Ivan Goncharov

Ivan Goncharov (イバン・ゴンチャロフ,) is a member of the Rats in the House of the Dead. His ability is The Precipice.

Appearance
Goncharov has long and straight silver hair that falls past his mid-back and silver eyes. Much of the top of his head is covered by bandages, presumably as a result of the surgery Fyodor Dostoevsky performed on him. He wears a white sleeved shirt together with black sleeve garters, as well as a black tie under a light brown vest. Additionally, he wears black trousers and plain black shoes.

Personality
Having had his "unhappiness removed", Goncharov is seen constantly smiling, either on the brink of bliss or completely mad with joy. As a result of the surgery, he has the utmost reverence towards Fyodor and does whatever his "master" says. Like the latter, Goncharov enjoys classical music.

In battle, Goncharov's joy never ceases, and he handles Atsushi Nakajima and Ryunosuke Akutagawa with great ease. He almost never loses his composure even in the face of defeat, having great faith and confidence in Fyodor's scheme.

Ability
Goncharov's ability, The Precipice (断崖,) lets Goncharov control the earth element, allowing him to manipulate rocks into golem-like arms or utilizing them as floating, omni-directional defense, and offense. His connection to earth allows his constant awareness of enemies in his surroundings as long as they are standing on the ground. The rock is incredibly sturdy, withstanding repeated attacks from both Beast Beneath the Moonlight and Rashomon.

Background
Sometime in the past, Goncharov had his "unhappiness removed" by Fyodor via surgery. He has been completely devoted to Fyodor ever since.

Cannibalism Arc
At an underground base, Goncharov serves some tea intended for Rats in the House of the Dead leader, Fyodor. He soon contacts his comrade Alexander Pushkin and tasks him to escape on his own as ordered by Fyodor. Later, he attacks Atsushi and Akutagawa at the cave, preventing them from chasing Pushkin. Using his ability and the assistance of Pushkin, they manage to infect both Akutagawa and Atsushi with the Cannibalism virus.

Both Atsushi and Akutagawa manage to overpower Goncharov leading to his defeat. Pinned to the ground, Goncharov starts to laugh. He states that his master removed the part of his brain that feels unhappiness. He then implicitly reveals that Fyodor was never in the hideout area in the first place and that they have been tricked.

Quotes

 * "It seems that before reaching happiness, there is an equal amount of pain."
 * (To Ryunosuke Akutagawa) "Humans fear what they can't understand. But happiness can be achieved only when we devote ourselves to things beyond what we don't understand."

Etymology

 * The name Ivan (Ива́н) means "God is gracious".
 * The name Goncharov (Гончаро́в) means "potter".

Trivia

 * The relationship between Ivan and in real-life is reversed in Bungo Stray Dogs. In real life, Dostoevsky considered Goncharov as an author of high stature.
 * The real-life Ivan Goncharov considered The Precipice his greatest work, where he fully realized his greatest ambitions. Similarly, the in-series Goncharov views Fyodor's plan as a great work in need of fulfillment that he takes great pride in partaking in.