Re:Zero and the Shadow Self
John Wintroub discusses the theme of the Shadow Self in Re:Zero
Re:Zero season 3 is full of character introspection that makes it thematically consistent with its first two seasons. Audiences have seen Subaru overcome obstacle after obstacle, learning to accept himself and realize he is not alone. While he has matured greatly, there is still plenty for him to overcome.
Enter Regulus Corneas, the Sin Archbishop of Greed. Regulus’s desires are insatiable, thinking that he deserves whatever he wants in that moment. His greed manifests itself as possession, specifically possession over the women he finds attractive. He makes them his wives, with them acting as servants and literal objects for him to fawn over.
l have already talked at length about how the sin of greed is not inherently evil in a previous article, but Re:Zero creator Tappei Nagatsuki represents the sin differently than Fullmetal Alchemist creator Hiromu Arakawa. This is done through creating a dichotomy between Subaru and Regulus. While Regulus’ conflict with Subaru began with him aiding in the events that led to Rem’s comatose state, it’s his desire to make Emilia his newest wife that put the two at certain odds.
At the beginning of the third arc of Re:Zero, Subaru acted not so differently than Regulus is now, thinking he is owed Emilia’s love because of all he had done for her. He viewed Emilia as a trophy to be won, rather than a person harboring similar feelings of self-doubt. This effectively makes Regulus a near-perfect visage of the monster Subaru could have become had he never experienced the growth he did after that moment.
Unlike Regulus, Subaru is surrounded by people willing to tear him down and lift him up when he needs it. Rem, Ram, Garfiel, Otto, Julius and Reinhard are not afraid to let Subaru know of his faults, just like he has done to them. It is those bonds that make Subaru who he is.
Regulus has no such bonds because he views his relationships with people as possessions. If they do not look pretty or serve him unconditionally, they are not useful. Subaru almost pities Regulus for the loneliness he must feel. He says that he loves his wives, yet his heart does not beat for them, literally. His Witch Factor makes it so he can place his heart in the body of another living being, effectively stopping his own and preventing himself from aging passed the moment he did so. He is stuck in time, refusing to grow or change. He is permanently an immature brat who thinks the world revolves around him.
In “A Little Book on the Human Shadow,“ Robert Bly writes about the five stages of confrontation with the shadow self. The shadow self is created when one separates a part of themselves, deeming it unrepresentative of who they are. This is projecting it onto another, which can be an object or a person. That projection was Subaru’s refusal to recognize his faults in season 1.
The second stage is the mind fighting back against that projection. This could be seen as Subaru recognizing his faults but still not accepting them as a part of himself. This could be his duel with Julius or his constant failing attempts to save everyone in the mansion from the Witch’s Cult.
The third stage is the beginning of the mind’s healing, where is Subaru is forced outwardly to confront his sins and accept them, but still refuses, thinking that they are not him. This could be his second confrontation with Betelgeuse, the Sin Arch Bishop of Sloth.
The fourth stage is being forced to see yourself in the mirror, realizing that you are the sins you have committed. Subaru is forced to look inside himself and see how broken he has been in episode 18 of that first season, “From Zero.”
The fifth stage is where you retrieve the hero. Subaru accepts his flaws and chooses to be a hero despite them. The final step in this is him defeating a physical manifestation of those flaws. Regulus is an image of the person Subaru could have been had he refused to mature. Subaru confronting Regulus with the help of Emilia and Reinhard further represents where his path diverged from Regulus’. By conquering Regulus, Subaru accepts that those sins led to his present self, while acknowledging that his shadow is only a part of him.
This does not mean Subaru’s spiritual journey is over, as we are always growing and changing, but I am excited to see what hurdles Tappei Nagatsuki puts him through next.