Summary:
- Bungo Stray Dogs has a total of five seasons, one OVA, and one movie; hence, we thought of a watch order guide.
- Bungo Stray Dogs can be watched in its release order or the chronological order.
- Here is our Bungo Stray Dogs watch order by release date and chronologically.
Bungo Stray Dogs is one of the most underrated anime out there. The story puts legendary writers like Osamu Dazai and Fyodor Dostoyevsky in a seinen setting with supernatural powers. Also called BSD, the show has five seasons and one movie, so it might be a bit confusing for newcomers willing to get into the show. Here is the ultimate Bungo Stray Dogs watch order guide – chronologically and by release date.
Table of Contents
Bungo Stray Dogs Watch Order Guide – Release Order
As is the case with any series (except Star Wars), the release order for Bungo Stray Dogs is the best way to experience the anime. Seasons 2, 3, and 4 have multiple flashback sequences, which may make people think that the chronological order is the best way to watch BSD. However, if you’re a newbie, watching the series that way will just confuse you, so the release order is the best way to experience Bungo Stray Dogs.
Bungo Stray Dogs Season 1 (2016)
- Number of Episodes: 12
- MAL Rating: 7.80
- Where to Watch: Netflix, Crunchyroll, Prime Video
BSD Season 1 pilot begins with our protagonist, Nakajima Atsushi, meeting Osamu Dazai. He rescues Dazai from drowning in a river but soon finds out that Dazai was actually trying to commit suicide. Dazai then takes Atsushi’s help to track down a mysterious tiger terrorizing the city.
However, it is later revealed that Atsushi was the tiger himself. His power is called Beast Beneath the Moonlight, which, as the name suggests, allows him to transform into a white tiger. Dazai recognizes Atsushi’s ability and brings him into the Armed Detective Agency. Over the course of the season, we are introduced to the main cast as they tackle different cases.
Bungo Stray Dogs Season 2 (2016)
- Number of Episodes: 12
- MAL Rating: 8.16
- Where to Watch: Netflix, Crunchyroll, Prime Video
Bungo Stray Dogs season 2 gives us our first flashback of the series, as it takes us four years before the first episode of season one. We get more insight into Osamu Dazai’s past in the Port Mafia. The flashback’s purpose is to show Dazai’s transition from the Mafia into the Armed Detective Agency.
The second half of the series introduces The Guild. It is a powerful organization that is invading Yokohama with a target on Atsushi owing to his white tiger ability. This is one of the first arcs featuring large-scale battles. We see Atsushi grow stronger as he starts gaining more and more control over his powers.
OVA: Walking Alone (2017)
- Runtime: 24m
- MAL Rating: 7.66
- Where to Watch: Netflix, Crunchyroll, Prime Video
Walking Alone, He Walks Alone, or Hitori Ayumu, is an OVA that takes place after season two. The plot solely focuses on Doppo Kunikida and fleshes out his calm and calculated character. We see Kunikida’s intellect in handling an active bomb situation where a girl is being used as a human bomb.
Bungo Stray Dogs: Dead Apple (2018)
- Runtime: 1 hr 30 min
- MAL Rating: 7.91
- Where to Watch: Netflix, Crunchyroll, Prime Video
Dead Apple is the first and only movie of BSD. The plot focuses on the Armed Detective Agency investigating a series of mass suicides of people with supernatural abilities. The suicides are triggered by a mysterious fog that causes supernatural-ability users’ powers to turn on them. The suicides lead the ADA to Shibusawa Tatsuhiko, also known as the collector, who is the mastermind behind the entire operation.
Bungo Stray Dogs Season 3 (2019)
- Number of Episodes: 12
- MAL Rating: 8.20
- Where to Watch: Netflix, Crunchyroll, Prime Video
Season 3 begins with yet another flashback, taking place seven years before the very first BSD episode. We see the Port Mafia go through a change in leadership. If you’re in any way aware of the BSD fandom, you would’ve heard of the iconic relationship of Chuya Nakahara and Dazai. This season’s flashback sequence fleshes out that relationship and gives us the team-up of Dazai and Chuya.
Fast forward to the current day and we see another organization take shape. If Port Mafia and the Guild wasn’t enough, an organization called The Rats of the House of the Dead emerges. They orchestrate a war between the Armed Detective Agency and the Port Mafia, which leads to yet another epic battle.
Bungo Stray Dogs Season 4 (2023)
- Number of Episodes: 13
- MAL Rating: 8.42
- Where to Watch: Netflix, Crunchyroll, Prime Video
The longest flashback yet, BSD season 4 begins with a flashback taking us 14 years before the events of the first episode. This time around, we get a look at the past of the Armed Detective Agency and its president, Yukichi Fukuzawa. Chronologically, Bungo Stray Dogs begins with these flashback episodes.
This season introduces yet another terrorist organization, Decay of Angels that frames the Armed Detective Agency for murder. This is when the Hunting Dogs are introduced, who, as the name suggests, are hunting down members of the ADA. Much of the focus of Season 4 is on the Armed Detective Agency as they try to unravel who is framing them and why.
Bungo Stray Dogs Season 5 (2023)
- Number of Episodes: 11
- MAL Rating: 8.61
- Where to Watch: Netflix, Crunchyroll, Prime Video
BSD Season 5 picks up right after the events of Season 4. We see the Armed Detective Agency go toe-to-toe against Decay of Angels, which wishes to bring an end to planet Earth. Season 5 is often considered the best episode since it has the highest stakes. Instead of the plot just being about Yokohama, we see the villain trying to bring an end to the world.
Bungo Stray Dogs Watch Order Guide – Chronologically
If you had to account for every flashback sequence, you should watch Bungo Stray Dogs in chronological order.
- Season 4: Episode 1-3
- Season 3: Episode 1-3
- Season 2: Episode 1-4
- Season 1: Episode 1-12
- Season 2: Episode 5-12
- OVA: Walking Alone
- Bungo Stray Dogs: Dead Apple
- Season 3: Episode 4-12
- Season 4: Episode 4-13
- Season 5: Episode: 1-11
Will there be a Bungo Stray Dogs Season 6
As of writing, there is no news of Bungo Stray Dogs Season 6 happening. However, this is also because the anime has caught up to the manga. Each episode of BSD covers 30-40 chapters of the manga. Season 5 ended on chapter 114. Since then, chapter 126 has been the latest chapter to be released.
Obviously, fewer than 10 episodes isn’t enough to cover an entire season, so it’s quite likely that Studio Bones is waiting for the manga to release more chapters.
