Natsuki Subaru
Natsuki Subaru is the main character of Re:Zero − Starting Life in Another World, a teenager from Japan who is suddenly summoned to a fantasy world. He is best known for Return by Death, a curse that sends him back to an earlier point in time each time he dies. He is voiced by Yusuke Kobayashi in Japanese and Sean Chiplock in English.
Profile | |
|---|---|
Full name | Natsuki Subaru (菜月 昴) |
Age | 17 (Arcs 1–4), 18 (Arc 5 onward) |
Birthday | April 1 |
Height | 172 cm (5'8") |
Race | Human |
Affiliation | Emilia Camp, House Mathers |
Occupation | Emilia's Knight (Arc 4 onward); formerly a high school student and the mansion's butler |
Family | Natsuki Kenichi (father), Natsuki Naoko (mother) |
Contracted spirit | Beatrice |
Voice actor (JP) | Yusuke Kobayashi |
Voice actor (EN) | Sean Chiplock |
First appearance | Light novel Volume 1; anime Episode 1 |
Appearance
Subaru is a young man in his late teens with medium-length, thick black hair and sanpaku eyes, whose small irises leave a lot of white showing. His eyes are black in the light novels and brown in the anime. He has an athletic build, since his father raised him as an athlete and he kept training even as a shut-in. He arrives in the new world in a tracksuit and later wears a butler's uniform at Roswaal's mansion.
Personality
Kind and playful: despite his sharp-looking eyes, he treats people warmly, even those who dislike him. Children and older people tend to like him.
Speaks before he thinks: he often blurts out tactless remarks, though his words have also calmed people or given them courage.
Habitual promise breaker: he breaks promises so often that his friends have learned not to count on them.
Carries everything alone: low self-esteem from childhood and the weight of Return by Death push him to shoulder other people's burdens by himself.
Stubborn: no matter how many times he fails or dies, he refuses to give up on the people he loves.
Background
Subaru grew up in Japan, the son of Natsuki Kenichi and Natsuki Naoko. His father raised him as an athlete, but he later withdrew from school life and became a shut-in. One night, on his way home from a convenience store, he was suddenly pulled into the Kingdom of Lugunica.
Spoiler warning: the rest of this section covers events from every arc.
In Arc 1 he meets Emilia, dies for the first time, and learns that he returns to a checkpoint each time he dies. In Arc 2 he works as a butler at Roswaal's mansion and meets Rem, Ram and Beatrice. In Arc 3 he joins the Royal Selection, breaks down, and is pulled back up by Rem before leading the hunt for the White Whale and defeating Petelgeuse of the Witch Cult. In Arc 4 he faces the Sanctuary's trials and the Witch of Greed, forms a contract with Beatrice, and becomes Emilia's knight. In Arc 5 he fights the Witch Cult's Sin Archbishops in the city of Priestella, and in Arc 6 he travels to the Pleiades Watchtower.
Abilities
Return by Death: when he dies, he returns to an earlier checkpoint with all his memories. Everyone else forgets the lost timeline. He cannot tell anyone about it, because the Witch's power stops him whenever he tries.
Authority of Sloth: lets him use unseen hands, the power once held by Petelgeuse.
Authority of Greed: grants him further abilities tied to the Witch of Greed's Witch Factor.
Yin magic: he has a natural yin affinity but cannot use it freely. His best-known spell is Shamak, a cloud of darkness that blinds and confuses.
Spirit arts: through his contract with Beatrice he can use spirit magic.
Guiltywhip: a whip that he carries as his weapon.
Relationships
Emilia: the girl he falls for on his first day. He fights to make her king and becomes her knight.
Rem: she first sees him as a threat, then becomes his most devoted ally and confesses her love. Rem calls him "that person".
Ram: she calls him "Barusu" and treats him with dry sarcasm. Subaru taught her hiragana.
Beatrice: the library's keeper, who becomes his contracted spirit at the end of Arc 4.
Echidna: the Witch of Greed, who is fascinated by Return by Death and offers him a contract.
Shaula: the guardian of the Pleiades Watchtower, who calls him "master".
Satella: the Witch of Envy, who is deeply tied to him and to Return by Death.
Likes and dislikes
Likes:
Emilia
The stars and astronomy
Mayonnaise (his family each keep their own bottle)
Dislikes:
Seeing the people he loves die
Being unable to tell anyone about Return by Death
Trivia
His birthday, April 1, is April Fools' Day.
"Subaru" is the Japanese name for the Pleiades star cluster, and "Natsuki" combines the characters for "greens" and "moon".
He researched his own name for a school assignment, which started his love of the stars. That knowledge later helps him at the Pleiades Watchtower.
According to the author, his mother named him Subaru after a date at a planetarium.
He once cross-dressed under the name "Natsumi Schwartz", and he uses the alias again in the new world. "Schwartz" is German for "black".
He has been ranked among the five weakest characters in the series.
Frequently asked questions
How does Return by Death work?
When Subaru dies, he returns to an earlier checkpoint and keeps his memories, while everyone else forgets what happened. The checkpoint can change as the story moves on.
Can Subaru tell anyone about Return by Death?
No. Whenever he tries, the Witch's power stops him, often by gripping his heart.
How old is Subaru?
He is 17 when he arrives in the new world and turns 18 by Arc 5.
Who does Subaru love?
Subaru loves Emilia and becomes her knight. Rem also loves him and confesses her feelings in Arc 3.
Who voices Subaru?
Yusuke Kobayashi in Japanese and Sean Chiplock in English.
Age 17 (Arcs 1–4), 18 (Arc 5 onward)
Also known as Subaru Natsuki, Barusu (by Ram), Natsumi Schwartz, Spirit Knight
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