The Point of Re:Zero - A Masterful Character Study

Re:Zero Season 2 has really changed my perspective on the series and has crafted a truly profound story of self discovery and learning to love oneself. I hope I can convey what makes it truly special in this video, enjoy! This is my longest video to date and definitely one of my best that I have made so far. It took a lot of time so if you enjoyed it, I would be eternally grateful if you shared this video around and subscribed! Thanks a lot and see you all next time. :) Edit: I have now added Spanish subtitles to the video since so many have requested for it! I appreciate that people wanted to put in the work and translate the script in my twitter DM's!

People hate Subaru because he’s human. He acts human, he feels pain. He feels sadness, and he can’t just lose a arm and act like it didn’t happen and bandage it with his mouth. If anything, he’s one of the mentally strongest characters in anime that can easily seem like a “real character.” Dude I swear if I died and appeared out of nowhere again I seriously would’ve gone bat shit crazy (like Emilia at that one point lmao)

I always tear up when I see Subaru's parents. They are one of the best parent a child could ask for. Cool, understanding, simple. Sadly, we won't see them anymore. I've read from somewhere that the author will no longer write stories about them. After Subaru got isekai'd, they spent they rest of they lives looking for him.

My mom passed away a week before I watched the episode with Subaru's parents, and let me just tell you that nothing I've watched before or after has annihilated my emotions like that.

Re:zero is the definition of a underrated masterpiece, more people need to watch this man

Yep Re: Zero is a great series finally recognizing it.

Subaru's pre-isekai life is terrifyingly relatable edit: alright why the fuck is this the top comment on this video are there really this many depressed mfs out there damn that's sad also I'm doing better now mentally so yay edit 2: I’m doing really well now yay

Konosuba—*laugh my ass off* Rezero—*ball my eyes out.*

Honestly I’m glad I found re zero, my mindset was and still kind of is horribly negative, I completely hate myself and believe I’m undeserving of anything, and it may sounds super cringy but when I found re zero I watched it all the way through and the episodes where it talked about loving yourself really helped a lot, I reached out to my friends asking for help and it was super nice just being able to talk to someone, and I wanted to do it because of this show, I hold this series in a very high regard and I’m very glad I ended up seeing it and this video perfectly sums up everything I love about this series, this was a great video man, keep up the good work.

I'm so glad to see that people can still change their minds about Re:Zero! Since it's my favorite anime, it always sends a stab of pain through my heart when people fundamentally misunderstand the point of it and write it off as "isekai garbage." Sure, you could say that it "has no stakes" if you look at it through the lens of physical health, because yeah, RbD will ensure everybody's not dead (although Season 2 does pretty much knock that notion off its feet, not only with the whole Rem coma thing but also by highlighting the distinct possibility that maybe the worlds continue after he dies, and maybe the only person he's saving is himself). But the thing about Re:Zero is that it's not just Season 2, with the "Parent and Child" episode and a permanent consequence even RbD couldn't fix, that's about character study, it's that it was ALWAYS about being a character study. All of the suffering Subaru went through wasn't just for the sake of shock factor and suffering, but to be catalysts to push him forward to develop as a person. The suffering wasn't the main point of the series, it was how Subaru overcame that suffering, usually with the help from others. The suffering is there to highlight and give meaning to the hope the series provides, to make it more meaningful and personal and real when it finally looks like it's going to be okay. Emilia's lap pillow, Rem's "From Zero" talk, Otto's encouragement, those were all conversations he had with others in his final loops, conversations that motivated him and let him see the light at the end of the tunnel. The first of them taught him that it was okay to let himself grieve and be sad. The second showed him that he could be a better person, and that it was never too late to change. The final one let him know that he could rely on his friends, because that's what friends are for, and that he didn't have to carry everything alone. The high points of the series were not, in fact, the suffering. If you look at it from the perspective of the simple plot format (rising action --> climax --> falling action --> resolution, repeat), the suffering is actually the rising action, leading to the climax, which are those hopeful, inspiring conversations he has (that, or they're the sweet resolutions that leave us with warm hearts). The confusion and misery of Arc 1 leads to the cheerful and well-earned revelation of Emilia's name. The pain of Arc 2 leads to the bittersweet lap pillow scene. The hopelessness of Arc 3 leads to the hope-filled conversation between Subaru and Rem. The action-packed fight against Betelgeuse leads to the beautiful confession of love from Subaru. The visceral horror of the Great Rabbits leads to the cathartic talk about RbD with Echidna. The distress and terror of the revelation that Subaru might be leaving worlds behind, plus the discovery of Echidna's betrayal leads to the talk with Otto. Sure, the suffering is an important part of Re:Zero, but it's moments like those that are the stars of the show, not the pain or anguish Subaru goes through. It's the reason episode 18 is considered one of the greatest episodes despite it being them just standing and talking the entire time. On a similar train of thought, the "stakes" of RbD aren't supposed to be physical stakes. Of course we know it'll probably turn out at least okay, no matter what (although the IF routes show just how easily Subaru could've fallen off the deep end and totally screwed himself if he'd made the wrong choice, even with Return by Death), but that's not what the purpose of RbD is. In reality, RbD is a genius plot mechanism that Tappei has utilized splendidly in all the right ways. It allows us to see all the different sides of characters that we never would've seen otherwise. If only the canon timeline existed, we'd never have gotten to see how cruel Rem can be when reacting to someone she distrusts versus how tender and protective she is with those she loves. We'd never have gotten to see how Emilia reacts to someone she saved versus how she reacts to someone who saved her. We'd never have seen how Garfiel reacts to a regular person versus how he reacts to someone he deems a threat. RbD provides the IDEAL scenario for character study: seeing different sides of characters without having to have permanent consequences. E.g. without RbD, to see all those sides to Rem, Subaru would've had to piss her off badly and then somehow work his way back up and into her heart from such a grave mistake, which might've taken months or even years (if she hadn't just killed him outright when he pissed her off), but with RbD we got to see such a thing within the course of a couple of episodes. And as for the stakes of RbD, it's not supposed to be about "will they make it out of this situation alive." Because yeah, as long as Subaru doesn't give up, they probably will. The stakes are about its effect on Subaru. I'm not just talking about trauma, but actually the bonds he loses because of RbD. This was a huge focus in Arc 2. All the memories he made with Rem and Ram, all the time he spent with them as they taught him how to read and write and cook, all of their conversations and interactions... all of it, just gone in the blink of an eye thanks to his death. The things he loses aren't physical, but mental. The bonds he cherished so deeply, ripped away from his hands as he is forced to start over with them again and again. the stakes that Re:Zero presents aren't "will they make it out alive?" it's "will he be able to keep this bond?" In Arc 2, he loses so many interactions with Rem and Ram. He loses the precious memories of them teaching him how to do all these things, he loses the talk with Rem about demonic inspiration, he loses the conversation with Ram about the story of the two Ogres. Even if he can recreate these situations later, it will never be the same or as genuine as those first times (just like Subaru's 2nd loop where he retraced his steps wasn't as genuine as his first). It certainly takes a toll on Subaru, like when Emilia forgets him in Arc 1, which comes back to bite him in the ass in Arc 3 where she doesn't understand his love. Rem and Ram forget him in Arc 2. He loses those precious moments with Julius in Arc 3. Every loop in Arc 4 worsens his relationship with Garfiel more and more. Even when it seemed like the series had established a pattern of emotional conversation = canon timeline, Otto comes in and has that whole "you're my friend" talk with Subaru and then goes on to be viciously murdered, and it turns out that it was actually arguably the most horribly brutal loop in Re:Zero history. It's a horribly lonely feeling to be forgotten, and yet that's what happens to Subaru over and over again. Some incredibly meaningful interactions are lost to the power of RbD, interactions such as his very first loop in the capitol of Lugunica, the very thing that drives not only many of his actions but also his love for Emilia, yet she has no recollection of it, which leads to a lot of trouble and confusion. So, there you have it. The stakes of Re:Zero are the bonds he's formed through each loop. I could name more examples, but that would be delving into spoiler territory lol. also, the entirety of Season 1 was essentially a prologue to set Subaru's character development up, and BOY, did it do its job. His character development is TOP-TIER, and I think episode 18 (plus S2 ep. 4), as well as Subaru's character in general, provide some of the greatest representations of the "otaku" mindset that I have ever seen. Not to mention the fact that they didn't just present Subaru to us like "hey, look at this dude, he's kind of a scumbag and you hate him right now, right? well guess what! he's you!", but they also took the time to give us hope that we could still change, that it's never too late to be better. And if that's not an amazing character study and self-reflection right there, I don't know what is. That's also kind of why I'm so confused as to how so many people seem to miss the point that Re:Zero is more than just suffering when the amazing character study is RIGHT THERE, staring them in their faces. but anyway, all in all, Re:Zero has always been a character study, and that's what makes it so beautiful. I hope more people can look at it through that lens and grow to appreciate this aspect of Re:Zero. p.s. the combination of this video's message and the music in the background had me legit in tears, "Stay Alive" never fails to make me tear up.

Re:zero has one of the best and finest character development and world building in modern anime

I like how people starting to appreciate how great Emillia really is. I mean I liked her since s1, but now because of the character development, all her good points just shines

Satella , with tears in her eyes seeing how subaru wanted to kill himself out of confusion and self hatred, said it herself. ''Love yourself''

Thank you. I'm always so disappointed when people fail to see what Re:Zero really is about; it's not about the action, it's not about the plot (even though I really appreciate both elements in Re:Zero), it's about the characters and their internal conflicts. The real enemies are not Elsa or the rabbits, but the ideologies of people like Roswaal (who states that people can't change and will always be weak) and Echidna (who states that in order to achieve your goal you need to be willing to do sacrifices and burden everything on your own). People can change and learn to love themselves with the help of other people.

I used to be so frustrated with Subaru's character and I didn't know why, until his trial. I didn't like him because he was doing the same things I was doing, living the same way I was living. It really put into perspective how much of an idiot I was being at the time. Now hes one of my favorite characters in anime 🖤

I'm just screaming for a season 3. Seriously, I need more of this show.

People that hates Subaru, especially at on season 1 when he was growing, are so god damn immature. They think they can do better in Subaru's place, ironically just showing us the kinda "main-character self-insert" mindset the anime community has. Subaru thinks like this too at the beginning, expecting to get amazing powers. All he got was suffering instead. They hate what they saw because of projection, and because egotistical ignorance. When people say Subaru is annoying and a crybaby, I really wish to see them try in Subaru's shoes and see how they fare.

"It shows no one is perfect" Regulus wants to know your location

The real character development are the viewers growing to love this show

This video almost made me cry. Re:Zero is something so relatable. Developing yourself and changing the mindset you have for yourself. Subaru is a normal person until he dies and I think thats why I feel so close to this anime. Self-sacrifice and pain within Subaru and this series stands as a lesson to learn about how to value your own life. Seeing Subaru have this self-destructive mindset is so draining because I feel somewhat close to it and I’ve also lived with that mindset for so long. Seeing a character I feel so close with go through this self-reflection and development makes me happy but also sad because it goes through the flaws in every person. No one is perfect but yet no one is worthless. I’m sorry for rambling but since none of my friends like Re:Zero, I have no one to talk about this anime to. I don’t want to regret hiding these thoughts and maybe one person on youtube may feel the same way I do. I absolutely love this video and it reflects the true meaning of Re:Zero. Re:Zero is so raw and relatable but yet so emotional. Thank you!