One Of Things I Love About Dazai's Past Is How It Forces You To Rethink The Idea That "X Character Is

One of things I love about Dazai's past is how it forces you to rethink the idea that "X character is irredeemable", because whilst all characters in BSD are morally grey, Dazai is one of the best examples of it.

Everything every "evil" or "bad" character has done in BSD Dazai has probably also done, and if he hasn't, he's fully capable of doing it, if he wanted to. We especially see that in the Beast timeline, but main timeline Dazai isn't above underhanded tactics, manipulation and criminal activities if it serves him and the people he cares about.

Yet, he's one of the "good guys", we root for him because he's in the Agency and fighting for the light.

You can't say Mori or Fyodor, or Ace, or Fukuchi, or Gide, or Verlaine, or Rimbaud, or any other antagonist is irredeemable without also labeling Dazai as irredeemable.

The Dazai we see in the current manga is still the same person who committed all those awful acts in the past. The only reason he's helping people now because it was a dying friend's request and then he realized he likes doing it.

His "redemption" is a completely selfish one and BSD says that's okay. He does it for himself and he didn't actually pay any penance for the crimes he committed.

To accept that Dazai gets to do this, means accepting that every antagonist, every "evil" character has the right to that opportunity too. Like how Mori gets that opportunity in the Beast timeline. The only thing stopping a character's redemption is their own choices.