Episode 19

Will of Tycoon (ウィル・オブ・タイクーン,) is the 19th episode of Bungo Stray Dogs anime series. It aired on November 12, 2016.

Synopsis
John Steinbeck and Lovecraft hunt down Naomi and Haruno as they flee from town. While Atsushi and Dazai wait for them to arrive at the train station, Dazai notices a shady figure stalking him.

Summary
The episode starts off with Haruno and Naomi evacuating the Agency's office. When Haruno asks Naomi if she is sure that the Detectives will come for them, Naomi says that her brother will definitely come for them.

Steinbeck and Lovecraft arrive at the office and Lovecraft asks Steinbeck how they are going to capture Haruno and Naomi. Steinbeck suggests using his ability and goes on to invoke it, causing grapevines to grow out of his neck and envelope the surrounding vegetation. Through doing this, he successfully discovers the location of Haruno and Naomi.

As Haruno and Naomi are driving away to escape, they are attacked by Steinbeck and Lovecraft, with Steinbeck using his ability to cause tree roots in the surrounding to lift the car into the air. Steinbeck explains that through his grapevines, he can use all the plants in the surroundings as an extension of himself. This also means that the senses of the plants are shared with him, which was how he was able to find Haruno and Naomi in the first place. Steinbeck then tells them that he has a favor to ask of them, but Naomi replies that when a villainous organization such as the Guild asks for a favor, it would involve taking advantage of others and exploitation. Steinbeck says that the Guild is not an evil organization, and mentions that he has a younger sister back at home. When Naomi asks him to let her and Haruno go, Steinbeck crushes the car further with the tree roots and says that he does not care what happens to them, just as long as it is for his sister.

Suddenly, Lovecraft notices a snowflake, and Kunikida appears and shoots Lovecraft from behind before shooting Steinbeck too. Tanizaki, who had come along with Kunikida, tries to hack off the tree roots to free Naomi and Haruno. Tanizaki tells both of them that a passenger train would be passing by the area in five minutes and that he would convince the train to stop and wait for Haruno and Naomi for one minute, so they must run and get on the train to escape.

Steinbeck says that he had expected that to happen, and Kunikida thinks to himself that just as long as he can stop Steinbeck from touching any of the plants in the area for the next five minutes, Haruno and Naomi would be able to escape successfully. However, Steinbeck uses his vines to knock Kunikida's gun out of his hand and tie up his arm. Steinbeck reveals that he already knew what Kunikida was thinking, and tells Kunikida that once he simplifies his understanding of the battle, his behavior becomes easy to read. Kunikida agrees, and asks Steinbeck if he thought that once he got rid of Kunikida's gun, Kunikida would have no way of attacking him. He then uses his ability to form a new gun and shoots off the vines tying up his arm. He then knocks Steinbeck to the ground and tells him that once he simplifies his understanding of the battle, his behavior becomes easy to read.

Tanizaki notices that Lovecraft has suddenly risen up from the ground behind Kunikida and tries to warn him. However, when Kunikida shoots Lovecraft, he appears to take no damage despite being shot multiple times. Lovecraft says that he was sleeping just now, and uses his ability to attack and bind Kunikida and Tanizaki. Lovecraft asks Steinbeck if he should kill them, to which Steinbeck says that they should just capture Haruno and Naomi first.

Meanwhile, just as Haruno and Naomi are about to reach the train, they are caught by Steinbeck's vines too. Steinbeck says that their job is done here and that they should leave before the police arrive. He then tells Tanizaki that he would be borrowing Naomi for a while. Tanizaki asks them what are they going to do with Naomi, to which Steinbeck says that they would most likely confine and torture her. Kunikida yells that they would not be able to get away with abducting Haruno and Naomi, but Steinbeck says that moralists such as them would never understand.

Steinbeck notices a truck approaching them and notes that things could go wrong if they were seen. Tanizaki says that while the Agency indeed has a sense of morals, Naomi is different from him. He says that Naomi is much more to him than things such as morals, justice, and ego that he cannot even compare them. At this point, the truck does not appear to have noticed them, and Steinbeck notes that by this point, the truck driver should have seen them already. However, it turns out that Tanizaki had used his ability to make it appear as though the road was empty, and thus the truck driver could not see them. Tanizaki says that for Naomi, he would gladly burn the world just as the truck runs them over, knocking Lovecraft and Steinbeck aside.

The vines restraining Naomi and Haruno fall to the ground, freeing the both of them. However, the train has already started moving off. Naomi and Haruno start running after the train. Naomi manages to grab onto the train first and stretches out her hand for Haruno to take. Both of them manage to successfully get onto the train.

Lovecraft and Steinbeck emerge from the ruins of the truck crashing, and Lovecraft states that he cannot sense Tanizaki and Kunikida's presence, which means that they must have already hidden and escaped. Before any of them can do anything else, the police arrive to arrest them. Steinbeck says that Tanizaki and Kunikida must have informed the police about them beforehand.

At a train station, Atsushi and Dazai are waiting for the train that Naomi and Haruno are on. Atsushi comments that the train was late. Dazai says that Mori will take advantage of the fact that the Agency has let their guard down.

On the train, Naomi and Haruno accidentally bump into a young child carrying a doll. Back at the train station, Dazai tells Atsushi that he has an unavoidable item on his agenda: to go to the bathroom. He then promptly runs off.

Dazai walks into a dark area, before telling someone that they can come out now as nobody is watching. Gin then appears out of nowhere, holding a knife to his throat, but Dazai only comments that Gin has grown taller. Higuchi then walks towards Dazai while pointing a gun at him, saying that Dazai knew that they were watching him after all. Dazai says that he would know, as he was the one who created the Port Mafia's surveillance techniques. He asks Gin and Higuchi what do they want from him. Higuchi asks if the gun pointed at him does not tell him the answer, but Dazai says that it doesn't and asks Gin to put the knife at his throat away, to which Gin complies. Higuchi too puts down her gun, saying that the real reason why they were here was that she has to deliver a message from Mori to Dazai: to ask if Dazai would return to being a Port Mafia executive. However, Dazai only bursts out laughing at the message. Higuchi says that she has looked at Dazai's records, and knows that Dazai's blood is blacker than anyone else in the whole nation. Dazai is unfazed and says that people can change, pointing out that Gin was a dainty and short little girl at one point, after all, to which Gin is embarrassed. However, Higuchi is shocked that Gin is actually a girl, and thinks that Gin has a sweet voice too.

Meanwhile, the train has arrived at the station, and Atsushi is glad to see that Haruno and Naomi are safe. Dazai mentioned that something does not add up, and asks Higuchi why Mori would set aside people just for this. Higuchi says that it is to protect Dazai, as Mori has set Q, the child from earlier, free. Dazai is shocked at this revelation.

However, it turns out that Dazai had actually gone to meet with Gin and Higuchi. Naomi introduces Q to Atsushi, who just brushes by Atsushi before unrolling the sleeve of their right arm, revealing that there are razors taped all over their arm. Atsushi is shocked, as this would mean that even the slightest bump would hurt Q. Q then smiles maniacally and says that they should play.

Dazai asks Higuchi and Gin if they realize what they have done, as Q is a walking catastrophe that would doom everyone regardless of friend or foe. Higuchi says that the Port Mafia does not choose what means it uses to reach its ends, but Dazai asks her if she knows why Q was imprisoned in the first place. The reason why Q was imprisoned was because of their ability, which was mind control.

The doll that Q was holding breaks and a mind-controlled Haruno grabs Atsushi and strangles him. Atsushi thinks to himself that he has protected them, remembering the people from the orphanage saying that he could not protect anyone. Atsushi tells himself that he has changed as he now has power, and uses his ability to break free of Haruno before knocking her out. However, a mind-controlled Naomi being to approach him. Dazai mentions that Q's ability attacks their victims' minds with hallucinations, causing them to attack the people around them indiscriminately. Dazai goes on to say that the curse is triggered when the doll that Q is holding breaks, but even so only a receiver would be cursed by Q's ability. In order for someone to become a receiver, they would have to hurt Q first. Receivers would have a bruise that makes it look like they were grabbed by someone, which also makes them easier to distinguish. Dazai remembers that Higuchi and Gin came here to protect him, and realizes who was actually being mind-controlled.

In reality, Atsushi was being mind-controlled all along and was now strangling Naomi, who had never been mind-controlled at all. Dazai runs back to the train station and yells for Atsushi to stop, and Atsushi realizes what he had just done. Atsushi realizes with horror that he was the only one who was being mind-controlled and that he had hurt Haruno and Naomi even though he was only trying to protect them. A voice in his mind tells him that this was all his fault, that it was in his nature to be swept up in his power and end up hurting other people, a fact that would never change. Atsushi tells himself that he wanted to change, that all he wanted to do was to protect everyone, and screams for it to stop, At the same time, Dazai notices the broken doll laughing on the floor. In his mind, Atsushi sees Akutagawa asking him if he now knows who he really is.

Dazai then picks up the doll and uses his ability to destroy it. At the same time, the train prepares to leave, and Q, standing in the train, tells Dazai that his new friends are fragile and that they would break Dazai and hurt him for making them suffer. Dazai says that he won't capture Q again, but would rip their heart out next time. Q happily tells Dazai that they should play again as the train speeds off.

Meanwhile, Atsushi has collapsed on the floor in shock. Dazai tells Atsushi that they should go now and tells him to get up, but Atsushi screams that he was no good and should never have existed. Dazai gently tilts Atsushi's face to look at him before slapping him and telling him to stop pitying himself. Dazai goes on to say that if Atsushi continues to pity himself, his life will become an endless nightmare. As Atsushi looks at Dazai in shock, Dazai says that they do not have the luxury of choosing their methods anymore and that they would play their trump card now that the enemy has played theirs.

At the Guild headquarters, Louisa May Alcott gives a strategy proposal to Fitzergald. Fitzgerald asks Alcott if it was really necessary for her to write the proposal as an epic novel, but says that he would read it along the way, asking her where their next mission site was. Alcott tells him that it is too dangerous as the Zelda just sunk, saying that he should stay put inside. However, Fitzgerald says that the Guild's site is wherever he is.

Back at the original Agency office, Atsushi runs into Kōyō, who had made a deal with Dazai that she would stay there if Dazai would go and find Kyōka. When Ozaki asks if Atsushi would like to be by Dazai's side, Atsushi says that Dazai went off to negotiate with a government agent.

The government agent turns out to be Ango. When Ango arrives after getting Dazai's call, Dazai approaches him in a friendly matter but grabs his gun and points it at him, asking why Ango would have thought that Dazai had forgiven him. However, Dazai says that he is just joking and Ango asks him why he had come.

Kōyō says that the Gifted Special Operations Division is the most powerful gifted organization in the nation and that they could become the Agency's greatest weapon if they were on the Agency's side. Atsushi says that this will allow Kyōka to return to the agency again, but Kōyō asks him if he really thinks that a young girl such as Kyōka would be able to kill so many people with just a few months of training. She says that this is because of Kyōka's ability, which means that Kyōka will never be able to escape the darkness just like her. Kōyō then asks Atsushi to take care of Kyōka.

The scene then cuts to Ango and Dazai driving, when Ango reveals that he is also aware of the Guild's activities. When Dazai asks Ango why he is letting the Guild off the hook, Ango says that the Guild is above the law and law enforcement cannot touch them at all. Ango suddenly stops the car and tells Dazai to escape immediately and to tell his subordinates that their lives are in danger. At this point, Dazai notices that a car is headed for both him and Ango. Before Dazai can warn Ango, the approaching car hits the car that they are in.

Meanwhile, Atsushi, who is waiting for Dazai, notes that he is late. Just as he is thinking about this, Fitzergald appears before him. Atsushi attacks Fitzergald, but his attacks are blocked with ease. Fitzgerald attacks Atsushi comments that while the bounty placed on Atsushi is seven billion, he is more valuable than that for other reasons. Just when Fitzergald is about to take Atsushi away, Kyōka appears.