Dazai Osamu, one of the main protagonists of the popular anime and manga series Bungou Stray Dogs, is a complex and enigmatic character. He is known for his suicidal tendencies, his brilliant intellect, and his eccentric personality.
For his attire, Dazai wears a long sand-colored trench coat, the belt of which he leaves untied. He also wears beige pants, and dark brown shoes, and has bandages wrapped around his entire body; only his face, hands, and feet are left uncovered.
But why does Dazai wear bandages always? What exactly is his reason?
Why does Dazai wear Bandages? Is it Because of His ability?
Dazai’s ability, No Longer Human, allows him to nullify any other ability by touching the user. This is a potent ability, but it also comes with a downside: Dazai cannot be healed by Yosano’s ability, Thou Shalt Not Die.
This is because Yosano’s ability works by manipulating the target’s life force, and Dazai’s ability nullifies all other abilities, including Yosano’s. This means that if Dazai is injured, he will have to heal slowly on his own. This could explain why he is always covered in bandages: he simply tries to protect himself from further injury.
or his Past?
Another theory is that Dazai wears bandages to hide the scars of past suicide attempts and self-harm. This theory is supported by the fact that Dazai has a history of suicidal tendencies and that he is often seen wearing bandages in places where they are not strictly necessary, such as around his neck.
While his suicidal tendencies are initially comedic, they reveal a truly dark deep hole that Dazai has. Even as a teenage boy, Dazai questioned whether there was any value in life. Thus, he soon tried to fill this hole and find a reason worth living for, choosing to live a life surrounded by bloodshed and war, but his friend Oda with his dying breath convinced him to choose the good side. He understood that even though good and evil mean little to Dazai, he may become a slightly better person if he were to choose well.
Other theories
Some fans have also speculated that Dazai wears bandages for other reasons, such as:
- To avoid accidentally nullifying the abilities of his allies.
- As a tribute to the real-life author Dazai Osamu, who tried to commit suicide multiple times.
- As a plot device to make him more mysterious and intriguing.
Conclusion
Dazai’s bandages are a crucial part of his character and a constant reminder of his suicidal nature. He even described death as a way to free himself from the oxidizing world, but, strangely enough, he could not die no matter how hard he tried.
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