Isekai Quartet 3

Episodes 1-2

For simplicity's sake, let's talk about episode 2 first. Adding The Eminence in Shadow to Isekai Quartet is about as perfect a choice as you can get. Not only did it have its own series of shorts created by Isekai Quartet writer/director Minoru Ashina, Cid and the Seven Shadows fit right in to this over-the-top world.

In their introductory episode, we see that, in his background character form, Cid is completely invisible to all except Kazuma (likely because he was basically a background character as well before getting isekai'd). Also, Cid can't help but respond to the most Chunibyo character of Isekai Quartet, Megumin, by co-opting and one-upping her explosion.

Likewise, the Seven Shadows meeting the Pleiades is pure comedy gold—especially as they share stereotypical Chunibyo names thanks to their respective masters. And having them all join Class 1 not only fills out that class' roster but also gives Naofumi more characters to play off of. It's a good setup for things to come, and it got more than a few laughs out of me.

So let's move on to episode one. The thing that makes Isekai Quartet so entertaining is how interconnected it is with its various source materials. While it is a comedy, it treats the isekai anime it draws from seriously. Minoru Ashina and his team clearly know the ins and outs of all these shows (and the novels behind them). This, in turn, allows them to not only make the characters feel like their canon counterparts (and not like lazy fan fiction) but also tell a story deeper than just a series of callbacks and school-related gags.

Across two seasons and a movie, there's been a mystery looming in the background of Isekai Quartet—and Subaru's been in the middle of it. When Isekai Quartet first started, it was clear that Subaru and friends came from a point in time between episode 11 and 12 of Re:Zero's first season—i.e., the last time they were all in the mansion and happy together. This should mean that the group's interpersonal relations should remain as they were at that time. Yet, that's not what happened.

In the first season, we see Rem give a twisted version of the iconic “from zero” speech and Subaru react to Julius as if they know each other (despite both events happening after episode 11). In the second season of Isekai Quartet, his relationship with Beatrice shifts closer to how it is in the second season of Re:Zero, and by the Isekai Quartet film, their relationship mirrors what it is at the end of that season. And, then, with this season of Isekai Quartet (well, technically, with the end of the movie), we have the introduction of both Otto and Garfiel—characters Subaru had yet to meet back in episode 11 of his own show.

But this gradual change wasn't part of a joke or something to be hand-waved away, since this is just a silly comedy spin-off. The other characters have noticed the changes in Subaru's party as well—and even Subaru himself has noticed that he is nostalgic for events that have yet to happen from his pre-episode 12 POV. So, in the wake of our double isekai'd heroes returning from their triple isekai adventure, Ainz has started to put it all together.

In the season 3 premiere, he directly confronts Roswaal with what he suspects: that they are clones of their original selves. However, that's just the start. He also believes that they are being affected by the events their originals are experiencing—and that they may be able to do the same in reverse.

On the surface, this would explain a lot—especially when it comes to how Subaru and friends have changed. It would also give a bit of hope and purpose to our Isekai Quartet heroes. After all, if they can have fun, positive school lives, it might add a tinge of optimism and mental strength in the moments when their original versions need it the most. But more specifically than that, it gives hope toward the revival of Rem. Because while her memories, personality, and recognition in the Re:Zero world have been erased, in Isekai Quartet, she remains both herself and a vital part of Subaru's group.

However, Rem is also the greatest example of why Ainz might be somewhat off the mark with his theory. Simply put, you'd expect Rem to have been in a coma since back in Isekai Quartet season two (similar to what we see with Julius this episode—with him in the nurse's office seemingly suffering from his own half-erasure at the end of Re:Zero Season 3). The other big counterexample is Seiya and Ristarte from Cautious Hero who flat out return to their own series—implying that they were not copies but the originals.

In the end, I'm betting that Ainz is at least partially right in his hypothesis—that they are all connected to their mainline counterparts in some way. However, there is still likely something unexplained about the Re:Zero cast in particular and their connection with this school world. They break too many of the established rules (like Satella still being able to reach Subaru across realities while literal goddesses like Eris are cut off from their full powers). It's to the point that I wonder if all of Isekai Quartet isn't happening within another Castle of Dreams (much like the Witches' Tea Party) in the Re:Zero world. After all, while we saw Tanya, Ainz, and Aqua push the big red button to pull everyone into the school world, we never saw how Subaru and his companions arrived—they simply first appeared walking down the school's hallway. And that, my friends, is what we call a clue hidden in plain sight.

Isekai Quartet 3 is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.