Re:Zero

, often referred to simply as Re:Zero and also known less commonly as Re: Life in a Different World from Zero, is a Japanese light novel series written by Tappei Nagatsuki and illustrated by . It started serialization as a web novel on the user-generated website Shōsetsuka ni Narō in 2012. 46 light novels, as well as six side story volumes and fourteen short story collections have been published by Media Factory under their MF Bunko J imprint. The story centers on Subaru Natsuki, a who suddenly finds himself transported to another world while on his way home from a convenience store. The series' first four arcs have been adapted into separate manga series. The first, by Daichi Matsue, was published between June 2014¹ and March 2015¹. The second, by Makoto Fugetsu, has been published by Square Enix between October 2014 and January 2017. The third, also by Matsue, was also published between May 2015 and September 2019¹. The fourth, by Haruno Atori, with composition by Yu Aikawa, has been published since September 2019. Additionally, Media Factory has published two anthology manga with stories by different artists. In March 2017, game developer 5pb. released a visual novel based on the light novels. An anime television series adaptation produced by White Fox aired from April to September 2016, starting with an hour-long first episode.…

, often referred to simply as Re:Zero and also known less commonly as Re: Life in a Different World from Zero, is a Japanese light novel series written by Tappei Nagatsuki and illustrated by . It started serialization as a web novel on the user-generated website Shōsetsuka ni Narō in 2012. 46 light novels, as well as six side story volumes and fourteen short story collections have been published by Media Factory under their MF Bunko J imprint. The story centers on Subaru Natsuki, a who suddenly finds himself transported to another world while on his way home from a convenience store. The series' first four arcs have been adapted into separate manga series. The first, by Daichi Matsue, was published between June 2014 and March 2015. The second, by Makoto Fugetsu, has been published by Square Enix between October 2014 and January 2017. The third, also by Matsue, was also published between May 2015 and September 2019. The fourth, by Haruno Atori, with composition by Yu Aikawa, has been published since September 2019. Additionally, Media Factory has published two anthology manga with stories by different artists. In March 2017, game developer 5pb. released a visual novel based on the light novels. An anime television series adaptation produced by White Fox aired from April to September 2016, starting with an hour-long first episode. Two original video animations (OVAs) were released in October 2018¹ and November 2019. A second season aired in a split-cours format, with the first half airing from July to September 2020, and the second half airing from January to March 2021. A third season also premiered in a split-cours format, with the first half airing from October to November 2024, and the second half airing from February to March 2025. A fourth season aired from April to September 2026. The novels and all three manga adaptations are published in North America by Yen Press. The overall series (light novel and manga volumes) had over 13 million copies in circulation by March 2023 (including digital versions), while the anime series has sold more than 70,000 copies on home video. The light novels have been praised for their fresh take on the "another world" (isekai) concept, fleshed-out characters, complex world and lore, and thought-provoking topics and themes. ===Writing=== In the late 2000s, the light novel series The Familiar of Zero (Zero no Tsukaima) inspired numerous fan fiction works on the website Shōsetsuka ni Narō ("Let's Become Novelists"), commonly referred to as Narō. Tappei Nagatsuki initially wrote The Familiar of Zero fan fiction on Narō before adapting its isekai ("other world") premise to create his own original web novel series, Re:Zero, which began serialization on Narō in 2012. The series' editor at MF Bunko J, Masahito Ikemoto, first became aware of the web novel in April 2013, when it began appearing on his Twitter feed. He was immediately struck by the series' use of Return by Death, describing it as a "depressing, yet surprising, twist on the fantasy genre", and subsequently collaborated with Nagatsuki to adapt the series into a light novel. Although most light novels are approximately 250 pages in length, Nagatsuki submitted a manuscript exceeding 1,000 pages for the first volume, requiring extensive editing by Ikemoto. Nagatsuki had intended to incorporate worldbuilding early in the narrative, but Ikemoto argued that engaging readers with the characters should take priority. Consequently, he restructured the story so that the world and lore elements were deferred until the third arc of the series. Re:Zero originated from Nagatsuki's desire to write the heroine Emilia. He expressed a particular fondness for silver-haired heroines to the extent that he considered Emilia his favorite character in the entire series, as Subaru's journey to protect her constitutes the core of the narrative. Subaru's given name was conceived as a reference to the Pleiades asterism, which in turn connects to the Seven Sisters of Greek mythology. Nagatsuki found it difficult to write the story during a segment in which Subaru is unable to use his Return by Death ability and becomes surrounded by enemies. Although Subaru dies multiple times throughout the series, Nagatsuki identified the scene in which he is devoured by rabbits as the most gruesome, and stated that nothing more frightening would occur in the novels. The scene was inspired by the 1997 film The Lost World: Jurassic Park, in which Compsognathus dinosaurs consume the character Dieter Stark. Nagatsuki noted that he appreciated the fear conveyed in the Jurassic Park franchise through depictions of small creatures consuming humans. Despite considering the rabbit scene the most harrowing death, Nagatsuki continued to devise surprising ways for Subaru to perish in each arc of the novels. ===Art=== for the characters Subaru and Emilia Before joining Re:Zero, illustrator had worked on video games, which led him to prioritize drawing backgrounds when illustrating the series. After reading the web novel, he submitted preliminary character designs for the main characters to Ikemoto. Otsuka incorporated character data provided by Nagatsuki but also added extra features according to his own preferences. He favored Emilia's regular outfit, despite her frequent costume changes in the story. He also felt pressure when designing her, both because she was the main heroine and because of the extensive data Nagatsuki supplied. When creating characters, he tailored their clothing to suit their personalities. Otsuka estimated that he had designed over 200 characters, including those from side stories beyond the main novels. He avoided reusing old designs and intended to broaden his inspiration by exposing himself to a wider variety of media. For settings, the Royal Capital of Lugunica was modeled on the city of Prague. Subaru's initial design made him resemble a delinquent, with Otsuka later describing it as "not the face of a boy in his teens"; Ikemoto consequently requested that the character appear "more friendly and less fierce" to enable audience empathy during emotional scenes. Given that Subaru was conceived as an ordinary teenager, Otsuka avoided giving him an style, which emphasizes stylishness. Emilia's original design was considered extremely plain, so multiple features were added to increase her visual interest. Ikemoto specified that she had to conform to the "archetypal heroine" mold. Ram and Rem also underwent significant revisions from the first draft: their original designs lacked the characteristic hair parts, and their maid uniforms were longer and more "traditional". Otsuka also worked on the series' video game and expressed concern about seeing his artwork animated, owing to the difficulty of rendering such detailed designs in motion. Among his favorite characters was Beatrice, though he also showed interest in the handling of Rem. ===Sales and popularity=== According to Japanese light novel news website LN News, the series had 1 million copies in print by June 2016; over 2 million by September of the same year; and over 3.1 million by May 2017. It had over 11 million copies in circulation by January 2022. The overall series (light novel and manga adaptations volumes) had over 13 million copies in circulation by March 2023 (including digital versions). The light novel series was the tenth best-selling light novel series in Japan between November 2015 and May 2016, selling 263,357 copies. During that period, the first and second volumes were the 35th and 48th best-selling light novel volumes, selling 49,194 and 41,617 copies, respectively. The series was the fourth best-selling series in 2016, selling 1,007,381 copies between November 2015 and November 2016. Its first three volumes were the fourteenth, 21st, and 30th best selling volumes of the year, selling 155,363, 127,970, and 110,574 copies, respectively. In 2017, the series was the third best-selling series, with 925,671 copies sold. Its first, tenth, eleventh, and twelfth volumes respectively ranked nineteenth (60,135 copies), 25th (56,001 copies), seventh (101,480 copies), and twelfth (79,431 copies) in the period between November 2016 and May 2017. In 2019, the series sold 550,202 copies. The light novels and the anime both took first place in their respective categories in the 2017 Sugoi Japan Awards. In a survey of (primarily female) Otamart users, the series was ranked second on a list of the most successful media franchises of 2016.

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