Subaru does save the day, not through his strength, but with his ability “Return by Death.”
Unlike most protagonists in anime, Subaru does not have superhuman strength or intellect.
In fact, he is one of the weakest characters in Re:Zero, whose only saving grace is the ability “RBD” given to him by Satella. While this makes him unique, fans are unsatisfied with his actions as of late.
Reviving, again and again, is all well and good, but try not dying for once at least.
Subaru’s trial and error manner of rectifying situations with his own death as collateral has become repetitive, and fans only hope that he can actually save the day with his own power for once.
[Spoilers from the Web and Light Novels]
1. Will Subaru Ever Get Stronger?
Subaru will get stronger, however, only enough to survive. He will become a bit more competent with some new tricks up his sleeve but will remain weak enough to be considered a non-combatant member of the group.
Since the show’s central premise is based on Subaru and his “Return by Death” ability, which is pretty overpowered on its own, giving him more power would trivialize that central hook.
This means that even though Subaru never becomes op, he grows both emotionally and physically and develops many tricks that help him survive better.
He forms a contract with Beatrice, which allows him to use magic such as float, throw explosive projectiles, and negate any mana around him.
Furthermore, he gains a weapon (whip) which has the potential to deal a lot of damage and uses the Unseen Hand.
He also gains other abilities that can buff his allies, but in the end, all of these are defensive in nature and fail to make him a strong fighter.
His better performance in combat mostly helps him in survivability, but he still can’t avoid death.
In the end, as always, Subaru’s strength lies in making the best use of other strong characters with the help of his loop experiences through “Return by Death.”
2. How Strong Is Subaru Right Now? – Powers & Abilities
Subaru does not have the strength of any significant value (RBD excluded) and has never been a fighter.
So far in the story, any power he has that deals heavy damage comes at a high cost and can be used scarcely.
I. Return by Death
Subaru’s main ability is “Return by Death,” given to him by Satella. It lets him re-live everything from a specific checkpoint after his death and change the perceivable future.
However, he cannot divulge information about this ability with anyone without risking his or others’ death.
II. Magic & Spirit Contract
Initially, excited by the prospect of magic, with Puck and Emilia’s help, Subaru learned how to use it to a certain extent.
His natural affinity is Yin magic, and accordingly, he learned Shamac from the spirit. However, after the events of the Sanctuary, Subaru ruptured his “gate” and could no longer use magic on his own.
Thankfully, his contract with Beatrice also allows him to use magic to a certain extent by using her as a gate instead. He can use three new Yin Magic abilities through this contract.
E.M.M – The first ability is E.M.M, otherwise known as “Emilia-tan is Seriously a Goddess,” allows Beatrice to use her yin magic to interfere with the time and space around Subaru. During this time, he experiences no interference from outside the barrier.
While this ability is quite similar to the Authority of Greed, it doesn’t have the same risk and can be used multiple times.
E.M.T – E.M.T, also known as “Emilia-tan is Seriously an Angel,” is an absolute negation magic. It forms a spherical field with Subaru and Beatrice at the center, where all mana effects are negated. One disadvantage is that this magic only negates the use of mana and has no effect against opponents who fight without it.
Rental Goa: Rental Goa is a fire spell created on the spot during Subaru’s provisional contract with la. Despite not being created with Beatrice, it worked well against Petegeuse.
III. Authorities
Subaru is currently able to use the Authorities of Sloth and Greed.
He gained the former after Petelgeuse’s death and became capable of using an ability called Invisible Providence.
Through this, Subaru can cause physical interference by creating an invisible force field in the shape of a hand. However, he can currently only generate one hand that is 1.5 meters long.
He gained the Authority of Greed after the death of Regulus Corneas and became capable of using the reverse form of Regulus’ “Lion Heart.”
Through this, Subaru can take on the physical and mental burdens of others and increase their abilities temporarily.
Currently, he is very limited in his use of the Authorities and magic. However, this means that there’s a lot of potential to be unlocked as the series progresses.
3. About Re:Zero
Re:Zero − Starting Life in Another World is a Japanese light novel series written by Tappei Nagatsuki and illustrated by Shinichirou Otsuka.
The plot is based on Subaru Natsuki, the protagonist who gets sucked into a fantasy world on his way home from the convenience store.
He gets attacked by a group of thugs and is beaten to a pulp immediately, but this girl from the fantasy world named Satella saves him.
To return the favor, Subaru helps her find the stolen insignia. They both get murdered by a mysterious force in the end, and Subaru wakes up with his new ability to reverse time upon his Death.
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