Bungo Stray Dogs – Season 4 Episode 3 Recap & Review

Five

Episode 3 of Bungo Stray Dogs season 4 ‘Secret of the Detective Agency’s Establishment’ starts off with Officer Mitamura driving Ranpo. The policeman goads him and Ranpo realises that they are not going to the police station. He doesn’t believe in Ranpo’s ability and the young detective suggests a game. If he can answer all of Mitamura’s questions, he wins which he does easily as he uncovers their motives that the man with the cane was the main goal and Murakami and the scriptwriter were pawns. 

At the theatre, Fukuzawa is worried as no one can get in touch with Ranpo. He too realises that Murakami and the scriptwriter were pawns. He comes across his card that he had given Ranpo who had left it on purpose. Ranpo writes that Mitamura is the culprit and to look for the cane. Fukuzawa finds the kidnapped man’s cane and finds a device hidden inside and calls a mysterious man for help.

At an abandoned building, Mitamura tells Ranpo that the leaders of their organization are angry that Ranpo foiled their plan. He gives him two choices, either he can torture him or Ranpo can join their organization. 

Fukuzawa visits Oda who is in prison and shows him the device. He tells him that the device is used by organizations who hire ability users and if Oda knows them. Oda refuses to tell him about V but says that they have the warped idea that they are meting out justice by killing wayward ability users and Fukuzawa is worried. He strikes a bargain with Oda to testify that he is not the killer if he helps him. Oda agrees to help even though he can easily escape prison and all he wants in return is curry since the prison food is bad.

Meanwhile, Ranpo is his sarcastic self as he rejects Mitamura’s offer. The officer is irritated and threatens him with his gun. He ends up revealing that V either has ability users working for them or exterminates them. However, at that moment, Fukuzawa barges in and disarms all the guards. Ranpo is excited at the whole ordeal but Fukuzawa stops him and slaps him. He is furious that Ranpo is taking the kidnapping lightheartedly and tells him never to act recklessly even if he knew Fukuzawa would save him. Ranpo tears up and apologizes. He hugs him and Fukuzawa sighs.

The next day, they see that V has killed Mitamura and covered it up. At that moment, Fyodor watches them from afar and says it’s not V but the Roman number ‘five’. But he hides before Fukuzawa spots him. In the prison, Oda is suspicious about the curry that Fukuzawa sent him but he likes it.

In an epilogue which happens a year later, Ranpo and Fukuzawa are called in by the man with the cane. He thanks them for saving him and Ranpo realises that the man let himself caught to lure out the leader. Fukuzawa promises to help him catch the leader. In return, they want a permit to launch a special detective agency for ability users as they cannot openly use their powers in public. He agrees and it is revealed that he is Soseki Natsume, the same man who later mentored Fukuzawa and Mori.

The Episode Review

We fans will take whatever crumbs we can get of Oda and it looks like the writers know this. While we see him escaping in episode 1 of Bungo Stray Dogs season 4, it looks like he was again caught and imprisoned for supposedly killing the victim. Well, this at least allows us to get a glimpse of him again as Fukuzawa calls in a favour with Fukuchi (who will later play a much bigger role) in getting Oda to spill V’s secrets.

While the next episodes will take us back to the present time, it does look like we will be seeing more of V as it seems that they are linked to Fyodor, the big bad baddie of season 3. But rejoice, this also means that we will finally get all of our faves back from Dazai and Atsushi to Akutagawa and Chuuya.