Out of the multitude of Isekais on the market, Re:Zero managed to rise to the top, making a huge name for itself in the Anime Community. This stand-out series quickly became the 23rd most popular series on MyAnimeList, a website for tracking and ranking anime.
However, with the series initially airing in 2016, and the second season concluding in early 2021, this leaves a lot of time between early Subaru and his later iterations. Here is an overview of how much Subaru has changed from the beginning of the series until now.
Season 1 Subaru
Early Subaru was actually a somewhat controversial character among the fans. Immediately off the bat, Subaru professed his undying love for Emilia, an ostracized ‘princess’ that selflessly offered her support to Subaru in an unfamiliar world. Though Emilia does not remember her actions, Subaru continues to proclaim his love to her. While not unusual for anime protagonists, Subaru’s adoration is later revealed to be nothing more than a selfish desire.
In episode 13, Subaru self-proclaims himself as Emilia’s knight in a vain attempt to win her affection. However, the act deeply embarrasses her in front of important political figures, and she reprimands Subaru after. Subaru breaks down, explaining all the things he’s done for her and how she ought to love him for all his efforts. Subaru’s inconsiderate attitude, and entitled behavior toward Emilia, were off-putting for many viewers but demonstrated how flawed of a character Subaru is.
In episode 18 of the 1st season, Subaru attempts to give up after his repeated failure to save Emilia and her faction. His self-loathing behavior comes to light when he attempts to escape with Rem, abandoning his goal to save his friends. As he laments over how useless he is, Rem counters each and every one of his cognitive distortions. Without solving Subaru’s problems for him, she offers emotional support that lets Subaru regain his confidence.
Season 1 of Re:Zero is dedicated to depicting the flaws of Subaru’s character and the attitude he has towards himself. This crucial set-up for season 2, is dedicated to Subaru’s growth as he slowly tries to become a better person and fix his self-loathing nature.
Subaru Reconciles His Past
Season 2, Episode 4 is dedicated entirely to Subaru confronting his past through the vision of the Witch Trials. Before being Isekai’d, Subaru had given up on life, viewing himself as a worthless human. As a child, Subaru was constantly compared to his father, and when he failed to live up to those expectations he ultimately began to develop a negative conception of himself.
Even though Subaru abandoned school, and relinquished himself to a life of a shut-in, his parents never faulted him for it. However, blinded by his self-hatred and feeling like a burden, Subaru failed to recognize his parents’ love. After receiving Rem’s support, Subaru is able to see just how much his parents tried to support him through his depression. Tragically, Subaru will never be able to see his parents again and repay the love that they had given him. However, his lamentation over his past actions is temporary. If only an illusion, Subaru reconciles his past by thanking his parents for all they have done, as he begins to look toward his future.
Subaru Begins To Build A Positive Self-Image
Throughout the 2nd season of Re:Zero, Subaru faces a mountain of problems that just keeps growing. Torn between saving his loved ones at the Roswaal Mansion, and saving the townsfolk in the Sanctuary, it is seemingly impossible to do both. As the problems exacerbate, Subaru is put between a rock and a hard place.
Resetting the world through his death is the most logical thing for Subaru to do, but it ends up coming with serious mental repercussions. Because of his power, Return by Death, Subaru alone bears the weight of the oncoming threats. In order to accomplish his goals, Subaru throws away his life over and over, believing that through repeated suffering he can alleviate the suffering of others.
Once again, through the Witch Trials, Subaru is forced to look at the consequences of his self-sacrificial mindset. Confronted by the alternate realities where Subaru’s friends grieve over his death, he becomes aware of how selfish his actions have been.
The final push comes from the Witch of Envy who tells Subaru to value his life, and that there is no reason he has to suffer over everyone else. The powerful message reaches Subaru as he no longer chooses to shoulder all the suffering on his own. Subaru’s decision to not rely on his Return by Death, and instead rely on his friends, represents this change perfectly.
Subaru Pays It Forward
The latter half of the 2nd season shifts its focus to Emilia over Subaru, depicting her own mental struggles. It’s revealed that Emilia also holds a similar self-loathing attitude towards herself, and this is the reason why she has struggled through the trials so far. Afraid of her confronting her past through the Witch Trials, Emilia falls deeper and deeper into a depressive spiral, similar to Subaru.
After Subaru has learned to rely on his friends and allies, he internalizes this and reaches out to Emilia, giving her a shoulder to lean on. The sort of support Subaru offers Emilia is paralleled by the support Subaru received from Rem. After learning to love himself more, and rely on others, he in turn is able to offer his love and support to those around him. A great representation of how far Subaru has grown through the 2nd season of Re:Zero.
