In general, this episode is spent tying up loose ends and setting things up for the next big battle. For the former, we get more of the backstory of what happened to Reinhard’s grandmother and how it relates to what’s happening now—adding personal stakes to Wilhelm’s upcoming fight. Then we have Subaru taking on a lot of Crusch’s dragon curse himself—though doing so seems to hurt him more than it cleanses her.

Then, for the latter, we have a big boardroom meeting with everyone making plans for who attacks which Sin Archbishop. This brings us to one of the things I most respect about Re:Zero: its willingness to stop and address potential plot holes rather than simply barrel ahead at full speed for the sake of getting to the next action scene as fast as possible—even in a season finale like this episode.

Take Liliana for example: she is the obvious counter to Sirius’ Witch Factor from what we’ve seen so far. Heck, both Subaru and Priscilla have recognized this in the story. However, everyone at the table is smart enough to realize that, despite Liliana’s success in the shelters, gambling on an unknown power could easily lead to failure. So, what happens? Reinhard manifests a new divine protection and simply tells everyone what Liliana’s power is—that should be able to counter Sirius.

This is a great scene because it not only addresses the obvious question, but also creates new, intriguing implications for the story. While it’s been clear from the start that Reinhard is “The Hero” in the world of Re:Zero, we begin to see what this truly means. For things to move forward, Reinhard needs to have the ability to see Liliana’s power. In an instant, the world shifts to give it to him.

It cannot be understated how world-changing this is both inside the story and in the meta sense. In a very real way, Reinhard is a walking Deus Ex Machina. Oh, he can’t beat an enemy unless he has some skill or another? Bam! He has it.

In other stories, an ability this powerful could be a major issue, robbing the plot of stakes and tension. However, this is not the case in Re:Zero. This season in particular has been good about showing Reinhard’s weaknesses. While he may have near-infinite potential for growth, he’s still human. His emotions—particularly his doubts and worries—lay heavily on him and can cause him to fall into inaction at the worst times. Moreover, though he may seem invincible, that doesn’t mean he can save everyone single-handedly, nor does it mean he doesn’t make mistakes. We saw this in his battle against Sirius earlier this season. Sure, he won that fight, but Subaru and all the hostages died in the process.

So, can Reinhard beat Regulus in a fight? Almost certainly. But that doesn’t mean that anyone else is going to survive. The result may be a forgone conclusion but there is still plenty of danger and tension to go around. Of course, we’ll just have to wait till February 5 next year to see how everything unfolds.

Rating:

Random Thoughts:

• While this season may seem short at only eight episodes, it’s important to remember that the first episode was triple in length.

• I get that Otto’s heart is in the right place but restoring the Book of Wisdom seems super dangerous.

• Emilia had a good speech about what she’s learned about love… Too bad Regulus 1) doesn’t care about love and is 2) too self-centered to even listen to her.

• I’m happy we got to end on a “big damn hero moment.” It’s a cliffhanger, to be sure, but one that leaves you feeling good at least.

Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World- is currently streaming on
Crunchyroll.

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Disclosure: Kadokawa World Entertainment (KWE), a wholly owned subsidiary of Kadokawa Corporation, is the majority owner of Anime News Network, LLC. One or more of the companies mentioned in this article are part of the Kadokawa Group of Companies.