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Re: Zero Kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu or more commonly known as Re: Zero is an anime series which details the adventures of a boy Known as Natsuki Subaru in another world. His entire stay during this time becomes akin to hell on Earth as he is thrust into this seemingly light but gruesome world that punishes him at every instance. The only power he has to fight against this cruelty is the ability Return by Death which allows him to go back to a particular point in the past after dying. The hook of the show lies in the process by which Subaru overcomes each problem. He dies in order to gain more information and replays a death loop as many times as it takes until he finally makes it past the checkpoint. The main show as it is right now is separated into two seasons with four different arcs combined; the Chaotic first day, the tumultuous first week, Return to Capital City, and the Everlasting Contract.

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Re: Zero is classified under the Isekai genre which focuses on the main lead transporting to different worlds as it's direction translation is literally "another world". These characters are usually given powers that make them ridiculously strong compared to the rest of the cast. Thus, the genre is associated with the term "Power Fantasy", since the concept of Isekai is deeply rooted in the fact that a lot of the media under this label possesses self insert leads. Self inserts meaning that the viewer is supposed to assume the role of the character in the story.

In a critique done by an anonymous user(Sufficient Velocity, 2019) , the effort put in by the characters and the tension of the story is sapped out in order to provide viewers with a pleasure vehicle which manifest itself in the main lead. Everything is essentially gifted to the protagonist whether it be a harem of cute girls, insurmountable competency with regards to whatever they do, and a bypass to the established worlds rules. Villains are in a sense glorified punching bags for the main character, as they don't possess the writing depth to make them compelling or terrifying. Protagonists in these stories are boring as their personalities don't have any uniqueness nor any relatability. The notion of writing a proper character arc becomes second to the fantasy.  The intentions of the story are surface level at best, since Wish fulfillment by way of the power fantasy provided by the self insert turns into the primary focus.

An article done by beneaththetangles critiques the genre for its lack of depth. The protagonist becomes the main moral focal point of the story as they are usually idolized by the characters around them.

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Correlation of the Power Fantasy to Re:Zero 

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Correlation of the Power Fantasy to Re:Zero 

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Although Re:Zero is an Isekai, it does not really fit into the stereotype of the genre. As much as the show tries to make it seem like one at the beginning it's apparent just from the episode 1 that it is an Isekai unlike others. The first episode entails Subaru being transported to another world and by the end it he has experienced his first death. The ability Return by Death triggers which presents to us the only power he will be using for the entirety of the first season.

Preconceived notions of Re:Zero being a potential power fantasy are dispelled in it's first 24 minutes. The protagonist in our story is not a God, he is not overpowered and instead the grounded and grim reality of being transported to another world without any help is pounded into him. This isn't just a fantasy where Subaru is a hero. Subaru is just a normal human being who was transported to another world and that in itself is the fuel for what makes Re: Zero an extremely compelling story. It asks the question of how an ordinary high school student without any extraordinary abilities nor any prior comrades survive in another world that is unrelenting in nature.

In its essence the show is a subversion of the Isekai Genre. The bright color palette of the show contrasts its themes and content, which is surprisingly dark with large amount of violence. Of course violence without purpose would still be surface level story writing, but Re: Zero uses it as a vehicle to subvert the expectation of the viewer. It shows that the world that the viewer expects to be lighthearted and fun turns out to be truly unforgiving. Building on this notion of violence as a tool, the amount of punishment inflicted on Subaru is used to a masterful degree as his role as a self insert is destroyed. Suffering whether it be mentally or physically is commonplace in the story as it is a method Tappei Nagatsuki(the author) employs in order to fuel Subaru's character.

This subversion is the basis for discussion because not only does the plot subvert the expectation of the viewer , it also subverts Subaru's expectation of what an Isekai is supposed to entail.

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The communication theory that will be used to analyze the Subaru's character and  journey will be the Cognitive dissonance theory. The Cognitive Dissonance theory states that individuals who undergo psychological tension happens when one's behavior or actions is inconsistent with their own beliefs(Menzel&Thompson, 2012). As a result of this tension, these individuals are compelled to create changes in their attitudes in order to achieve a more consistent relationship between their own thoughts and behaviors. The amount of dissonance varies per subject  as it is affected by factors such as its importance to us, an inability to rationalize the tension, and the amount of tension between behavior and attitude. An example of cognitive dissonance would be continuing smoking despite the risks by rationalizing the act as an anxiety reducing habit.

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ANALYSIS OF RE:ZERO USING COGNITIVE DISSONANCE 

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ANALYSIS OF RE:ZERO USING COGNITIVE DISSONANCE 

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Power Fantasy and Cognitive Dissonance in Re: Zero 

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Power Fantasy and Cognitive Dissonance in Re: Zero 

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The joint presence of power fantasy and cognitive dissonance manifests itself in Re: Zero's subversion of typical tropes.
In the story it's very explicitly shown that Subaru is an avid watcher of anime and this can be seen in season 2 episode 4 when he wakes up in his own room filled with figurines, posters, and merchandise of different anime. Based on this it's not far fetched to conclude that he has a clear idea of what the cookie cutter Isekai contains.  His own attitude when it comes to the idea of  being transported to another world is based off his own experiences watching the genre, therefore when he is brought to another world he immediately refers to what he's seen in the shows. He is comparable to the viewers who self insert themselves into the power fantasies they watch.

Unfortunately, these expectations immediately break down as what his belief of what being transported to another world was supposed to be was different from the reality. This subversion of his own beliefs becomes the basis for his cognitive dissonance in the show. More specifically the suffering he endures as a result of his own powerlessness in a world filled with super powered individuals creates a distortion between his preconceived notions and behavior. Continuing on, there are 2 specific episodes that exemplify the tension of the power fantasy in his head and the harsh reality of the world. These examples include season 1 episode 1 and season 1 episode 18 of the original air.

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Episode 1 Season 1 - Humiliating Introduction to a Beloved Hero 

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Episode 1 Season 1 - Humiliating Introduction to a Beloved Hero 

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Episode 1 season 1 of Re: Zero starts of with Subaru being transported to Lugunica city in the middle of the town. After a short period of confusion and uncertainty Subaru celebrates as he excited by the premise of light hearted adventure promised to him by all the Isekai's he has watched. Without even a second's hesitation Subaru attempts to use magic in an attempt to save a child from an incoming roadkill while exclaiming the dialogue

"This must be the event where I produce my own magic!".

Unfortunately for our protagonist he produces no magic and the child is saved by another pedestrian. This shows us that his belief of possessing overpowered abilities is inconsistent with his behavior since he wasn't able to produce magic at all. After Subaru's failed magic attempt he rationalizes by stating that he's not ready to use magic yet.

Another instance of cognitive dissonance in the same episode happens around the 6:00 to 7:00 min as the same expectation of possessing overpowered powers surfaces again. Three thugs try to rob Subaru off his belongings, but rather than complying which is the safe option, Subaru instead tries to fight still clinging on his to belief of Isekai tropes. He even says that

" Anyone summoned into a parallel world will display supernatural powers".

He beats up two of the three but thugs but eventually loses and is only saved by Emilia, the main heroine, through sheer luck. This increases the tension between his belief and behavior grows. Subaru rationalizes  the dissonance through the notion that the main heroine in the form of Emilia exists. The fact that a beautiful girl such as her saved him means that the promise of him as the idolized protagonist must still be in place.

This episode serves as foreshadowing for his eventual realization of his own powerlessness.

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Episode 18 is considered by many fans to be the best episode in the entire series and it only consists of two characters talking about their feelings for 20 minutes straight. Before diving deep into episode 18 prior context must first be established. Just know that this is the lowest point in Subaru's entire stay in the parallel world as he is confronted with a herculean wall that would probably require the intervention of  an overpowered protagonist. He has Returned by Death around 3 times from the start of arc 3(episode 12) and despite his three tries, has no idea how to overcome the obstacle in his way. To show you the stakes, unless he solves the issue in arc 3 almost everybody he's acquainted with dies, as each of his deaths resulted as such. Every time Subaru dies he is reminded of just how far his belief of being somebody special, somebody who's living a power fantasy, is from the reality of the situation. He already knows that he powerless but he dismisses the notion out of a faint hope that he can achieve something.

The cognitive dissonance in this episode manifests itself in Subaru's prior inability to admit that to himself that he in fact cannot do anything to change the situation. When he tries to do something to solve the problem he dies, yet his attitude believes in the fact that he can still do something about the insurmountable wall because he's the protagonist of the Isekai story .

The tension between belief and behavior finally reaches its peak as Subaru is forced to resolve the inconsistency between them by way of changing his belief.  The new belief being that he was always useless and he could never change anything even if he tried. Through this change he is able to  justify his behavior of failing to solve to issue.

The power fantasy aspect of this episode manifests itself in the way Subaru implies that he desired to be powerful and needed because he hated the person he was when he lived in his previous world.

"I have no power, but I want it all, I have no knowledge, but all I do is dream!"

"Wanting to accomplish something when I've never done anything goes beyond the limits of arrogance!"

He basically admitted that despite being transported to a fantasy world nothing about him as ever changed. His understanding of Isekai and the power fantasy shatters as he is finally confronted with the riveting truth that he is still the same person. He desired pleasure even though he has done nothing to earn it. He wanted to accomplish heroic feats without putting in the effort. Natsuki Subaru is truly the personification of a viewer who seeks for the heralded power fantasy

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On a more personal note, Natsuki Subaru has always been my favorite character in all of fiction. The way he exposes his innermost insecurities throughout the show and how he deals with this is the most interesting part of Re:Zero to me. There always exists some kind of dissonance between his behavior and his attitude. "Wanting to do something when you've never done anything" is always a line that has stuck to me. The feeling of wanting to do something, but never working for it is a mindset that the show critiques. I've felt this way before many times whether it be in my schoolwork or sports and I try making excuses for it all the time. I would try to rationalize me failing a test as, "well everybody failed so it's only natural that I did". With regards to sports and training, I would skip and justify it using the rationale, "I'm probably good enough, so I don't to train". Re:Zero showed me that my mentality of always making excuses will someday come back to bite me.

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Isekai: Otaku's last reward essay | sufficient velocity. (2019, July 10). Retrieved November 17, 2022, from https://forums.sufficientvelocity.com/threads/isekai-otakus-last-reward.56106/

Isekai for Christians, part 2: Power fantasies and responsibilities. Beneath the Tangles. (2018, February 5). Retrieved November 17, 2022, from https://beneaththetangles.com/2018/02/06/isekai-for-christians-part-2-power-fantasies-and-responsibilities/

Thompson, J. K., Schaefer, L. M., & Menzel, J. E. (2012). Internalization of thin-ideal and muscular-ideal. Encyclopedia of Body Image and Human Appearance, 499–504. https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-12-384925-0.00079-1