When it comes to the isekai genre, there have been plenty of characters who have tested my patience, but few have pushed me to the edge of dropping a series quite like Subaru Natsuki from Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World- . If you've ever watched the first dozen episodes, you know exactly what I'm talking about! The secondhand embarrassment is real from watching this MC. For a while, I genuinely couldn't stand him as a character and nearly dropped the anime 10-12 episodes in. But as I kept watching, I realized this was all part of creator Tappei Nagatsuki’s plan. And how Subaru was supposed to make you feel the same frustrations I felt by design. Let me explain. A Quick Run-down For anyone who hasn’t seen Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World- , here’s the quick rundown: Subaru Natsuki is a 17-year-old who finds himself whisked into a fantasy realm called Lugunica. After a tragic first encounter with death, he discovers he has an ability that allows him to return from death and reset the same day again. Sounds like a cheat code, right? Well, it’s more complex than that, thankfully! RELATED: Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World- Season 4 Anime Premieres in 2026 Every reset forces him to relive the trauma of his mistakes, dragging him through the same heartbreak, horror, and hard lessons as he desperately tries to protect the people around him. Now here is where it gets interesting… Subaru and His Flaws When Subaru is first yanked from his mundane life into a fantasy world, he has the exact immaturity that comes from being a shut-in high schooler. As mentioned, because this isn’t his familiar society that looked down on him, he’s convinced he's the chosen hero of this new world. He walked into this fantasy world with privilege and arrogance, seeing himself as the cool protagonist that everyone should agree with. You see him make one mistake after another. His priorities are all over the place, driven by a shallow need to impress others — especially Emilia, a silver-haired half-elf who becomes his love interest. Very early on, you’ll notice his self-serving ways and complete cluelessness about the gravity of every situation. He prioritizes his crush over reading a room that breathes life or death situations. Returning to Death What kept me watching despite hating Subaru was the mystery of Re:ZERO ’s world. I’m a sucker for time travel premises ( Tokyo Revengers , Summertime Rendering , Higurashi When They Cry ). This anime’s “return to death” mechanic, which has Subaru dying, then reliving the consequences of his mistakes slowly, got more and more intriguing. Because it’s one thing to make bad choices, but it’s another to watch everyone around you die over and over again because of your actions. An anime with a light visual appeal, but with plenty of disturbing moments and gore by the way as a warning! RELATED: How to Watch Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World- in Order Anyway, that’s where the genius of Subaru’s character clicked for me… When I stepped back and questioned why I was judging him so hard, I started to see my younger, less developed self in him. He’s not a heroic symbol the audience expects to watch. Instead, he’s a regular teenager whose actions may be a lot similar to what many of us would’ve done back when we were his age! Growth Hurts (To Death) After watching so many titles in the shonen and isekai genres, I know one thing: character development in anime can sometimes come off as a reach or too clean. A brooding loner suddenly finds “the power of friendship.” A villain turns good after a heartfelt pep talk. But when it comes to Subaru’s, it’s messy. It’s painful. It’s earned . He dies horribly. He loses people he cares about. He makes choices that spiral into tragedy, then has to stare those consequences in the face until he figures out how not to screw it up. Each failure strips away a layer of his immaturity. Slowly, through suffering, he starts to learn empathy, humility, and actual responsibility. That’s why I found myself slowly rooting for him later on! When he finally gets something right, it feels like a victory, because we’ve been dragged through every painful failure alongside him. From a Character Design Perspective From a writer’s perspective, Subaru is intriguing because he weaponizes frustration. By making the audience hate him at first, the story makes his eventual growth all the more satisfying. We get to watch someone become a hero in the most uncomfortable, natural, and human way possible. RELATED: Every Time Subaru Dies in Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World- There’s a certain relatability to watching someone trip over their own arrogance. Who hasn’t thought they had everything under control only to crash and burn? Subaru is that feeling personified. Why Re:ZERO Might be The Boldest Modern Isekai For many, Subaru's early actions are a deal-breaker. People drop the series because they can't handle how truly awful he is. But if you push through, you’ll discover what sets Re:ZERO apart from other isekai tropes. It’s a show about overcoming trauma and how pain builds character. Along with the ugly consequences of being the hero. With the new season of Re:ZERO on the horizon, officially confirmed to premiere in 2026 with the original studio and staff returning, now’s the perfect time to start/revisit the story. The first two seasons set up a complex narrative shrouded in mystery. As for Subaru as an MC, he works because he doesn’t. He’s a trainwreck of a character. And that paradox might be what makes Re:ZERO , in my eyes, the boldest modern isekai out there.
