WHY CANT THEY ALL JUST GET ALONG AND BE HAPPY - Tumblr Posts

HUGE SPOILER WARNING FOR BUNGOU STRAY DOGS CHAPTER 109.

I have an actual theory on why Dazai is alive. I might not have the how, but I have been trained by Fairy Tail’s author to spot fake out deaths. A small essay.

So when you get shot, you bleed. That’s a basic fact. Sometimes, even, to show a character has died without outright showing the violence, directors and mangaka will simply show a spattering of blood. In this panel:

And this one:

We see no blood from his head. We see some from his shoulder, where he did get shot, but none from his head. I have no clue why he is alive but you cannot convince me otherwise that he is dead. Now my theory might get a little shaky.

In all the actual character deaths I have seen, there always seems to be a big speech or moment. It is the characters last testament to the world. It could be something from a flashback (August in Fairy Tail) to a kiss goodbye (Reina in Rave Master) or a speech of hope (Koro-Sensei in Assassination Classroom).

Dazai has no speech or moment. Just basically a ‘this didn’t go in a direction that I planned’. Chuyaa shoots him the first time before he gets that moment. He has more character that needs to be fleshed out. It is a little too soon for him to die. And it wouldn’t fit thematically with him too. He wishes for death on the daily, but has never gotten it. It would be strange for him to magically get his wish with no buildup.

TL;DR: Dazai did not die in chapter 109 because there is no blood and because it doesn’t fit his character thematically.