Bungo Stray Dogs: Osamu Dazai's Entrance Exam

Bungo Stray Dogs: Osamu Dazai's Entrance Exam (文豪ストレイドッグス 太宰治の入社試験, Bungō Sutorei Doggusu Dazai Osamu no Nyūsha Shiken) is the 1st light novel in the series. It details Osamu Dazai joining the Armed Detective Agency through Doppo Kunikida's perspective. Entrance Exam was adapted into the Bungo Stray Dogs (Anime), filling in Episode 6 and Episode 7 of the series.

It consists of eight chapters in total.

Description
Doppo Kunikida is an idealist and a straitlaced detective at the Armed Detective Agency, an organization that takes on dangerous jobs even the police won't handle. Everything in his life is going just as he's planned...until one day, he's paired up with the agency's newest hire: a suspicious, eccentric, suicide-obsessed man named Osamu Dazai. Their first case together turns out to be far more complicated than Kunikida anticipated -- and it looks like the detective agency's sworn enemy, the Port Mafia, is somehow involved, too!

Set two years before the events of the manga series, this is the tale of how two seemingly incompatible personalities end up forming the partnership that has made them one of Yokohama's top detective duos.

Plot (Anime)
As Dazai tries another suicide attempt by eating a poisonous mushroom, Atsushi tries to snap him out of its side effect. After finishing his paperwork despite Dazai's pestering, Kunikida receives a new task from the President concerning the mysterious disappearances of Yokohama visitors.

The three head to Rokuzō Taguchi's base of operations to ask for the source of an anonymous tip regarding the case. Rokuzō, a cyber hacker employed by Kunikida, informs them that the tip came from the Azure Messenger. Kunikida then calls a cab to head to an abandoned hospitalmentioned by the tipster. Atsushi is introduced to the cabbie, an informant for the Agency. As they investigate the hospital, they hear a lady screaming for help. They rush to the basement to find her left to drown in a glass tank; Kunikida shoots at the glass and successfully saves the woman, Nobuko Sasaki. She also tells them that there seem to be other abducted people at the hospital. Though the group locates them, a gas is released in their chamber, killing the captives.

News later spread of the Agency's failure to save the victims of the Yokohama serial disappearances. The group visits Sasaki in the infirmary, who thanks them for saving her life. Later, Kunikida realizes who the possible culprit is. He calls for the cabbie and names him as the kidnapper behind the abductions. As they correctly pinpoint his motives and having a connection with organ traffickers, the cabbie requests for protection in exchange for turning himself in after he had kidnapped a Port Mafia member. Just then, the mafia attacks their cab, and the cabbie flees out of fear. As Dazai pursues the cabbie and Atsushi tries to contact backup, Kunikida faces Akutagawa, though their battle is interrupted as the police arrive.

The cabbie is handed to the police, while the group heads to the supposed meeting place with the traffickers. The building turns out to be the Azure King's hideout years ago, where he had blown himself up together with five detectives after his location was given to the police by Kunikida. One of the detectives was Rokuzō's father, and Kunikida believes himself liable for setting the bomb off due to his report. At that point, they receive a request to disarm a bomb from a client, who turns out to be the Azure Messenger.

The Agency convenes regarding the Azure Messenger bomb threat, which can decimate the majority of Yokohama. The client poses a challenge to the Agency to disarm the bomb by sundown, lest word of their failure would spread if they are unable to complete the task. Fukuzawa issues his orders to the Agency in a mission to save Yokohama, uncover the Azure Messenger's identity, and fight for the Agency's reputation.

Kunikida enlists Rokuzō's help in tracing the bomb-building equipment. Meanwhile, Dazai spends some time with Sasaki, but Kunikida and Atsushi visit him to brief him on their earlier meeting. Nevertheless, Dazai asks for Nobuko's opinion on the Azure Messenger from the perspective of a social psychology teacher. She suggests that the Azure Messenger may be related to or might be the Azure King himself. Later, the Agency contacts them that Ranpo has returned from a case and has deduced that the bomb was set in a fishing tackle store in Negishi.

On their way, Kunikida and Atsushi are contacted by Rokuzō and Ranpo respectively, telling that the bomb is located at a former defense force facility. Dazai is also contacted by Fukuzawa, who reports that the cabbie has died. The three head to the defense facility, where they are ambushed by the enemy forces. Dazai and Atsushi look for the transmitter; Kunikida repels the shooters, but he then faces an Ability user, who breaks the key to the transmitter. Meanwhile, Dazai and Atsushi locate the transmitter, but they also face a heavyweight opponent. With Dazai and Atsushi unable to fend off the man in physical combat and Kunikida trapped in the user's number Ability, Kunikida and Dazai switch places through a wire gun. Dazai nullifies the user's Ability, while Kunikida defeats the opponent with ease. Kunikida also recreates the release key through Doppo Poet and successfully disarms the bomb.

Sasaki chances upon Kunikida at the cemetery and tells him she lied earlier about her significant other, who has actually died. Dazai contacts him, where they meet at the abandoned hospital. He tells Kunikida that he has contacted and invited the mastermind behind the incident to the hospital. Rokuzō arrives, though he is not the perpetrator and simply hacked into Dazai's account to also face the real mastermind. At that point, Rokuzō pushes Kunikida out of the way and is shot by Sasaki, the Azure Messenger, whose significant other was the Azure King. As she explains her motives, Dazai drops his gun onto Rokuzō, who fires at and kills Sasaki out of vengeance for his father, before he himself succumbs to death.

List of Chapters

 * Prologue
 * Chapter I
 * Chapter II
 * Interlude I
 * Chapter III
 * Chapter IV
 * Interlude II
 * Epilogue

Involved Parties

 * Armed Detective Agency
 * Port Mafia