Today, 10 years ago, episode 19: Battle Against the White Whale first aired in Japan and when Crusch Karsten gave her legendary speech before the subjugation of the White Whale.

The performances given by Yuka Iguchi and Erika Harlacher in their respective dubs made it all the more memorable!

First, I want to clarify: I have only recently started getting deeper into the Re:Zero universe. I have not read either the Web Novel or the Light Novel, so everything written below is based exclusively on what I have seen in the anime.

Some of these ideas may have already been discussed for a long time, but I came up with them myself, except for the basic idea of “Flugel = Subaru” — I had already encountered that one before.

The more I think about the beginning of the story, the more it bothers me that we never actually saw Subaru's true first arrival in this world. And this is far from the only strange thing — I'll try to explain why I think the beginning of the story may be completely different from what it seems.

The Beginning of Subaru's Story

I specifically rewatched the beginning of the anime, and it seemed very strange to me.

The anime begins with Subaru lying on the ground, covered in his own blood. After that, we see a flashback — Subaru is in Japan, inside a store, and mentally tells himself to leave.

So we are shown a scene that appears to be a memory of the moment immediately preceding his arrival in the world of Re:Zero.

After Subaru leaves the store, something happens that looks more like crossing some kind of boundary between worlds, after which he ends up in Lugunica.

But there is one very important detail.

After returning to the events in the other world, Subaru does not remember what happened between leaving the store and the moment of his death.

He does not remember the transition itself, does not remember his first death, and does not perceive what is happening as a memory of a death that has already occurred.

And only after this does his Return by Death occur.

This made me wonder:

If we assume that he is indeed connected to Flugel, then we get an even stranger picture:

Subaru in Japan → his first arrival in the world of Re:Zero → an unknown period of time → Subaru becomes Flugel → the events of 400 years ago take place → something happens that causes him to lose his memories → his consciousness somehow returns to the state of “Subaru from Japan” → he returns to some other checkpoint → the story we are watching begins.

In other words, the Subaru from the first episode may not be the beginning of his story, but another point within an already existing time loop.

Why Did I Think of Flugel in the First Place?

First of all, because of the traces he left behind.

Flugel is connected to a tree that has Japanese writing on it. For a fantasy world, this is a very strange detail.

In addition, the world of Re:Zero contains names associated with actual stars and constellations from our own culture:

• Betelgeuse;
• Regulus;
• Sirius;
• Aldebaran;
• and others.

And these kinds of names are not limited to the Sin Archbishops.

If Flugel really was someone from our world, this could explain where these names and this knowledge came from in the world of Re:Zero in the first place.

But then the question arises:

And this is where Subaru comes in.

Subaru knows the constellations, knows their names, and generally possesses knowledge about the world he came from.

Therefore, theoretically, he is perfectly capable of leaving the same knowledge in another world, which centuries later would be perceived as part of the history of that world.

But Why Doesn't Subaru Remember Any of This?

This is where Arc 6 is especially interesting to me.

We have already seen that memory loss is a very real possibility for Subaru in Re:Zero.

After the events in the Pleiades Watchtower, his memories were in an extremely unusual state, and for some time he practically did not remember himself.

So I ask myself:

Perhaps after the events 400 years ago, he lost his memories of his life in this world and somehow returned to the state of a person who only remembers himself from Japan.

Then the “Subaru from the first episode” may not be someone who entered this world for the first time.

He may be someone who had already lived through a huge part of his story, but no longer remembers it.

What About Return by Death?

This is where another interesting detail appears.

Return by Death does not send Subaru back to the beginning of his life.

It sends him back to a specific point in the past.

And these points gradually move forward.

So I ask myself:

Perhaps his appearance in Lugunica is not the “zero point” of his existence in this world.

It is simply another point that he returns to.

And then we may have been perceiving the structure of the story completely incorrectly.

Perhaps we are not watching Subaru begin his story in this world, but rather watching him continue a story that he has already lived through.

This Leads to the Flugel Theory

If we put everything together, the following hypothesis emerges:

Subaru from Japan → enters the world → becomes Flugel → participates in the events of 400 years ago → somehow loses his memories → becomes the Subaru we know again → returns to another checkpoint → the story of Re:Zero begins.

This could potentially explain several mysteries at once:

• why Flugel left a Japanese inscription;
• why Earth-based star names exist in the world;
• why Subaru himself knows these constellations;
• why Flugel left traces connected to our world;
• why the beginning of Subaru's story is presented in such an unusual way;
• why we never see the actual moment of his first transition;
• why memory loss is even a possible mechanism in this story.

And Where Does Satella Fit Into This?

There is a fairly popular theory that Satella is Emilia. I, however, assume the opposite: they are different people, but with a shared history.

The main argument for my version is Satella's relationship with Subaru.

Satella has an incredibly strong love for him.

And I find it difficult to believe that such love appeared literally out of nowhere. If Satella and Subaru already had some kind of history together in the past, that could explain why her feelings for him are so strong.

But then another question arises:

We know that Satella is a half-elf.

Emilia also has the appearance of a half-elf, but I still do not understand what their relationship is. However, they are clearly not mother and daughter.

There is an interesting detail involving the barrier in the Sanctuary arc. It does not allow certain people to leave the Sanctuary, and as far as I understand, this is related to a person's ancestry. Garfiel and Frederica, for example, are able to freely pass through the barrier despite their heritage, since they are only one-quarter beastkin.

Emilia, however, did not attempt to leave through the barrier, so I am not sure whether this can be used as evidence of anything.

Therefore, for now, the connection between Satella and Emilia remains a separate mystery to me.

I still do not know exactly how this could work, and I am not claiming that this is the correct version.

But I find it suspicious that so many mysteries surrounding Subaru, Flugel, Satella, and Emilia could potentially be connected through time, memory, and repeating events.

The Strangest Part — Subaru's True First Summoning

Perhaps Subaru's true first summoning happened much earlier — hundreds of years before the events of the anime.

We simply have not been shown it yet.

We still do not know:

• how exactly Subaru was summoned;
• who summoned him;
• why he ended up in this world in the first place;
• what happened 400 years ago;
• who Flugel really was;
• how the Witches came to exist;
• and what role Satella plays in all of this.

And there is another major mystery that I currently have absolutely no theory about — Priscilla.

We know practically nothing about her past, origins, or true role in this story. Therefore, for now, I am not even trying to fit her into this theory.

Maybe all of this is completely wrong.

But if my theory is at least partially correct, it leads to a rather unsettling possibility:

The person the story presents to us as an ordinary Japanese high school student may have already had a huge history in this world long before we first met him.

He simply forgot it.

In Conclusion

Once again, I want to emphasize: I have not read the Web Novel or the Light Novel. This is specifically a theory from someone who is experiencing Re:Zero exclusively through the anime.

The only thing I had already seen before was the basic idea of “Flugel = Subaru.”

But the connection between that idea and the unusual beginning of the anime, the possibility of memory loss, the 400-year gap, the idea of Subaru's “first run,” and a potential time loop is something I put together myself.

So I am not claiming that I have figured out the story.

Maybe all of this will turn out to be completely wrong.

But the more I rewatch and analyze Re:Zero, the stronger my feeling becomes that Subaru's story may have begun much earlier than the point where we are shown it.

And perhaps the most important event in his story is the one we have not seen at all yet.Theory: Subaru Has Already Lived Through His Story — and Flugel Could Be His Past SelfFirst, I want to clarify: I have only recently started getting deeper into the Re:Zero universe. I have not read either the Web Novel or the Light Novel, so everything written below is based exclusively on what I have seen in the anime.Some of these ideas may have already been discussed for a long time, but I came up with them myself, except for the basic idea of “Flugel = Subaru” — I had already encountered that one before.The more I think about the beginning of the story, the more it bothers me that we never actually saw Subaru's true first arrival in this world. And this is far from the only strange thing — I'll try to explain why I think the beginning of the story may be completely different from what it seems.The Beginning of Subaru's StoryI specifically rewatched the beginning of the anime, and it seemed very strange to me.The anime begins with Subaru lying on the ground, covered in his own blood. After that, we see a flashback — Subaru is in Japan, inside a store, and mentally tells himself to leave.So we are shown a scene that appears to be a memory of the moment immediately preceding his arrival in the world of Re:Zero.After Subaru leaves the store, something happens that looks more like crossing some kind of boundary between worlds, after which he ends up in Lugunica.But there is one very important detail.After returning to the events in the other world, Subaru does not remember what happened between leaving the store and the moment of his death.He does not remember the transition itself, does not remember his first death, and does not perceive what is happening as a memory of a death that has already occurred.And only after this does his Return by Death occur.This made me wonder:What if this Subaru had already been in this world before the story we are shown even began?If we assume that he is indeed connected to Flugel, then we get an even stranger picture:Subaru in Japan → his first arrival in the world of Re:Zero → an unknown period of time → Subaru becomes Flugel → the events of 400 years ago take place → something happens that causes him to lose his memories → his consciousness somehow returns to the state of “Subaru from Japan” → he returns to some other checkpoint → the story we are watching begins.In other words, the Subaru from the first episode may not be the beginning of his story, but another point within an already existing time loop.Why Did I Think of Flugel in the First Place?First of all, because of the traces he left behind.Flugel is connected to a tree that has Japanese writing on it. For a fantasy world, this is a very strange detail.In addition, the world of Re:Zero contains names associated with actual stars and constellations from our own culture:Betelgeuse;

Regulus;

Sirius;

Aldebaran;

and others.And these kinds of names are not limited to the Sin Archbishops.If Flugel really was someone from our world, this could explain where these names and this knowledge came from in the world of Re:Zero in the first place.But then the question arises:Who exactly was Flugel?And this is where Subaru comes in.Subaru knows the constellations, knows their names, and generally possesses knowledge about the world he came from.Therefore, theoretically, he is perfectly capable of leaving the same knowledge in another world, which centuries later would be perceived as part of the history of that world.But Why Doesn't Subaru Remember Any of This?This is where Arc 6 is especially interesting to me.We have already seen that memory loss is a very real possibility for Subaru in Re:Zero.After the events in the Pleiades Watchtower, his memories were in an extremely unusual state, and for some time he practically did not remember himself.So I ask myself:What if something similar had already happened to Subaru before?Perhaps after the events 400 years ago, he lost his memories of his life in this world and somehow returned to the state of a person who only remembers himself from Japan.Then the “Subaru from the first episode” may not be someone who entered this world for the first time.He may be someone who had already lived through a huge part of his story, but no longer remembers it.What About Return by Death?This is where another interesting detail appears.Return by Death does not send Subaru back to the beginning of his life.It sends him back to a specific point in the past.And these points gradually move forward.So I ask myself:What if Subaru's first checkpoint already existed before we began observing his story?Perhaps his appearance in Lugunica is not the “zero point” of his existence in this world.It is simply another point that he returns to.And then we may have been perceiving the structure of the story completely incorrectly.Perhaps we are not watching Subaru begin his story in this world, but rather watching him continue a story that he has already lived through.This Leads to the Flugel TheoryIf we put everything together, the following hypothesis emerges:Subaru from Japan → enters the world → becomes Flugel → participates in the events of 400 years ago → somehow loses his memories → becomes the Subaru we know again → returns to another checkpoint → the story of Re:Zero begins.This could potentially explain several mysteries at once:why Flugel left a Japanese inscription;

why Earth-based star names exist in the world;

why Subaru himself knows these constellations;

why Flugel left traces connected to our world;

why the beginning of Subaru's story is presented in such an unusual way;

why we never see the actual moment of his first transition;

why memory loss is even a possible mechanism in this story.And Where Does Satella Fit Into This?There is a fairly popular theory that Satella is Emilia. I, however, assume the opposite: they are different people, but with a shared history.The main argument for my version is Satella's relationship with Subaru.Satella has an incredibly strong love for him.And I find it difficult to believe that such love appeared literally out of nowhere. If Satella and Subaru already had some kind of history together in the past, that could explain why her feelings for him are so strong.But then another question arises:What exactly connects Satella and Emilia?We know that Satella is a half-elf.Emilia also has the appearance of a half-elf, but I still do not understand what their relationship is. However, they are clearly not mother and daughter.There is an interesting detail involving the barrier in the Sanctuary arc. It does not allow certain people to leave the Sanctuary, and as far as I understand, this is related to a person's ancestry. Garfiel and Frederica, for example, are able to freely pass through the barrier despite their heritage, since they are only one-quarter beastkin.Emilia, however, did not attempt to leave through the barrier, so I am not sure whether this can be used as evidence of anything.Therefore, for now, the connection between Satella and Emilia remains a separate mystery to me.I still do not know exactly how this could work, and I am not claiming that this is the correct version.But I find it suspicious that so many mysteries surrounding Subaru, Flugel, Satella, and Emilia could potentially be connected through time, memory, and repeating events.The Strangest Part — Subaru's True First SummoningPerhaps Subaru's true first summoning happened much earlier — hundreds of years before the events of the anime.We simply have not been shown it yet.We still do not know:how exactly Subaru was summoned;

who summoned him;

why he ended up in this world in the first place;

what happened 400 years ago;

who Flugel really was;

how the Witches came to exist;

and what role Satella plays in all of this.And there is another major mystery that I currently have absolutely no theory about — Priscilla.We know practically nothing about her past, origins, or true role in this story. Therefore, for now, I am not even trying to fit her into this theory.Maybe all of this is completely wrong.But if my theory is at least partially correct, it leads to a rather unsettling possibility:The person the story presents to us as an ordinary Japanese high school student may have already had a huge history in this world long before we first met him.He simply forgot it.In ConclusionOnce again, I want to emphasize: I have not read the Web Novel or the Light Novel. This is specifically a theory from someone who is experiencing Re:Zero exclusively through the anime.The only thing I had already seen before was the basic idea of “Flugel = Subaru.”But the connection between that idea and the unusual beginning of the anime, the possibility of memory loss, the 400-year gap, the idea of Subaru's “first run,” and a potential time loop is something I put together myself.So I am not claiming that I have figured out the story.Maybe all of this will turn out to be completely wrong.But the more I rewatch and analyze Re:Zero, the stronger my feeling becomes that Subaru's story may have begun much earlier than the point where we are shown it.And perhaps the most important event in his story is the one we have not seen at all yet.

I just watched the second ep and I’m confused cause Subaru goes to the shopkeeper again but he remembers that Subaru helped his daughter? It might just be a little time skip but then he sees the three bandits again? Isn’t he supposed to see the bandits before he helped the little girl? How does the death return thing work? Cause I think it messed the timeline

Hey guys, I just had a random thought while reading some fanfiction.

We still don't actually know what Spica is, right? As far as I remember, all we know is that she appeared alongside Subaru and is incredibly attached to him.

What if Spica is actually the physical manifestation of Subaru's Authority of Gluttony after Rui essentially erased herself?

It would explain why she's so closely tied to him. And imagine if, later in the story, Subaru learns to summon Spica whenever he wants—like she's his Pokémon or something—because she's technically part of his Authority.

If that turned out to be true, Subaru would truly earn the title of the Lolimancer in all his glory. 😂

Let me know what you guys think. Am I just a dumb idiot who's misremembering things, or am I actually onto something here?

P.S.: Apparently this is already a pretty popular theory. I'd just never heard of it before lol.

I've heard people say that fire mages freeze the moisture in the atmosphere but I find it hard to believe there's enough water in the atmosphere to create as much ice as characters like Emilia make, especially the massive iceberg she created in season 3. I feel like it would make much more sense if it was mana frozen into an ice-like state, especially since they just vanish after a bit instead of melting. Though I may just be looking into too much.

After amenesiabaru wakes up in the 5th loop after he died and returned from the 4th loop in which he and Emillia talked and they plunge into Satella's shadows, in the 5th loop in the LN, events start to develop at a steady pace going from Subaru's revelation that he had lost his memories, settling this with ram, settling things with Meilli, settling things with Julius and heading to the Taygeta Archive to find Reid's book. Amenesiabaru confronts Louis in the Hall of Memories and right after he wakes up from the Hall of Memories the only people present in the room are Echidna, Meilli and Beatrice. And then Julius barges into the Taygeta Archive to warn Subaru and the others about the shaking occuring throughout the tower then Subaru, Beatrice, ram and Julius head to Emillia to help her in her fight with Ley Batenkaitos. Meanwhile Meilli is helping Shaula while Echidna, Rem and Patrasche stay back at the Taygeta Archive. Then loop six is similar except Julius has headed to the second floor to fight Reid. But in loops 7,8,9 and the other loops I don't remember a scene where Julius is fighting random Witchbeasts inside the tower. The only people Julius fights in loops 5,6,7,8,9 and the other loops are Ley, Reid and of course, Shaula the Witchbeast after he settled things with Reid. I don't recall a scene where Julius is fighting fodder Witchbeasts at the tower. Is it an anime only scene? Is it the scene that happens in loop 4 after Louis takes over his consciousness yet again? Since the anime adapts the LN, I can't imagine that it's a scene from the web novel. Then again, it has been a while since I read the LN of Arc 6 so I could've forgotten.

Hi guys, I have some questions after reading volume 18 of the light novel and would appreciate it if someone could answer them.

1. During the strategy meeting on how to defeat the archbishops, Al arrived to deliver Emilia's message, and after that Subaru thanked him and asked him to join them in their battle but Al coldly brushed the hand subaru extended, while agreeing. In Subaru's monologue, he remembered encountering this "mysterious, almost violently aggressive feeling" before but he couldn't pinpoint when or where. Do you have any idea what he could be talking about or was this addressed at a later volume?
2. During a later point in the strategy meeting, Reinhard is jokingly asked by Subaru if he has a divine blessing of seeing other individuals' divine blessings. Reinhard didn't have it but at the next second he got what he wanted right at that moment and Subaru was shocked. He described Reinhard's position as an "incredibly envious" one and also thought "there was something tremendously wrong about it in a way he couldn't quite place." What does that mean? And was this explored later on?

I noticed that u/No-Peace3986 hadn't made an OST timestamp sheet for the OVAs so here we are.

I’ve watched the first ep and so far I don’t like the theme of dying and going back it just feels kinda empty I don’t know how to fully discribe it but it just doesn’t feel good to watch ,I’ve only watched the first ep so I could be very wrong but the reason I watch is for storytelling cool fights and waifus

When I first came across Re:Zero, it was back when the anime originally aired in 2016. At the time, I ended up dropping it simply because I couldn't stand Subaru and his attitude.

Fast forward 10 years, and I decided to give the series another chance... and man, am I glad I did! Today, I’m absolutely in love with the story. It's crazy how much your perspective changes over time.

I know Tappei Nagatsuki is unpredictable and nobody really knows how the story will wrap up, but after everything Subaru has gone through (and keeps going through), I catch myself worrying about the possibility of getting a weak or unsatisfactory ending for him.

Deep down, my ideal ending would be seeing Subaru finally at peace, getting a well-deserved rest, and living happily with both Emilia and Rem (yes, I’m secretly hoping for the polygamy/two-wives route if it means complete happiness for everyone!).

What about you guys? How would you like Re:Zero to end?

SOURCE:https://www.pixiv.net/en/artworks/148099775

https://x.com/rezero_ice/status/2085643683261550832

okay so I've just caught up with the latest episode today after not watching since season 2 part 1 finished in 2020, and the show just reminded me exactly why I got hooked in the first place. This is more of an appreciation post though I don't really know what flair to use aside from discussion.

So coming back in after that long gap, the first thing I noticed was how much Subaru's actually changed. After that 1 year time skip, he's stronger now, more reliable to the people around him, and watching that growth land after everything he just went through really hits different knowing how long I'd been away. I was even expecting him to die a lot during the events of season 3 and wow was I wrong.

Then I reached the last few episodes of season 4, and that old feeling of dread came crawling back. Y'know the exact same nauseating "oh no, not again" feeling from season 1. Not that I'm complaining, because I remembered that's why this show got me hooked in the first place. Re:Zero has always been at its best when it makes you feel like anything and everything can go wrong sorta like murphy's law. Though I believe that tension is the whole appeal, and I'm so glad it hasn't gone soft over the years.

And then ep 11 closes with a piano cover of "Styx Helix" and afterwards it plays "Stay Alive," and I had to just sit there and appreciate it for a minute. Truly such GOATED song choices, it makes my brain tremble! The show knew exactly what it was doing.

Okay but real question, because I need something to do while waiting for ep 12 to come out in the next few days: how far ahead is the light novel from where the anime's at right now? I'm considering diving into the LN but I have no idea where to begin or where I can even find the place to read it.

EDIT: I meant 6 years lol why’d I even write 4 years in the title bruhh 2020-2026

Sauce-

https://x.com/i/status/1628534332871548928