The Sacrifice of Subaru Natsuki: A Christian Perspective

We can find Messiah in many things, including secular art. Subaru is a secular type of Christ.

Re: Zero didn’t introduce the concept of isekai (other world) anime, but it solidified itself as a staple in any serious otaku culture diet. The characterization is complex, diving into psychological themes and trauma in the severest sense. The central plot threads revolve around Subaru Natsuki, a shut-in who finds himself whisked away to another world where the fantastical takes center stage.

When Subaru first arrives, he meets a beautiful half-elf named Emelia, who tries to dismiss him by congruence with a feared figure in the nation of Lugunica’s lore, Satella, the Witch of Envy. Being a neophyte to the unnamed world, Subaru doesn’t understand the gravity of Emelia’s statement, and his status as a shut-in teenager has him falling for her in a hurry when she risks her life to save him.

What Subaru doesn’t realize is that a divine force has given him a gift called Return by Death.

The effect of this gift is how it sounds.

Every time Subaru dies, he comes back to life in what he calls his ‘save point.’

Using the Gift

The first episode is an extended introduction, showing the journey that awaits the viewer and the basic premise of the story.

Subaru’s arrival in Lugunica offers him a new chance to begin again, but it isn’t long before he finds trouble.

During events replayed multiple times, Subaru survives and vows to protect Emelia after returning by death. He meets a blue-haired girl named Rem and her sister Rom, a maid duo working in the margrave's mansion owned by Roswaal L Mathers.

Subaru asks for employment in the Mathers household, relishing the fact he gets to spend more time with Emelia, making his first goal to ask her on a date to the village. Things turn awry within the mansion, with Subaru meeting his death every four days and not understanding why.

Repeating events multiple times scars Subaru’s psyche, but he learns to use his ability for the good of those he wishes to protect.

We can liken Subaru Natsuki to the Savior, because through suffering Jesus redeemed fallen humanity in a move of selflessness.

Subaru wishes to emulate the selfless behavior of the object of his affection, and through the course of many battles and obstacles realizes his special gift is not a curse, but a blessing.

Much like Jesus Christ had to suffer on behalf of others and become a curse, Subaru uses his gift to reverse the effects of his mistakes, wiping everyone’s slates clean in the timeline.

The Gospel of John 15:13 offers Jesus’ opinion on what the greatest form of love looks like. ‘Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.’ As Jesus gave His own life for others, Subaru morphs from a selfish person into a man willing to offer himself as a sacrifice for the benefit of others.

Sacrifice As Blessing

It is a thankless effort, because Subaru may not speak of his ability to anyone, lest the Witch of Envy crush his heart to pieces, but genuine sacrifice needs no payment.

That’s what makes it a sacrifice, an offering with nothing in exchange.

St. Augustine once said: ‘Thus a true sacrifice is every work which is done that we may be united to God in holy fellowship, and which has a reference to that supreme good and end in which alone we can be truly blessed.’

Fate forces Subaru into an existence in which his friends’ survival blesses him, but he must walk his path alone due to the hushed nature of his gift.

Divine Meeting

In the second arc of the story, an acquaintance forced Subaru to join a sanctuary also known as the Witch’s Graveyard to protect an entire village held captive behind a barrier erected around the premises. To escape the landscape, a half-human mixture must overcome three trials to break the barrier and allow passage outside.

Subaru, for mysterious reasons, may take part in the trial even though his blood is that of a pure human being.

Events play out in the providence of fate and Subaru ends up meeting one of the great witches named Echidna, who reveals sinister machinations as she explains she knows all about Subaru’s secret.

She had watched every ounce of his suffering.

A parallel exists between the human world and the divine here because while Subaru is a mortal man, the Witch of Greed has transcended the material plane and exists as a spirit that oversees events in Subaru’s life.

While not a one-to-one comparison of a believer and their relationship with God, the archetypal relationship is like the story of Job and Yahweh, where the Divine Creator questions Job rhetorically to display his omnipotent power and wisdom.

Echidna is a higher form of being, at least compared to Subaru, and she teases his sensibilities when she reveals she has a stake in the events in his life he cannot grasp.

Much like Job being questioned out of the whirlwind, the witch’s ideas of what is good and the interests of a higher being are beyond the simple comprehension of a mere man.

Subaru reveals his frustration but acknowledges that the Witch of Envy has gifted him with something special.

Echidna offers the notion that Return by Death is a way to defy the strands of fate, a way to make sure the people Subaru loves stay on a path where everyone receives help from his actions, even if they can’t remember. Subaru no longer suffers alone because he’s allowed an audience with Echidna, much like Jesus had an audience with the Holy Father.

Offering Service

Trusting in his own judgment and desires, Subaru vows to use his special gift to protect the interests of those he loves no matter how many times he must die to get the result he wishes.

While Jesus only died once for the sins of all, Subaru is a man who has a sin nature, unlike the Savior, meaning he has to erase his own mistakes to cover his sins and the sins of others. There are many parallels between the Messiah and the character of Subaru Natsuki, but the biggest resemblance to Jesus Subaru has is his self-sacrificing nature for the benefit of others. Re: Zero explores what it means to offer oneself in service, and the key takeaway from the story is a man must lay down his life or desires if he is to image the Son of God.