Re:Zero Episode 16

A Pig's Desire (豚の欲望) is the sixteenth episode of the Re:Zero anime.

Plot
The episode begins with Subaru and Rem returning to Crusch's mansion holding hands. There, they meet a man named Russell Fellow, who belongs to a merchant guild. He welcomes Subaru, but no conversation takes place. After Russell leaves, Subaru asks Wilhelm for a favour.

Apparently, the favour was addressed to Crusch, as the next scene pictures him, Rem, Ferris, Wilhelm, and Crusch in the same room, with Subaru preparing himself to request Crusch's aid. He asks her for help to deal with the Witch's Cult, stating that they will attack the Roswaal's domains in three days. Crusch is suspicious at first and thinks that Subaru is a member of the Cult. He denies and Rem assures her that his intentions are not malicious. Leaving this detail aside, Crusch focuses on her possible gains; Subaru can't think of anything else other than his own eternal gratitude, so Crusch makes a deal: if she will help him save the people in the domain, Emilia is to withdraw from the Royal competition. He refuses initially, but he sees no other option, so he accepts. Thinking that they have a deal, Subaru is surprised to hear that Crusch won't actually help him, as she would have no gain by doing so; Emilia stands no chance anyway, since the people don't like her or the thought of a half-elf ruling over them. Subaru loses his calm and becomes aggressive towards Crusch, revealing his true intent: killing every single member of the Witch's Cult. Crusch then tells him that she saw his thoughts, stating "You haven't even once said that you want to save Emilia". The negotiation ends with her telling Subaru that he has a pig's desire, therefore the title of the episode.

Subaru leaves angry, with Rem following him; that is, not before Rem respectfully thanks Crusch, Wilhelm, and Felix for their care. That night, the two of them are shown in a room of some inn, thinking of a strategy of gaining support, but all their possibilities fall one by one; therefore, they decide to think about something the next day. The following morning, Subaru tells Rem to go and ask the knights for help, while he would go and ask the other competitors. He is next shown at Priscilla's place, asking her for help. She is apparently surprised by his demand, at first, but goes with the flow. With no true intentions, for her sole entertainment, she has one condition that, if completed, might change her thoughts: Subaru has to lick Priscilla's foot. He hesitates while Priscilla asks him if he values his pride more than his wishes. In the end, he decides that he licks her foot; when he almost completed the request, Priscilla hits him in the face with that foot, then beats him, showing her disgust. She gets angry, for he has no loyalty to nothing but his own goals, as she explained. Subaru is then lead out by Al, at Priscilla's orders. Al acts nice and leads him to the gate peacefully, but they don't chat about what happened, except for Al expressing his surprise regarding his master's reaction.

Not knowing where else to go for help, Subaru is shown wandering the streets of the capital; there, an unexpected meeting occurs: Anastasia Hoshin shows up, followed by Mimi. They go to a pub and chat, but things turn out bad for Subaru: he was being used by Anastasia to find out about her rival, Crusch. She only threw baits to find out, from Subaru's reactions and mimics, details about Crusch's current state and preparations. Finding this out, Subaru angers and tries to get close to Anastasia, but is stopped by Mimi, her second-in-command. Subaru is told by the contestant that he doesn't know how to negotiate: he should show the other party gains from the contract, not only his personal reasons. Anastasia then leaves, followed by Mimi and by the rest of her guards, who seem to have been drinking along with them in the pub. Subaru is left alone, angry, with his only gain being a note from Anastasia that would assure him a dragon carriage.

His reunion with Rem takes place, and he finds out that she wasn't successful either: the knights keep receiving such tips, so they don't take them seriously anymore. So they decide to leave that instant, get there as fast as possible, and take Emilia and the others away from there.

On the road to Roswaal's domain, they meet Otto and a caravan of merchants camping for the night. Otto has bought oil that is out of date, so Subaru takes advantage of the fact and buys all the oil, along with a service: Otto will not wait until the morning, but leave with them to the domain that instant. The same offer goes to the other merchants, as their carriages would be handy for carrying the people in the village. The deal is made and they leave immediately; however, after reaching Flugel's tree, the Hakugei shows up along its mist.

Characters

 * Natsuki Subaru
 * Rem
 * Wilhelm van Astrea
 * Russell Fellow (debut)
 * Crusch Karsten
 * Ferris
 * Priscilla Barielle
 * Al
 * Anastasia Hoshin
 * Mimi Pearlbaton (debut)
 * Otto Suwen
 * Ketty Muttart

Anime Differences

 * Parts of Subaru, Wilhelm, and Russell's conversation is cut.
 * Parts of Subaru's negotiation with Crusch is cut, making it seem like it was a request. Also, Subaru's attempt to attack Crusch with a spoon is cut.
 * Subaru and Rem's discussion takes place inside of an inn instead of outside in the nobles area.
 * Subaru's visit to the Astrea Mansion is cut.
 * The scene where Al and Schult greet Subaru and Rem is cut. Schult is cut from the episode in addition to Al's reaction about Ram.