Reddit – Dive into anything
So, someone asked me to explain what exactly happened in Dead Apple. I don’t know how I should explain it, so I’ll just explain some things I think people would get confused on, then do an overview of the entire movie. Then everyone can just ask their questions in the comments.
Someone once asked me: What is Shibusawa’s ability?
Shibusawa’s ability is the power to create a dense fog big enough to cover an entire city. Inside that fog, ability users will lose their abilities/gifts and those abilities will gain form, then go against their owners, thus killing the owner when they fail to defeat their abilities. When an ability kills their user, it turns into a red crystal and appears in Shibusawa’s collection room.
Another question was: What does the apple represent/mean? / What does Dead Apple mean?
This, I have no idea as well. It’s basically the same as the title “Bungo Stray Dogs”. There are many theories, but I nor anyone else know what exactly it represents, despite it being mentioned many times in the story. It might be something related to the “apple suicide” Dazai mentioned.
What is the Dragon Head Conflict?
The Dragon Head Conflict is an incident that happened six years prior to the present time. This is how it is described:
Never in the history of Yokohama’s underground society did so many corpses pile up as they did during that eighty-eight day bloodbath known as the Dragon Head Conflict. A great number of organizations were involved in the slaughter.
The beginning of Dead Apple shows the night before its conclusion. This is when Dazai and Chuuya meet Shibusawa, and also where Odasaku meets one of the orphans he takes in, Sakura.
Other things would be hard to explain without talking about the whole story, so I’ll start the summary for it now.
This is the summary for Dead Apple on the back of the light novel:
An unexplained spate of suicides by skill users worldwide has sent the Armed Detective Agency on a search for Tatsuhiko Shibusawa, a mysterious skill user who may be connected. Each incident occurs under the blanket of a thick fog… just like the one descending on Yokohama. Kyouka Izumi and Atsushi Nakajima are hot on Shibusawa’s heels when they run into their enemy Ryuunosuke Akutagawa–but this time, the three share the same goal: Find Shibusawa and save Yokohama from certain destruction!
It describes what basically happens in Dead Apple perfectly while not covering all the details. But well, I’ll start my very long, not really chronological ordered overview of the movie now. I’m going to cover the events in chronological order of what happens but not the order of the movie. Hard to explain.
The next part, you don’t need to read, it’s just what happens in Dead Apple, I kinda gave up explaining everything midway through*.*
First of all, we’re starting in the past, when Atsushi was still a tortured kid at the orphanage. When Atsushi was young, not only did he get bullied and kicked around by the orphange, Shibusawa also put him on an electric chair and experimented with him. During that time, Atsushi’s ability came out of him in the form of a red crystal, and Shibusawa was intrigued. Apparently, Atsushi’s ability is special and unique, but when Shibusawa, reached out to grab it, young Atsushi went berserk and unconsciously took back his ability by eating the crystal, then using his claws to kill Shibusawa by attacking his head. Shibusawa then died.
Later, it is not known how, but we see Shibusawa at the Dragon Head Conflict. At that time, Shibusawa appears deranged and absolutely obsessed with Atsushi’s ability already, considering how he was muttering, “It will be mine, It won’t be mine…” while throwing his precious jewels into a fire. Unfortunately for him, it ends with “It won’t be mine”. Although, this is just my own speculation, since it isn’t exactly specified he was talking about Atsushi’s ability. Anyways, Dazai and Chuuya, who were there, fought against Shibusawa. Chuuya used corruption, kinda cause of his short temper, destroying the area. Meanwhile, Fyodor was looking from afar, finding amusement in what is happening, or maybe what will happen.
Then, we’re back in present day. Atsushi goes to find Dazai because of an important meeting about Shibusawa and the “suicides” happening around the world. Atsushi finds Dazai at Odasaku’s grave. After discussing about Odasaku, Dazai guesses that Atsushi came because of Kunikida, and Atsushi mentions the meeting. Dazai, however, says he’ll pass since he found a new suicide method he wants to try. Something along those lines. Atsushi sighs exasperatedly, and goes back without Dazai.
Back in the ADA, Kunikida does a report on the mysterious “suicides” happening around the world because of a strange fog. He then states how the target is a man called Shibusawa Tatsuhiko. Everyone in the ADA is tasked with finding him.
After, Kunikida goes with Tanizaki to a warehouse near the port in order to meet with a someone from the Special Abilities Division. However, by the time they arrive, the agent is already dead. Not only that, there is a beautiful apple with a knife stuck in it next to the still-warm corpse.
Then, we see Dazai in Bar Lupin. Next to him is a drink with flowers in it for an already long gone friend. Dazai asks the empty seat, “What’ll we toast to today?”, practically almost able to hear Odasaku’s voice. Silence, however, resumes, until Dazai once again spoke, “I know what we could talk about.”
The scene cuts to the past, and this is when Dazai discusses with Odasaku the topic of apple suicide. They start talking about Snow White, and Dazai says how maybe Snow White really did commit suicide, perhaps foreshadowing what happens later in the story. Then, Dazai talks about how he met an interesting ability user who can make people commit apple suicide, and how it might start in Yokohama someday.
After that very sad scene, it goes back to present day. Dazai continues to talk to the empty seat beside him. Next to his glass of alcohol is a red and white pill, and Dazai let it disappear into his mouth just like Snow White and the poisoned apple, then left with a final, “See you around, Odasaku.” Also pulling something out from his pocket and laying it on the counter. It was a red apple skewered with a silver knife.
When Dazai is outside, he meets with Ango. After a very short conversation, people with guns block off the exit and point their guns at Dazai. Ango accuses Dazai of bringing Shibusawa into Yokohama. However, Dazai doesn’t answer him and instead says, “Did you really think you could catch me?” as Shibusawa appears behind Ango. A fog then starts to rise up from the ground.
We then go to the dorms for the ADA, where Atsushi and Kyouka are. Atsushi dreams about the door to his past, to when he killed someone, and also his time in the orphanage. He startles awake from the nightmare, and Kyouka opens the closet door, where he was sleeping. Atsushi tells her he had a nightmare, and Kyouka asks if there was fog in his dream. Atsushi widens his eyes, scrambling to open the window, finding a creepy dense fog outside. Kyouka opens her phone to call, but it doesn’t work, and nor does Atsushi’s. They decide to go to the Agency.
On their way, they find that there are no people in the streets, as if they have all disappeared. While checking the cars in the road, Atsushi hears the headmaster’s voice, then turns around to see the headmaster image. Kyouka senses bloodlust, and rushes ahead, Atsushi runs after her. Kyouka finds a great amount of blood in between cars, and Atsushi joins her. Noticing there was no body, they hear a crunch, and following the sound, they see a trail of blood leading to the tiger, Atsushi’s ability. The tiger leaps past them, landing on the wall of a building, looking like a black shadow. Atsushi and Kyouka call out their abilities, but nothing happens, so they notice their abilities have disappeared. The tiger chases them, and they run. However, Atsushi trips on an injured Kunikida. Kunikida tells them he knows what the fog does, but before he can share, the tiger escapes from the previous explosion of cars. Kunikida, Atsushi, and Kyouka all run away together. They come across a car, and Kyouka drives them to the Agency.
Atsushi carries the injured Kunikida to the president’s office. Kunikida kicks away the desk, typing a password and putting his hand on the pad that was revealed to be under the desk. A screen shows up on the wall in front of them, and Ango appears. Kunikida reports their situation, and Ango gives them a summary of what has happened because of the fog. The audience is informed only the gifted remain inside of the fog, while the normal people disappear. The gifted have to fight their own abilities. It then shows the others fighting against their gifts as Kunikida explains further their situation. Ango shares where Shibusawa is, and confirms the culprit is Shibusawa. Upon hearing the name, Atsushi is once again met with the mysterious white door. Ango asks Kunikida, Atsushi, and Kyouka to eliminate Shibusawa. The call ends. An explosion occurs, and Kunikida’s ability is shown. The trio then head down the hallway to another room. A secret department is opened by Kunikida, showing weapons. Kunikida throws Atsushi a gun while Kyouka uses her blade.
Kunikida separates from Atsushi and Kyouka in order to deal with his own ability. This is getting way longer than I thought, so I’m skipping things.
Ango, in the Special Abilities Department, asks an employee to give Chuuya a message: “It’s time to pay Doc Glasses back.” And this is why Chuuya appeared.
Meanwhile, Atsushi and Kyouka go on their quest to find Shibusawa. Atsushi has doubts about killing Shibusawa, saying how there’s really no need to kill him even though he’s evil, also stating how everything will be fine once they find Dazai, since Dazai would know what to do. Dependent much? Kyouka didn’t respond to him.
We switch over to Dazai and he’s in the tower with Shibusawa and Fyodor. A skull is displayed in the midst of apples. with knives stuck in two of them even though there was only one knife a second ago. As Dazai and Shibusawa converse, Fyodor appears and they talk with each other about expectations and predictions.
Skipping ahead and summarizing things cause my hands and arms feel way too tired.
Atsushi and Kyouka meet with Akutagawa who is also fighting his ability. Atsushi’s ability joins them. And so does Demon Snow. They run away to a noodle shop, where Akutagawa somehow opens a hidden door to an elevator going to down. They get in together, and are saved from their abilities. Atsushi picks a fight with Akutagawa about killing Shibusawa (I think) and even points his gun towards Akutagawa’s head after Aku (yes, Aku, his name is too long) says he’s going to also kill Dazai if Dazai really betrayed them, and Kyouka doesn’t take his side, saying how she also plans on killing Shibusawa. Somehow, both Kyouka and Atsushi go with Aku.
Shibusawa shows Dazai and Fyodor his collection room, Draconia. Shibusawa tells them about the special ability he has been after.
The trio of children walk through the passageway, and as Aku and Kyouka talk, Atsushi feels left out. (Man, this sounds weird)
They step outside, and Aku goes to fight his ability. Kyouka agrees with Aku and fights her ability too. Atsushi is forced to fight as well after the tiger comes out of no where.
Shibusawa looks down on humans, and asks: “Do you truly believe anyone can win against their own ability” (That’s not accurate, but it’s basically the same.)
Aku fights his ability in a blast furnace, and falls. Atsushi fights his ability too and is injured. Everyone is driven into a corner by their abilities. Kyouka is fighting Demon Snow when the red jewel on its head catches her attention.
Aku wins, Atsushi somehow wins but still can’t use his ability cause he doesn’t accept it, Kyouka wins. Everyone wins. The trio meet up, and continue their way to the tower where the evil mastermind Shibusawa is.
Chuuya goes over to where “Doc Glasses” (Ango) is, and heads over to the tower on an airplane after a painful conversation. Poor Ango, everyone guilt trips him.
Dazai gets stabbed in the back (literally) by Shibusawa, and faints because of the poison laced on the knife. He then gets absorbed and used to create the gigantic red dragon. Luckily, Chuuya appears, and absolutely destroys the dragon. Dazai is saved after Chuuya punches him because the pill in his mouth turned to out to be an antidote. And Chuuya is saved because Dazai is saved. They gently land on the ground, tired, and unable to do anything, as they wait for the fog to end.
Atsushi and co. find Shibusawa after he remembers his past memories of when he was still alive. The skull is revealed to be Shibusawa’s, and he transforms/evolves(?). Atsushi finally opens the door and remembers everything in the past, when he killed Shibusawa. So anyways, they fight, and win against Shibusawa. The fog disappears. Fyodor is alone in the tower, and makes a comment on Dead Apple. Atsushi and Kyouka go to find Dazai and Aku goes to find Chuuya. The end, I think. I definitely skipped some kinda important details, but my arm seriously hurts.
Just to remind you guys, I worked on this for three hours. Yes, I have that much free time, and yes, I’m that boring. This wasn’t even an explanation in the end. The author regrets everything. The author regrets nothing. I deviated from the original path, so just tell me the questions, okay?
Edit: made an edit