Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World- Season 4 ‒ Episode 9

When Subaru first came to this world, he was very much our audience proxy character. He, just like us, was clueless about the world he had entered beyond the standard fantasy tropes he knew of. But this time around, we know far more about the world, characters, and situations than he does. More importantly, however, we know how to break down the information we are given better.

While Subaru is fretting about who killed him and who to trust we know that he is barking up the wrong tree. As I pointed out last review, from the information we've been given, there were only four possible people who could have killed him: Shaula, Meili, Rem, or someone completely unknown to us. The most likely killer—the one with motive, means, and opportunity—is Meili. Of course, Subaru, thinking children are innocent, immediately decides this episode that Meili must be innocent based on that belief alone.

However, the even bigger mistake he makes is thinking that all deaths would tie back to him. While there are notable jumps in the story—either erased memories or some other kind of odd time magic/miasma weirdness at work—it's pretty obvious that Subaru being pushed into a pit isn't directly connected with the deaths of everyone else (nor is the killer smoke attacking the tower). Even if some in the group have a motive for killing Subaru, him being pushed into the pit is clearly used as a way to make his death seem like an accident.

In fact, in the timeline where everyone is massacred, there are likely three forces in play. The first is Meili (who misses out on getting her revenge as Subaru is no where near the pit at the right time). The second is Shaula, who likely attacked everyone (perhaps killing them) after Subaru broke the rules and left the tower. The third, is whoever killed Shaula (and/or anyone who survived Shaula) and eventually, decapitated Subaru himself.

We're only given one real hint as to who this third party is—along with an almost certainly fake out hint. The red herring is that, while the voice doesn't match, it looks like it is Rem who kills Subaru. However, it's likely not the real Rem as the true clue is that the killer refers to Subaru as “hero”—implying that they were at Priestella to see him claim that title. This likewise implies that this “Rem” (or the one controlling Rem) is actually one of the Archbishops of Sin—perhaps Capella with her shape change abilities. Or maybe it is, as I guessed back when Subaru lost his memories, one of the Gluttonies. The line, “Try to figure it out next time, hero,” certainly implies that the killer is aware of Return by Death, which would happen if one of them ate his memories. We'll just have to see as things go on.

On a lengthy side note, as this episode progressed, I had an interesting thought about Subaru in his current state. Simply put, maybe Subaru doesn't need to restart from zero this time.

To begin with, the early problems that Subaru faced in season one were understandable. When it comes down to it, it was a serial killer and a horde of monsters. There was an obvious goal and, with Return by Death, there was reason to believe he could eventually come out on top. And as he overcame each, he got an ego boost. This in turn led him to feeling he was the protagonist of this story and things would (and should) always work out for him. He had to be taught the hard way that this was not the case—unlearn all he had learned from his previous successes and start again as a nobody.

This Subaru, on the other hand, has no such (relatively) easy victories in front of him to bolster his confidence. Right from the start he is in over his head to an extreme degree. He knows nothing about the world or the people with him. He is killed twice by being pushed into a giant hole—one time painless end and one… quite the opposite. And even when he isn't killed, getting your interal organs played around with by a pair of chopsticks or having your literal heart groped by an unseen woman is not exactly something that would build up your ego. This episode, things go from bad to even worse with his romp through the miasma and the massacre in the tower.

Subaru starting from Zero and casting aside his ego was a vital moment of development for him—it changed how he saw himself and his place in the world. Seeing where he was weak allowed him get the help he needed, even if it meant lowering himself. However, the most important bit for our purposes is that he wasn't powerless. He knew what he could do and did that—even if it often took him a few deaths to get it all sorted out.

The worrisome possibility here is that this time around Subaru may learn that he is helpless—able to contribute nothing because the world is too dangerous and too alien. Instead of doing what he can and asking for help for what he can't, he may simply do nothing—leaving the team completely without the vital aspects his presence brings. Perhaps rather than Subaru getting knocked down a peg, this season is the story of Subaru learning he is more than he believes he can be.

Rating:

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Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World- is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

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