The Bungo Stray Dogs franchise has gone through several avenues, but there’s one thing that keeps its shows in common: its unforgettable characters. With Bungo Stray Dogs Wan! 2, the franchise took a much different approach by putting Atsushi Nakajima and his friends in the Armed Detective Agency in a chibi-like world. However, fans of Bungo Stray Dogs are also excited to be celebrating the franchise’s 10-year anniversary, which its creators were excited to share more about this year.
At Anime NYC 2026, I had the opportunity to speak with Yuto Uemura, who voices Atsushi Nakajima in Bungo Stray Dogs, and producer Chiaki Kurakane about the franchise’s legacy and more. Opening our conversation, I asked Uemura about his favorite thing about Atsushi and Akutagawa’s comedic and integral bond after a decade of voicing the former.
“I really like the way that despite hating each other,” Uemura began. “They also have a certain amount of respect for each other. In the main series, we spent a very long time working on establishing their relationship with each other.”
“These days, when I have lines that I have to say with Ono Kensho, who plays Akutagawa, we don’t have to say anything to be perfectly in sync. I think that’s definitely the result of working on this series for 10 years. So personally, as the voice actor, I really like Akutagawa.”
Considering how Bungo Stray Dogs Wan! is tonally different from the original series, some fans may be hesitant to jump into the new series. However, Uemura says that, despite the different circumstances, there’s something that every variation of Atsushi has in common.
“When I’m recording for Wan!, my top priority is making sure that it’s fun,” Uemura continued. “The other characters tend to behave in a very ridiculous way, which leads Atsushi to try to corral everyone and call them out on their ridiculousness.”
“I think when you say he’s approachable, it’s probably because he’s the character that the viewers are meant to identify with. The other characters tend to go wild, so Atsushi tries to keep everyone in check. I hope that audiences enjoy watching Atsushi struggle to do this!”
One of the fun things about Bungo Stray Dogs Wan! is how cartoonishly absurd, yet relatable, each episode feels. Whether viewers follow Atsushi and Akutagawa, Dazai and Chuuya, or the Agency and Port Mafia, each episode allows each character to shine. Kurakane spoke more on balancing the serious and comedic traits of each character in the new series.
“So, because [Kafka Asagiri] is involved in the process, the animation production team really doesn’t have to do anything extra to ensure that it still feels like Bungo Stray Dogs,” Kurakane began. “As far as animation production goes, the directors for the two series, the main series and Wan!, are different. As for the music, the background music is done by the same person, [Taku Iwasaki].”
“There’s two covers of Luck Life songs featured in the main series. In the first season, it was covered by Uemura-san, and in the second season of Wan!, there’s a cover by Ono Kensho-san.”
To celebrate Bungo Stray Dogs’ 10-year anniversary, new illustrations of the franchise’s iconic characters were released each week. Fans have tried dissecting what each of these posters means in the larger scheme of Bungo Stray Dogs’ future. During our conversation, Kurakane went into detail about the new artwork and how they emotionally resonate with fans.
“Within the illustration, we tried to capture the origin point of each character,” Kurakane continued. “The objective with doing that was to encourage people to return, not just to the characters, but to the story itself, right? Because it’s the 10th anniversary.”
Additionally, Kurakane also explained how the franchise’s connective stories, like Bungo Stray Dogs: DEAD APPLE, helps expand what fans know about these characters.
“We would really like it if people went back and took the opportunity to review these characters and their stories. As far as the spinoffs, DEAD APPLE is technically not a spinoff. It is an anime original story that fits within the main storyline.”
“As for Bungo Stray Dogs, it’s a franchise that has a lot of depth. It’s very three-dimensional. By showing so many different sides to the various characters in the world, this allows every individual viewer to form their own version of Bungo Stray Dogs within themselves. Rather than these spinoffs revealing sides of characters we haven’t seen, we’re showing the depth, the breadth of the characters.”
Furthermore, Bungo Stray Dogs has some iconic moments that fans absolutely love, whether that be Ranpo Edogawa’s realization about his parents or Dazai finally acknowledging Akutagawa’s strength. Reflecting on the franchise as a whole, Uemura and Kurakane reflected on which scenes stuck with them the most.
“It’s very difficult to name just one scene, but if I had to choose I would say it’s when Dazai and Atsushi toast to the Stray Dogs,” Uemura recalled. “Atsushi was on the brink of starving to death and it’s very memorable how he just chowed down on all of that ochazuke. Watching that guy join the ADA, find a reason to live, save people and grow, really gives you a lot to think about.”
“Atsushi was saved by Dazai, and in turn Atsushi saved Kyoka. I think that toast [in Episode 12 of Season 3] really represents this throughline, this connection that exists within the detective agency. I feel like Atsushi has really grown up to be an admirable individual, and I’ve grown alongside him.”
“I think the scene that really represents Atsushi’s growth is the one in episode 61, where Atsushi says, ‘This is just the two of us, and what else do we need,’” Kurakane added.
“That is a scene that really expresses this clear growth and change that has occurred in these characters. To begin with, they had very intense clashes with each other, but now they are fighting together against a common enemy, and there’s a certain amount of trust between the two of them.”
“A really important part of when we are developing the structure of a season is where to put and where to express the moments of Atsushi’s growth. In DEAD APPLE, which comes in the timeline just before Season 3, we couldn’t have the final enemy defeated by just Atsushi and Akutagawa, which is why we added Kyoka as the third member.”
Seasons 1 and 2 of Bungo Stray Dogs Wan! 2 are available to stream on Crunchyroll.
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Christopher Gallardo is a freelance entertainment writer and critic with a Bachelor’s of Science with minors in Digital Media & Journalism. When not running The Reel Roller, Chris writes reviews and breakdowns on all things film and TV for outlets including Nerdtropolis, Tell-Tale TV, Eulalie Magazine, and more. Plus, he loves Percy Jackson, animated films and shows, and Fallout! Follow Christopher on Instagram & X.