User blog:Black Reaper Sasaki/Frequently Asked Questions version 2

Hello there, everyone!

I don't think I have to explain why I'm writing this. As most of you hopefully know, Angelo Gabrini–this Wiki's bureaucrat and admin–posted a similar blog back in September of 2016. As you'd imagine, the blog is rather outdated, with questions such as Will there be a Season 2? or some outright wrong ones, such as Is Elsa a Vampire?. I'll note that I'm not complaining over his blog or anything, it's just super outdated and is in dire need to updating. But, as I don't wish to touch his works without his knowledge or consent, I decided to write a new one, as it's much easier for me. I will also try and regularly update this FAQ. If you catch any errors or mistranslations, leave me a message, I'll correct it immediately.

Who is this FAQ meant for? For everyone who has only watched the anime, and is having trouble with some questions or potential misconceptions they've come across the internet. It definitely isn't for people who are up to date with the LN and WN materials, and are well-versed in the series' lore.

So, without further ado... here we go!

General Questions About the Series

 * Q: When will the 3rd Season drop? A: That is something no one is able to accurately answer. If you get a specific answer from someone you know isn't working for Studio White Fox, know that it is not accurate. However, we can speculate! Judging from the insane popularity of both the Japanese Light Novels and the 2nd Anime Season, Season 3 is unavoidable. As for the release date... Unknown. It's safe to assume it won't release in 2021, however, it could come as early as 2022. But, once again, we simply don't know.
 * Q: How often do the Japanese Light Novel Volumes release? A: Every three months, on the 25th.
 * Q: How often is the Web Novel updated? A: Short answer... whenever Tappei has time. Long answer... some time in the first two months following the release of the new Japanese Light Novel Volumes. Currently, the author has been releasing roughly 12 chapters in a span of two months, and going on a short hiatus during the month the new LN volume is about to be released, likely so he can focus on adapting the WN text into the LN form.
 * Q: Where can I find the Web Novel? A: That would be here. Naturally, as the Web Novel isn't licenced, people have translated most of it. You can find different sites with for the most part complete WN translations all across the internet, however, the most well-known and complete one (and the one I wholeheartedly recommend) is Witch Cult Translations.
 * Q: What are the Ex novels? A: Ex novels are four novels released in-between the regular Light Novel Volume releases. They detail the events predating the main story, focusing on side characters and are usually very relevant to the at-the-time ongoing story arcs. Ex1 centres around Crusch and Ferris, Ex2 centres around the Demi-Human War and Wilhelm and Theresia's upbringings as well as their relationship, Ex3 centres around the months following the end of the Demi-Human War, also following Wilhelm and Theresia, and Ex4 centres around the Kingdom's diplomatic expedition to the neighbouring Sacred Empire of Vollachia and is told through Julius' point of view. All four volumes are translated into English by Yen Press.
 * Q: How often do English Light Novel Volumes get released? A: The English volume releases are a bit rarer than the Japanese ones, as Yen Press publishes them on a four-month schedule. This results in the English Light Novel series being on Volume 15, while the Japanese Light Novels currently total in 26 Volumes (May 30th, 2021).
 * Q: How accurate are Yen Press' translations for the Light Novels? A: Fairly accurate. While YP doesn't outright cut scenes like some other translation companies do, the English Light Novel Volumes do suffer from some inconsistencies, especially when it comes to character names. Accordingly, we have been blessed with Reinhard van Astrea as well as Reinhard von Astrea, Vanity instead of Vainglory (in the story's context, the latter is much more fitting), Devil instead of Warlock (considering Hector's alliance with the Witches of Sin, "Warlock" is MUCH more fitting), Master Swordsman and Sword Saint or even some slightly changed scenes, like that time when Yen Press "accidentally" translated an interaction between Beatrice and Subaru poorly, making it so Subaru strangled Beatrice for a short while, when in reality, the term used in the original text would be best translated as "Beatrice’s throat choked up in pity".
 * Q: What about the manga? How often are the manga chapters released? A: The manga chapters are even further behind the original source material than the English Light Novel volumes, as, as opposed to the EN LNs, the manga is not even half-way through Arc 4/Season 2 Cour 1. Currently, the manga is at Chapter 16, which would be about halfway through Volume 11 or Episode 31/Episode 32.
 * Furthermore, what are these Daiisshou, Dainishou, Daisanshou and Daiyonshou thingies? A: Just like how the Web and Light Novel series are split into story arcs (Arcs 1 to 7), the manga is also split into Arcs corresponding to their WN/LN counterparts. Accordingly, Daiisshou (lit. Chapter One) chapters are Arc 1 chapters, Dainishou (lit. Chapter Two) chapters are Arc 2 chapters, Daisanshou (lit. Chapter Three) chapters are Arc 3 chapters and Daiyonshou chapters are Arc 4 chapters.

Questions About the World, the Witches and the Witch Cult

 * Q: Is the world flat or round? A: The Re:Zero world has been confirmed to be flat, with all four sided of the world ending with a huge waterfall dubbed, the Great Waterfall.
 * Q: How did the Witches die? Were they all killed by Satella? A: This is a rather tricky question. Echidna does mention they all died by Envy's hand, however, that is not entirely true. Sekhmet has been confirmed to die while fighting Volcanica. She drove the Dragon past the Great Waterfall but fell to her death. Typhon died in Priestella's water traps, which were created so the city can be flooded in case of an emergency. Minerva was tricked, was captured and went mad in a trap. She was finished off by Satella. Daphne was stated to have starved to death in a desert and Carmilla burned to death in an unspecified location. Echidna's death, however, has not been revealed yet. Neither were Pandora and Hector's deaths (both of their statuses remain unknown, however, we know Pandora was active as recent as 15 years before Subaru's arrival).
 * Q: Who created the Witch Cult and for what reason? A: The Witch Cult was founded before the Great Calamity, during the era of the Witches. It was founded by Petelgeuse Romanee-Conti and at least one other unnamed individual, speculated to be Flugel, however, we simply do not know if it really was him. Their goal is also shrouded in mystery, and does not appear to strictly be the worshiping of the Witch of Envy. At least not anymore... For more info, please read the Witch Cult wiki page.
 * Q: During Season 2, Pandora ordered Regulus around. Is she his boss or something? Is she the leader of the Witch Cult? A: Pandora does seem to possess an authority/rank that outranks that of the other Sin Archbishops, however, her exact position remains a mystery. She seems to be using the Witch Cult for her own benefits, however, as I have already stated, nothing has been outright confirmed as of now. For more info, refer to Pandora's wiki page.
 * Q: I've heard that the box containing the Witch Factor of Sloth was made out of the Sage's bones. Does that mean Flugel is dead? A: Yes and no. The box was indeed made out of a Sage's bones, however, it's not specified whose bones. Just like how there were other Witches of Sin before the individuals we met in Arc 4/Season 2, there were Sages before Flugel. As a matter of fact, the term "Sage" has different meanings and different spellings in Japanese. The box was most likely made out of the bones of a long-dead Sage, predating Flugel.
 * Q: Did Pandora give Petelgeuse his name? And was he a Sin Archbishop of Sloth before the events in Elior Forest? A: No, Petelgeuse was always called like that, however, it's been implied that he disliked his name, so the people close to him strictly called him by his nickname; Geuse. While yes, Petelgeuse did appear to bear the title of an Archbishop (or a Sin Archbishop, Pandora's terminology opts some confusion in this matter as she strictly refers to them as Archbishops and never as Sin Archbishops), he was not the Sin Archbishop of Sloth before he took in the Witch Factor of Sloth. It can be clearly seen during his fight with Regulus and Pandora, that the Witch of Vainglory granted him the seat of Sloth ONLY after the Witch Factor manifested itself inside of him. For more info, refer to the wiki pages Authority and Witch Cult.

Natsuki Subaru

 * Q: Will Subaru ever become stronger? A: Somewhat, yes. Following the events of Arc 4, he did learn the basics of parkour/traversing trough demanding terrain which came in handy during the following Arcs, however, in terms of actual battle strength, Subaru is as weak as he has ever been. He has even been instructed to run away at any and all faces of danger, if he doesn't have backup from his friends. According to the author, even Otto is stronger than Subaru.
 * Q: But Subaru has gotten the Unseen Hands from Petelgeuse, doesn't that mean he's strong now? A: No, in fact it doesn't. For starters, Subaru hasn't received the Unseen Hands. What he has, is Invisible Providence. A power that looks similar to the Unseen Hand but is vastly weaker than its aforementioned counterpart. For more info and comparisons, please refer to Subaru's Abilities section.
 * Q: Could Subaru kill Reinhard if he told him he can Return by Death? Would Satella crush Reinhard's heart? A: No, the opposite would happen.
 * Q: Does Subaru ever change his clothes? A: Yes, he actually does. During the events of Arc 6 (potential season 4), Subaru adorns a different attire, due to the environment he's in. For more info, check the illustrations for volumes 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26 and 27.
 * Q: Why did Subaru fall in love with Emilia? A: For a simple fact that she was the first person to help him out. He already had a thing for silver haired girls, and during his first day in the new world, Emilia was the first person who helped him out and was kind to him. For a more detailed overview, please check Natsuki Subaru/Relationships Wiki page.
 * Q: Does Subaru love Rem? A: Yes, in a way. Rem and Emilia are the two people most important to him. As to who he would choose... Read Natsuki Subaru/Relationships.

Emilia

 * Q: I heard Emilia is 118 years old. Is that really true? A: No, it's not. Emilia's actual canonical age remains a mystery to this day, and even the author himself avoids talking about it as much as possible.
 * Q: Is Emilia Satella's daughter? A: There are numerous theories claiming that, however, we have proof which contradicts these theories. Namely, Emilia's Mother has been stated to be human, whereas Satella is a half-elf. It has also been strongly implied that Emilia's mother was killed by Pandora.
 * Q: Does Emilia love Subaru? A: Due to her mental age of being in her mid teens, Emilia doesn't fully grasp the concept of romantical love, so she may not love Subaru in the same way he loves her. However, she did forge an extremely sturdy bond with him, which could be best described as a brotherly/sisterly love, with some hints of romantic feelings sprinkled on top. As per usual, for more info please read Emilia/Relationships.
 * Q: Why did Emilia go mad in episode 36? A: Simply because she has been driven into a corner. Losing Puck, being blamed by everyone for something she didn't do, having zero emotional support, all resulted in her psyche utterly shattering, resulting in that crazed-like state.

Rem and Ram

 * Q: Is Rem still in her vegetative-like state, in the latest Web Novel chapters? A: You're in luck! Rem has fully awakened in the last chapter of Arc 6 and is among the main supporting characters of Arc 7. She has, however, lost all her memories, effectively being reverted back to her Arc 2 state.
 * Q: What are Rem and Ram's last names? A: They don't have last names.

Roswaal L Mathers

 * Q: What happened to the individuals' souls, after Roswaal A Mathers possessed their bodies? A: While not outright stated, it's safe to assume the souls of Roswaal's children are sent somewhere to Od Laguna, or in other words, die.
 * Q: What is Roswaal's goal? A: It has something to do with him resurrecting Echidna, however, the full extent of his goals remain unknown.

Elsa Granhiert

 * Q: Is Elsa a vampire? A: No, Elsa is human. People who are extremely hard to kill, are referred to as vampires, however, no actual species of vampires exist in the Re:Zero world.

Reinhard van Astrea

 * Q: Is Reinhard stronger than Satella? A: Yes, he is. However, due to their compatibility, neither of them would be able to defeat the other in a fight.
 * Q: I heard Reinhard can defeat the Sun. Is that true? A: As cool as it sounds, I'm afraid this is not true. The original quote is as follows: "Od Laguna isn’t really a lifeform with a will, so it isn’t generally hostile towards anyone. It’s similar to the sun. Reinhard would win if they fought, though.". I've bolded out the important part. As you can see, the author compared Od Laguna to the Sun, and not state Reinhard could beat it (the Sun).
 * Q: Can Reinhard even be defeated? A: According to the author, no ("Q: So, for the moment, it would be ok to understand that it’s impossible to defeat Reinhard? A: For the moment, it’s impossible."). However, as the story progressed, there have been at least two possible "things" that could at least greatly weaken him. Nothing can be said for sure, however.
 * Q: Can Reinhard wish for any Divine Protection and get it? A: Not quite. He can gain whichever Divine Protection he feels like he needs in a specific situation. For more info, please read Reinhard's abilities section on his page.
 * Q: Could Reinhard beat Goku from Dragon Ball series? A: I haven't personally watched Dragon Ball, however, I don't think Reinhard could do it. Neither could he beat Saitama from One Punch Man. For a better understanding of his power, I suggest going through Divine Protection wiki page, as well as read the full abilities section on Reinhard's page.

Felt

 * Q: I heard Felt is a member of the Royal Family. What is all that about? A: Roughly 15 years ago, the King's brother Ford Lugnica's youngest child was kidnapped by bandits who successfully infiltrated the Royal Castle. Nothing was heard of the child ever since. During the Royal Selection Ceremony at the start of Arc 3, both Reinhard and Miklotov McMahon hinted at the idea that she is, in fact, the long-lost daughter of Ford. She matches all the descriptions of a Royal Family member and is of the exact age the child would be, if he survived. Felt conveniently doesn't remember anything from her early life. For more info, refer to Felt's wiki page.

Short Afterword (feel free to skip)
Currently, this is all I had in plan to mention. You all are always welcome to leave me a reply on my wall, or contact me through other social media, if you'd like me to add anything else. I hope I cleared up some misconceptions for at least some of you. Have a nice day everyone.