One of the most important aspects for any piece of fiction to nail is how its finale is going to go. A story could have a great beginning, go on solid, and be considered a cult classic. Yet all it takes is mucking up the ending for it to be branded as a flop. A good ending directly affects the longevity of a fictional work in the collective conscious and if a writer can’t deliver that? They better kiss any popularity goodbye! This is why fans have been wondering where the story for Mushoku Tensei is headed.
Look, we already know how the web novel ends. Rudeus Greyrat, our protagonist, dies at the ripe old age of 74 and manages to make it to the afterlife. But in this situation, it isn’t his first wife or second wife that greets him. No, instead he is reunited with his third wife, Eris Boreas Greyrat. The first to leave him back when he was alive and the one he asked for on his death bed. And it was a satisfying enough end to a love story that had been so long in the making
But that was just the web novel. There is still plenty of time for the animation studio that had adapted Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation to change things from the source material. And it’s not that hard to imagine because some anime do divert from their canon ending. But it’s not always well executed. I mean, remember Tokyo Ghoul, an anime that started as a contender for the next generation of Big 3 alongside Attack On Titan and My Hero Academia? Only for it to become one of the worst anime finales of all time?
Thankfully, there is no indication that Mushoku Tensei will be following in those footsteps. And so, welcome to Lore Analysis – where we take a look at some of the most trending ongoing stories in the Otakusphere and see where they could be leading us. We break down every easter egg or hidden subtext we can find in the lore and analyze what’s hiding in plain sight. Today, let’s discuss Mushoku Tensei and how the story won’t be ending at Rudeus!
Mushoku Tensei: The Long Haul Story
Right from the start, the readers of the web novel knew that they were in for a long ride. Just like most Isekai, this is a reincarnation story. It’s essentially the fans getting to see a character have a second chance at life, to make sure they live and die with no regrets this time.
And that’s exactly what Rudeus did. Rudeus, upon being reborn into the new realm, decided to make sure that he lived his life very differently from the past. Because his past existence was of an anti-social NEET (Not in Employment, Education, or Training) who died while trying to save some teens. He never accomplished anything, never made any meaningful bonds, and never fell in love. And so, when he got the second chance, he took it as the redemption arc past him never got.
And Mushoku Tensei is his story, from the very start to the end of his life. And since there was no freak accident this time, he gets to live for a long, long time, siring children, and grandchildren. And the reader experiences it all alongside Rudeus.
Eris x Rudeus Greyrat: A Marriage Set In Stone
Though Eris wasn’t his first love, she was his greatest. His first two wives, Sylphette Greyrat and Roxy Greyrat, were also people he cared about very much, but nobody compared to Eris. Where Roxy took on the status of a mentor and Sylphette that of the perfect devoted wife, Eris represented the passion he felt as an adventurer.
She was magnanimous and strong-willed. She was one of the only people that stood next to him as an equal, dared to even leave him when their paths divulged. Eris left him to work on her skills and training, only to meet him again 5 years later during the Battle Of Orstead.
In his religion, she became the Goddess Of War. And she became the first among the quartet to die of old age, followed by Rudeus who chose her as his soul mate in the afterlife.
Has The Story Ended For Mushoku Tensei?
But likely, this isn’t where Mushoku Tensei says goodbye to its fans. Rather, it’s a beginning. We know that Rudeus later goes on to have a huge family, with his children and even disciples included. Only Rudeus’s story had ended, but there is so much material left to explore.
This leaves the perfect opening for a sequel. With Lara Greyrat, Rudeus’s daughter, we already have the perfect plot line for a Legendary Hero tale. This is thanks to her being the heroine the Sacred Beast is bound to protect.
So, we can easily expect a possible spin-off involving Lara’s adventures!
