The cover of part 1, titled "Time".
Rivals is a Bungo Stray Dogs Fan Webcomic by princesschuuya
aka Hayate. It centers around the strange bond between Chuuya and Dazai as they are caught in an intricate scheme.
It updated on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays on its tumblr. People who donate on the author's Ko-Fi got three extra pages each time. It also has been translated into Russian, Polish and Dutch - of which the latter is completed. These translations are to be viewed here.
This story contains examples of:
- Abduction Is Love: Part of the main villain's plan towards one of the main characters. It works to some extent.
- Absurdly Sharp Claws: Atsushi's claws can cut through anything.
- Abusive Parents: It is implied, or straight out said in some cases, that some of the characters had those. Dazai's are implied to have sold him for money.
-
Accidentally-Correct Writing: Chuuya underwent changes to his Ability due to bone marrow that was transplanted from Alex to him. This closely resembles a real-life phenomenon called chimerism, where foreign cells and DNA settle themselves into a body. Most often, this happens with a tissue transplant or in birth from child to mother or from one unborn half of twins. Because they behave like normal cells and begin to proliferate, becoming as indispensable as the body's native cells, it is irreversible. If this Chuuya would be DNA-tested on multiple places in real life, it would turn out that he carries a second set of DNA - Alex'. - An Arm and a Leg: Chuuya loses an arm during chapter 5, after Atsushi accidentally tears it off.
- Art Evolution: The further the comic continues, the artist's style starts to change into incorporating textures, etc.
- Art Shift: When things get less serious, the characters shift into chibi-mode.
- Audience Surrogate: The author admitted that during pages 12 to 18 from chapter 6 or so, Atsushi's this.
- Batman Gambit: Chuuya mentions an inverted one on the translated page 31 of chapter 7.
- Battle Couple: Chuuya and Dazai in the past and to some extent in the first chapter. Not with glee, though.
- Beat: The moment when Chuuya and Dazai grab the same vegetable mix in chapter 1.
- Beta Couple: Dumas and Locke are this to Chuuya and Dazai.
- Big Damn Heroes: The entry of Akutagawa and Dazai near the end of chapter 2.
- Big Damn Kiss: In chapter 3.
- Break His Heart to Save Him: It is revealed that while Dazai and Chuuya were dating in the mafia, Chuuya risked his life to save Dazai's and so Dazai tricked Chuuya into hating him in order to preserve his life.
- Butterfly of Death and Rebirth: Downplayed. Hospital sheets more often than not have butterfly pattern on them.
- The Cavalry Arrives Late: Lampshaded, translation-only. (chapter 7, page 17)Chuuya (translated back): You know what they say about the cavalry...they always come too late!
- Conveniently Empty Building: The characters make handy use of an empty building next to Sapkowski's base. The Dutch translation makes of it an empty V&D warehouse, as the live shops disappeared around that time.
- Criminal Amnesiac: Downplayed since Chuuya was a part of the mafia to begin with. When Chuuya gets his mind wiped by Locke, he ends up by Fyodor, who he is manipulated into serving.
- Cypher Language: Instead of the Chiller font on pages 51 and 52 of chapter 7, runes are used in the Dutch translation. They are also used at the cover page for each chapter and intermission, and at specific moments usually related to Abilities, i.e the name of the Ability itself and the sentence to activate Corruption. Curiously, it has been confirmed in said translation that the runes are a seperate language on its own, which supposedly sounds like the inverted form of a normal language. Loki, Chuuya and Alex picked it up while at the facility. The runes spoken in the comic itself (that is, not the chapter titles) are not 'translated' anywhere, not even in the supplementary comments, hinting that other characters do not understand this 'runic language'. However, a chart is given at the start of each chapter, leaving you to Figure It Out Yourself.
- Dark and Troubled Past: Chuuya's past is different from canon, which is somewhat of an Adaptational Backstory Change and similar to that of Ifrit. He grew up as a Human Experiment in a French facility, until he killed everyone around. He was transferred to Japan, where things went wrong again, until the mafia found him. This is where he finally found a home to be loyal to.
- Darker and Edgier: Minor example; the original comic never says what kind of sedation Chuuya's under in chapter 6; but in the Dutch translation, it is said multiple times that it is morphine.
- Dub Name Change: The Dutch translation changes the names of Dumas, Locke and Sapkowski to Sestro, Hamifi and Edolon, respectively. In the translated intermission, the text of Dumas and Locke is even momentarily colored alongside the blood colors of Sestro and Hamifi. On page 50 of chapter 7, a Mythology Gag is played on this when he calls Loki/Hamifi 'bloedheks' (blood witch), as Hamifi's original classpect was Witch of Blood.
- It also renames the terms 'Ability' and 'Ability user' to 'Magia' and 'Veneficus', respectively, though this was out of inability to think of a good-sounding Dutch term. In the Epilogue, this is also addressed when Dazai mentions that it is not natural - after all, in the translation, it is literally called 'Magia'.
- Fan Disservice: Chuuya and Dazai do kiss a second time in chapter 5 in the present, but the circumstances led it to be viewed as this.
- Flash Back: Several, and they tend to start a chapter. From chapter 4 on, every chapter has started with one, although chapter 3 also contains several in the middle of the chapter.
- Flowery Insults: Chuuya utters several during a card game between him, Behemoth, Helle and Koroviev. The Dutch translation turns them even more flowery.
- Human Chess: Used as a metaphor in chapter 2.
- Laser-Guided Amnesia: Locke's power, although he can also give the memories back. Dumas can keep him from wiping minds entirely.
- Last-Name Basis: Chuuya with everyone except for Atsushi and Dazai in some cases in the Dutch translation.
- Long-Runners: Downplayed example. It has started from 2018, and ran a little three years.
- Mission Briefing: The protagonists have one before the mission to retrieve Chuuya.
- Meaningful Echo: The conversation in chapter 6, around page 44 is meant to mirror the one in chapter 4, around page 18. The Dutch translation even mirrored a line.
- Nightmare Face: The expressions Locke cracks when he's about to activate his power are...decidedly interesting.
- Noodle Incident: A background noodle incident took place back when Dazai was still with Chuuya in the mafia. The first mention of it takes place in a flashback in chapter 6 that is implied from being after the Noodle Incident itself note . All we know is that they were fighting together against a common enemy, Dazai got into trouble due to a stupid accident, Chuuya activated Corruption in a panic, almost dying after doing so. The importance of this incident is that Dazai started to manipulate Chuuya into hating him.
- Official Couple: Locke and Dumas.
- Punched Across the Room: Several, usually courtesy of Chuuya.
- Shout-Out: Of the people Atsushi and Chuuya encounter in Sapkowski's base, some of them are characters from Slayers.
- The strange letters present on the chapter covers and on some pages when translated into Dutch are runes. Most of them seem to refer to hardstyle songs from Brennan Heart note , strangely enough. The titles of chapter 3 and chapter 7 are accidentally made meaningful since the lyrics of these songs accurately describe the Soukoku relationship at that moment.
- Chapter 1 cover: Lose It All.
- Chapter 2 cover: Be Here Now
- Chapter 3 cover: Need To Feel.
- Chapter 4 cover: Imaginary.
- Chapter 4 page 26: Bitte findet Sie ihn.
- Chapter 5 cover: Won't Hold Me Down.
- Chapter 6 cover: If You Fall, I'll Catch You.
- Chapter 7 cover: Coming Back To You.
- Chapter 8 cover: Holding on to Tomorrow.
- Chapter 9 cover: Way of Life.
- Chapter 1 cover: Lose It All
- The strange letters present on the chapter covers and on some pages when translated into Dutch are runes. Most of them seem to refer to hardstyle songs from Brennan Heart note , strangely enough. The titles of chapter 3 and chapter 7 are accidentally made meaningful since the lyrics of these songs accurately describe the Soukoku relationship at that moment.
- Sophisticated as Hell: The characters talk like this in the Dutch translation. It seems to be somewhat of a specific quirk or signature of this particular translator - sometimes, idioms and curse words are in the same speech bubble. Special mention goes to Rimbaud, who speaks excessively verbose when translated.
- Super Window Jump: Chuuya with Atsushi in one of the first action scenes.
- Taken for Granite: Chuuya worries about this fate in case Sapkowski transforms into a gorgon.
- Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: Akutagawa and Atsushi are just barely able to hold it down while on recon mission together with Kyouka.
- Unwitting Test Subject: This seems to be the core of what happened to Chuuya and Dumas both. They were roped into being an experimental subject for something scientists wanted to do, possibly having something to do with Abilities. It is not at all clear if they are even close to the desired end product, or if they were even meant to be end products.
- Xanatos Speed Chess: This gets quite intense near the end.Atsushi (in the translation): First Plan A, then Plan B, and what's this now? Plan Q?
- You Are Number 6: Chuuya and Dumas have a number tattooed on their throat, as a remainder of them both being in the same facility in the past.
