There is a question at the heart of the isekai genre. If you were reborn in another world, what would you do? If you were given a whole new life, how would you spend it? How would you do it differently?
Most isekai are happy to ignore this question. “Don’t think, just enjoy the power fantasy.” Existentialism is not allowed.
Mushoku Tensei takes this question and makes it the central struggle for its protagonist: Rudeus Greyrat.
Life did not treat Rudeus kindly his first time around. After a brutal display of bullying and public humiliation, he became a dysfunctional shut-in. He spent his days alone in a filthy apartment, too scared to even speak.
Upon being reborn in another world, Rudeus decided he wouldn’t make the same mistakes. This time, he’d live life to the fullest. No wasting this second chance.
Buy his trauma from his previous life didn’t miraculously vanish. They may be a literal world away, but he can still remember them clear as day. His sorrows, his fears, he still needs to overcome them.
A task easier said than done. Namely because his new life comes packaged with its own share of traumatic events. The world he was reborn in is a cold, brutal place.
Even beyond that, he has to overcome the ordinary struggles of life. A power fantasy, this is not. Sometimes a disaster turns your life upside down. You might have a nasty break-up. Your friends might leave or betray you. A wandering god might murder you. Or your dick will stop working.
Rudeus doesn’t always take it well. He often grapples with stress and depression. There are even several points where he gives up hope and tries to kill himself. But in his lowest moments, he always struggles his hardest to try and push through.
Mostly by praying to a stolen pair of panties.
Yeah, Rudeus is not the suave lady-killer standard to the isekai genre. Dude is such a shameless pervert that most women are disgusted by him. He doesn’t have a harem obsessively haunting his every step. Relationships come and go along with his travels. But when he does get serious about someone, he can be a genuinely caring and respectful partner.
He also makes a hobby of making figures. One which he finds creative use for on his adventures. Dude isn’t always out hunting monsters, studying magic, or getting laid.
Further deconstructing the power fantasy: Rudeus is far from the strongest living thing in his new world. Sure, he’s a genius of magic. But he is still frequently served helpings of humble pie. Some of his defeats were downright traumatizing.
More than that, the show doesn’t make Rudeus out to be perfect. He makes mistakes or do plain awful things. He can be manipulative. Selfish. Cruel.
Thankfully, Rudeus is just as aware of his flaws as the audience. He frequently struggles to overcome them and become a better person. This is one of the exceptionally rare isekai where the main character legitimately grows every episode.
Rudeus is an incredible protagonist. He’s a brilliant deconstruction of classic isekai tropes, bringing the overdone power fantasy into a reality equal parts happy and grim. There’s a shocking amount of depth to this character, and I can’t wait to see where his journey goes next.
- Rudeus Greyrat (Mushoku Tensei)
- Natsuki Subaru (Re:Zero)
- Kazuma Sato (Konosuba)
- Ainz Ooal Gown (Overlord)
- Rimuru Tempest (Slime Reincarnation)
- Kirito (Sword Art Online)
- Yuto Suoh (The Master of Ragnarok & Blesser of Einherjar)
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