Ah, shipping wars. One of my favorite aspects of being in any fandom is the potential to ship characters with each other. It’s why I consume fanfiction like its air, I just really enjoy the romance aspect of a story, especially if it is soulmates based. And that’s why, when the story I like is a harem, I get miffed. And with a story like Mushoku Tensei, we are not strapped for options for our boy, Rudeus. So, who does he end up with?
Oh boy, is that a loaded question. Mushoku Tensei is infamous for how Rudeus is surrounded by a gaggle of women and, instead of just settling for a ‘one, true love’? The man decides he wants to sample all the ladies. Rudeus has entirely too much love to give and boy, is he going to make use of that.
Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation is an Isekai light novel created by Rifujin na Magonote, with illustrative work done by Shirotaka. The story revolves around a NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training) who realizes how pointless his life is. Wanting to make a final difference, he sacrifices himself to save a group of teenagers from a truck accident. Only to find himself reincarnated in a fantastical world as the illustrious Rudeus Greyrat, a gifted magic student. He finally has a second chance at life, and he certainly doesn’t waste it, going on to marry not one, but three of his admirers.
But how did we even get here? Considering how much Rudeus hated his own father’s polygamist ways, it was certainly a surprising twist to have him practice similar polygynist views. But who were these illustrious women that caught his heart? Let’s discuss the three loves of Rudeus’s life!
Sylphette Greyrat: The First Love
You know, with how absolutely absurd this light novel gets, I forget that one of the main plot lines is how Rudeus created an entire religion based on him and his wives. And yet, that’s still not the craziest thing.
Sylphette is easily his first love, who he met when they were both toddlers and she was going around pretending to be a boy. Later on, he also goes on to protect her from bullies and promises to follow her into Ranoa Magic Academy. But their bond is a little too intense for comfort, so they get ripped apart by Paul Greyrat, Redeus’s father.
They reunite 8 years later at the Academy, fulfilling the promise they made to each other. However, Rudeus doesn’t exactly remember who she is which is, uh, very questionable. Still, she’s head over heels for him and they eventually get married, making Sylphette his first wife. For Rudeus, she fulfills his dream of having a devoted and loving wife. Hence, he deems her as the Goddess Of Love in his wacky religion.
Roxy Greyrat: The Mentor Figure
Roxy was one of the earliest presences in his life, who he met when he was only three years old. But he doesn’t view her as a love interest until much later in his life. At the time, she is no more than a guiding light, a treasure trove of knowledge to help me mentor him through life.
After all, it’s through her coaching he learns how to regulate his mana capacity. She also helps him get over his anxiety over the outside world. All of this basically makes him worship the very ground Roxy walks on. So, it’s a bit of a letdown that when the two reunite at a later point in Rudeus’s life, she, too, can’t recognize him until the Teleport Labyrinth incident.
When Paul dies, it’s Roxy who offers emotional support to Rudeus in his grief. And it’s here he decides to take her on as his second wife, deeming her the Goddess Of Wisdom.
Eris Greyrat: The Doe-Eyed Student
As much as he loved his first two wives, none quite caught Rudeus’s devotion like Eris did. He meets her when he’s 7 years old as a companion who tutors her in language and maths. She is the one he travels with on his adventuring journeys through the continents when they are of age.
After the events of the Mana Calamity, they spend the night together, only to have her ditch him the morning after. He’s traumatized but after 5 years, they meet again while battling Orsted. Turns out, Eris had taken this time train and become equal to Rudeus in magic. He takes her as his third wife, deeming her the Goddess Of War for her power and strength.
Rudeus is much more passionate with Eris than he is with Sylphette or Roxy. If Sylphette was his first love, then Eris was his true love. He loved her so much that when she passed away from old age, he followed not a couple of days later. Even in his afterlife, the wife he reunited with was Eris.
So, who does Rudeus Greyrat technically end up with? The only right answer is Eris Greyrat!
