Re:Zero 4th Season Episode 16: Subaru Meets His Past Self in Emotional 10th Anniversary Episode

TV anime Re:Zero kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu 4th season episode 16, titled “Natsuki Subaru,” aired on September 9. The episode delivered an emotional confrontation between Subaru and his past self, leaving viewers in tears and sparking widespread reactions on X (formerly Twitter).

In the episode, Subaru, desperate to save Shaula and pass the second trial, faces five obstacles in a wave attack. Despite 15 returns by death, he finds no breakthrough. As fear paralyzes him, a certain Book of the Dead appears—one that seems to belong to Natsuki Subaru himself. The book leads him to confront the person he was before losing his memories.

Note: The following contains spoilers for the episode. Proceed with caution.

Subaru Meets Subaru

With a new authority, Subaru can sense souls and locates a strange reaction in the library—his own Book of the Dead. The title reads “Natsuki Subaru,” meaning the library has observed all his returns by death. The book contains the experiences of the “Natsuki Subaru” before he lost his memories. Seeking to understand how that version of himself became so strong, he decides to trace those footsteps.

He relives his first arrival in this world, being slashed by Elsa, jumping off a cliff for Rem and Ram, being frozen by Puck, confronting Petelgeuse, and being devoured by the Great Rabbit. Viewers initially felt nostalgic, with comments like “Wow, nostalgic…” and “It’s the first episode!” but as the volumes piled up, they noted, “Experiencing all those death routes at once would break your mind.” Many also recalled their own trauma moments, such as the snow rabbit and being frozen by Puck.

Subaru seeks the strength of his past self, and then the past Subaru appears in the corridor of memories. He greets him with “Yo, the other me.” The past Subaru is calm and says he should have already gained what he sought. But the current Subaru is frustrated, blaming himself for being weak and unable to save anyone. Viewers watched the exchange, noting the difference between the two, with comments like “Looking at this, they’re really different people.”

After venting, the current Subaru calms down and tells his past self about what happened after losing his memories. He thanks him for apologizing to his parents, for saving Otto and Garfiel, for helping Petra, Frederica, and the villagers of Arlam, for taking Beatrice out, and for falling in love with Emilia. This is a memory integration, meaning the current Subaru will be absorbed. Viewers lamented the short time they had with this Subaru, but also praised him for entrusting himself to himself.

The current Subaru disappears, leaving only the past Subaru in the corridor. The third Gluttony Archbishop, Louis Arneb, who was hiding there, sees his plan thwarted and, terrified, expels Subaru back to the real world.

Back in reality, Subaru rushes to Emilia, who is fighting Ley. He raises a finger and declares, “My name is Natsuki Subaru! Emilia-tan’s number one knight!” Viewers cheered with “Welcome back, Subaru!” and “Emilia-tan!” Emilia smiles, and fans shed tears of joy.

The next episode airs on September 16, as the fourth season enters its final stretch.

Broadcast Information

■ Loss Arc (11 episodes): Started April 8 (Wednesday) on TOKYO MX, AT-X, and 21 other stations nationwide.
■ Retaliation Arc (8 episodes): Started August 12 (Wednesday).

Staff

Cast

(C) Nagatsuki Tappei / KADOKAWA / Re:Zero kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu 4 Production Committee