Bungo Stray Dogs season 4 starts off with a bang by highlighting Ranpo and Fukuzawa's pasts

Bungo Stray Dogs season 4 episode 1 was released on January 4, 2023, bringing with it an exciting installment that focuses on Ranpo Edogawa. Fans are incredibly pleased with the episode overall, especially praising Ranpo’s appearance and his hilarious hijinks in the episode.

Bungo Stray Dogs season 4 Episode 1 is also receiving praise from fans for its overall direction, production, animation, and color palette. The episode’s murder-mystery approach is also being heavily praised by fans for its exceptional means of pulling viewers in instantly, making for an incredibly enjoyable episode.

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Bungo Stray Dogs season 4 episode 1 reveals that Ranpo had an interview with "the president"

Bungo Stray Dogs season 4 episode 1 starts with Yukichi Fukuzawa receiving a call from someone imploring him to join the military police, saying they’re the only ones who can make use of his powers. However, Fukuzawa responds that he works alone now. He’s then seen at the scene of a crime, where someone was pushed out of a window.

He enters the building, meeting a secretary there. Fukuzawa offers his condolences before the man says he suspects the killer was after the documents all over the room. The man is organizing the documents by pattern in an attempt to solve the crime, before revealing that the killer has already been apprehended by the police.

Fukuzawa then goes into the next room to meet with the killer, revealing the killer to be a young Oda Sakunosuke. Suddenly, Ranpo Edogawa enters the room loudly, being his usual complaining self again. It’s revealed that Ranpo had an interview with “the president,” who is the victim, to begin working and getting funding from the government.

After finding his own document in a disruptive way, Bungo Stray Dogs season 4 episode 1 sees Ranpo reveal that all the documents are still present. He also states that the secretary is the true killer. Fukuzawa eventually realizes that Ranpo is right after further discussion, while Oda breaks out of his restraints and kills the secretary after a brief fight with Fukuzawa.

Bungo Stray Dogs Season 4 episode 1 then sees Ranpo and Fukuzawa get food together, where Ranpo explains how he knew that the secretary was the killer. After discussing Ranpo’s past, Fukuzawa gives him his contact information, telling Ranpo to call him for free help if he’s ever in trouble. Ranpo, however, calls Fukuzawa immediately, recapping his sad situation and prompting Fukuzawa to take him to his next job.

The two go to a local theater that needs help with staffing, with Fukuzawa saying Ranpo might be hired if they can do the job well. A death threat is being sent to the actors of the theater from someone named “V,” with Ranpo revealing that the theater owner is playing both Fukuzawa and the municipal police. However, Fukuzawa tells Ranpo to stop, asking the theater owner if he can speak with the performers.

Fukuzawa speaks with the lead actor, Murakami Tokio, asking him questions about his performance and when he will be most vulnerable. Bungo Stray Dogs season 4 episode 1 then shifts perspectives to the general dressing room, where other actors and actresses reveal that it’s essentially a one-man show starring Murakami and that no one else even thinks there will be a murder.

Ranpo laments his situation, claiming that there will be a murder soon and the theater will get shut down anyway. Fukuzawa says he won’t let this happen, but Ranpo points out that the “threat” is actually a warning. He elaborates that a threat has two options, but the note sent to the theater is more of a declaration than a threat since no demands were made.

Fukuzawa then realizes what Ranpo’s ability is, to “see the truth,” asking Ranpo what he thinks of Fukuzawa from what he can see. He offers Ranpo a place to sleep at his house if he does this, prompting him to list some basic facts about Fukuzawa. He slowly gets more specific, eventually touching on the trauma Fukuzawa has from a previous job, which makes him not use his katana anymore.

Fukuzawa then tells Ranpo to be quiet, knocking him to the ground in the process before picking him up and apologizing. Fukuzawa then tells him that if he does well on this job, he will ensure he gets more work. The doors to the theater then open, as Fukuzawa questions what he’s doing working with Ranpo and Bungo Stray Dogs season 4 episode 1 comes to an end.

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Fan reactions

Bungo Stray Dogs season 4 episode 1 has fans heavily praising the background information on both Fukuzawa and Ranpo present within the episode. It’s an incredibly exciting way to start the long-awaited season, with fans going crazy for the first new anime content for the series in nearly four years.

Fans also praised the overall direction, particularly as it relates to the brief action sequence seen within and the overall color palette of the episode. A particular highlight for many is that the flashbacks in the episode are given full color, but the “current events” (which itself seems to be flashbacks) are almost greyscale, with just a hint of color.

The fight between Fukuzawa and a young Oda Sakunosuke also grabbed the attention of fans, especially for its expert use of environment and limited space. Fans are also praising the animation of Ranpo’s and other characters’ hilarious, chibi-esque faces seen throughout Bungo Stray Dogs season 4 episode 1.

Overall, fans seem incredibly happy to start this highly-anticipated season with a focus on Fukuzawa and Ranpo’s past. Anime-only fans suspect that this story will eventually parlay into the formation of the Armed Detective Agency, especially with Ranpo being 14 years old in this episode’s events, but 26 contemporarily.

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Be sure to keep up with all Bungo Stray Dogs season 4 news, as well as general anime, manga, film, and live-action news as 2023 progresses.