Tatsuhiko Shibusawa - The Collector

(Tatsuhiko Shibusawa is the main antagonist of the 2018 anime film Bungo Stray Dogs: DEAD APPLE and its' manga/light novel adaptation.) Six years ago, Shibusawa met a Russian named Fyodor Dostoevsky who told him about the ability that "guided the envy of all ability users". This certain ability user turned out to be Atsushi Nakajima, a boy still in the orphanage. Shibusawa tried to extract the boy's ability, but he was unable to and surmised that it has not yet fully developed within Atsushi. He then resorted to using electrical torture to force it out. Ultimately, Atsushi was taken over by the tiger and killed Shibusawa. However, Shibusawa's own ability separated from his corpse and inherited his collection of abilities. From then on, this ability—"Tatsuhiko Shibusawa"—believed he was still human and forgot about his death.

Three years later after the Dragon's Head Conflict, Shibusawa releases his fog known as the "breath of the dragon" in Taipei, killing a fire ability user Zhang Jianlin. Two years later, he goes to Singapore, where his fog kills Hafis bin Wan, a card-wielding gifted. Half a year later, in Detroit, Shibusawa once more performs the same incident that kills the ice-manipulating ability user Emily Jane Smith in the fog. All three abilities have since then been collected by Shibusawa. A year after the large-scale incident with the Guild, there have been 128 confirmed cases related to the mysterious fog and at least 500 ability user deaths, with the Special Division for Unusual Powers referring to the chain of events as the Serial_Skill_User_Suicide_Phenomenon. Eventually, the case is handed to the Armed Detective Agency after discovering that Shibusawa, aliased the Collector, has made his way to Yokohama. Dazai is suspected of bringing Shibusawa to the city and later cornered for arrest by Ango Sakaguchi for his involvement with Shibusawa. Dazai, however, apparently evades arrest when Shibusawa arrives and generates his fog on the Special Division agents. Shibusawa soon welcomes Dazai and Fyodor in Skull Fortress. After Shibusawa declares that he shall acquire all abilities in Yokohama, they voice out their mutual distrust with one another despite being "collaborators", each obscuring their specific aim in the fog phenomenon. Later, he brings them to Draconia, his collection room of crystallized abilities that he has acquired over time, half of which he owes to Fyodor for selling him information about the ability users. When another crystal appears in his collection, signifying that an ability user has just died, Shibusawa laments still not having the valuable ability he seeks.

Tatsuhiko Shibusawa: “Are you not bored of looking at that?” Tatsuhiko Shibusawa: - Welcome to Draconia. Here lies my collection.

• Do you really think anyone could manage to defeat their own supernatural ability?
• I will continue onward beyond this shining void, and I shall be able to reach a new world. Tatsuhiko Shibusawa: He was muttering to himself, eyes downcast as he flung several things into a bucket of fire. “It will be mine. It won’t be mine. It will be mine. It won’t be mine…” It was as if he were picking flower petals and trying to tell his fortune. Except instead of flower petals, he was using banknotes and securities. There were even glittering gems in the bucket. Tatsuhiko Shibusawa: “Welcome, my boring visitors.” He turned his apathetic gaze to the two men. “I know neither of you will grant me my wish, either, so hurry up and die…like the rest of them.” A mist slowly rose behind Shibusawa, revealing something by his feet. The six men had been missing. Each one of their pupils were dilated as they lay there unmoving. It was evident that they were already dead. “All your friends committed suicide,” Shibusawa continued. “Not even death can cure a boring person from being boring.” Tatsuhiko Shibusawa: Shibusawa slowly approached the table and said in almost a whisper, “A sea of ivory and nothingness…a nondescript world full of coarseness.” He turned his gaze toward the table’s surface. “Tonight, all the skills in Yokohama will become mine.” He spoke of his prediction with a dull tone, as if it were fact. “Yet again, it appears no one will be capable of outsmarting me or defying my expectations… How truly boring.” Tatsuhiko Shibusawa: On the highest floor of Skull Fortress, Shibusawa slightly smirked before the other two men present. They were in a dark passageway located even deeper than the room decorated with apples that were pierced with knives and the countless tall windows that extended to the ceiling. “Welcome to my collection room—Draconia.” (Shibusawa was holding an ominous skull. Amid the darkness was a structure that emitted a pale glow. It was semicircular, like a circus tent or a giant conservatory, with a door in the shape of a coiled dragon. In its hand was a red jewel. The door opened, welcoming Dazai and Fyodor to Shibusawa’s so-called collection room, Draconia.* In the center was a pedestal-like pillar surrounded by display shelves attached to the wall. It was 360 degrees of shelves, and displayed on them were red crystals. The second level of the collection room was no different. Hundreds—thousands—of crystals decorated the shelves. “Each one of these is a skill, huh?” Dazai muttered coldly as he looked at the wall. “That’s a huge collection you got yourself.” “Marvelous. Even the devil himself would be envious.” Fyodor smirked, then leaned into Dazai and whispered, “The crystals started clamoring ever since you set foot in the room.” But Shibusawa only reacted to Fyodor’s first comment. Perhaps he hadn’t heard the second part—or he simply didn’t care. Tatsuhiko Shibusawa: Shibusawa believes that Fyodor Dostoevsky is the only one who can understand him Tatsuhiko Shibusawa: Skill users who came in contact with the fog were split from their skills, which then attacked them. If they managed to defeat their skill, then they would get their skill back. However, what would happen if they lost? One look inside Draconia could answer that. They would be killed by their skills, which would then turn into a crystal, only to be collected by Shibusawa. The red crystals on the skills’ foreheads were proof that they had become a part of his collection. Little did Atsushi and the others know that the fire-wielding skill user in Taipei who was burned to death, the card-wielding assassin crucified in Singapore, and the ice wielder skewered in Detroit were all people who Shibusawa robbed skills from. Their skills had surely turned into crystals and added to the collection just like the rest. Shibusawa was only able to subjugate all of Yokohama because he had gathered so many skills in the form of crystals. So he was thankful to an extent to Fyodor, who had supplied him with information. “However…” As if he was testing Fyodor, Shibusawa asked, “How were you able to gather so much information?” “The city is full of rats.” After Fyodor shrugged and dodged the question, Dazai muttered a tedious “Meow.” An empty space on the shelf behind him suddenly illuminated. The light grew stronger and more condensed until it eventually transformed into a red crystal that spun as it filled in the void. “We have a new arrival.” Shibusawa took notice of the new crystal. “Somewhere in Yokohama, another skill user has died. However…” Tatsuhiko Shibusawa: “Humans are nothing more than sacks of flesh stuffed with familiar machinery,” Shibusawa suddenly said from within the collection room decorated with its many red crystals. “They are all self-evident, monotonous creatures.” Dazai and Fyodor quietly listened to his speech. “But there’s one person even I fail to understand.” Shibusawa suddenly stopped strolling around the room as if he were scrutinizing his collection. “Myself,” he claimed with a straight face. “Even I cannot decipher my own thoughts—some parts of my mind are blank, like the spaces between lines of text in a novel.” “Do you have any friends?” asked Dazai, the exasperation on his face evident. “Friends are unnecessary to life.” Shibusawa closed his eyes and smiled languidly. “Because I already know what everyone is thinking deep down.” He turned and faced Dazai and Fyodor, who were standing side by side. “I will surely be able to go between my lines, beyond the light of empty spaces where another world awaits.” His words were dripping with confidence. “…You wouldn’t be saying that if you had friends,” Dazai mumbled. Shibusawa paid no heed to Dazai’s utterance and instead continued: “That time will soon come, for all the skills in Yokohama will become mine.” Everything was going to go according to plan. There was no other possible outcome. The reasoning was simple. Shibusawa walked to the center of Draconia with an air of authority and peered at Dazai. Smirking contemptuously, he whispered: “Do you truly think there is even a single person who can conquer their own skill?” Tatsuhiko Shibusawa: “Humans are nothing more than sacks of flesh stuffed with familiar machinery,” Shibusawa suddenly said from within the collection room decorated with its many red crystals. “They are all self-evident, monotonous creatures.” Tatsuhiko Shibusawa: - I told you, didn't I...? There is not a soul alive that can surpass my expectations.
• Show me, once more! Reveal to me that light which can nullify all Abilities!
• The Russian that once informed me of your existence, he said... that the dragon is the true incarnation of chaos, of these Abilities combined... Their original form! Tatsuhiko Shibusawa: - This outfit? I prepared it myself, of course. It's not that I particularly care for this one... but a party like this calls for something somewhat fancy, no?
• I have collected some of the finest items from around the world... but none of them seem to satisfy me. I thought it would at least be a good way to pass the time, though.
• Now, I am done with my preparations, so it is time for me to go and meet them... I hope talking with them will fill a little of the void inside of me...
• Music cannot fill my heart... What comfort could it possibly bring to me when it is so far from what I seek...?
• Even though I am surrounded by what is said to be fine alcohol and musical masterpieces, none of that helps to fill my heart. I am merely passing the time.
• Though music cannot fill my heart, it can fill the air and time. Even so, it is merely a small trick to distract me from my boredom.