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Kenji Miyazawa

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"Whether in a town or a village, whether toward a cow or a person… If you're sincere toward others, they'll respond in kind. That approach has yet to fail me."

— Kenji Miyazawa to Atsushi Nakajima[1]

Kenji Miyazawa (宮沢 賢治, Miyazawa Kenji?) is a member of the Armed Detective Agency. He has the ability Undefeated by the Rain.

Appearance

Kenji is a young boy with gold eyes and short blond hair that reaches past the nape of his neck. His bangs are gathered at the center of his forehead and he has freckles across his cheeks.

He wears blue overalls that are cuffed and a black belt around his waist. His overalls are worn over a loose beige shirt that has tattered sleeves. He wears a black undershirt that has sleeves ending a little past the elbows. He wears an old straw hat around his neck. He usually goes barefoot but is sometimes shown wearing sandals.

After the cannibalism, Kenji is seen wearing a white long sleeves and black tie during the celebration.[3]

After the agency's frameup as terrorists, Kenji wears a riot gear.[4]

Others

Personality

Kenji greets various peers throughout the city.

Hailing from a small rural village, Kenji is a simple but carefree and hospitable boy, who never fails to greet people with a smile on his face. It's because of this welcoming disposition that makes him quite popular with the residents in the city.

He carries an exceedingly optimistic outlook and always believes in the innate sincerity of others, regardless of what they may appear, say, or do. His obliviousness to the dangers some situations pose may be attributed to his rustic upbringing, but it's a mentality that has aided him in several investigations, given his high track record in solving difficult cases. Specifically, he interrogates suspects straightforwardly regarding their possible involvements in cases and, when they would naturally deny his allegations, Kenji would simply believe them and take his leave, even thanking them for their cooperation.

Kenji effortlessly beating up gang members.

In addition, because Kenji is from the countryside, he is unable to comprehend basic urban concepts such as money and often has to rely on his rural instincts. This leads to more peculiar "methods" of the resolution, such as using his ability to beat culprits into submission, an act that has yielded him a fearsome reputation amongst the more suspect groups in the area. Doppo Kunikida notably claimed that Kenji's methods are far too peculiar to be used as an example for their newcomer to learn from.[1]

Kenji's amazement towards Chūya's unfalling hat when standing upside down.

Moreover, even among the eccentric characteristics of his fellow Agency members, Kenji's innocence tends to stand out. His frank and candid statements at times appear quite impossible to attain or consider. For instance, when asked what they can do for Atsushi Nakajima's entrance exam, Kenji cited various unorthodox suggestions like having Atsushi wrestle with him and other rituals from his hometown.[5] Moreover, he tends to take interest in the city and its people, once being exceptionally amazed at Chūya Nakahara's hat not falling when he stood upside down.[6]

Kenji motivates his fellow Agency members.

Nevertheless, as part of the Agency, Kenji places his trust in their noble actions and intentions. He once agreed to join and help them in risking their lives to fight the Port Mafia for the sake of protecting the President, despite admitting himself that he does not fully know whether doing so is the right thing or not.[7] Furthermore, Kenji's lighthearted optimism became a pivotal aspect in returning the Agency's spirits during their frameup, after he motivated them to surpass their current trial and rise back to the surface so long as they keep on living. From such instance, Kenji appears to also have a perceptiveness in grasping and understanding their serious situation, able to almost easily incite a 180-degree turn from his fellow members' pessimism into imbibing a sense of hope in them.[8]

Ability

Main article: Undefeated by the Rain

Kenji's ability, Undefeated by the Rain (雨ニモマケズ, Ame ni mo Makezu?), grants him superhuman strength. This lets him perform feats he normally wouldn't be able to do, such as lifting cars with ease or pulling street signs out of the cement. He can even rip a steel door from the same type as is used in high-security bank safes from the wall. It also seems to grant him superhuman durability, as he was attacked in the back of the head with a lead pipe and suffered no ill damage whatsoever (such a blow could damage or kill a person) and he mentions getting kicked in the head by cows all the time and seems to have survived with little to no damage.

The catch to his ability is that he is only able to use it on an empty stomach, and will fall asleep after eating.

Undefeated by the Rain (雨ニモマケズ, Ame ni mo Makezu?)
Kenji lifting up a whole car.png Manga Debut: Chapter 5
Anime Debut: Episode 4
Ability: Superhuman Strength

Background

Kenji with his fellow residents in Ihatovo.

Until Yukichi Fukuzawa found him and recruited him into the Company about two months earlier, Kenji had been living in a rural village named Ihatovo where he herded cows with his family. He had been living without any forms of phones and electricity, and the concept of money was new to him, as the inhabitants of Ihatovo only bartered.

Kenji also stated that the police in his village wasn't as busy as the ones in Yokohama, as the local constable mainly repaired the well pump, rescued cats from chimneys, and sampled the village's annual watermelon harvest; and criminals in Ihatovo would simply get tied up and thrown off a cliff.[1]

Sometime in the past, Kenji and his fellow residents also experienced a terrible storm that wiped out an orchard they had been growing for ten years. Nonetheless, though initially dumbfounded, they soon replanted seedlings in an effort to redo their past ten years' worth of harvest.[8]

Battles

Main article: List of Battles
Port Mafia Arc
Armed Detective Agency vs. Black Lizard.png Armed Detective Agency vs. Black Lizard Win
Kenji lifting up a whole car.png Kenji Miyazawa vs. Young Men's Association Win
The Guild Arc
Kenji Miyazawa and Akiko Yosano vs. Chuya Nakahara.png Kenji Miyazawa and Akiko Yosano vs. Chūya Nakahara Unsettled
The Guild Aftermath Arc
Agency members arrive at Zoopark's hideout.png Armed Detective Agency vs. Zoopark Win
Cannibalism Arc
Tanizaki, Yosano, and Kenji being attacked by Port Mafia guards.png Akiko Yosano, Kenji Miyazawa, and Jun'ichirō Tanizaki vs. Port Mafia Unsettled (interrupted by Motojirō Kajii's appearance)

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Hunting Dogs Arc
Kenji and Tanizaki vs. Tetcho and Jono (manga).png Armed Detective Agency vs. Hunting Dogs Lose

Appearances

Manga Appearances
Chapters in order of appearance

Port Mafia Arc

The Guild Arc

The Guild Aftermath Arc

Cannibalism Arc

Cannibalism Aftermath Arc

Hunting Dogs Arc

Sky Casino Arc

Kamui Revelation Arc

Vampire Infection Outbreak Arc

Anime Appearances
Episodes in order of appearance

Manga Appearances
Chapters in order of appearance


Manga Appearances
Chapters in order of appearance
Anime Appearances
Episodes in order of appearance

Quotes

  • (To Atsushi Nakajima) "Whether in a town or a village, whether toward a cow or a person… If you're sincere toward others, they'll respond in kind. That approach has yet to fail me."[1]
  • (To Atsushi Nakajima) "Oh, I just love cows! Raising them, working with them, eating them too!"[1]
  • "Undefeated by the rain, undefeated by the wind, undefeated by metal pipes, knives, or aluminum bats, strong in body, undefeated by desire and certainly without offending others, always with a quiet smile to be such a person."[1]
  • (To his fellow Agency members) "A terrible storm came and wreaked havoc on the Agency, but that's alright. A disastrous storm, after all, is the same thing as blessed rain. […] Let's stay alive, everyone. Let's trudge past the storm and through the night. 'Cos in the end, we can't stop living atop this spinning rock we call earth."[9]

Etymology

  • The name Kenji means "wise" (賢) (ken) and "calm down" (治) (ji).
    • The kanji (治, ji) can also be used as a given name, pronounced as "Osamu" as in Osamu Dazai.[10]
  • The surname Miyazawa means "shrine" (宮) (miya) and "brilliant" (沢) (sawa/zawa).

Namesake

Main article: Real-life References#Kenji Miyazawa
Kenji Miyazawa (August 27, 1896 – September 21, 1933)
MiyazawaRL Thumbnail.png
Born in Iwate, Miyazawa reflected through his writings a desire for harmony with nature and the universe, as well as a rejection of his family's wealth and status. The poem "Undefeated by the Rain" was likely written on the author's deathbed. The Bungo Stray Dogs character refers to his hometown as "Ihatovo" - the author's name for an alternate, idealized Iwate.[11]

Trivia

  • His family's motto is "If a cow defies you, strike it with something handy."[1]
  • The name of the rural village where he lived, Ihatovo, is a reference to the fictional land the real-life Kenji Miyazawa created, basing the name off his beloved Iwate Prefecture. In fact, the name lends from Esperanto.[12]
  • Kishō Taniyama, Chūya's voice actor, has taken to calling him MiyaKen (ミヤケン), while Mamoru Miyano, Osamu Dazai's voice actor, refers to him as ZawaJi (ザワジ).[13]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Bungo Stray Dogs Manga: Chapter 13.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Bungo Stray Dogs Manga: Volume 4.
  3. ↑ Bungo Stray Dogs Manga: Chapter 53.
  4. ↑ Bungo Stray Dogs Manga: Chapter 60.
  5. ↑ Bungo Stray Dogs: The Untold Origins of the Detective Agency.
  6. ↑ Bungo Stray Dogs Manga: Chapter 22.
  7. ↑ Bungo Stray Dogs Manga: Chapter 48.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Bungo Stray Dogs Manga: Chapter 60.
  9. ↑ Bungo Stray Dogs Manga: Chapter 60.
  10. ↑ 治. Wikitionary
  11. ↑ Bungo Stray Dogs Manga: Volume 5, Author Guide.
  12. ↑ Kenji Miyazawa. Wikipedia.
  13. ↑ [Eng Sub] Bungou Stray Dogs - Uemura's Detective Agency E5 Part 4/5. YouTube.

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