between Iskai, Re: Zero -Starting Life In Another World- has always been unique, but there is one special trait that sets it apart for me, and Re: ZeroThe third season only made this point even clearer. It goes without saying that isekai, as a genre that features one particular character getting sucked into another world, Tends not to emphasize its other characters too much. To the extent they are developed or elaborated, it is usually through the main character, which acts as an accelerator for their growth.
Re: ZeroOn the other hand, this one always has this one on his head. When characters like Rem and Emilia grow, it’s not because the protagonist Subaru Natsuki is the pivot. Instead, Subaru acts in a unique way towards Isekai by subtly redirecting timelines through his “back by death” curse. I’ve always hated the way Isekai tends to underdevelop support and side characters, though Re: Zero has found an incredibly clever way around this issue.
Re: Zero has always made his side characters focus
between Iskai, Re: ZeroIts emphasis on the entire caste is rare
Since the beginning, Re: Zero put a heavy burden on his whole steel. In the very first arc, through the continuous time loops where Subaru is at the center, viewers are introduced to Emilia, Puck, Peltz, Reinhard, and more, who all return throughout the series. After Subaru moves into the Rosvaal estate, viewers meet even more characters that will remain focal points.
One of the most interesting parts of the time-loop dynamic is that the characters take on an intricate depth This would not happen in the realm of a single, uninterrupted timeline. Depending on the particular way that Subaru adopts and acts in the timeline, the personalities of the characters can be incredibly different. Emilia is one of the first characters to demonstrate this: the viewers see her dismissive and cold side during one loop when Subaru associates her with the witch of witches; Another loop shows her willingness to be charitable and helpful even to strangers like Subaru.
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One of the best examples of this phenomenon is undoubtedly Rem, the fan-favorite blue-haired maid. Initially tasked with assisting Subaru after he takes employment at the Rosvaal Estate in return for room and board, viewers get to see multiple dimensions of Rem’s personality: from cloyingly sweet to unflinchingly violent. In a way, Subaru’s ability to shape character personalities through Return by Death makes him one of Isekai’s strongest protagonists, but the ability itself is so traumatic and indirect that it never feels like a strength. Instead, it is a curse. No early arc demonstrates this better than the centering rem.
Re:Zero Season 3 proves that its formula is a winner
The first two episodes demonstrated what makes Re: Zero So compelling
The premiere of Re: Zeros third season used this to great advantage. It sets up an expert misdirection by leading viewers to expect the season to revolve around the Sin Archbishop of Gluttony and Rem. This misdirection is only possible because of the immense depth Re: Zero had previously given rem.
However, the most critical part of the misdirection is The other characters drive the episode forward. The sense of security provided to the viewer is strengthened by scenes centering on characters other than Subaru, who are tense, sentimental or disarmingly funny. When the cast travels to a new city together, characters like Reinhard and Beatrice benefit from being allowed outside the immediate setting. Beatrice, in particular, has a lot of interactions that occur outside of her usual library environment.
I began to feel like finally, the groundwork that had been laid in the first two seasons with the characters had culminated into a living, breathing universe of individuals. This feeling is confirmed by season 3, episode 2 (“A Showdown of Fire and Ice”). This episode features the ongoing confrontation with the Sin Archbishop of Wrath, Sirius Romanée-Conti.
Re: ZeroThe last episode shows why other isekai can’t beat his approach
Reinhard and Beatrice are the stars of the show
In the episode, Emilia especially gets a ton of screen time. However, both Beatrice and Reinhard also come into play. As Subaru repeatedly tries in vain to prevent the Sin Archbishop from wrath’s massacre, he eventually brings Beatrice into the loop. With her trusting in the situation and asking for help from her, Subaru’s deepening trust in Beatrice becomes especially clear; Meanwhile, now outside the confines of the Rosvaal Manor, her apparent affection for Subaru shows the complexity that her character has provided.
More interesting, however, is Reinhard. In the episode itself, Emilia comes out as the MVP; But as a reflection of Re: Zero As a series, Reinhard steals the spotlight. I mentioned earlier how Return by Death allows Re: Zero The opportunity to build characters in ways that wouldn’t otherwise be possible. One key example of this is the short loop when Reinhard has the opportunity to try and take down Sirius.
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Called to the scene, Reinhard gives both Subaru and the viewers the impression that he might actually be able to prevent the Sin Archbishop of Wrath’s attack. Eventually, he fails and dies. Reinhard’s ability to repel mana, under normal circumstances, would seem overpowered because He would not be able to die. The limits of his ability may be able to be ExplainedBut it’s only because he Can die (and return to life in a believing way through the time reset) that Re: Zero is able to visible Show Its limits without permanently killing him off.
The push and pull inherent to Re: Zero Is always the engine power the emotional investment I feel for him. The fact that Reinhard shows up, tries his hardest, seems like an inevitable winner, and dies in the second episode of the third season is accentuated by his first. In the Season 3 premiere, Reinhard’s background is given significant time as part of his broader game of deception.
Furthermore, Reinhard’s ultimate vulnerability is especially impacted by Subaru’s feelings of jealousy and inadequacy towards him early in the series. Reinhard is projected by everyone, including the protagonist, to be an unstoppable force on the battlefield and in courtship. It’s also true that he’s super charming and impeccably strong. Nevertheless, against the right enemy, he is useless.
This is not only discussed, but viscerally presented to the collective eyes of two different audiences: the in-universe one massacred in the plaza, and our own universe watching on Crunchyroll or wherever else. That dynamic is something entirely unique to Re: ZeroAnd the way it takes full advantage of its entire cast is something that makes most Isekai pale in comparison. Not all isekai are alike, of course, but I think more should try emulating Re: Zero -Starting Life In Another World- With its flawless structural support between its characters and primary mechanics.