The best opening video of Re:Zero

Whether you like Isekai or not, there's no question that some of the best and most influential anime of the modern era has been part of this genre. From the humor of Konosuba to the beautiful world-building of Mushokou Tensei, the anime industry has been filled with fantasy worlds featuring the average Joe. Some were better, but most were sadly not okay.

What's not sad is that Re:Zero Kara Hajimaru Seikatsu, or Re:Zero – Starting in Another World from Zero, or simply Re:Zero, is a truly great isekai, filled with the darkest tragedies and the most terrible pain. There are engaging character dynamics and very well written plots and subplots as well. Here we rank every Re:Zero opening, from the worst but decent to the unparalleled masterpieces!

5

long shot

Season 2, Opening 2

Long Shot is the only Re:Zero opening that doesn't focus on Subaru. Instead, it focuses on the other characters and how Subaru appears to them. First, we are shown Emilia's past, how she became who she is, and how she was frozen for such a long time. We then see Subaru walking alone, surrounded by fire, in Emilia's eyes, showing him always throwing himself into danger to protect her.

We then see several important events taking place in the arc, followed by Subaru in the eyes of Beatrice, surrounded by the Saviors, next to the door frame leading to the sanctuary. After seeing the various villains from later arcs, we get to see some gorgeously choreographed snippets of important events to come later in the series, such as Garfiel's fight with Elsa, Ram's magic, Subaru saving Beatrice, and more. Lastly, unlike other Re:Zero openings, the final scene shows Subaru succeeding in getting what he set out for, and kneeling before Emilia as a trustworthy knight.

4

awake to

Season 2, Opening 1

Arguably Re:Zero's saddest opening, Realize fits perfectly with the arc it represents. The opening begins with a high-pitched note representing the various versions of Subaru on different routes as Echidna, the Witch of Greed, gently holds a glowing butterfly and throws it into the air as it turns into hundreds. This is probably the only part of the opening that shows hope. Immediately after showing the faces of the various witches, Subaru can be seen making worse facial expressions than he has ever seen before.

What follows is a very distressing sequence of Subaru experiencing the consequences of his selfish death and how it affects others, and recounting all his previous deaths. He holds himself to some extent and explodes with emotion until he reaches the scene where the dead Emilia is lying on the ground.

Unlike the previous opening, Emilia's hug on the back in the next scene does not cheer up Subaru or make him feel better, but instead directs Subaru's anger and frustration towards the problem at hand as he begins to run towards the light he sees. He gets shot over and over again and falls to the ground bleeding, but there is always Subaru to take the place of the fallen man. The way he doesn't care one bit about his life and is completely focused on achieving his goals is the most desperate thing we've ever seen.

3

knit again

Season 3, Opening 1

As the opening begins, a soft melody that slowly picks up the pace immediately builds anticipation for what's to come, along with a full above view of Priestella behind Re:Zero's title card. The music then changes as the backs of the main characters are shown proudly standing together, indicating that not only is Subaru more confident, but he is using Return Bye to actively get others to help him instead of trying to solve everything himself. It shows. death.

You'll see stylized photos of characters from each faction, which are followed by similar clips of familiar faces from the Subaru camp. As the music continues to pick up speed, we see Subaru's past deaths and various side characters.

This failure, as soon as Subaru reaches his woman, is a recurring theme in the opening of Re:Zero, showing the cruelty of the world and how even when Subaru seems to have it all figured out, a simple miscalculation can send him back. At first.

This then reaches a turning point in the opening where flashes of final disaster are shown, both serving as foreshadowing as well as hinting at how different timelines can lead to different outcomes. This is followed by a close-up of the Arch's main villain, the Sin Archbishop. However, unlike other Re:Zero openings, this is not presented as an invincible threat, but rather something that must be actively overcome. We see Subaru's allies take on these villains. The opening ends with Subaru and Beatrice almost reaching Regulus, but going back in time, a callback to the previous opening and showing how, despite all their efforts, Subaru is not able to reach the untouchable Regulus so easily.

2

Paradisus-Paradoxum

Season 1, Opening 2

This opening begins with birds flying in circles in the air, implying that there is a corpse beneath them. Then go down and see this corpse. Subaru looks up while submerged in the water. However, rather than showing a pained expression like in the previous episode, Subaru shows a calmer expression. Even when he remembers his many deaths in the next scene, he simply cringes rather than screams or cries.

In the next scene, Subaru and Emilia approach each other as if they are about to meet, but instead, they are seen looking at each other over each other, and both frown. This is the main theme of Covered Arc. Subaru and Emilia's misunderstanding and how it affects them both.

Subaru and Emilia's loneliness is further emphasized in the following frames. They are both shown alone in a grand room, the angle of the shot emphasizes the scale of the room and shows how small and weak they are compared to when they are alone.

We then follow Rem, who is helping Subaru regain his composure and work towards his goal. Until they encounter a very distressed Subaru, screaming in a hail storm, even though Emilia is against him. Breaking away from the suspense, we're met with some uplifting scenes showing the various factions and how their dynamics work, as well as Emilia laying her head on her desk worrying about what happened. In the opening, gears change once again, and there is a repeated scene of Rem and Subaru riding on Patrasche and entering the final battle.

Finally, in the final part, we see major events such as Crusch fighting the Great White Whale, Rem defeating various witch cultists, and a heartfelt conversation between Subaru and Rem. As the opening goes on, time passes once again, and we encounter Subaru chasing Emilia in Satella's arms. However, Subaru managed to catch up with her and held her hand, but Emilia's smile was already lost in the black hand covering her face.

1

do it again

Season 1, Opening 1

Redo begins with a dead Subaru coming back to life over time, his blood flowing back into his body as he stands up. The opening focuses on Subaru's confused expression, which immediately turns to fear. Later scenes show various important characters that Subaru eventually encounters, with copies of them appearing or disappearing, showing how their fates change depending on Subaru's actions.

Blooming is similar to the wings of a butterfly, avoiding the butterfly effect and randomly changing something can drastically change Subaru's future.

The music, which was previously scary because it expressed urgency, softens for a moment as it meets the scene of Subaru standing in the Garden of Light and Emilia, who he believes is his savior. However, this point of calm resting, which serves as a safe haven for both Subaru and the viewer, is short-lived, as Satella's arms come in and the entire scene turns red as Emilia disappears into thin air. Without giving him enough time to process this, a very distraught Subaru has another version of him.

Finally, we see the Re:Zero title card with the other characters appearing, and Subaru is seen panicking after a version of himself, symbolizing how he is pursuing a vision that will solve all his problems.

As he finally gets closer to the character he wants to save, Satella's hand grabs his back once again and Subaru twists his face in pain and agony, killing Subaru in the process as he flashes back to the entire opening. The opening ends with Subaru bleeding and collapsing. This scene loops perfectly into the opening, making the opening literally “Start From Zero” as the title suggests.