AtsuKyou

"It's fine. I won't fail. Because I'm together with you."

- Kyouka to Atsushi

Atsukyoka is the het ship between Atsushi Nakajima and Kyouka Izumi from the Bungou Stray Dogs fandom.

Canon
Atsushi and Kyoka first met in season 1 as Atsushi accompanies Yosano on her shopping trip. He spots Kyoka in the crowd for the first time. Later on in the episode, the train they take home is hijacked by members of the Port Mafia. Atsushi runs into Kyoka again only to find out she is a member of the Port Mafia and has orders to detonate a bomb. During this encounter, Atsushi is able to get through to her and gets her to reveal the bomb which is strapped around her. Consumed in her self hatred she pushes herself out of the train just as the bomb is about to detonate not wishing to kill any more people. Atsushi leaps after her and rips off the detonator effectively saving her life. Later on, they are found sitting ashore, where Atsushi eventually collapses in her lap from exhaustion. Afterwards they are both taken back to the agency to be treated. Kyoka is then questioned, but insists she will only release intel on the Port Mafia if they take her to eat steamed tofu which Atsushi agrees to, but later comes to regret because of the price of the specific restaurant Kyouka wants to visit. After this, Kunikida strongly advises Atsushi to turn her into the Military Police in private, but Atsushi is very reluctant and decides instead to take her out on a "date". He visibly blushes and stutters after he realizes what he had proposed, but she agrees anyways. The two are seen enjoying themselves all over the city, and Kyoka seems to lose her formerly aloof manner, and even drags Atsushi to go to a crepe stand. However, their "date" is ended as Kyoka takes them to the final stop on their date. The Military Police Station where she intends to turn herself in. Just as she is about to turn herself in, members of the Port Mafia kidnap her and Atsushi, bringing them to a barge ship. On the ship, they are held captive as Akutagawa aims to kill Atsushi, and Kyoka unsuccessfully tries to save him but she ends up in a chokehold. Instead of giving in, however, Kyoka says how she enjoyed their time together how "the crepes were good" and Atsushi is shocked. Kunikida eventually shows up and Atsushi is given the chance to escape on his own, but he decides to go back and save Kyoka, the two escape together.

Afterward,s as Atsushi goes back to the office he worries if the others will accept her only to walk to find she is dressed up in a maid costume with the rest all around her fawning over her. Kyoka soon pleads to join the Agency so she could "prove to herself that she could do more than kill," and after hearing this Atsushi backs up her claim, and the president allows it. After Kyoka joins the agency Dazai decides to jokingly set her up as Atsushi's new roommate to "protect her". Later Kyoka has her first assignment and fails miserably, Atsushi attempts to cheer her up and buys her a crepe. He also mentions how she might use her supernatural gift in the future which she is very startled by. The two are interrupted by a Port Mafia member and Kyouka's former superior Ozaki Kouyou, who tells Kyouka that she needs to come back to Port Mafia. Kyouka refuses and tries to fight back, but is quickly bested. Ozaki says she'll kill Atsushi if she doesn't join her, and to protect him she does, before reinforcements from the Port Mafia, Armed Detective Agency, and Guild arrive, and she escapes in the crossfire.

She isn't seen again for a while until she shows up to save Atsushi who is attacked by the Guild leader, she tries to protect Atsushi; who is injured, but both end up taken hostage by the Guild. Kyouka feeling as though she can't save anything only kill does little to escape or help save the city from destruction until eventually, Dazai convinces her to help. Unable to stop the ship from crashing into the city Atsushi grows desperate, then he hears Kyouka's voice. She tells him she is able to set up a drone to destroy the ship before it crashes into the city, and that she will not be able to escape with them as she is chained up. Atsushi tries to come up with a different plan but time is up and the survivors are all hurled out of the ship on parachutes. Believing her dead Atsushi is very distressed, only later does he find out from Dazai and the President that Kyouka was able to escape. She arrives on land and Atsushi runs and embraces her. In the movie, Dead Apple, Atsushi and Kyouka are both asleep in their dorm, both dreaming of their own abilities and a strange fog. Kyouka wakes Atsushi, telling him what was happening to her and him telling her the same thing was happening to him. They exit the dorm to see all of Yokohama is covered in a thick fog. They meet up with Kunikida, who explains that the reason for the mass suicides of ability users was another ability that made people's own turn against them. Kunikida tells them to go find the ability user, who is currently teamed up with Dazai and a man named Fyodor Dostoyevsky, while Kunikida stays behind to fight against his own ability. The two encounter Akutagawa, and soon have to face off on their own against their abilities in order to reclaim them, which they successfully do. Atsushi, however, is still unable to use his ability in spite of defeating the duplicate tiger, and so Kyouka and Akutagawa decide to go face the ability user on their own, leaving Atsushi behind. However, Atsushi regains his memories of his childhood when he was tortured by Shibusawa, the ability user behind the fog, and also regains his ability, and joins Akutagawa and Kyouka in defeating Shibusawa.

Official BSD Anthology
In Chapter "A Sweet Day Out", Chuuya meets Atsushi and Kyouka who walking together. Kyouka wanted to attack Chuuya because she doesn't trust him, but Atsushi told her they should respect and trust to "Dazai's friend". Chuuya gets angry and tells that they aren't friends, then he asks are they on a date. Kyouka didn't show a big emotions, but Atsushi did. His face turn to red and he denies saying they aren't. Atsushi says that they are here to buy snacks for everyone on the Agency. Later, Chuuya gives advice what to buy for Dazai. Afterwards, Atsushi and Kyouka thanked him and go back to the Agency. In BSD Anthology 4 Chapter 2, feeling shy and blushing, Kyouka asks Naomi for advice about Atsushi. Kyouka tells she wants to surprise Atsushi with a thank-you gift. Naomi gives her an idea of making a home-cooked meal together. They start to decide what to cook, and Naomi asks Kyouka what she wants. Kyouka tells her different kinds of Tofu and Naomi starts to worry that they might give up without start. Naomi tells the kind of meal they plan to cook needs to to be stylish and feminine to impress Atsushi. Just then, Kunikida and Dazai come in. Kunikida is angry to Dazai and tells him that they need to go to their job on Aomori but Dazai tells Kunikida he plans to go receive his market exchange reward. Dazai opens his market exchange reward and everyone see that it's apples. Dazai shows those apples to Kyouka and Naomi notes the fact that apples would definitely make a girly-chic meal. Later on, Kyouka blushing confess to Atsushi her plan about making a feast dinner today for him. Atsushi is very shocked about that and doesn't know what to say and starts blushing. Naomi tells that they need to go to start cooking. Then, Atsushi tells other how much he is happy that Kyouka is going to make a meal for him. Dazai says he's glad for Atsushi and gives him a single present. Atsushi is going home and thinking about Kyouka's words. He thinks that it will be kind of Tofu, but he tells to himself that whatrever she gives him, it will be delicious. Kyouka greets him and gives him food. Atsushi is very happy, but she gives so many food with apples and Atsushi already know he almost reached his limits with apples. He starts to think about flavording which Dazai gave him as gift and he tells to himself that he still hear his voice and it makes him crazy. His thoughts are interrupted by Kyouka who is thanking him with smile. She says: "Seeing someone's excitement can make me happy... I never knew." Atsushi smiles at her. He thanks her for food and tells that it was very delicious.

Fanon
Fans of the ship point to the two's close professional and personal relationship as proof of a budding romance. Though the pair do indeed share a tight bond over their traumatic pasts (pasts which they've helped each other work through), cemented by their many struggles shared together as members of the Agency, currently their relationship is best described as a "close friendship" (For his part, Atsushi admits to seeing her as something of a little sister).

The ship is often controversial in the fandom due to the age gap between Atsushi and Kyouka, with Kyouka being in her teens at 14 years (DoB Nov 4) and Atsushi being a young adult in his late teens at 18 (DoB May 5). This a difference of about 4 - 1/2 years, which isn't an uncommon age gap for adult couples, but a relatively large one between two teenagers of the likes of Atsushi and Kyouka. For their part, the ship's fans do typically prefer to see Atsukyoka only fully actualizing once the two have both come of age.

Fandom
FAN FICTION

TUMBLR

Instagram

Twitter

Trivia

 * Atsushi is the only person who showed Kyouka the light and truly cares about her.
 * They are often drawn together in official arts, mayoi cards and in the covers of Young Ace magazine.
 * In one official art, Kyouka was blushing on Atsushi when he smiled at her.
 * In BSD wan! Dazai often teasing Atsushi to Kyouka saying that there's something special in their relationship.
 * In official BSD Anthology 4 Chapter 2 was confirmed Kyouka's feelings to Atsushi. Also, there are a lot of hints about posibility of their mutual feelings in anime/manga.
 * In BSD wan! Chapter 66, Kyouka played the role of Snow White and Atsushi played the role of her prince. They almost kiss, but Lucy stops them.
 * Both Kyouka and Atsushi care about each other more than their own lives.
 * In Chapter "A Sweet Day Out" was confirmed that Chuuya thinks Atsushi and Kyouka dating.
 * Animators often draw them together. When season 4 was announced, many of the animators started drawing fanarts of those two together.

Variations

 * Dazushi Family the familyship between Osamu Dazai, Atsushi and Kyouka.

Navigation
Ацукёка