For the first few seasons of Bungo Stray Dogs, Yukichi Fukuzawa isn't quite a major character, though he's by no means understated if his theme music in Season 1 is anything to go by. However, his special ability is integral to the development of the main characters and the central themes, making Fukuzawa's eventual prominence in the plot all the greater in retrospect.

Fukuzawa is the president of the Armed Detective Agency, the assembly of superhuman detectives at the heart of Bungo's story, but there is a history behind this stoic man of honor. Formerly an assassin for the government, he left a life of killing in the aftermath of the Great War and formed the agency alongside young ace detective Edogawa Ranpo.

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Fukuzawa's Incredibly Powerful "All Men Are Created Equal" Ability

When Bungo's protagonist, Atsushi Nakajima, first appears in the story, he isn't even aware of his power to turn into a bloodthirsty tiger, much less able to control it. After joining the agency and getting some experience in the field, he eventually gets the hang of his abilities and can partially transform his limbs without fully becoming a tiger. While this is reflective of his inner growth, it's also revealed to be a direct result of the president's power.

Fukuzawa's ability is called "All Men Are Created Equal," and it allows him to suppress the abilities of others such that they are easier to control. It's fairly simple when phrased like that, but it's the conditions upon which the ability applies that make it interesting and grant it pregnant meaning. For starters, it only applies to people who are Fukuzawa's subordinates, meaning employees of the Armed Detective Agency.

Of course, becoming a full member is about more than just applying for the job. A person whom Fukuzawa would consider a true part of the agency must meet his criteria, and thus, the entrance exam is a deciding factor. Atsushi's tense negotiation with Tanizaki pretending to be a bomber in Episode 2 was his exam, and the Guild's attempted destruction of Yokohama became Kyouka's exam as per Dazai and Ranpo's plan.

As a bonus, the ability is suggested to give Fukuzawa some awareness of the condition of his subordinates. In Season 4, after Kunikida was suspected to be dead, it was Fukuzawa who asserted that they couldn't be dead, otherwise he'd have sensed it. Because there is no known instance of a person being kicked out of the agency, it's unclear whether the heightened control over the ability would be taken away upon leaving or if it sticks with the ability user.

(Note: Katai Tayama is a former member, but he seems to have been on good terms with everyone, and there's no suggestion that he lacked precise control over his ability before.)

Fukuzawa's ability is named after a quote from the real-life Fukuzawa's An Encouragement of Learning (1872), a 17-volume text in which he discusses the importance of equality. Specifically, the text promotes equality of opportunity and education as a fundamental component of success among the public. His advocacy for such aims was hugely influential during the Meiji Period of Japan, a rapidly shifting time in the nation's politics.

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The Importance of Fukuzawa's Ability

Something that doesn't get brought up in the anime is the moment Fukuzawa's ability awakened. In an extra within Volume 9 of the manga, Dazai tells Atsushi that Fukuzawa wasn't even aware of his power until some time after he became president of the agency. Previously, he'd never considered himself the type to lead anyone, having been used as a tool of the government.

As seen in Season 4's opening arc, this changed irrevocably after he met Ranpo and realized the good that could be done by combining his skills and the young man's deductive skills. Not only did Fukuzawa become a father figure to Ranpo, but he also gained the confidence to lead, which no doubt awakened his power. Of course, Ranpo's deductive skills are not the result of a special ability, but they don't need to be to demonstrate the true meaning of "All Men Are Created Equal."

On a surface level, Fukuzawa's ability only really serves a purpose through the lens of characters like Atsushi or Kyouka, whose powers were out of their control. Being a part of the agency gave them the control they lacked, but that's merely symbolic of the larger importance of the agency and Fukuzawa's leadership.

The "stray dogs" alluded to in the title encompass much of the cast, be they from the agency or not; people who have lost their homes and families, in search of belonging. Their unique powers make them special but also exemplify them as an "other," and as demonstrated by Ranpo, this need not apply only to superpowers. Ranpo struggles with understanding people and social cues, which some fans have interpreted as him being autism-coded.

If Fukuzawa didn't know he was Gifted before founding the agency, then his granting Ranpo control in Episode 39 wasn't just him pretending that Ranpo was Gifted. It meant that, however briefly, Fukuzawa pretended to be Gifted as well, all to help a scared and anxious young boy feel safe and like it was okay to be himself.

Whenever characters discuss the Armed Detective Agency within the text, they often speak of Ranpo and his intellect as the sun around which everything else orbits. With all that said, it could be argued just as strongly that Fukuzawa's ability - and the compassion it represents - is just as important to understand the purpose of the agency and the series' greatest theme.

Bungo Stray Dogs is a lot of things, but when it counts the most, it's a story about orphans - literal or allegorical - in search of a place where they can simply be allowed to live. Furthermore, it's about what that necessity means and looks like to different people. Yukichi Fukuzawa is the underrated mascot of this fundamental ideal of equality for all and the father of the agency that these orphans deserve.

Bungo Stray Dogs is available to stream on Crunchyroll.

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