Warning: Spoilers for the ending of Oshi no Ko!
The Aqua Hoshino saga ended with Oshi no Ko’s final installment chapter 166 released on November 13, 2024. The manga was released on April 23, 2020, telling the often heartbreaking story of Aqua and Ruby Hoshino, adoring fans of Ai Hoshino who were reincarnated as her children before her cruel murder in the opening arc. While the resolution will inevitably leave some readers dissatisfied, Oshi no Ko’s The ending conveys an important message of hope overcoming despair in its final chapter, “Star”.
Oshi no Ko offered poignant and incisive insights into the entertainment industry and its flaws, which have often weighed heavily on its biggest artists. Ai Hoshino was a tragic victim of the pressure, and she never managed to realize her ambitions of going to the Tokyo Dome, being killed by an orchestrated response from her scorned ex-boyfriend. The end of Oshi no Ko in the wake of his defeated villain presents how your remaining stars break this cycle of tragedyinstead igniting the hearts of those who survived to bring light to a dark world.
The ending of Oshi no Ko is about a necessary lie
To bring light to the darkness
After the harrowing conclusion of Aqua’s revenge against Hikaru Kamiki, resulting in their mutual death, those left in mourning, especially her twin sister, Ruby, decide to choose to live and not despair in the future. Oshi no Ko end. Despite Ruby losing her brother, Kana never getting the chance to tell Aqua she loved him, and Akane never getting to see him again, the chapter becomes a heartfelt montage of the friends and colleagues Aqua has made over the years as they continued their lives. Ruby accomplishes this by telling herself lies “about not being sad.”
This lie becomes a powerful beacon, allowing his friends and audience to persevere even in dark times. Ruby’s anguish is no secret and highly publicized as she continued to perform while grieving her brother; forcing yourself to smile and lie about not being sad is convincing and uplifting for its audience in a world full of sadness. B-Komachi resists with Ruby Mem-Cho and a new member performing at the Tokyo Dome fulfilling the dreams of the late Ai Hoshino in the process adopting the star aesthetic for her light sticks to represent the starry eyes of Ai Aqua and herself.
The ending of Oshi no Ko is not giving in to despair
It is impossible to live without encountering sadness
As Oshi no Ko chapter 166 reminds readers that you don’t have to look far to see the darkness in the world; some may feel entrusted to create or strive for the joy of others. This is further cemented by parallels with Akane and Aqua’s bridge moment, Kana and Mem-Cho hugging Ruby, Minami, Frill, Melt and Ichigo Productions crying, getting over the pain, and Taiki Himekawa silently visiting his mother’s grave. As even Taishi Gotanda is shown working with his Japan Academy Award for Best Film next to a still from Aqua, hope triumphs over despair.
Ruby chose to inspire hope, so that others would not despair as she did.
As Ruby performs at the Dome, she lies, just like her mother did, out of love for her fallen family and the fans who deserve light in their lives. This is demonstrated in a set of panels where a young audience member sees how Ruby shines in defiance of the darkness of the world. In Oshi no Ko’s ending, as an act of rebellion against a world that left her alone to die of cancer in a past life, losing her brother and her past life passion, Ruby chose to inspire hope, so that others would not despair as she did.