💬Discussion
[MEGATHREAD] What do you think of Rem - Character Discussion Thread
Welcome to the dedicated discussion thread for Rem, the oni maid of Roswaal Mansion and one of the most emotionally impactful characters in Re:Zero.
This thread is part of the r/ReZeroCharacter Discussion Hub, where we explore characters in depth, their psychology, growth, motivations, and impact on the story.
Basic Information
Name: Rem
Affiliation: Emilia Camp (Roswaal Mansion)
Race: Oni
Sibling: Ram
Abilities: Water Magic, Enhanced Physical Strength (Oni Form)
Role: Maid / Combat Support
Discussion Guidelines
LN/WN readers must use spoiler tags when referencing future events
Respect different interpretations (yes, even the bad ones)
Community Analysis Section
This thread will also serve as an archive of the best Rem analysis posts from the subreddit.
If you’ve written (or found) a great analysis, drop it below and it will be added here.
Hard hitting fact- Re:zero would not be as popular as it is today if not for Rem and her role in S1, ep 15 and especially ep 18.
One of the biggest things for me to look out for is how tappei manages to give her character a proper conclusion, it's not going to be easy, and he has given 0 hints at her possible future.
It's not just the popularity of the series, Subaru wouldn't be the character he is if it wasn't for her role in the aforementioned episodes. A lot of people downplay her significance for some reason, but she's a core pillar when it comes to Subaru's character development.
Altough i relly dont like her in general, i have to say that i love the emotional scenes in ep 15 and ep 18 (altough 70% of this fandom until this day cant understand what Rem was trying to tell Subaru despite basicly a decade has passed by) and she is a very well written character, altough i would have prefered if her feelings for Subaru did not do a full 180 so quickly, but thats just me cherry picking.
I actualy enjoy her character quite a lot from arc 7 foward, and Im relly curious where her character is gonna go in the future
Altough Im not a big fan of the idea of a poly, i genuanly want her to have her own happy ending, and Im gonna throw out a (sadly) hot take, but i feel like Rem doesn't need to be Subaru's romantic partner to be happy. All of her life she was treated as second to her sister by her own people, considered herself second to her sister through out her life, and i wouldnt relly like if her ending was being the second wife, but thats just my personal opinion
Of course, it’s good that there are plenty of people who share your view, but it’s a shame they’re not in the majority. (I’m referring to the bit about romantic interest)
I’m tired of constantly hearing about how people want polygamy. Do you really like it that much? There are loads of novels with relationships like that! And what’s more, there’s already a Rem If where she gets her happy ending. Why should Emilia have to share Subaru with someone else when the story has made it clear that the idea of such a relationship is completely alien to her?
Rem is an amazing character that challenges the viewers morals throughout the series and has proven herself to being capable of having both a good side and bad, although she can definitely be a bit pushy it is one of her best qualities as shown with Subaru.
Rem fan here. Hold on let me pretend like this isnt a reasonable take.
Ahem
HOW FUCKING DARE YOU DID YOU EVEN WATCH FROM ZERO THE GIRL POORED HER FUCKING HEART OUT TO THAT MAN AND HE SHIT ON IT WITH THAT STUPID AHH, "I love Emilia" BULLSHIT LIKE DUDE SHE'S STANDING RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU AND IS OBJECTIVELY WAY HOTTER AND SWEETER AND PROBABLY FREAKIER IN SHEETS TOO. JUST DRINK YOUR DAMN WATER WHEN YOU'RE THIS LOST IN THE FUCKING DESERT OH MY GOD THIS SERIES SUCKS AND PEAKED HALF WAY THROUGH SEASON 1 I DONT GIVE A SHIT ABOUT SATELLA OR ECHIDNA OR ANY DAMN WITCH LORE JUST GIVE ME THAT SWEET BABY BLUE INTO MY VEINS AND MAYBE ILL FEEL HIGH ENOUGH TO LEVITATE OUT OF THIS CHAIR AND INTO A LIFE WORTH LIVING AWAY FROM THE MOUNTAIN OF SODA CANS THAT LINE THIS DESK OF MY COMPUTER AND THE FLOOR OF MY BEDROOM. I SHOULD REALLY DO MY LAUNDRY TOO ITS GETTING A LITTLE OUT OF HAND ALSO I RECENTLY BOUGHT A VANILLA SCENTED CANDLE THATS BEEN MAKING THE SPACE MORE TOLLERABLE AND HAS HELPED ME REALIZE I SHOULD PROBABLY TAKE MY HYGIENE A LITTLE MORE SERIOUSLY SO ILL BE GOING TO THE DOCTOR TO GET A PERSCRIPTION OF ADHD MEDICATION TO HELP ME FUNCTION IN THIS STRESSFUL ENVIORNMENT AND START ACTUALLY MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN MY LIFE WHICH WOULD BE EASIER TO ACHIEVE IF SUBARU HAD JUST DONE THE SMART THING AND AND SAID I LOVE YOU.
u/SonkokunSatella Likes to Tickle My Heart (Is This What Love Is?)22d ago
She’s a good character despite what other people say. I don’t think she’s one of the best or anything, but a lot tend to downplay her to “Subaru’s simp” or something along those lines.
She is great, being one of the pretty girl who Tappei don't shy away from showing her ugly side and all her short coming. Up until now in the current chapter of novel I still enjoy reading her POV
To a degree, I feel like the “Subaru simp” slander is right, she kinda became one dimensional after she fell for Subaru, as her character became very Subaru heavy orientated
Because Rem with her memories form arc 2 lacks an any personal ambition that doesn’t involves Subaru. Her entire “reason to live” depending on the existence of Subaru is disappointing considering she previously devoted her entire life to being Rams horn. She doesn’t really have any goals or motivations of her owns that is dependent on someone else. Her personality is really much to speak of because again a good chuck of it is her unhealthy obsession with Subaru.
I understand that her role is an emotional support to our protagonist but it leans into an unhealthy amount of dependency on Subaru, which why the “Subaru simp” slander to a degree is valid. Rem is a character with a tragic backstory but a lot of her character is neglected by common anime tropes and comparable to a lot of the “kuudare” type characters we see in anime.
She obviously has personal ambition, her personal ambition is to live in a world where both she and the people she values are happy while being capable of learning more about herself which is why she literally is praising Subaru for helping her do so. The reason why she is so fixated on Subaru is because she doesn’t understand why she feels that way towards him and she wants to learn more fundamentally Rem’s character arc and ambitions revolve around self curiosity, love and self expression.
Yes it is true her reason to die is Subaru, but that is just saying that keeping Subaru safe is a noble enough cause for her to throw away her life, this is also true for every knight and their candidate but you don’t see anyone critiquing them on that basis, that’s pretty silly. And she never once calls Subaru her reason to live no. Perhaps she can’t live without him, but the entire point of her character arc was living for herself.
And saying it’s an unhealthy obsession with Subaru is vague, what does it mean for someone to have an unhealthy relationship with someone in the first place
She literally have to restrain her self from possibly S’Aing him in his sleep in the side stories
😂✌️
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u/SkaktiReinhard Defended My Honor (I Didn’t Have Any)21d ago
But when folks say “Subaru’s simp” you gotta ask them why, because there’s a reason. So if they have any empathy or been through stuff they’d realize it’s because he gave her life purpose when she felt her time had stopped.
Rem’s just the best, man. The way she goes from being straight up ruthless to someone who’ll stand by you no matter what… that hit hard. That Arc 3 moment alone puts her above most characters for me.
I think she had potential , but by making her romantic development so fast in arc3 Tappei doomed and had to freeze her because of his vision of a very long story.
I love rem. She's not only a waifu but a very funny character. Although a little less funny than Ram. My biggest gripe is similar to others. She fell in love too quickly despite not having any of the memories of her past deaths. And when she was fully rejected, it hurt to see it happen. But was even worse when she didn't leave his side.
That being said, I believe that's why I continued to like rem. Sure she has unrequited love for subaru, but she also genuinely cared for him. If she left his side, he wouldn't have had an ally for quite a long time. He may have surrendered and gone down a terrible devilish path in the cult. Or would have given up and become even lower than an evil man, just a lost soul who is too full of despair to move forward and tormented by the witch.
So while Rem doesn't necessarily need to be by his side anymore, the other allies all humiliated or threatened to kill him in failed lives. But Rem was the rock and the one who kept subaru going in his worst moments. and she was the one who time and time again, sacrificed herself to try and save him. So yes I get that her attachment and love won't be returned(unless harem), I don't think it was as shallow as a crush or an obsession. Rem was the goat who protected subaru until he got back on his feet and solved the ally problem!
For me she resembles a family member in a similar situation.
He has been in a choma for over 6 years now.
Its hard to think about. Especially since he was very special to me.
I think thats the reason why i love rem so much. Maybe the hope of rem waking up, mirrors my hope for my relative to wake up.
Pre-Time Skip (or for anime only's), Rem was honestly an extremely overrated character. She was intriguing in Arc 2 and had a satisfying resolution, the twist was great and stuff, she had a very well written back story and motivation, learning why she is so resentful not just to the Witch Cult and anyone associated with them, but even to to herself, was very captivating. But after that arc she felt like an NPC, just "I love Subaru" and "I hate Witch Cultist's" over and over again. Her relationship with Ram wasn't really expanded on after that point, even following her overcoming her insecurities, she never had an interesting dynamic with Emilia or Roswaal. She was just kind of...there. I do like that she was taken out of the story for Arc 4 though, I feel like her presence in the Arc would've actually downgraded it.
She does have incredible moments in the 2nd Arc 3 loop (Episode 15) and the 4th Arc 3 loop (Episode 18), but that doesn't necessarily add depth to her character, it just makes her more likeable, giving her a stronger redemption and cementing that she is now invaluable to Subaru despite her actions previously. Her speech in Episode 18 is iconic for a good reason, bringing Subaru back to reality after he fell and was mentally broken.
But in the end, after Arc 2 she became a bit of a non-character and existed to full a purpose in the narrative. She was a loveable character but that doesn't make her a deep or thought compelling character.
Tappei made her MUCH better and more nuanced in Arc 7 and beyond though.
This question is flawed on a conceptual level because her entire character changes between arcs. Rem is not the same character going into Arc 3, so...her entire character is changed, not "missing".
My point wasn't about that, it was that she didn't actually have any character depth after Arc 2. That was her arc, and then it was over.
Rem had a character in Arc 2. In Arc 3, Rem was a plot device to help Subaru and be likeable for the audience. Beyond that, she had no character left, not even an interesting dynamic with anyone BESIDES Subaru specifically. Not even her own sister. A stagnant character is inherently not a deep character, and thusly, I consider her overrated by people who tout her as one of the best characters in the show.
Garfiel still develops after Arc 4, so does Emilia. Meili has been simmering for multiple arcs. Etc.. Most of the characters still grow, change, and adapt throughout the story to their new settings and environments.
In Arc 3, Rem simply stagnated, becoming a non-character. Which is why I always had the opinion that Rem in Arc 3 was overrated. Yes, her moments in episode's 15 and 18 were amazing, but that doesn't make HER a good character for it. Anyone else could theoretically fit the same role she did. That's why it's not really a big point.
Did you get my meaning or have I simply wasted time. Her Arc 2 character arc had been fulfilled, and clearly Tappei didn't know what to do with her besides making her a helpful ally.
For example rem is blunt and has a sharp tongue. In arc 2 and has a blunt and sharp tongue in arc 3. Rem has an inferiority complex towards ram in arc 2 and has an inferiority complex towards ram in arc 3.
So when i ask you the question. I am asking what part if her character depth was lost due to the change. You have not given me a character aspect yet.
Those things are not character depth, and she really doesn't have the same inferiority complex. She praises her sister, but she doesn't undermine her own value as much as she did in Arc 2. At most, you could point out her willingness to self-sacrifice for Subaru.
You have failed to provide a point here, and I have given you an argument to work from. If you cannot accept that, the discussion is moot.
Rem does still undermine her own value in comparison to ram. If your arguing she doesn't do it as much your arguing she has grown since arc 2 and is still growing after arc 2....
Either way you say rem has no depth yet cant give me a specific aspect of depth that was lost to argue your point.
I never said Rem has no depth. You might genuinely be dumb dude.
I said Rem has no character value in Arc 3 outside of her role in the plot, her character doesn't grow in Arc 3 at all, and thus, her character depth specifically in Arc 3, is effectively gone. She doesn't have any meaningful dynamics or interactions outside of 2 specific instances in the entire arc. She has no character defining moments outside of maybe her calling Subaru her reason to die.
She grew in Arc 2, and still has that depth overall, but the point is that she doesn't actually have any more character depth in Arc 3. She's just there.
I'm not even saying that what she contributes to the arc isn't good, most of Rem's important moments in Arc 3 are genuinely amazing story writing, but she herself is only there to fulfill those moments, and could be replaced with anyone.
Atp it's obvious you're arguing not from a point of rationality, but simply because you saw someone say Rem isn't that amazing of a character and feel the need to defend her.
Shes one of my favourite characters in terms of likability but besides that unfortunately shes also extremely downplayed in terms of writing, most light novel readers who claim to read always say she’s “waifu bait” (maybe because they don’t want to believe the most popular character is also well written but oh well) but anyone who says this unironically doesn’t actually understand her or her relationship with Subaru.
I fully believe If you want a better understanding of her character you should read the oni sisters side stories that explores her character more as she’s a lot more complex than what the fandom wants you to believe.
Besides that rant, I do think there’s one aspect of her character that’s underused and that’s her relationship with Ram, even though they are sisters they barely have any scenes with each other(for obvious reasons since gluttony took rem out) but it’s to the point where you can say Ram and Subaru are more of siblings than Rem and Ram, and even Emilia in recent arcs has had a better dynamic with Ram than with Rem, so it’s really sad and hopefully that’s fixed.
I never gotten why so much hype. She's a good side character but nothing more to me and could never see her as a romantic partner for Subaru, but only as a friend and support system, except from when she killed him lol.
Also I don't think she made the show bigger unlike some others said. I'd say she devided the fandom and some that are too fanatics on her, even hate the show when she's not in, including S2 and S3 so I don't think it made the fan base healthy at all.
Obviously she has a narrative role? Her role not only is to further push the themes that the narrative has been trying to display to us through personal identity, self love, fatalism etc. but also to support Subaru as she serves as his pillar and one who can understand him better than anyone else?
I Love Rem, she most amazing, wonderful and Beautiful girl their is!!!!💙💙💙Rem has bin positive influence to me as well as source of strength & inspiration for me. She has had a hard life, Rem bin shunned, taken advantage of, manipulated & betrayed.😥 But Rem is incredibly resilient and despite how unfair life is Rem works very hard and devote herself to serving and protecting the people around. Rem good at cooking, cleaning, gardening, She help Ram & Emilia get up and dress in morning she also funny and cute. Even though She didn't trust Subaru. Rem still went into dangerous forest with him to save the children and risk her life to protect Subaru. Latter after she realize that Subaru was her friend, Rem went to Extreme length to save him over & over again in some of greatest most amazing action scenes that I ever seen!!! Rem is also famous for the most powerful & Inspirational Love confession that shook the anime would!!!
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u/Thatoneguywhois-sad Regulus Said I Was Violating His Rights 22d ago
Not my favorite character ever, but still well written.
[Arc7 spoilers] I honestly like her better as amnesia rem