In the world of Isekai, Tappei Nagatsuki’s Re: Zero is celebrated like none other, where fans would be hooked on its storyline and intriguing themes, which feel like a treat in the form of art. After all, the series flaunts an intriguing world-building with an out-of-the-box approach to death, which made it so appealing to a large number of viewers.
Despite the anime’s charisma and popularity, the series featured one of the most annoying protagonists, who has been the subject of a ton of criticism in season 1 of the show. Subaru Natsuki’s character was so poorly written that even his voice actor felt he was done voicing the character at times.
However, after season 2, the character became one of the key reasons that the show soared in popularity. The story not only showcased his growth as a character but also featured his backstory, which elevated the series, making it the best Isekai work to be ever made.
Re:Zero’s Protagonist Made the Entire Otaku Community Annoyed with His Character Sketch
When Re:Zero: Starting Life in Another World made its debut in 2016, it quickly enchanted the fans with its dark and intriguing take on the Isekai genre. Despite getting adapted from the light novel of the same name by Tappei Nagatsuki, it had more narrative freedom than most adapted works.
Typically, an Isekai series flaunts having the best protagonist, who adds to the charm of the show. However, Nagatsuki-Sensei’s work was an exception to this belief because it featured probably the most annoying protagonist known to humankind.
Even Subaru Natsuki’s voice actor was annoyed with the character, as he shared how the character felt like an eyesore in the first season. The voice actor of Re: Zero was present at the Anime Expo 2024 via Anime Trending.
Yusuke Kobayashi gave his insight on how Subaru’s character was somewhat better in season 2, and fans hated him to the guts in the initial season of the anime. He said,
It’s really hard for me to pick my favorite, but if I had to choose, it would be from Season 2, when Subaru has the moment with his parents. I think in Season 1, maybe there were a lot of people who found Subaru very annoying as a character, and I think part of it might be because those parts of him weren’t explained until he had that moment with his parents.
He further explained the moment that made him change his perception of his character and voice him with much more depth as he shared a moment with his parents.
In a lot of anime, I think there’s that moment where characters want to forget their past and just look forward to the future and not look behind too much, but with Subaru, it was at that moment that he realized, “I won’t be able to see my parents anymore.”
He added,
So even for me, my image and feelings about Subaru completely changed in how I perceived him because of the scene with Subaru’s mom and dad.
Kobayashi-San changed his perception of the protagonist; he was not impressed with voicing the character and even felt tired of voicing him in the first season.
However, he had a change of heart as he went deep into the third season, where he keenly explains the traits that initially made him feel drained out from voicing the hero.
Yusuke Kobayashi Felt “Tired” From Voicing Subaru Natsuki
Even though the voice actor praises how the protagonist has grown as a character in the second season, he feels that Subaru is rather an unappealing character. However, that was not a bad thing for the anime.
In the same interview via Anime Trending, he explained how the different notion of being a hero and starting a life again in a new world was shown beautifully in Season 1. He said,
In Season 1, I think Subaru might have come across as immature and maybe an unappealing character, which made a really strong impact. I think that image in his mind of who he is and how he thinks of himself as a hero really comes through in Season 1, and that also ties into the fact that he starts out not having any friends in this world. It creates a lot of anxiety, which makes him very worried.
He explained that as the plot progressed, it explained how the gap was filled that made his image switch from being annoying to being a protagonist that we all appreciate. He added,
So that gap between his self-image and who he actually is I think is something that is told within Season 1, but as we go into Season 3, he really grows as a character. He’s surrounded by friends that he can rely on, and they also rely on him too.
He concluded by talking about how the growth put immense stress on his vocal cords because he often tries to embody his character’s feelings and display them through his voice. He said,
But in terms of physical preparation, I try to take care of my throat so I don’t lose my voice. In terms of feelings and how I try to relate to Subaru, I try to portray and express Subaru’s growth in his voice as well.
Nevertheless, the actor has come up with an interesting technique for making each of Subaru’s deaths unique and adding another star to the show.
Re: Zero: Starting Life in Another World can be streamed on Crunchyroll.
