"I can link myself to a space removed from my cloak, up to thirty meters or so away! It's quite useful for shoplifting!" |
The Overcoat (外套, Gaitō?, Russian: Шинель, Shinel) is the ability of Nikolai Gogol.[2]
Description[]
The Overcoat is a transfer-type ability that allows Gogol to use his cloak to manipulate spaces and what comes out of them. Specifically, his cloak is connected to a pocket dimension within a vertical range of 30 meters through which can allow him to manifest or transfer various materials and matter.[1] For instance, Atsushi Nakajima infers that the ability can transfer weapons and explosives during combat and maneuver others' actions, as well as successfully perform surprise attacks, robbery, wiretapping, and kidnapping among several others.
Gogol can use his ability to make a revolver appear in a remote space separated from him and even manifest a telephone pole through his cloak. The ability works on living things as well, as he recurrently uses it to manifest his hand through his cloak (usually partnered with a revolver to shoot down targets remotely) and once utilized it to "sever" Atsushi's leg from his body, albeit technically trapping it on the floor. Moreover, by covering himself into his cloak, Gogol can also apparently transfer into another location almost akin to teleportation.[3][1]
Moreover, in the special case of Osamu Dazai's No Longer Human, Gogol can still use his ability against him as long as Dazai won't be in contact with the actual transfer process.[4]
Thus far, Gogol has transferred the following through his cloak:
- His hand and a revolver[3][1]
- Telephone pole[1]
- Atsushi Nakajima's leg[1]
- Bowie knife[1]
- Himself[1]
- Part of his torso[5]
- Unnamed government official's torso[5]
- Sigma[5]
- Sigma's blood[5]
- Osamu Dazai[6]
- Fyodor Dostoevsky[6]
Moves[]
- Spatial Linking (空間接続能力, Kūkan Setsuzoku?): This is the core of Gogol's ability, which, as the term suggests, allows him to connect another distant matter into his own space or dimension, usually using but not restricted to his cloak as a medium. With this ability, during the hostage incident,[1] Gogol was able to create a gap in his body and connected someone else's torso in such gap, the very body part that the chainsaw chair bisected. With his space connection, Gogol once caught Sigma from his fall from the Sky Casino with his cloak and redirected him out of it in the opposite direction. He repeated the process like a juggling ball until Sigma was lowered safely on the ground. He also looped Sigma's blood back to his internal system as caused by the fatal wound he previously received. As a result, Sigma thinks that Gogol can indeed perform a death-feigning attack using his almost limitless ability.[5]
Appearances[]
- Chapter 57 - Sunday Tragedy, Part 1
- Chapter 58 - Sunday Tragedy, Part 2
- Chapter 77 - Skyfall, Part 4 (mentioned)
- Chapter 78 - To Threaten God, Part 1
Vampire Infection Outbreak Arc
- Chapter 95 - At the Portway to the Sky, Part 5
Perfect Crime Arc
- Episode 42 - A Perfect Murder and Murderer (Part 2)
- Episode 43 - Tragic Sunday
Derivation[]
The ability is a reference to The Overcoat (Шинель, Shinel), a short story by Nikolai Gogol in 1842. It has been adapted into a variety of media interpretations and is considered an influence of Ryūnosuke Akutagawa's short story, "Yam Gruel". The story is about the life and death of titular councillor Akaky Akakievich Bashmachkin (Акакий Акакиевич Башмачкин) and his endeavors of saving up money in order to purchase a new overcoat. Later, though he finally purchases a new overcoat, Akaky is robbed of it by some assailants and soon passes away due to illness. He soon appears as a ghost who haunts people throughout St. Petersburg by taking their overcoats from them.[7]
Gallery[]
Animated GIFs[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 Bungo Stray Dogs Manga: Chapter 58.
- ↑ Bungo Stray Dogs Manga: Volume 18.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Bungo Stray Dogs Manga: Chapter 57.
- ↑ Bungo Stray Dogs Manga: Chapter 95.5.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Bungo Stray Dogs Manga: Chapter 78.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Bungo Stray Dogs Manga: Chapter 95.
- ↑ The Overcoat. Wikipedia.