

Atsushi carries hatred and deep fear toward the Headmaster of his orphanage, who acted as his caretaker. His negative feelings are due to the Headmaster torturing and abusing him verbally, physically, and emotionally throughout his entire life, up until he was thrown out of the orphanage.

Upon the Headmaster's death, Atsushi goes through emotional turmoil and confusion. Dazai helps him realize that he became someone who understands suffering, resists violence, and saves people. However, Dazai also tells him the treatment he went through was barbaric, and that Atsushi obviously is under no obligation to forgive him. When confused about how he should feel, Dazai tells him that usually one cries when losing a father. To this, Atsushi breaks down and cries in both bereavement and relief.

The abuse that Atsushi suffered under the Orphanage Director's hands still affects him in his day to day life, which was severe enough to give Atsushi daily nightmares and flashbacks, and cause him to hear regular phantoms of his voice as the source of his internal self doubt. He carries so much fear that seeing a mere image of his Headmaster is enough to cause him to panic, and he remarks that the fear he felt in that moment was more intense than even his most tense battles

* **Osamu Dazai**  dazai is the first member of the agency Atsushi meets, encountering him when rescuing him from drowning in a river. Dazai quickly assumes responsibility for him, taking him to eat and happily conversing with him. He bribes Atsushi to become bait for the tiger since Atsushi admits that it had been "following" him. Upon discovering that Atsushi himself is the tiger and an ability user, Dazai recommends him to the agency and even walks with him to his entrance exam, under the guise of taking him to a job interview.

Once in the agency, Dazai takes over as his supervisor. Throughout the events, he mentors and advises him, sometimes in the form of teasing or playfully taking advantage of him, such as asking Atsushi to write a report for him. Atsushi remains trusting, albeit bemused at Dazai's constant fluctuations in demeanor and priorities.

They form a closer relationship between them; Dazai often talks Atsushi through his several breakdowns, showing concern for his wellbeing in his eccentric way. In one notable and slightly more harsh instance, when Atsushi panics after harming Naomi and Haruno under Q's ability, Dazai slaps him and sternly tells him that pitying himself will make life an endless nightmare, ultimately snapping him out of a panic attack

* **Doppo Kunikida** Kunikida is skeptical of Atsushi upon his arrival, shown when he scolds Dazai for spending his money on him and his proposition for Atsushi to join the Agency. Their ideals also clash a couple of times when Kunikida discourages him from trying to save Kyōka, telling him that he can't save everyone (most likely based on past experiences rather than strict ideals.)

As events progress, Kunikida and Atsushi have more of a mentor/mentee relationship, the former shown training him in the martial arts he learned from Fukuzawa and giving him advice

* **Ranpo Edogawa** Being a new Agency member, Atsushi often wonders about Ranpo's words and actions. He is surprised to witness Ranpo's lack of what seems to be common knowledge, such as how to ride a train- he doesn't know how to buy a ticket or which platform to go into.

Atsushi's respect grows for Ranpo as he learns more about him, though he remains confused about the man. However, they are on friendly terms, Atsushi going so far as to letting Ranpo climb on his back for a ride.

* **Yukichi Fukuzawa** Like most other members, Atsushi has a healthy amount of respect towards Fukuzawa. He is slightly intimated by the severe man but still obeys him.
* **Akiko Yosano** Atsushi respects Yosano a lot, despite being afraid of her treatment. He doesn't seem to mind carrying her bags and boxes. He admires her for her strong will and attitude.
* **Kenji Miyazawa** Atsushi is partnered with Kenji when they investigated a car explosion incident. Though Atsushi thinks that Kenji's methods of investigating were questionable, he later then dismisses it and follows his lead. Due to naivety and how simplistic Atsushi is, he ends up finding Kenji's methods to be standard, until the pair get surrounded by a group of dangerous criminals, and Atsushi realizes that Kenji's methods work best for him alone due to his personality and ability. As Kunikida states, they are the best and worst team together.
* **Kyouka Izumi** Atsushi first encounters Kyoka when he assisted Yosano in shopping. He later founds out Kyoka has killed 35 people and wants to stop killing others, he then saves her from the bomb explosion. As someone who understands what she has gone through, Atsushi deeply cares about Kyoka as to accompanying her when they explored Yokohama. He also tries to protect when someone tries to hurt her.
* **Jun'Ichiro Tanizaki** Atsushi first meets Tanizaki during his entrance exam to join the Armed Detective Agency. After Atsushi has been accepted into the Agency, Tanizaki apologizes for being mean to him. For Atsushi's first job, he is paired with Tanizaki and Naomi to investigate supposed smugglers in the area.

In later events, Atsushi is paired with Tanizaki once again by Ranpo to investigate the death of his orphanage director. Upset from seeing his orphanage directors face, Junichiro brings Atsushi coffee and attempts to console him, thinking Atsushi is sad from the death.

Though Atsushi and Tanizaki are of the same age, Atsushi calls him Tanizaki-san. This could possibly be due to Atsushi's feelings of inadequacy.

* **Ryunosuke Akutagawa** Atsushi first met Akutagawa in a dark alley on a mission with Tanizaki and Naomi. Later when Akutagawa gets to know that Atushi is Dazai's subordinate, Akutagawa being Dazai's ex-subordinate, begins to hate him and tries to kill him multiple times.

## Trivia

* He and several other characters made appearances in mobile games, such as ***Love Heaven**, **Kimito Lead Puzzle 18,***and***Yumeiro Cast***as limited-time characters.
* His favorite food is tea on rice (chazuke).
* His choppy haircut is a result of another child cutting his hair as a prank when he was younger at the orphanage, and he had just let it grow as it is.
* When Atsushi Nakajima is wearing his belt, it seems to act like his tail as if he were in tiger form. When Atsushi Nakajima is relaxed, the belt hangs down. If Atsushi Nakajima is surprised or scared the belt acts much more lively.
* In BONES' anime adaptation, the black streak in his hair is omitted, yet it still appears in promotional art and the mobile game.

## Quotes

* "*People need to be told they’re worthy of being alive by someone else or they can’t go on*"
* "The head may err, but never the blood."
* "I have only regreted the things that I didn't do"
* "talent does not always bring happiness to its owner"
* (To Ryunosuke Akutagawa) "You misunderstand me. I'm not strong, and I'm not popular. Rather, I led a cursed life. That's why I understand your jealousy and hatred of others all too well.alent does not always
* (To Ryunosuke Akutagawa) "you don't get to decide whether someone is worthy of being alive! Why couldn't you tell her something different? People need to be they're worthy of being alive by someone else or they can go on. Why can't you understand such a simple thing?!"