Episode 51

The Strongest Man (最強の男,) is the 51st episode of Bungo Stray Dogs anime series and the first episode of the fifth season.

Synopsis
In the aftermath of the Sky Casino's fall, Kunikida is faced with a terrible choice. Ango, Atsushi, Lucy, and Kyōka dig deeper into the secrets hidden within Atsushi's memories, and Rampo proves his worth as the world's greatest detective.

Summary
A state of emergency is declared in the United States after an explosion is caused by counterfeit currency, similar to the ones that caused the aerial terrorism in the Sky Casino. While watching the tragic news, the hospitalized Kunikida is visited by Jōno, who continues to press him about the Agency's involvement in such terrorists acts and tries to recruit him to the Hunting Dogs in exchange for his freedom due to his talent. However, Kunikida strongly refuses. Jōno understands his answer since Kunikida would lose his ability if he accepted such a proposal without receiving a recovery operation. After all, he can't write on his notebook with both his hands now amputated.

With their operation failing, Lucy asks her teammates what they shall now do. Atsushi muses how they could solve and overcome an emergency such as their situation if only the Agency were together. He suddenly hears Dazai motivating him from behind, though Atsushi turns around to find no one. Even so, Atsushi gets encouraged and convinces his teammates that there might be another resolution to their dilemma, though he suddenly faints midway.

Jōno leaves to give Kunikida time to reconsider his offer, and he also informs him that Yosano is due for execution that day. Jōno then tosses Kunikida, his notebook cut into two, rebuking Kunikida that his ideal of saving his comrades is now meaningless. As he is left alone, Kunikida screams out of remorse, with a sniper targeting him from a distance.

Sigma awakens with Gogol standing nearby, who reveals that he used his ability to keep Sigma alive from his fall and to stop the bleeding on his chest. Sigma asks Gogol why he rescued him, but later retracts it and asks instead why he's still alive, given that he must have been dead since the start, way back during the hostage situation. Gogol reveals how he created an illusion with his ability to survive, but Sigma asks him why he faked his death as opposed to the original plan that required him to be genuinely dead.

Gogol explains how he had truly intended to die at such time since no one understood his motive of proving the existence of true free will. He suddenly remembered being understood only by Dostoevsky, whom he had considered his one true friend. Upon realizing it, Gogol decides that he shall truly be free from the brainwashing called feeling if he kills his true friend, Dostoevsky. To do so, Gogol asks Sigma to use his ability to read Dostoevsky's ability.

Meanwhile, Lucy and Kyōka are worried that Atsushi is not waking up. Ango grows apprehensive, thinking that Atsushi has been infected with Pushkin's virus ability when he was previously struck on the forehead with Hawthorne's spell bullet. He then conjectures that Atsushi is being held hostage alongside the lives of the populace on the line as per the rules of Cannibalism. Hence, Ango brings out his gun to shoot Kyōka and Lucy, who would choose Atsushi over the general public, but he immediately hides his gun as soon as Atsushi awakens.

Atsushi tells Ango that he knows where the page is located, the information transferred to him through Sigma's ability. Atsushi then informs the team that the page is being held by the Decay of the Angel's leader, Kamui, the powerful mastermind behind the entire terrorism incident. Meanwhile, Kunikida spots a sniper from afar, who shoots down the lock in his room. With his feet shackled to his bed, Kunikida is cornered by someone in a gas mask, calling themself Kamui, who releases a knockout gas.

The group then discusses on how and where to locate Kamui. Just then, Atsushi senses killing intent from the information on Kamui and tells them that they should leave right away since he senses Kamui currently enacting an assassination operation on the Agency members.

Yosano is transported en route to her execution site. An explosion occurs on the road ahead, compelling the military police to scout the surrounding area. Not long after, they are horrified to find the transport vehicle carrying Yosano missing on the road. Meanwhile, in his apartment, Katai is confined and guarded heavily by military police for his ties with the Agency suspects. As he throws a tantrum, wishing to have his cell phone at least, he finds a phone inside his room. Upon accessing it, Katai screams out, and the guards enter his room, shocked to find that he has disappeared.

Fukuzawa is visited by Kamui and their companion, placing a hood over his head and escorting him out of his cell. Later, as the hood is removed, Fukuzawa finds himself and the other two on a rooftop. Thinking that they plan on silencing him by throwing him off the roof, Fukuzawa tells Kamui that he knows who they are.

Dazai and Dostoevsky kill some time guessing numbers, which concerns Dostoevsky on Dazai's seemingly lax disposition instead of worrying for his fellow Agency members. Dazai tells him that he does not need to do anything after all except watch over him. At the same time, the strongest man in the Agency who has transcended even ability users, none other than Ranpo, can move freely. On the rooftop, Ranpo reveals himself to Fukuzawa as the one wearing the gas mask.

Besides saving the President, Ranpo tells Fukuzawa that he has successfully hijacked the assassination plots on the other Agency members, having brought Kunikida, Yosano, and Katai to safety. Though Fukuzawa becomes worried upon hearing that Ranpo has been shot during the hostage incident, Ranpo assures him that he merely made the police think he was shot, having escaped successfully by taking advantage of the confusion during first response. He then reveals the methods for saving Kunikida, Katai, and Yosano, with someone helping him as his aide, revealing him to be Poe.

In an assembly hall where journalists are gathered, Ranpo suddenly appears, causing havoc and chaos inside the hall. A female reporter asked Ranpo the reason for the Agency to cause the terrorism. Ranpo then shows them the video of the hostage incident, which made them terrorists. Ranpo then shows an envelope containing documents that prove the Agency's innocence sent out to every police organization. As she asks why he has not done so sooner, Ranpo claims that they would not believe the Agency's innocence anyway, as stipulated on the page, even deducing that such documents would hitherto already be discarded.

The military police then soon arrives, cornering Ranpo. Before being arrested, he gives his final statement to the police, stating that they should consider using their souls. Inspired by Ranpo's words, Minoura heads out of his office. Having solved different cases for the past 12 years, even helping countless officers currently cornering him in the assembly hall, he urges them to think how he can ever make such a simple mistake of getting caught if he indeed were a great detective guilty of terrorism.

Manga and Anime Differences

 * In the manga, after the explosion occurred, an emergency team can be seen live at the scene, reporting the overall casualties. This was omitted in the anime.
 * During Jōno's visit to Kunikida, Jōno mentioned the perks of being a Hunting Dogs member, eventually teasing him that Kunikida's pulse responded to "the 'women' thing" as one of the member perks. This was not included in the anime.
 * After Dazai gives Atsushi advice in a vision, the manga shows Ango getting piqued about Atsushi's reaction, but the anime omits this brief scene.
 * In the manga, Ango cannot hide his gun before Atsushi awakens. In the anime, Atsushi does not notice the gun since Ango can hide it before he wakes up.
 * The manga shows Sigma remarking how he hates dealing with Nikolai out of all the Decay members, which was not shown in this episode.
 * When asks Lucy the whereabouts of Kamui, Atsushi only responds that he can't quite get a clear answer. Originally, Atsushi adds that he can see a gas mask vaguely, referring to Kamui's appearance.
 * Aside from Lucy's and Kyōka's suggestions of letting Anne hurl Ango at the wall and stabbing his calf as external stimuli, the anime includes them further suggesting to slam Ango on the floor, jab his eyes, fling him around, or kick him.
 * After Katai states that he has an illness where he will die if kept from electronics, he continues to convince him that it is true. He even asks the police if he wants to see a dirty shut-corpse. Katai did not additionally state this in the episode.
 * In the manga, the phone that Katai saw was thrown to him through the window of his room. In the anime, Katai finds the phone lying on his futon.
 * Fukuzawa, before being dragged out, asks the man with glasses if they are with the public safety, what division they belong to, and where they are taking him, to which the man with glasses responds that he doesn't need to know that This was omitted.