Summary
This episode wraps up the theater mystery while setting fans up for the next arc seamlessly. While the conclusion is thrilling, the more emotional moments help round the episode out and resonate with viewers.
We recap the Crunchyroll anime series Bungo Stray Dogs Season 4 Episode 3, “Secretes of the Founding of the Detective Agency,” which contains spoilers.
Bungo Stray Dogs Season 4 Episode 2 left viewers with a lot to think about, especially after ending the episode on a major cliffhanger. Just when it looked like the theater mystery had been solved, things took a turn for the unexpected, leaving everyone from Yukichi (Rikiya Koyama) to the audience caught off guard. While Ranpo (Hiroshi Kamiya) is usually no less than two steps ahead of everyone, even he hasn’t seemed to figure out he’s in danger yet. Despite knowing both he and Yukichi make it out of this situation alive, it’s still nerve-wracking to see them fall deeper into a trap they didn’t even realize was coming. Here’s hoping they can figure it out before things get too messy.
Bungo Stray Dogs Season 4 Episode 3 Recap
The episode opens with Ranpo in the Police Officer’s car on the way to the station. The officer makes a comment about Ranpo and Yukichi working well together, to which Ranpo replies that he doesn’t think Yukichi really wants to work with him. He’s surprised by how well Ranpo seems to know Yukichi and wonders about Ranpo’s alleged ability to see through the truth. In asking about it, he reveals just how much he truly doubts Ranpo. This ride is just a means to test Ranpo, which frustrates the young detective.
Realizing they are not heading to the Police Station, Ranpo proposes a game to the officer to find out, allowing the man to ask any question about the theater incident he likes. If he should run out of questions before Ranpo runs out of answers, Ranpo wins. He asks Ranpo questions about the man in the suit who was found tied up on stage and the stagewright, who Ranpo knows was dead the entire time. It seems the whole ordeal was really a secret plan to abduct the man in the suit, and realizing he’s won, asks where they are going while also accusing the Police Officer of the murder and kidnapping.
Back at the theater, another officer tells Yukichi he has heard no confirmation that Ranpo has made it to the Police Station yet. As he relays the crime in his mind, he realizes that the stagewright and Murakami are just pawns in a larger game. He grows suspicious of the officer with Ranpo, asking for his name. They tell him that Ranpo left with Senior Officer Mitamura, who has since turned his phone off. Concerned, Yukichi goes to leave the theater when his attention is caught by a business card trapped under a sign Ranpo made a scene of knocking over earlier. He picks up the card to find Ranpo’s handwriting warning them that Mitamura is the actual perpetrator, and to prove it, they must find the cane the man in the suit had with him earlier. Yukichi searches the stage for the cane, and when he finds it, he sees a memory chip inside, prompting him to call for assistance.
Meanwhile, Mitamura takes Ranpo to an abandoned building and explains he is part of an organization that plans to “rid the country of evil people”. He doesn’t want to hurt Ranpo as his orders say and instead invites him to join their cause, but the young detective declines.
Yukichi heads to a prison where Sakunosuke Oda is being held. He explains to the assassin that people in witness protection commonly use this memory chip to communicate with the protection agency. This one is special because it’s only given to the Gifted, or people with abilities. Yukichi asks Oda if he knows anything about the Gifted being captured alive or an Organization that goes by the name of V. Oda explains they are a group who kills for ritual. One he’d rather not be involved with. All Yukichi needs from him is the location of the place they may be holding Ranpo, and in exchange, he says he’ll testify on Oda’s behalf so that he can be released. Oda agrees to do the job for curry instead.
The more Mitamura tries to convince Ranpo to join him, the more bored Ranpo grows. He taunts Mitamura, which frustrates the man enough to point a gun in his face. As he rants, Ranpo realizes that his organization, V, is one run by Gifteds to flush out other Gifted people.
Ending Explained
Following a three-second countdown from Ranpo, Yukichi comes bursting through the window to his rescue. He quickly takes out Mitamura before incapacitating the other guards around the building.
After making sure Ranpo is okay, Yukichi slaps him, scolding the detective for being reckless and worrying him. Ranpo says he only acted this way because he knew Yukichi would come for him. After reminding him, he is still only a child and should not be risking his life, causing Ranpo to sob and apologize.
The next day they see in the newspaper that Mitamura was murdered while in custody, likely to silence him. However, they still cannot determine if V’s overall part in this. On top of a nearby building, viewers see Fyodor watching them, correcting their pronunciation of V to “five”.
After the credits role, there is an additional scene with Yukichi and Ranpo returning the cane to the man in the suit from the play. After exchanging thanks, Yukichi makes a request of the man. He wants to obtain a Gifted Business Permit and asks for his knowledge of the Gifted Special Operations Division. Here we finally learn the man in the suit’s name is Natsume Soseki as he agrees to help.
Things were looking bleak for a lot of this episode as we were left to wonder if Yukichi would find Ranpo in time. The fact that Ranpo never lost faith in him was a touching addition to their relationship. These flashback episodes have been a very eye-opening and informative look into not only their dynamic, but also the founding of the Armed Detective Agency, and even a few villain origin stories as well. If it’s one thing this series has proven before, it knows how to use pacing and flashbacks to its advantage to make an already thrilling storyline that much more layered. Seeing these backstories has been a treat.
The ending of this case was satisfying and set up the next arc well. It feels like these three episodes were only the beginning, and now things will only get harder for Yukichi and Ranpo as we head back to the present. If that’s the case, this season is setting itself up to be one of the best of the series, having already started on a high note.
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