Speaking of Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World-, the protagonist Subaru has the ability to "Return by Death." This ability is only activated when Subaru dies, and he is brought back to life at the respawn point, where he lives a new life with his past memories intact. In other words, Subaru dies a lot in this anime! And in all the timelines Subaru has lived through, not only Subaru but also his companions often meet a tragic end... So, today we'll be ranking the most tragic endings that occurred in all the timelines Subaru has experienced!
Tenth Place: The Pile of Corpses Appeared in the Anime Season 2 PV
Our tenth place pick is the mysterious pile of corpses from the recently released anime Season 2 PV. The dormitory on Subaru's path is covered in a massive pile of dead bodies. While they appear to be townsfolk, the bodies of the main heroines, including Emilia, Rem, and Ram, as well as Roswaal and Crusch, are also depicted. So what exactly caused this pile of corpses? And where is Subaru headed? While there are still many mysteries surrounding it, this PV leaves a strong impression.
Ninth Place: Stabbed to Death by a Street Thug, "Tonchin Kan"
My ninth place pick is the scene early in the story where Subaru is accosted by a group of thugs and stabbed to death. This trio, known as "Tonchin Kan," are mob characters who appear repeatedly whenever Subaru returns from death. So, after encountering them so many times, Subaru, who was initially frightened by the knife, grows accustomed to it and tries to slip right through it. However, he is stabbed to death, unceremoniously and unsuccessfully. His death was so sudden that it was quite a memorable ending.
Eighth Place: Subaru Jumps Off a Cliff to Reset His Life
Eighth place is the scene where Subaru is cornered by Ram and jumps off a cliff to his death. Subaru had been trying every trick in the book to change the future, but in this world line, Rem never attacks him. Instead, Rem dies mysteriously, earning her a grudge. Ram corners Subaru and pushes him to the edge of a cliff for questioning. Beatrice then appears to help, seemingly igniting a battle between Ram and Beatrice... but Subaru shaves Beatrice's hair, engages in a bit of comedy, resets the scene, and runs to the cliff to save everyone, jumping off. Up until this point, it's a cool scene, but the final sound of him falling is haunting.
Seventh Place: Subaru Suspected of Being a Witch Cult Member by Rem and Beaten to Death
My seventh pick is the scene where Rem suspects Subaru of being a Witch Cult member and beats him to death with a chained iron ball. Subaru exudes the distinctive scent that witches give off, and Rem assumes he is connected to the Witch Cult and kills him. This method of killing is tragic in many ways... rather than killing him with a single blow, she inflicts serious injuries on him and then deliberately treats him in order to extract information about the Witch Cult. Subaru, meanwhile, sheds tears of rage at being falsely accused and about to be killed by Rem, with whom he had spent a short but friendly time... and in the end, it was Rem who dealt the final blow, but it was a very painful end for Subaru.
Sixth Place: Subaru's Stomach Slit by the Intestine Hunter and Death from Hemorrhagic Shock
My sixth place pick is the scene where Elsa, the Intestine Hunter, rips open Subaru's stomach and rummages through his intestines. Elsa was the first to cause Subaru's death after he arrived in this world, but unlike their first encounter, the second time she killed him, she even inspected the color of his intestines after ripping open his stomach. Subaru slowly dies, repeatedly crying "It hurts, it hurts," and the sight of his death is so painful it's almost painful for the viewer. Even so, Subaru still challenges Elsa again in the next world line, a scene that's typical of Subaru.
Fifth Place: Attacked and Stabbed by the Witch Cult
Fifth place goes to the scene where Rem is killed by the Witch Cult. Subaru and Rem rush to Roswaal's mansion after Emilia and the others are in dire straits. However, at an inn they stay at along the way, Rem leaves a note for Subaru and heads off alone to the mansion. Subaru frantically follows her, only to find the village of Arlam completely transformed. Every single villager had been brutally murdered. As Subaru unsteadily made his way to the mansion, the first thing he spotted was Rem's weapon. Moving his gaze to the side, he saw Rem lying face down, a sword lodged in her back, dead. This was the final scene of Episode 14, and I was in a terrible mood that day (lol).
Fourth Place: Puck's Wrath Causes Subaru to Freeze to Death
For fourth place, I chose the scene where Subaru's body is torn to pieces and freezes to death. After being attacked by the Witch's Cult and Rem being killed, Subaru somehow manages to maintain his sanity and make his way into the mansion. He then passes through a hidden door and arrives at the room where Emilia is believed to be. In the freezing cold, Subaru reaches for the doorknob, but his fingers freeze and snap... Surprised that his fingers have been torn off, he steps back, and then his right leg snaps... Subaru falls on his bottom, and as Puck says "It was too late," his face splits open and he returns to death. With Rem's death just before him, Subaru is left mentally broken after returning to death.
Third Place: Attacked and Brutally Murdered by the Witch Cult
Our third choice is Petra, who was attacked by the Witch Cult! While Ram appears to have died in relatively good condition, Petra, standing next to her, has sunken eyes. Judging by the bleeding from her eyes, it's likely that both of her eyes were gouged out... It's a mystery why only Petra died in this way, but despite only appearing for a moment, it left a powerful impact.
Second Place: Brutally Murdered by Petelgeuse
Second place goes to the scene where Rem is grabbed by Petelgeuse and killed by an invisible hand. In terms of horrific and gruesome deaths, this one is definitely number one. I debated between using this image or the image of the horrific scene, but the latter ended up being too disgusting, so I went with this one. While this scene alone doesn't seem like a particularly gruesome death, Rem's arms and legs were broken in opposite directions and her neck was twisted 180 degrees before this. Afterwards, he crawled across the ground like a broken marionette doll, finally reaching Subaru, leading to this scene... This scene elicited screams of joy from fans both in Japan and overseas.
Number 1: Subaru Freezes to Death and Loses His Head in the Ending
Is this an honor? I chose this episode as number 1 because of the scene in the ending where Subaru's head falls off. I chose it for the sheer impact it had, rather than the tragic way it ended. This episode also had a unique ending, with the ending credits in red, creating a somewhat terrifying atmosphere. In the ending, snow gradually piles up...and then Subaru's head finally falls off...I couldn't help but gasp in surprise when I saw this ending.
Extra: In some ways, the most tragic death is...
So far, we've looked at various causes of death, but Ram is undoubtedly the most tragic. Her cause of death is unknown, and there's very little depiction of it. Although he fought mightily and defeated the Witch Cult, he was treated so roughly that he met a tragic end in many ways.
Summary of Tragic Endings at the End of Battle
So far, I've introduced the tragic endings that appeared in Re:Zero. What did you think? I don't think there are many rankings that are as disgusting as this one. Writing this brought back a lot of memories and left me feeling unsettled (lol). However, if you're already familiar with the original work, you'll know that the second season also contains some pretty intense scenes. If you're familiar with the story, prepare yourself mentally, and if you're not, prepare yourself to withstand the shock before watching season two!
