Bungou Stray Dogs is an action and mystery anime series that first aired in the spring of 2016. We called anime, but the series is based on Kafka Asagiri’s manga series, which has been airing since 2012. The manga series, which exceeded 6 million copies in circulation according to 2018 data, is as popular as its anime worldwide. The anime of the series was created by Bones studio, and Takuya Igarashi has been directing the series. We also know the studio from popular anime series such as Noragami and Mob Psycho 100. The second season of the Crunchyroll licensed anime aired right after the first season, and the third season of the anime met with the audience on April 12, 2019, three years later. Made in collaboration with Bones and Nomad (Koikimo), ‘Bungou Stray Dogs Wan!‘, was added to the series’ products as a spin-off anime. After the spin-off, which began airing on January 13, 2021, fans are excited for the fourth season, which is expected to be the sequel of the series. So has the anime been renewed for a fourth season?
What is the plotline of the Bungou Stray Dogs?
What do you think if famous writers such as Agatha Christie, Edger Allen Poe, Dostoevsky, and Dan Brown came together? Of course, this is an impossible event, but there is no such thing as impossible for an anime. Bungou Stray Dogs, which gives famous writers (or famous characters) names, especially Japanese, to all of its characters, entertainingly offers us famous names than ever with its action-packed content.
Atsushi Nakajima is a teenager kicked out of an orphanage, hungry and thirsty, with nowhere to go. A mysterious tiger invaded his orphanage, so the orphanage fell into financial difficulties. The orphanage, which implements a savings policy, first kicked Atsushi out. Thinking about what to do, Atsushi sits on the river bank and sees a drowning man in the river. Of course, Atsushi saves this strange and eccentric man. However, the man who said he committed suicide brushes Atsushi well. This man introduces himself as Dazai Osamu and introduces Atsushi with his partner Kunikida Doppo, who is fed up with Dazai’s constant suicide attempts.
During the chat, Atsushi learns from Dazai and Doppo that they are somehow interested in the mysterious tiger around Atsushi. Moreover, the duo is a member of the “Armed Detective Agency”, which Atsushi hears about in the circulating rumors. When this is the case, Atsushi, who did not even know what to do a few hours ago, finds himself among strange people with strange powers, especially Dazai.
Will there be a fourth season of Bungou Stray Dogs?
On November 7, 2021, the news that made the fans happy was shared on the official Twitter account of Bungou Stray Dogs. Bungou Stray Dogs has been renewed for a fourth season and a new visual has been shared! The renewal announcement, which drew attention to new enemies and new adventures, attracted great attention. As of May 28, 2022, the renewal announcement is still the latest information about the new season and a release date of the anime has not been shared yet. However, it will be announced to the followers in the coming months. “Bungo Stray Dogs Wan!”, as a spin-off to the series, is aired in spring 2021. Production time is usually a little over a year. Based on predictions, we may see the anime’s new season in late 2022 or early 2023. Stay tuned for updates for the Bungou Stray Dogs anime series.
Manga
Bungou Stray Dogs manga, the original of the series, is written by Kafka Asagiri and illustrated by Sango Harukawa. Published by Kadokawa Shoten, the series has been airing since December 4, 2012. The anime also has an English publisher. Thanks to Yen Press, it is possible to follow the manga series in English. 22 volumes of the manga series have been published so far, and the series is still ongoing.
The first 3 seasons of the Bungou Stray Dogs were based on the main manga series. The latest spin-off anime is based on a side story and adapted from the side manga of the same name. Up to chapter 53, volume 13 of the main manga was adapted into the anime in 3 seasons. With a simple ratio of proportion, we see that the manga series contains enough source material for the fourth and more seasons. Considering that the series is still continuing, if everything goes well, we will be able to see more than 4 seasons.
| Anime | Manga |
| Season 1 | up to Vol. 4 Ch. 16 |
| Season 2 | up to Vol. 9 Ch. 37 |
| Season 3 | up to Vol. 13 Ch. 53 |
BluRay/DVD disc sales and the popularity of the anime
Although the demand for disc sales has decreased with the increase in streaming platforms in recent years, disc sales are still good data to compare with other anime released in the same period and to see the popularity in Japan. In general, it is expected an anime should achieve 4,000 sales on volumes’ average for a new season confirmation. When we look at the disc sales of the anime, we see that it achieved above-average sales for the first three seasons. Although disc sales have decreased in the third season of the anime, we cannot say that we are hopeless for a new season. On the other hand, “Bungou Stray Dogs Wan!” sold only 1,261 units on average, but it should be considered separately as a spin-off. The 3rd season of the anime was ranked 8th among 32 anime series that went on sale in the 2019 Spring season. The leaders of the period were Demon Slayer with 28k sales and Re:Zero‘s OVA episode Memory Snow with 13k sales.
| Seasons | Disc Sales |
| Season 1 | 5,299 |
| Season 2 | 4,954 |
| Season 3 | 3,462 |
| Spin-off -Wan! | 1,261 |
On the other hand, the official Twitter account of the anime is followed by about 473k people. That is a perfect follower count for an anime series. We can do a simple comparison to give you a better idea. The Promised Neverland, which is also a very popular anime, is followed by 316k people, or Black Clover, which is highly praised by anime fans and renewed many times, is followed by 103k people. Bungo Stray Dogs is very popular in Japan and also around the world. We can also see this in the strong search volume on Google. Anime is searched on Google as much as Redo of Healer or Dr. Stone. Besides, on Myanimelist, it is shown as the 92nd most popular anime of all time.
| Seasons | Release Date |
| Season 1 | April 7, 2016 |
| Season 2 | October 6, 2016 |
| Season 3 | April 12, 2019 |
| Spin-off -Wan! | January 13, 2021 |
| Season 4 | Early 2023 (Expectation) |