Despite being the main protagonist and main antagonist of Bungo Stray Dogs, they have never had a scene together before. A major reason behind that is the way they work individually. Atsushi is a straightforward guy who rushes into a fight while Fyodor works behind the scenes.
So the Russian's real enemy has always been Dazai, who shares his cunning and penchant for deceitful planning. The two have been at odds for a long time, although neither has been able to win against the other (that is, forever).
However, Fyodor seems to have finally won the game against Dazai. After tricking Chuuya and him into his supposed death, the villain enters Bram's body and revives himself, before unleashing the murderous Ame-no-Gozen on the members of the Armed Detective Agency.
In Chapters 117 and 118, the mysterious creature kills three members – Kunikida, Tanizaki, and Kenji – in gruesome ways, leaving Atsushi in despair. As the young man grieves, he is approached by Fyodor, who says he has come to save Atsushi.
This is where Chapter 118 ends, so we don't know how Fyodor plans to 'save' the protagonist. But knowing the villain, it's clear that he has something sinister in mind that has nothing to do with saving anyone. He may be plotting to exploit Atsushi's damaged mental state for his own ends.
Like the protagonist, readers were also wary of the Russian's sudden appearance. One tweeted, “Break Atsushi down, take everything away and meet him at his lowest, greet him with the kindest smile you usually have. Oh Fyodor, what a man you are.”
“FYODOR RELEASES HIM?! WE CAN FINALLY INTERACT WITH THEM?! PLEASE, WE HAVE TO LEARN SOMETHING NEW ABOUT ATSUSHI, IF NOT FROM FYODOR, THEN FROM NO ONE,” another wrote.
A third person pointed out, “I need to remind everyone that Fyodor is a pathological liar and everything that comes out of his mouth can have a completely different meaning or no meaning at all. So whatever he will say to Atsushi, needs to be enjoyed with caution.”
Hopefully Fyodor's true intentions will be revealed in the upcoming Chapter 119, which is scheduled to release around October 4, 2024.
For more, find out why Bungo Stray Dogs is being criticized by fans and which main character tragically dies in Chapter 115.