Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

Durarara!! Light Novels #4

Durarara!!, Vol. 4

Rate this book
"Do you enjoy being the Black Rider who's been spotted all over Ikebukuro over the past few years now? Why is it that you're riding such a dangerous bike all over the place? Are you aware that you're violating the law?!"

Ikebukuro, Tokyo. A place full of fires waiting to be lit and plenty of people ready to light a match: Twins who are the perfect opposite of each other. An idol who's nothing like her older brother. A girl with a crush on her senior in the Dollars. And a headless rider with a bounty on her...uh, head. Keeping the peace is probably not gonna happen.

221 pages, Paperback

First published March 10, 2008

22 people are currently reading
279 people want to read

About the author

Ryohgo Narita

348 books383 followers
Ryohgo Narita (成田 良悟, Narita Ryōgo) is a Japanese light novelist. He won the Gold Prize in the 9th Dengeki Novel Prize for Baccano!, which was made into a TV anime in 2007.[1] His series Durarara!! was also made into a TV anime, which began airing January 2010


There are two traits found in most of Narita's works:
* Narita writes extremely fast, one volume a month if he wishes - with tons of spelling errors and missing words as a tradeoff. The editors like to leave them sometimes just for fun, though.
* His work titles often have an exclamation mark at the end (i.e. Baccano!, Vamp!, Durarara!!, etc.).

Kanji names: 成田 良悟 & 成田良悟.

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
205 (42%)
4 stars
173 (36%)
3 stars
90 (18%)
2 stars
12 (2%)
1 star
0 (0%)
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
Profile Image for Jess.
27 reviews
April 29, 2013
I can read English again. Finally. I literally leapt for joy knowing that Anni-Fiesta Sama has translated this novel and more in English. This was a really good series, I think, and I loved how this Ikebukuro holiday was not caused by Izaya, which meant that it was very amusing to see the information broker being the one asking around about what happened. Kasuka and Ruri's relationship is aboslutely awesome, and I can't wait for that to expand, and I must say, Kururu and Mairu are so hilariously awesome. They are the best pair of twins you can ever have, and their antics just makes this so much more brighter. Also, Shinra's screen time are also very amusing, especially the scene with high tension and serious atmosphere, and of all the things he could have said, he stated the need for a bathroom. I will conclude with my opinion of Shizuo's character. He is absolutely epic. And as I quote, "Even if you're an assassin, a killing monster, the president, an alien, a vampire or a headless monster - you simply do not pick a fight with him."

Anyway, all in all, it means Narita has once again written something with epic characters that are just not hate-able.
Profile Image for Sean O'Hara.
Author 23 books101 followers
September 28, 2016
UPDATE: Okay, I've now read the official release. I don't think it holds up quite as well as the previous books, but that may be because I know that Ruri and Yuhei's storyline never really goes anywhere, which makes this the rare case where Narita's storytelling goes flabby.

+++++++++++++++
ORIGINAL REVIEW:

I normally don't read series out of order, but in this case there's no English version of volumes 2 and 3 and since those parts were covered in the anime, I figure it's safe to skip ahead a little.

The story begins in April, almost exactly one year since the series began. Izaya's plan to spark a gang war in Ikebukuro failed: the Yellow Scarves are scattered to the winds, the Blue Square leadership is in jail, and Kida's fled the city with Saki, leaving the Dollars as the main (though invisible) power on the streets. But Izaya's plans are never straightforward, and he always has contingencies for contingencies unto the eighth level. Nor, as we see in this volume, is he the only master of puppets in town. So of course, there's more trouble brewing.

It all begins when a TV news crew catches the Black Rider on video doing things that are clearly impossible for humans. A Hollywood producer in town sees the footage and offers a ten million yen reward for anyone who can bring the Rider to him. Within days the streets of Ikebukuro are swarming with biker gangs out to catch Celty.

Meanwhile Mikado and Anri are starting their second year at Raira Academy where they encounter several new students, including a boy named Aoba who immediately identifies Mikado as the head of the Dollars, and a pair of insane twins named Mairu and Kururi who turn out to be ... well, let's just say even sociopaths have family. All of them -- along with the otaku gang, a Russian hitman and a serial killer who dresses as famous monsters of Filmland -- get swept into the hunt for Celty, leading to an epic battle outside Ikebukuro Station.

The story starts off slowly, but about one-third of the way into the book the plot kicks into hyperdrive with the rest of the story being a high speed chase through the city, interspersed with flashbacks that explain how all the parties got into the situation.

The characters are as brilliant as always. Izaya takes a back seat for most of the story, but that's okay because Mairu and Kururi more than make up for his absence. The scene where Mairu introduces herself on the first day of class is worth the price of admission by itself:

"My name's Orihara Mairu! Ori as in origami, Hara as in fields of grass, Mai-Ru as in losing yourself in a dance. Nice to meet you all! I like reading encyclopedias and manga and adult magazines! I'm bi, both platonically and sexually! But all slots are full for males as of present, so don't even bother trying! I can however take any number of girls, so keep that in mind when you're asking me out!"


Oh, God, I so want a second season of the anime now.
Profile Image for Krishna Avendaño.
Author 2 books58 followers
November 24, 2014
El cuarto volumen de Durarara!! se estructura alrededor de una gran persecución por las calles de Ikebukuro. A partir de esta huida se exploran diferentes líneas narrativas y temporales que se centran en los personajes de Celty Sturluson, las gemelas Orihara, dos asesinos, la presentación de Hijiribe Ruri y una merecida exploración del personaje de Hanejima Yuuhei, hasta antes ensombrecido por su espectacular hermano Shizuo.

La historia no desmerece, es vertiginosa y sin embargo el volumen funciona mejor como transición y como punto de partida de lo que se sugiere que será un arco mucho más grande. Quedan un par de cabos sueltos, pero esto no es un defecto porque ha sido deliberado. Véase la inclusión de Aoba o de un narrador misterioso que aparece a intervalos. Es una pena que el libro sea víctima de sus editores, que le dijeron a Narita que fuera mucho menos exhaustivo en sus descripciones, lo que provoca que un par de anécdotas queden un tanto planas.
Profile Image for Alice.
193 reviews1 follower
September 21, 2017
If someone asked me what Durarara was about and I shared these lines: "You are the most depressed dominatrix I've ever seen" and "With great pleasure, and just a touch of hatred, drunk on himself and with a note of self-reassurance, Izaya said: 'Holiday's over, motherfucker'"...

It wouldn't even begin to describe half of the mind-bending beauty that is Durarara. Narita brings so many threads together that it's almost supernatural. I just can't get enough of this series!
Profile Image for Barrett.
135 reviews
February 13, 2019
The vivacious city of Ikebukuro is said to be taking a little breather for this volume. A "holiday" of Ikebukuro in which the city "toys" with every single particle, every single human being or non-human being that composes it. Shizuo, Celty, Mikado, some new characters like Egor and the Orihara sisters, they all get stuck up in a devious loop of nonsense which sounds and affirms anything but logic-but yes, this is Ikebukuro for you. Ikebukuro's commonplaceness defies our sense of normality.

Funny as it is, the puppet master that directs and coordinates every movement of Ikebukuro itself, Izaya Orihara, does not seem to have engaged in any activities whatsoever. Sounds weird, huh? But that's true. It seems when the body stops short for a little break, instinctively one knows that the heart will slow down and shrink back for a little rest, and that what Izaya-the heart of the city-does, he simply takes a brief holiday. You should feel unease, but why? Why does that raise a flag? Well, this little holiday will soon pass and a new storm will hit the town. Expect to see some firework next round! The next arc shall be GREEEEEAT.
Profile Image for Stronach.
93 reviews
June 1, 2023
Kick back and relax as Ikebukuro goes on a splendid vacation.
This book is Durarara!! at its finest: a colorful cast of characters whose actions cause ripples that shape the waters of others, who in turn cast waves that alter the path of others, and so on and so forth.

Within one fateful night and one crazy day, we have in no particular order:
Russian hitmen, eccentric twins, plastic surgery (this time necessary), a truly omnipotent info-broker (no, not that one), bounties on an individual whose state of living is debatable, city tours gone wrong, terrifying motorcycle cops (mostly just the one), not so terrifying as annoying motorcycle gangs, a doctor who considers two patients too many, a supposed barman who uses park benches as a bat, a human who wants to be a monster, a monster who wants to be a human, the true horrors of high school bullying, a missing 1,000,000 yen, duffel bags just big enough to carry a body, a headless rider (a different one), a delicious night of hot pot, and one pathetic man who misses out on in all.

Did you enjoy the vacation? Was it an enjoyable respite? Good, because now we're charging forward, full throttle, to the truly strange and wondrous.
Profile Image for Ricardo Matos.
471 reviews4 followers
August 20, 2017
The book feels like an introductiory book for all the amazing new characters: there are about 7 that take the main stage (which is pretty amazing considering it's a 200 pager). Add on top of that some development of the old characters, and you're bound for another amazing entry in the Durarara! show.
The storytelling is really great, with jumps ahead and back inbetween different time/character's points of view, making for a Pulp Fiction like experience. And when it all comes together in the end, it'll make you go "WOW".
I feel conflicted about Durarara!'s classification as light novel: the positive is that it enriches the genre like no other series does; the negative is that not as many people will pick it up because it is a light novel. So, just read it!!!
Profile Image for Camy.
Author 63 books534 followers
September 23, 2017
The book is written in scenes and vignettes out of chronological sequence, which actually made it more interesting, but also more confusing on the first read. As with all the other books (I'm like a broken record) this book got even better after I reread it. The author introduced the new characters in a fresh and interesting way that enabled them to take part in the story without hijacking it, and I really liked how all the threads came together at the end.
Profile Image for endeavoursofvic.
865 reviews5 followers
April 19, 2020
Durarara!! #4: 4.5 Stars
[7.65 - AMAZING. i love this series so much]

The mind of Ryohgo... how can someone create such an interwoven story and present it so seamlessly. I love this world and these characters. It is also such a good feeling to understand everything for once^^ (don't get me wrong I LOVE durarara!! season 2 - but damn was i lost at times. reading it - it is simply so much easier to know who's who and what's going on.)
Cannot wait to continue.
Profile Image for Lire-une-passion.
2,073 reviews48 followers
September 21, 2018
4.5/5

"En résumé, c'est une suite qui ne m'a absolument pas déçue, bien au contraire ! J'ai adoré replonger dans cet univers si atypique et particulier. Je suis juste déçue que ce soit trop court à chaque fois et qu'il faille attendre la suite. Vivement le tome 5 !"

Chronique complète: http://lire-une-passion.weebly.com/fa...
Profile Image for Johanna.
53 reviews
November 14, 2018
I really enjoy Ruri and Izayas incest sisters (that is the second weird incest couple in DRRR!) and that scene at the end where everyone was standing under that bridge was just so confusing for me, I had to reread it to understand who was there for what reason
Profile Image for sofía .
266 reviews20 followers
July 13, 2019
“Mikado waited for Masaomi's return for his own reasons. Praying that on the day the three of them came together, they could laugh and smile again.”

This felt so messy and almost the bad kind of weird, but well, it was more like a filler. I loved Shizuo's brother though!
Profile Image for Lyndsi Mckay.
152 reviews
October 23, 2017
Again I can't say anything bad about this book its the first half ish of the second series of the anime. still a good Pacing though. on to book five.
Profile Image for gabriela .
72 reviews
January 27, 2024
de esta novela he sacado q el ruri/yuuhei es ligera pero muy ligeramente el shizuo/izaya pero en otra fuente y más sanos

no, I'm not gonna elaborate on that
Profile Image for barb.
44 reviews2 followers
November 30, 2025
celty open a ko-fi account i will send you all my money
Profile Image for Dani St-Onge.
670 reviews31 followers
September 27, 2019
For more reviews and bookish content: http://literarylion.ca/

The first book officially not following the three teens who wound up as protagonists of the first anime - and I'm not entirely in love. It was definitely still an enjoyable read like all the novels in this series have been thus far, but it felt a little scattered. It was a "peek into their everyday lives" which was nice, but the timeline jumped back and forth a little too frequently for my liking.

I loved Mairu and Kururi Orihara, as far as new characters introduced in this novel they're the absolute top. They're interesting, weird and super fun to read about. I also feel like the relationship between them and their brother Izaya is developing a little better here than it did in the anime.

That said Kasuka and Ruri, the other two cast members introduced were no where near as interesting. They're definitely weird but it falls a lot more flat than the Orihara sisters. I can't get behind Ruri's weird wanting to be a monster thing. Kasuka is a little better even if most of his character just seems to exist to be polar opposite to Shizuo. I didn't feel like they had any chemistry and the scenes with them ended up being a little strange at best.

There are several other new character introductions, notably Egor but none of them really have tons of screen time or much spark. Aoba exists and although I know he's going to have a significant plot line, he may as well just be a regular high schooler from what we see of him here. Besides that we only see him through Mikado's POV which is still hands down the most boring in the book.

I liked how all the plot lines ultimately ended up connecting, it was sort of satisfying. The book still felt like it was...a space between arcs. Just holding us over until volume five introduces the next section of the actual story. It's clearly a book meant for introducing new characters and reminding you who the man characters actually are.

I don't think this novel was bad by any means, Narita is a genius and any time spent with his characters is good time. I just don't think this will be the crowning jewel in the Durarara!! series. It's definitely one of the weaker books and it doesn't exactly include any significant arc. It actually could serve as a pretty decent standalone if it wanted to. The best thing this novel does is update the chatroom format so now I can tell who everyone is at last.

That hot pot scene with Izaya broke my heart though, so thanks for that.
Profile Image for kerrycat.
1,918 reviews
February 18, 2017
More Ikebukuro hijinks from the great Narita, brought to us through the extraordinary talents of my very favorite translator, Stephen Paul.

"Never pick a fight with a guy in a bartender's uniform. Never!"

Some people never learn. Not in Ikebukuro.

I've never wanted to visit Japan until Durarara, and now, I only want to hang in Ikebukuro.
Profile Image for Eleanor.
377 reviews46 followers
May 24, 2017
It's been over a month since I read the first three volumes of this stunning light novel series, and I'd completely forgotten how much I love these characters.

Izaya. Mikado. Masaomi. Shizuo. Kadota. Walker. Erika. Even Shinra, the problematic fave.* It was so incredible to be submerged in their world again, with Narita's extraordinary writing making it impossible to come up for breath. The only critique I have is that, here far more than in any of the other light novels, the timeline is seriously messed up. The scenes seem to be presented in a completely random order that has nothing to do with their chronological occurrence. I realize this was a purposeful move on Narita's part in order to create suspense and mystery, but I can't help but think that his end could have been achieved by much less confusing means.

Overall, though, Vol. 4 was a fabulous installment in an amazing series. I absolutely can not wait for the release of the seventh book this July.

*In fact, I'm 80% certain I love every single one of the characters except Shingen. This page is a Shingen-free zone, thank you very much.

Want more book reviews?
Profile Image for Niquie.
459 reviews18 followers
July 29, 2016
In this book new characters and potential storylines are introduced, between it being mostly set up and the way the story was written this is probably the weakest book in the series so far. It was still enjoyable, just not as enjoyable as usual.

The flow of the story was off. The author kept jumping back and forth between scenes.

Ex/ After a scene, the new scene would take place 30 mins earlier, than the next scene three hours earlier, than the next present day, then the next three weeks earlier, etc etc etc.

I had a hard time keeping track of the time line as a result.
Profile Image for Marieke.
5 reviews1 follower
August 3, 2016
The Gang in Ikebukuro is back, and now with even more characters!
After the chaos and climax in the last volume, this feels like a breath of fresh air.
We're going back to the daily lives of the characters we all love, while new ones are also introduced.
In the volume 'Ikebukuro's holiday' is often mentioned. And it feels a bit like a holiday, a nice slice of life, before all hell will break loose again in the next volumes,
Profile Image for Rolaka Pisarka.
706 reviews3 followers
April 8, 2017
Jak przystało na mojego ulubionego autora z Japonii, Ryohgo Naritę, light novelka była świetna. Pełna zwrotów akcji, nowych, świetnych bohaterów, humoru i kilku tajemnic. Nie mniej jednak nie podobał mi się za bardzo sposób prowadzenia narracji. Może się mylę, ale w Baccano było bardziej chronologicznie. Fakt, tam równiez były przeskoki, cofanie się w czasie, ale w 4 tomie Durarary działo się to wyjątkowo często i czasami to potrafiło wyglądać tak, że coś tam się dzieje i nagle "5 minut wcześniej", coś się dzieje i "2h wcześniej". Trochę denerwujące i mylące, ale dało się jeszcze ogarnąć!
Profile Image for LJF.
68 reviews51 followers
June 7, 2017
Really? Ugh. The only reason I'm even giving this one three stars is because of how awesome the previous ones were.
Instead of the typical awesome insanity of this series, it feels like the author tried to throw everything together just to get a cute side story. I do intend to read the next book, but I hope it's better than this one. I'd actually recommend skipping this one, except it introduces all the characters who I assume will be important in the new arc. Just be warned!
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.