Naomi Is Not Real

Fan Theory
Fan Theory:	Naomi Is Not Real
Synonyms:	Naomi Is An Illusion; Naomi Is Dead
Origin:	Unknown
Fandom(s):	Bungou Stray Dogs
Dates:
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Naomi Is Not Real is a theory in the Bungou Stray Dogs fandom which posits that Tanizaki Naomi is actually an illusion created by Tanizaki Jun'ichirō. The theory arose from fans' desire for the Tanizakis not to be siblings, given the seemingly incestuous nature of their interactions. As of a recent manga chapter, it seems to have been debunked. However, the theory that The Tanizakis Are Not Related, which this might be considered a variant of or alternative to, seems to have been confirmed by canon.

Theory

Variants

There are two main variants of the theory. One is that Naomi is based on one or more dead girls who Jun'ichirō had known when he was younger. Either Naomi was his sister, but the form the illusion takes has been warped by years of absence and the projection of other desires onto an idealized feminine avatar, or the illusion is a blend of his sister and a girl he had romantic feelings for. Either way, the illusory Naomi's real-life basis died and the traumatized Jun'ichirō subconsciously created an illusion of her, which he believes is an actual person, to keep her alive.

The second variant of the theory is that there never was a Naomi and Jun'ichirō subconsciously created her out of nothing to cope with other traumas, possibly connected to his parents.

Points given in support

• Jun'ichirō has the ability Light Snow, which allows him to create illusions. His illusions are not always flawless and may be identified by illusory snowflakes and bits of green light. Some fans claim they have seen Light Snow's green spots on Naomi.
• Naomi is named after a character in one of the real-life author Tanizaki Jun'ichirō's novels rather than being named after an author herself, so Naomi's inspiration was also a creation of Jun'ichirō inspiration.
• Jun'ichirō is extremely protective of Naomi and has stated he would do anything to save her, which could stem from him having tried and failed to save her from something deadly in the past.
• Jun'ichirō appears to be very psychologically unstable, making it conceivable that he could develop unusual power-based coping mechanisms.
• Naomi is considered beautiful and looks very different from Jun'ichirō, with an appearance which might be considered idealized.

Points against

• Naomi acts with significant agency when apart from Jun'ichirō and at one point agrees with Haruno that she would undoubtedly be a better detective than her brother if she had an ability.
• Akutagawa Ryuunosuke's sister Gin is also named after one of her brother's real-life inspiration's characters rather than after an author but is unquestionably a non-illusory character.
• In a recent manga chapter, Jun'ichirō says that the information about Naomi's "real family" is hidden in a pen in his desk, which seems to confirm that the two are not siblings but that she is real because she has connections to people apart from him.

Fan Works

Examples Wanted: Editors are encouraged to add more examples or a wider variety of examples.