The Last Will of Dazai Osamu
No Longer Human
Type: Anti-Unit (Self)
Rank: B
Range: ~
Maximum Number of Targets: -
The Noble Phantasm of Dazai Osamu.
Ningen Shikkaku. Translated into ‘No Longer Human’ or ‘Disqualified from Humanity’, it is the third and final full novel written by Dazai Osamu, next to “Run, Melos!” and “The Setting Sun”. It is a novel that holds the rank of being the second best-selling novel in Japan and considered to be one of Dazai’s masterpieces, a representation of his person and as an author.
Shortly after the novel was published, Dazai had committed suicide with his lover Tomie Yamazaki, overwhelmed by his mental anguish. Because of this, the novel is considered to be his last will and testament, a novel detailing what he saw himself as: inhuman.
The novel tells the story of Oba Yozo, a man who has to hide behind a mask of hollow jocularity to keep people from figuring out his insecurities and troubles. In other words, Oba is ‘Tsushima Shuji’ , the man who wrote his story.
Throughout the novel, Oba experiences tragedy after tragedy, selfish decision after selfish decision, some influenced by his friend Horiki, the representation of ‘Dazai Osamu’, until he is eventually what the title of the novel describes: No Longer Human. As a Phantasm, it is a representation of Dazai as a person but also his outlook and view on the world itself.
As a Phantasm, it turns Dazai into a virus, a virus that strikes a target’s heart and psyche to turn them inhuman, ripping away the masks that a human wears in order to allow their true selves to be revealed to the world. Flaws, insecurities, and all of their twisted horrible tendencies and indulges.
To Dazai, being human is to have emotions. It is to have morals. It is to have thoughts. It is to have masks. It is to be conforming to society.
To Dazai, who believes himself to be inhuman, those who exist within the concept of human society are capable of being affected. Existences that exist outside of society, like Dazai, are incapable of being affected but once they bring themselves into society, they’re a target.
When the Phantasm is activated, all of Dazai’s attacks will have the effect of doing away with a target’s humanity, turning them into an inhuman monster; it can be described as doing away with the “Jekyll” within a person, turning into a “Hyde” existence and causing them to act on their worst intentions, even if they try to reject it.
Things such as morals, restraints, and limits are completely destroyed. It is a Phantasm that turns the world into a world of decadence and depravity.
The meek Oba Yozo. The demonic Horiki. With this Phantasm, Dazai is one and all. He is ‘inhuman’, spreading his inhumanity and acting on his worst intentions, an existence who believes themselves to be disqualified from humanity.
In terms of those who can be affected by his Phantasm, they must simply be “human”. While this means human in a literal sense, as in those who are human themselves, this also means human in the sense of emotions. To be human, in Dazai’s eyes, is to have emotions. It means to have a mask, to hide one’s worst flaws and depravities for the sake of blending into normal life, or blending into normal society. Thus, only those who are truly inhuman, those incompatible with others and unable to fully be recognized as human, on both a physical and emotional level.
When Dazai activates his Phantasm, it has the special condition of being unable to be manually stopped, meaning that Dazai himself can’t suddenly bring about its end if he wanted. The Phantasm must end on other means by either knocking out or killing Dazai or nullifying his Phantasm through a means that can cancel Noble Phantasms.
Truly, it only takes a single move for a man constantly obsessed with his own demise to become a threat to everyone that he surrounds. He is an alien to society, a parasite to humanity, and a danger to beings, including himself.
That is Tsushima Shuji.
Originally Posted by King of Padoru
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