blackandwhitemusician:

Ahhh this is an excellent question.. I personally think that currently, Dazai doesn’t really consider anyone a friend, at least not in the same way Odasaku was. Dazai seems to have a rather high standard for who he considers a true friend (and honestly for a good reason), and as we know by now, he rarely ever uses that word. Odasaku was also in a unique position as he was the first and last person who tried to look deep into Dazai’s heart. He forced Dazai to rethink his choices and snap out of his “oxidizing world of a dream” – he shook Dazai out of his sleep and told him to live. That’s something that no other character in the current timeline had managed to do.

Over the years, Dazai has also learnt to keep a distance between himself and others. While he wasn’t as good at communicating when he was younger, he was also less conscious about how he came across. He could get on Ango’s and Chuuya’s nerves without minding it too much; he spoke somewhat openly about his suicidal fantasies in front of Odasaku without any need for filters or censors. Thanks to that sincerity and honesty, he managed to form a friendship with Ango and Odasaku, and didn’t bother to hide how comfortable he felt around them. In the ADA, although Dazai is now in a more healthy environment, it doesn’t mean he would automatically open up to others. In fact, I feel like the reverse is happening. Dazai has learnt to perfect his mask, and while he may be sincerely fond of the ADA members, he also seems to close up even more regarding his personal feelings.

As to who he is closest to at the moment, I really don’t think anyone can be considered “close” to Dazai as of now. The problem lies with Dazai himself, mostly. While the ADA members, most notably Atsushi and Kunikida, have put in the effort to try to help Dazai – let’s not talk about trying to understand him just yet – whether he is willing to open his heart to them is a different matter (as of now, my response is “not quite”). If we are talking about physical contact, then Atsushi is probably the closest to Dazai since Dazai is technically Atsushi’s senpai in the ADA, and he is responsible for training Atsushi. There have also been more instances of Dazai sincerely observing and communicating with Atsushi than with anyone else. Dazai understands and acknowledges Atsushi’s struggle – that’s a huge step towards forming a healthy friendship – and in return, Atsushi tries to repay Dazai’s kind gestures the best he can, by offering his strength and even taking the first steps in trying to understand Dazai (though it’s a slow progress for him). Little by little, Dazai is also starting to show a more sincere side in front of Atsushi (such as that scene on the cruise ship where Dazai was just deep in thought, with no mask on).

Kunikida is close to Dazai in the sense that they worked as partners for two years, and Dazai is constantly playing pranks on Kunikida. However, there is still a certain distance between them. Kunikida doesn’t openly try to pry into Dazai’s personal thoughts as much as Atsushi does – possibly because Kunikida has more reservation in the matter, and he may also feel that he isn’t in a position to do so. Dazai playing pranks on Kunikida may be an effort to get him to loosen up, but also a way to distract himself and others so they won’t pry into his private thoughts (no one really thinks of questioning a clown). With Chuuya, I think it’s a similar case. Dazai and Chuuya get on each other’s nerves often enough and they know each other’s methods and strength, but emotionally, I don’t think they connect more than Dazai does with Kunikida or Chuuya does with the Black Lizards. Granted, there is a certain level of understanding between Dazai and Kunikida as well as Dazai and Chuuya, but for me it’s mostly in the battlefield: they know each other’s strength and that allows for a perfect coordination.

There are a few people who can keep up with Dazai intellectually, such as Mori and Ranpo, but those same people are not necessarily interested in understanding his emotional and mental struggles. And whether Dazai considers anyone to be a friend also depends largely on his definition of friendship and what he looks for in a true friend. I don’t think he necessarily needs a match in terms of intellectual prowess. More than that, he needs someone who is willing to be patient with him, to understand and accept him without judgement, but also someone who isn’t afraid to challenge him when necessary. Each of the characters we have discussed has somewhat succeeded in one or two aspects, but so far only Odasaku has achieved everything. Chuuya and Ranpo may be able to challenge Dazai, but they don’t necessarily try to understand him. Kunikida may be able to accept Dazai’s moral neutrality, but he doesn’t really make a conscious effort to understand or challenge him. Atsushi may be a little behind in keeping up with Dazai mentally, but he is taking that first step in accepting him and even trying to understand him. He is not yet ready to challenge Dazai, though.

To wrap up this excellent question (to which I have totally gone overboard with my lengthy response), I don’t think Dazai is ready to consider anyone a friend at the moment, at least not in the same way Odasaku was a friend to him. He may be sincerely fond of his ADA colleagues and even his former colleagues in the Mafia, such as Chuuya, Akutagawa, Hirotsu and Gin, but he still has a long way to go before he can comfortably open his heart and let people look into his inner thoughts.