Oda Sakunosuke

Overview

Oda Sakunosuke is a supporting character in the multimedia franchise Bungou Stray Dogs. Serving as a low-ranking handyman within the Port Mafia, he is affectionately referred to by his companions as Odasaku. Despite his past as a feared killer during his youth, he follows a strict self-imposed rule never to take a human life under any circumstances. Consequently, he manages odd jobs around the syndicate that do not involve lethal violence, while gaining deep respect from high-ranking figures such as Osamu Dazai for his hidden lethal potential.

Appearance

Sakunosuke Oda is a man depicted with short red hair and blue eyes. His clothing consists of a black collared shirt featuring subtle stripes, black pants, brown shoes, and a long-sleeved beige or brown coat.

Personality

Sakunosuke Oda is stoic, soft-spoken, and possesses a deeply compassionate nature. Having turned away from his former violence, he demonstrates a caring side by adopting and providing for orphans left homeless by mafia rivalries. He maintains a humble view of his own skills, viewing himself as less gifted than his friends. He enjoys eating spicy curry, whereas he dislikes stiff and formal dinner gatherings.

Abilities

His unique ability is titled Flawless (Ten'i Muhou), which enables him to foresee events between five and six seconds into the future. This allows him to evade sudden attacks originating from his blind spots, though it cannot help him if he is already caught in an inescapable trap when the vision occurs. When pitted against another individual with identical precognition skills, an ability singularity is triggered, causing overlapping visions of the future and greatly dilating both combatants' subjective perception of time.

Background

In his early youth, Sakunosuke Oda operated as a deadly assassin, recognized for his martial skill even by Fukuzawa Yukichi. His life course changed after receiving the final volume of an unfinished book alongside advice that writing a novel requires understanding human nature; to earn the right to write the story's conclusion, he vowed never to kill again. Dreaming of one day writing a book in a room overlooking the sea, he maintained his non-lethal stance after joining the Port Mafia. He ultimately met his end during a violent crisis, and his final words inspired his close friend Osamu Dazai to part ways with the syndicate.

Relationships

Sakunosuke Oda shared an enduring bond of friendship with Osamu Dazai and Ango Sakaguchi, regularly meeting them at Bar Lupin regardless of their differences in mafia rank. Osamu Dazai held Sakunosuke's true power in high regard, telling others that an enraged Sakunosuke could defeat high-ranking members. Sakunosuke's dying plea for Dazai to become someone who saves people served as the catalyst for Dazai to leave the organization. His formidable standard was also referenced by Dazai when training Ryunosuke Akutagawa.

Trivia

His fondness for spicy curry is one of his most prominent signature traits. The character takes his name and inspiration from the real-life Showa-era Japanese author Sakunosuke Oda, with his ability Flawless borrowing its title from one of the author's real short stories. Details regarding his life at fourteen years old are depicted in the story covering the founding of the Armed Detective Agency.