TV-Series
Description
Herman M. is an elderly man who stands at 182 centimeters tall and weighs 86 kilograms, with a robust build for his age of 68. He has a full beard and mustache, along with slicked-back white hair, though a portion of it falls across his forehead. His typical attire consists of a cream-colored long-sleeved shirt with a matching puff tie that features a whale design, a brown vest with black accents and a white pocket square, black pants, and black shoes. He is rarely seen without his wooden pipe and sometimes carries a black jacket. In his younger years, his hair was also slicked back but fell further across his face, and he had a shorter beard and a slight goatee while wearing more casual, pinstriped clothing.
He is one of the first members to have joined the Guild, the North American organization of ability users, and it is later revealed that he was actually the Guild's leader two generations before Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald took control. His background is deeply tied to his ability, as he has spent many years alongside the living creature he summoned.
In terms of personality, Herman is generally a reserved, quiet, and calm individual. Despite his advanced age and former status as a leader, he does not seek attention or conflict. He is a peaceful man who values equality and diversity and holds a strong dislike for prejudice and class systems. His most defining trait is his profound loyalty to his ability, the Moby Dick. He considers the great white whale to be his old friend and describes it as beautiful. Because of the years they spent together, he feels a deep, sentimental connection to the creature rather than viewing it merely as a tool or weapon.
His motivations are largely rooted in this loyalty and a sense of shared destiny. Unlike other members of the Guild who are driven by wealth, revenge, or ambition, Herman is passive and reluctant to engage in active warfare. When the Guild initiates an emergency plan to crash the Moby Dick into Yokohama, everyone else abandons the ship. Herman, however, chooses to stay on board, prepared to accept his fate and go down with the whale in its final moments rather than abandon it.
Within the story of Bungo Stray Dogs 2, Herman serves as a supporting antagonist in the Guild Arc. He first appears alongside other Guild members interrupting a fight and later accompanies Fitzgerald to capture the weretiger Atsushi Nakajima, summoning the Moby Dick to escape. During the descent of the air fortress, Atsushi encounters Herman on the seemingly deserted ship. Instead of fighting, Herman calmly tells Atsushi where to find the control terminal to try and stop the crash, revealing that everyone else has fled. This interaction highlights his non-confrontational nature.
His key relationships include his bond with the Moby Dick, which is more important to him than his connections to other people. He is a former leader and current member of the Guild, showing a formal relationship with Fitzgerald, though he does not share Fitzgerald's fanatical drive. Later, he forms a brief, unusual alliance with Atsushi Nakajima and Ryunosuke Akutagawa as they work together to escape the crashing Moby Dick when Kyoka Izumi pilots a separate aircraft into it. After Fitzgerald's defeat, he is approached by Ango Sakaguchi of the Special Ability Division. Initially hesitant, Herman eventually agrees to go with Ango for interrogation. His development concludes with him cooperating with the authorities, agreeing to provide information about the Guild in exchange for their promise not to arrest other innocent members.
Herman's notable ability is named Moby Dick. This ability allows him to summon and control a giant white whale that is capable of flight. While the ability initially manifested as a living creature that roamed the sky, the Guild heavily modified it. The organization converted over seventy percent of the whale into a mechanized air fortress, effectively seizing control of it from Herman and preventing him from steering it at will. Even in this modified state, he remains deeply devoted to it. It is also indicated that his ability involves more than just controlling the large whale; he can create smaller, volant white whales as well. An example of this occurs after his interrogation, where a small white whale similar to Moby Dick is left on the bench where he had been sitting. Furthermore, if the white whale is killed, a new one appears to be born after a certain period of time.
He is one of the first members to have joined the Guild, the North American organization of ability users, and it is later revealed that he was actually the Guild's leader two generations before Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald took control. His background is deeply tied to his ability, as he has spent many years alongside the living creature he summoned.
In terms of personality, Herman is generally a reserved, quiet, and calm individual. Despite his advanced age and former status as a leader, he does not seek attention or conflict. He is a peaceful man who values equality and diversity and holds a strong dislike for prejudice and class systems. His most defining trait is his profound loyalty to his ability, the Moby Dick. He considers the great white whale to be his old friend and describes it as beautiful. Because of the years they spent together, he feels a deep, sentimental connection to the creature rather than viewing it merely as a tool or weapon.
His motivations are largely rooted in this loyalty and a sense of shared destiny. Unlike other members of the Guild who are driven by wealth, revenge, or ambition, Herman is passive and reluctant to engage in active warfare. When the Guild initiates an emergency plan to crash the Moby Dick into Yokohama, everyone else abandons the ship. Herman, however, chooses to stay on board, prepared to accept his fate and go down with the whale in its final moments rather than abandon it.
Within the story of Bungo Stray Dogs 2, Herman serves as a supporting antagonist in the Guild Arc. He first appears alongside other Guild members interrupting a fight and later accompanies Fitzgerald to capture the weretiger Atsushi Nakajima, summoning the Moby Dick to escape. During the descent of the air fortress, Atsushi encounters Herman on the seemingly deserted ship. Instead of fighting, Herman calmly tells Atsushi where to find the control terminal to try and stop the crash, revealing that everyone else has fled. This interaction highlights his non-confrontational nature.
His key relationships include his bond with the Moby Dick, which is more important to him than his connections to other people. He is a former leader and current member of the Guild, showing a formal relationship with Fitzgerald, though he does not share Fitzgerald's fanatical drive. Later, he forms a brief, unusual alliance with Atsushi Nakajima and Ryunosuke Akutagawa as they work together to escape the crashing Moby Dick when Kyoka Izumi pilots a separate aircraft into it. After Fitzgerald's defeat, he is approached by Ango Sakaguchi of the Special Ability Division. Initially hesitant, Herman eventually agrees to go with Ango for interrogation. His development concludes with him cooperating with the authorities, agreeing to provide information about the Guild in exchange for their promise not to arrest other innocent members.
Herman's notable ability is named Moby Dick. This ability allows him to summon and control a giant white whale that is capable of flight. While the ability initially manifested as a living creature that roamed the sky, the Guild heavily modified it. The organization converted over seventy percent of the whale into a mechanized air fortress, effectively seizing control of it from Herman and preventing him from steering it at will. Even in this modified state, he remains deeply devoted to it. It is also indicated that his ability involves more than just controlling the large whale; he can create smaller, volant white whales as well. An example of this occurs after his interrogation, where a small white whale similar to Moby Dick is left on the bench where he had been sitting. Furthermore, if the white whale is killed, a new one appears to be born after a certain period of time.