In the realm of anime, only a select few titles have reached remarkable milestones and attained legendary status, with Re: Zero being regarded as one of the most acclaimed series. It is a series whose protagonist has been the subject of much criticism, but the third season’s premiere has jogged fans’ memories on what makes Subaru Natsuki special and stand out in the genre.
Among many popular isekai titles, Re: Zero stands out the most in the community, featuring a well-written storyline to well-layered characters. Over the years, Subaru’s journey filled with tragedies has left a long-lasting impression on the audience, making many viewers deeply empathize with the protagonist’s suffering and pain. Re: Zero features a diverse cast of fascinating characters, from main leads to villains and side characters.
Regulus Corneas: A Complex and Unforgettable Villain in Re: Zero‘s Storyline
Re: Zero is hailed as one of the best isekai anime of all time and for good reason. In the previous episode, the opening act focuses on Subaru as he wakes up from a nightmare. The last time audiences saw him, Subaru was frantically trying to save Crusch from the Lust Archbishop of Sin before being swept away by the flood.
Since Re: Zero premiered way back in 2016, Emilia has been a central character who’s left a lasting impression on fans, even if not entirely positive. After capturing Emilia, the story finally dives deeper into Regulus’s character, leaving fans amazed by the mangaka’s creative vision behind his design.
Re: Zero Trivia #1064
In Episode 8, Regulus threatened to erase everything from the neck down of anyone who moved after becoming angry at Emilia for mentioning Subaru.
The author has clarified that Regulus specifically would target below the neck because he likes his wives’… pic.twitter.com/IezpDzeWkL
— ストライド・ヴォラキア | Stride Vollachia (aka Ice) (@LoremIpsumVerb) November 22, 2024
The Sin Archbishop of Greed, Regulus Corneas, was the most powerful of the archbishops and held the witch factor of Greed, which made him near-invisible until Subaru figured out his Authority.
While the anime hasn’t shown much of him just yet, fans of the light novels know all too well how cruel he can be.
As the strongest and one of the oldest Sin Archbishops in the Witch Cult, Regulus had an air of mystery surrounding him and was responsible for many brutal mass slaughters and annihilations in the century prior to the beginning of the story.
The anime’s deeper exploration of Regulus’s character reveals striking parallels with Subaru, making his ultimate defeat by Subaru feel fully justified.
Subaru’s RBD and Regulus’s AoG highlight their contrasting ideologies, with the key difference being whether change comes from within or external influence.
Anime viewers must wait to uncover Regulus’s chilling past, while novel readers already know his fate and actions, making him a fascinating character.
Regulus’s Haunting Past: What Makes Him a Standout Villain in Re: Zero
More than 100 years ago, Regulus used to live with his family in a village of a small country outside the Four Great Nations. At some point in his life, Regulus was selected as a Sin Archbishop and granted the Witch Factor of Greed. Reflecting his deepest desires, he gained the immensely powerful Authority of Greed, which he wielded throughout the next century.
Regulus subsequently killed his entire family, then the villagers who looked down on him, followed by the people from the nearby town who pushed his family into such peril, and finally, his entire home country.
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He even broke the mind of his childhood love, slaughtered her family, and forced her to marry him, thus forcing her to become his first of many wives.
Since the beginning, Regulus was extremely prideful and viewed himself as a “divine being” or “the most satisfying existence in the world”, which greatly hindered his assessment of people.
Through the effective combination of the two skills that make up his authority, Lion’s Heart and Little King, Regulus was an impossible opponent to deal with.
Regulus never acknowledged his “sins,” even in his final moments. His perception of the world remained corrupted and distorted from the start to his bitter end, with his last cries filled with hatred, wishing for humanity’s complete annihilation.
Episode 8 goes ahead with Regulus and Emilia’s wedding just before the credits roll. The episode makes Subaru the most important person in the room. Every new development and plotline goes through him first, making him central to the plot’s progress, leaving fans eagerly anticipating the next week’s episode.
Re: Zero: Starting Life in Another World can be streamed on Crunchyroll.
