Episode 36

Cannibalism (Part 3) (共喰い（其の三)) is the 36th episode of Bungo Stray Dogs anime series. It aired on June 21, 2019.

Synopsis
Mori and Fukuzawa fight to the death in a desperate bid to save the organizations they lead from falling into a devastating war.

Summary
As fight between Fukuzawa and Mori goes on, the President now confronts Elise and calls Mori's ability repulsive. Mori acknowledges his opponent's elegant swordsmanship and is not in the least surprised by the Silver Wolf, formerly the prime assassin in the government, who counters Elise's attacks so swiftly that his blade remains unseen.

Twelve years ago, Fukuzawa enters by night a clinic run by Mori, then an active underground doctor. There, the two men meet for the first time. Although he is planning to found a detective agency, Fukuzawa was asked by his mentor, Sōseki Natsume, to work as Mori's bodyguard. Mori calls his clinic a neutral ground where he hears plenty of stories about the underground world. Fukuzawa already holds suspicions towards Mori and wonders why Natsume asked him to protect the doctor.

Soon after, Mori, also a de facto information broker, is captured by a group of underground criminals, asking him for the location of Port Mafia's armory. Far from being afraid, Mori threateningly calls his abductors parasites. He then asks for Fukuzawa's opinion as the latter enters the room after killing the dozens of guards watching the building. Fukuzawa does not flinch when one of the criminals threatens to kill Mori, as he does not care. Fukuzawa says that he smells on Mori the same repulsive stench he smells on himself, and the doctor easily breaks his bonds before killing his captors. Mori surprises Fukuzawa by naming Natsume as the mastermind behind his plan to uncover the criminals' hideout.

Back to the present, Dazai is bedridden at the hospital. He tells Tanizaki about Natsume, a legendary ability user who made the creation of the Agency possible. His ability, which would allegedly allow him to see anything, and his current whereabouts are both unknown to anyone. Suddenly, Mii-chan appears at Dazai's window with a dried sardine between his teeth.

Continuing the flashback twelve years ago, Fukuzawa and Mori were in the old mansion where they'll fight against each other twelve years later. In front of the bodies of dozens of enemies Fukuzawa and Mori slew together, the swordsman complains about the inaccurate information he was given. Mori praises Fukuzawa's skills in combat, but the latter wonders about the usefulness of killing criminals when the Port Mafia is still active. Mori replies that he will take part in Natsume's Tripartite Tactic for this very reason.

At present, Fukuzawa and Mori are still fighting without any of them taking the upper hand. Mori thinks about the past he and Fukuzawa share together, about the many times they clashed but also the times they fought side by side and were then unmatched. Elise attacks but is outmatched by Fukuzawa who cuts her and Mori without restraint. Elise then apologizes to Mori and disappears. Fukuzawa calls for the end of the Tripartite Tactic, a framework set up by Natsume where Yokohama is ruled over by the Special Division for Unusual Powers by day, the Port Mafia by night, and the Armed Detective Agency during the twilight hours, thus preserving the balance and order of the city.

Mori then tells Fukuzawa that their respective agencies and their lives are not of equal value: if Fukuzawa dies, only peace will be brought, whereas Mori's death will leave the Port Mafia with a blind desire for revenge and will spark an endless war between their organizations. At these words, Fukuzawa flinches, and Mori throws a scalpel right into Fukuzawa's throat.

Sat on stairs by dusk, Atsushi and Kunikida talk about Katai who is presumed dead. Kunikida noticed that the futon Katai was under when Fyodor shot him is not Yoshiko, the futon he usually uses. As Katai would have no reason to use another futon than Yoshiko, Kunikida deduces that the new futon was bullet-proof. Katai is still alive, but Kunikida wonders who helped the former Agency member to deceive Fyodor.

At the old mansion, Mii-chan watches Mori and Fukuzawa as the latter lies on the floor and is bleeding out. Mori explains that he could not possibly win by force, so he used a dirty verbal play. Fukuzawa weakly calls it fate as his opponent is about to deal the final blow. Mori notices Mii-chan, the cat sitting silently near the two men, and suddenly the floor explodes. Meanwhile, Haruno and Naomi wonder about the disappearance of Mii-chan and how the cat always vanishes before serious events are prevented from happening. Indeed, the cat disappeared three days ago, just before the President collapsed.

Back to the old mansion, Fukuzawa and Mori stand injured among the ruins. Suddenly, Mii-chan transforms into a man who scolds the two for being so troublesome. They look up at the sudden presence and are left astounded: before them is Sōseki Natsume, the legendary mentor they have not seen for years. A safe and sound Katai is said to have discovered the Rats in the House of the Dead's hideout. Twelve hours before their scheduled death, Fukuzawa and Mori are given by Natsume the last chance to save their lives and to prove Natsume right about the trust he put in their organizations.

On Dazai's initiative, Atsushi and Akutagawa team up in order to raid the enemy hideout, an abandoned coal mine. Atsushi is surprised by Akutagawa accepting their alliance. Their main target is the virus ability user; their secondary target is Fyodor.

Kunikida, Dazai, Atsushi, and Akutagawa arrive near the hideout, but the place is heavily defended with guards, infrared sensors, and vital signs monitors. Akutagawa threatens Atsushi to leave him behind or kill him if his presence hinders him, then uses Rashōmon to avoid the guards. Atsushi follows him, as the speed of the tiger allows him to move undetected. Dazai and Kunikida go on with their part of the plan.

Tension increases between Akutagawa and Atsushi as the former wants to prove his superiority to Dazai. Atsushi successfully provokes him by saying that as Akutagawa is always eager to kill, it is no surprise that Dazai left him behind. Akutagawa flinches at first but unexpectedly keeps a cool head. When two guards run into them, Atsushi convinces Akutagawa to not kill them in order to gather some intel. Their presence remains unknown and Akutagawa learns about the enemy boss's location after threatening and bribing the two guards.

Somewhere in the hideout, an elegant, long-haired man serves tea while listening to classical music. Fyodor asks a Port Mafia underling by phone about the outcome of the fight between Mori and Fukuzawa. The underling tells him that the mansion is in ruins and it is impossible to tell whether the two leaders are alive or not. He then asks Fyodor to defuse the bomb strapped to him; Fyodor tricks him into triggering the bomb.

Atsushi and Akutagawa are now near the blast door behind of which the enemy hideout is said to be. However, Katai needs some time in order to remotely break the locking system. Akutagawa hence asks him to prioritize locating the virus ability user as time is ticking. When Atsushi asks Akutagawa his opinion about Dazai making them work together, the latter answers that Dazai has the thoughts of a fool. He then repeatedly asks Atsushi his reason for taking part in this mission, as Akutagawa considers him to be a coward; Atsushi replies that saving someone is the right thing to do.

Katai manages to find the virus ability user's location; Pushkin is in fact merely meters behind them and turns out to be one of the two guards they captured. Pushkin shoots Akutagawa before running away; Atsushi chases him, but the criminal gets ahead by using an old mining wagon. Akutagawa stumbles as Pushkin teasingly warns them of slight wounds, and they are horrified to see the same sigil found on Mori and Fukuzawa before Akutagawa: he has been infected with Cannibalism.

Manga and Anime Differences

 * The way Kunikida deduces that Katai is still alive differs in both media. In the manga, he found a key in Katai's apartment written with a significant date that only Kunikida and Katai know about, which alludes that Katai has been offered help. In this episode, he deduces that Katai was not using Yoshiko when he was shot down by Fyodor, suggesting that the futon he used at the time was bullet-proof.