Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World- Season 4

Episode 3

One of the best things about Re:Zero is just how weak our hero is. Subaru is fit but little beyond that. He's not super-fast or super-strong. Even when using his signature weapon—a whip—he's just a bit above average. Even when Witch Factors are included in the whole equation, his “Invisible Providence” is vastly inferior to Petelgeuse's “Unseen Hands” as it is only a single hand and can only be used sparingly. His strength comes from his allies—hence his nickname of “little girl user” (which is a bit of word play as the Japanese word for “mage” can be literally translated as “magic user”).

However, while his physical weakness makes events tension filled and exciting, it's his mental weaknesses that make him a compelling character. After all, weaknesses make for plenty of room to grow. Over the seasons, we have watched him go from an arrogant ass who believed himself to be the protagonist, to falling to his lowest point and accepting himself as a nobody, to becoming a hero in the truest sense. Yet, even coming off his greatest victory, he's as mentally fragile as ever.

Like when facing down Sirius last season, we see that attacks on the mind work on Subaru as well as anyone. However, unlike everyone else, Subaru is forced to reflect on his insanity driven actions with a clear mind thanks to Return by Death. While the miasma may have corrupted his mind—made him angry, paranoid, and violent—the fact of the matter is that what he thought under the influence didn't just come out of nowhere. He does get too focused on the immediate goal to the point he forgets about the greater one. Ram's constant badmouthing does hurt him on an emotional level—as does being confronted with his personality flaws. Most of all, he does instinctively want to blame others rather than face his own culpability.

But while Subaru may feel these things, he doesn't act on them when in his right mind (at least, not anymore). Even when in panic after realizing he's been separated from the defenseless Rem and is acting out, he quickly apologizes—both stating what he did wrong and asking for forgiveness. And then, after the violent death caused by the miasma, he tries to be extra kind to Ram and “Anastasia.” While he's no doubt acting out of guilt for past actions only he remembers, he's also likely trying to prove to himself he's not that guy—and doesn't want to be that guy ever again. Growth is a process, not a switch, and Subaru is determined to keep growing regardless of how far he has already come.

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