Ability Wars Saga

The Ability Wars Saga is the first saga in the Bungo Stray Dogs anime and manga series.

Synopsis
The protagonist, Atsushi Nakajima, was kicked out of his orphanage out of fear of his ability. Weeks later, he is offered by Osamu Dazai to join the Armed Detective Agency. As Atsushi tries to adapt to his new life in the Detective Agency with his supernatural powers, a bounty of seven billion yen was placed on his head by a North American organization of Ability users called The Guild, causing the Port Mafia to attack him and the Agency, all resulting in a three-way conflict between the three organizations. Being in the epicenter of the conflict, Atsushi and the Armed Detective Agency fight back to protect themselves and the city of Yokohama from falling.

Summary
Eighteen-year-old young man, Atsushi Nakajima is seen starving beside Tsurumi River. To prove that he can survive on his own, he decides to steal from the next person who passes by him. Unexpectedly however, he sees a man drowning and decides to save him. After being saved, the man reveals that he was drowning in an attempt to commit suicide. The man tells Atsushi that he wants a clean suicide without burdening someone, he then offers to buy the boy a meal using the money of his college Doppo Kunikida. The man then introduces himself to named be Osamu Dazai. Dazai and Kunikida tell Atsushi that they're members of the Armed Detective Agency and that they're looking for a man-eating tiger. Despite bring afraid of the tiger, Atsushi helps them out in hunting it down only for him to be revealed as an ability user who can turn into a tiger. Thanks to the efforts of Dazai's ability to nullify, Atsushi turned back to normal and decided to take him in and make him a new member of the detective Agency.

After being taken in by the Agency, Dazai helps Atsushi find work. In the middle of it, Kunikida finds them and inform them of a bomber at the Agency office. Since the bomber only has hatred for the Agency, Dazai sends Atsushi in to distract them as Kunikida goes in to restrain the bomber. With the timer on the bomb still going, Atsushi is in a state of panic on what to do. He comes to the conclusion of covering the bomb with his body. When the bomb hits zero, it didn't explode, and it was all revealed to Atsushi's entrance exam to join the Agency which he has passed. The other two Agency members introduce themselves to Atsushi. The bomber being Jun'ichirō Tanizaki and the hostage being his younger sister, Naomi. Atsushi gets to know his colleagues more by talking to them about what they did before joining the Agency. Shortly after, they receive a request from a client named Higuchi to investigate some smugglers. Kunikida gives the job to Atsushi, accompanied by Tanizaki and his sister, he also tells Atsushi to look out for Akutagawa, a member of the fearsome underground organization, the Port Mafia. Atsushi, Tanizaki, Naomi, and their client, Higuchi, head to the area they have to investigate only to have reached a dead end. She reveals that she's actually a member of the Port Mafia and her and Akutagawa launch an ambush on them. Before becoming an all-out battle, Dazai arrives to put a stop to it all. He reveals having tapped Higuchi on their initial meeting and was listening to what's been happenings since their departure. In the end, Akutagawa and Higuchi retreats, declaring that they'll soon capture the weretiger Atsushi in exchange for the black market's ¥7 billion bounty.

Despite being saved from the Port Mafia thanks to Dazai's interference, Atsushi feel guilty and responsible for his allies getting harmed because of him. To not risk another attack on the Agency again, Atsushi decides to leave. He contacts Higuchi challenging her to come hunt him down thinking that doing so would keep his comrades from harm. After hanging up, Higuchi assembles the Black Lizard to raid the Agency office. As the assault commences, Atsushi rushes back to the Agency headquarters only to find Kunikida, Kenji, and Yosano easily overpower the enemy. Kunikida lectures Atsushi for leaving despite now being a member of the organization. Upon hearing these words, Atsushi chuckles and sheds tears of joy.

After the Agency defeated the Port Mafia's Black Lizard, Atsushi is tasked with accompanying Ranpo to a case. They later arrive at the crime scene and meet Officer Minoura, who tells them their help is no longer needed. He adds that the victim is his subordinate, Yamagiwa, who was found floating in the river that morning and has no leads. Minoura underestimated Ranpo's Super Deduction calming that his men are superior to the detective. Ranpo proves the officer wrong and activates Super Deduction, after which he claims that the killer is Minoura's subordinate, Sugimoto. Sugimoto is interrogated at the station, where they learn that he was a spy for a Diet member whom Yamagiwa has found evidence of corruption. When Sugimoto confronted Yamagiwa, he threatened to kill himself to force her to hand him the evidence. In the end, Yamagiwa tried to stop him, but Sugimoto accidentally pulled the trigger on her. Asking the Diet member for help, Sugimoto was instructed to fire two more bullets to make it seem like the Mafia's doing. He then set her body adrift in the river to delay discovery. With the case closed, Minoura apologizes to Ranpo for doubting him. On the way back, Dazai tells Atsushi that Ranpo's Super Deduction isn't an ability but more so a use of intelligence and analyzation, which is the reason why the Agency respect him.

Sometime later at night, Dazai goes missing. The Agency feels it's just his usual business. Meanwhile, Atsushi accompanies Yosano on a shopping spree. As the two on a train, they are suddenly plunged into the middle of a terrorist bomb threat by the Port Mafia bomber, Motojirō Kajii, and the assassin, Kyōka Izumi. As Yosano heads to the front car, she meets the bomber, Atsushi goes to the rear car to confront the assassin. After being showered with lemon bombs, Yosano retaliates against Kajii thanks to her healing ability, Thou Shalt Not Die. Atsushi defeats Kyōka's Demon Snow and asks her where the bomb is. Kyōka reveals that the bomb is strapped to her. Yosano tells Atsushi through the PA that the bomb has a remote detonator that can disarm the bomb. Kyōka hands the remote to Atsushi and he pushes the button to turn it off. However, pressing the button only started the timer on the bomb. To keep the bomb from blowing up the train, Kyōka jumps off the train, but Atsushi activates his Ability to remove the bomb and save her. Akutagawa, the voice who had been instructing Kyōka, disconnects from his phone. Before him stands Dazai in shackles.

After Kyōka is taken to the agency's custody, the agency learns from her that Akutagawa is responsible for controlling Kyōka's ability through the phone. Kunikida then tasks Atsushi to turn her over to the military police without letting her know what he's doing. To give her some last moments of happiness, Atsushi strolls around town with Kyōka visiting places. Atsushi is suddenly stabbed from behind by Akutagawa's Rashōmon. Akutagawa and the Port Mafia arrive to take both him and Kyōka away. The Agency learn of Atsushi's abduction, president Fukuzawa orders the Agency operatives to put their current duties on hold and focus on saving their newest member. Still detained, Dazai is visited by Port Mafia executive/his former partner, Chūya Nakahara. the two men exchange hostile pleasantries and Chūya asks Dazai why he let himself get caught. Dazai responds by saying his objective was to be caught and killed. Ultimately, Chūya breaks off Dazai's shackles and demands to fight him. Meanwhile, the Agency are still locating Atsushi. Ranpo deduces that Atsushi is on a cargo ship traveling toward the open sea. Fukuzawa tosses the Agency's high-speed vessel's keys to Kunikida and orders him to retrieve Atsushi.

Dazai and Chūya are engage in hand-to-hand combat. Overpowering Dazai, Chūya asks him one last time why he allowed himself to be captured, Dazai answers that he did it for Atsushi. Dazai then tells Chūya that he sent a letter to the Port Mafia stating that if he dies all of the organization's secrets will be revealed. In the end, Dazai was only tricking Chūya into sparing his life. Before the mafia executive leaves, he tells Dazai where to find info about the 7-billion-yen bounty on Atsushi's head. Atsushi wakes up and sees himself inside a truck. Kyōka opens the truck door. Atsushi then stands up, just as he is about to get outside the truck, he is pulled out by Akutagawa's Rashomon and slams him. While Akutagawa's pinning the boy down, Kyōka threatens the mafioso to let him go however Akutagawa manages to grab her and strangle her. Kyōka then tells Atsushi to run and pulls out a detonator switch which made an explosion. Kyōka tells Atsushi to run while Kunikida also telling him to leave the ship since it will sink. Atsushi thinks over about how Dazai and the Agency never gave up on him and is wanting to do the same for Kyōka. Moments before Akutagawa finishes off Kyōka, Atsushi saves her and lays her at the side. Atsushi manages to defeat Akutagawa and passes out. Kyōka awakens and rescues Atsushi from the sinking vessel. As an explosion on the vessel goes off, Kunikida catches the two in his boat, thinking about how Atsushi did a job well done. Somewhere in the Mafia base, Dazai hacks into the mafia's communications records and discovers the one who placed the bounty on Atsushi. Meanwhile, Francis, leader of The Guild, perceives how the bounty approach with the mafia has failed, though he remains confident that his organization shall soon have the "Promised Land".

In the aftermath of Atsushi and Dazai's abduction, the Agency must decide what to do with Kyōka. Fukuzawa decides to take her in similar to how they took Atsushi in. Meanwhile, the Port Mafia also deliberates what to do with the comatose Akutagawa as his enemies from Karma Transit seek vengeance. At night, Higuchi is informed that Akutagawa has been abducted goes to rescue him, despite her subordinates' disapproval of her plans. The number of enemies overwhelms her, but the Black Lizard come to her aid and defeats them. As she comes up to Akutagawa, he apologizes to her, to which she replies that it is merely her job. Later, Atsushi and Kenji work together on an investigation about a bizarre car explosion. They directly ask a gang at their base about the bomb used to blow up the car. However, the gang denies any relation with the bomb. Hence, Kenji believes their word and immediately leaves the building with Atsushi afterward. As they head along, the gang corners them and admits that the bomb they built was used to kill an enemy from another organization. Kenji merely thanks them for confessing the truth, but a gang member strikes him from behind. However, Kenji is unfazed due to his immense strength and taps into his ability Undefeated by the Rain to single-handedly defeat the entire gang. After his victory, Kenji eat a couple of beef bowl goes to sleep.

Francis, the leader of The Guild, a North American organization of gifted members, flies to Yokohama. Fukuzawa asks if it's true that Francis is the one responsible for issuing a bounty on Atsushi's head, and the former admits it was his doing. Francis discusses business with Fukuzawa and would like to buy the Agency's building and their skilled business permit, but Fukuzawa refuses. As Francis makes his leave, he warns Fukuzawa that an agency without employees would cease to function and tells Fukuzawa that he shall deliver a message in the morning papers. The next morning, the Agency watches the news about the disappearance of a seven-story building owned by the Mafia, believing it to be Fitzgerald's message. Kenji also went missing, and Tanizaki, Atsushi, and Naomi look for Kenji, but Naomi vanishes. Tanizaki notices Fitzgerald's companion, Lucy. M and demands she bring Naomi back. Lucy transports Tanizaki and Atsushi into her ability Anne of Abyssal Red along with several other victims. She explains how they can exit her dimension anytime, but their captured subordinates shall remain behind a black door, and their memories inside Anne's Room would disappear. As the several victims' escape, Atsushi, Tanizaki, and a doctor who's looking for a girl named Elise stay behind. Lucy's gigantic doll-like monster, Anne, immediately captures and imprisons Tanizaki. Atsushi think that he won't be able to defeat her without help from Dazai and the others, he attempts to leave but the doctor stops him and gives him some advice on how to win. However, Atsushi is captured towards the black door. Lucy turns to the doctor, who exudes a menacing aura that angers Lucy and even Anne. He tells her to look at the door, finding Atsushi resisting against the force dragging him into the room. Tanizaki had used Light Snow to create a false door and Atsushi to tie a ribbon on Lucy without her knowing. Atsushi pulls her toward him and the door and demands her to turn off her ability. Everyone trapped in Lucy's ability are freed, the doctor reunites with Elise, and Kyōka rushes to Atsushi out of worry. As the doctor give his last words of advice before he bids Atsushi farewell, Kyōka trembles in fear at the sight of the man. The doctor is revealed to the boss of the Port Mafia, Ōgai Mori, to whom his subordinates bow after killing James L., an assassin from The Guild. Mori states that anyone who opposes the Mafia will die.