⚠️ This article contains full spoilers for the Re:Zero Season 4 finale.

The TV anime Re:Zero − Starting Life in Another World Season 4 has come to a close. Episode 85 overall, titled “Shawla / Hero”, aired as a special 45-minute extended finale, capping off Subaru and his companions’ journey to save the victims of the Sin Archbishops. The episode sent X (Twitter) into a frenzy, with fans who watched via ABEMA and those tuning into the terrestrial broadcast at 11 p.m. flooding timelines with an unprecedented wave of emotional posts.

Volcanica, Emilia, and the Secrets of the First Layer

Heading into the finale, Subaru’s group had cleared nearly all five obstacles. Only two challenges remained: Emilia’s confrontation with the Divine Dragon Volcanica in the first layer, and Subaru, Beatrice, and Meili’s battle against a monster stampede and a giant scorpion.

In the first layer, a set of handprints on the wall — one of which matched Emilia’s hand perfectly — hinted at a deeper mystery. Volcanica then addressed Emilia as “Stella, the Witch of Envy”, alluding to her connection with Flugel, Reid, Shawla, and Farsale, and declared:

“If thou hast truly become the Witch of Envy, then we must stop thee…!”

The dragon spoke as though it knew the full circumstances behind the Witch of Envy’s origins — but before any answers could surface, Emilia engaged Volcanica in battle and ultimately overcame the divine beast, clearing the first layer.

Julius Arrives — and Shawla Says Goodbye

On Subaru’s front, the situation turned dire when Shawla in her scorpion form gravely wounded Meili. Then Julius Juukulius appeared at exactly the right moment, delivering the line:

“Sorry to keep you waiting.”

Fans erupted: “Perfect timing!” “That entrance was as cool as Reinhard’s!” Despite the combined efforts of Subaru, Beatrice, Julius, and a recovered Meili, they could not restore Shawla to her human form. She bid farewell with a smile, kissing Subaru and speaking words that fans immediately called some of the best lines in the entire series:

“I love you, Master.”

“Even the time I spent waiting… I loved you through all of it!”

Viewers flooded social media: “Please don’t go…”, “Shawla is too precious”, and “I’ve cried at this scene in the source novel so many times — I cried just as hard watching the anime. Thank you.” Praise for voice actress Fairouz Ai, who plays Shawla, was overwhelming: “I’m so glad Shawla was voiced by Fairouz Ai!”

Then, just as grief set in, a tiny scorpion crawled out from the rubble of the collapsed giant scorpion and nestled into Subaru’s palm — as if Shawla had been reborn in miniature. “I held it together the whole time, but when the little Shawla appeared, I just broke down…”

The Cliffhanger: “Who Are You?”

With all trials cleared, new problems immediately arose. Rem and Julius still had no memories. The group planned to use the captured Roy as a lead to find a way to restore them — but then space itself cracked open. A third incarnation of the Gluttony Archbishop, Louis Arneb, appeared, and some form of interference from Satella sent Subaru and Rem tumbling into an unknown land.

In the season’s final moments, Rem opened her eyes, looked at Subaru, and said:

“Who… are you?”

The line landed like a gut punch. Fans summarized the episode simply: “They made me cry twice in 40 minutes.” Calls for Season 5 began almost immediately after the credits rolled.

Broadcast Information — Re:Zero Season 4

• Arc 1: “Loss” (11 episodes) — began airing April 8 on TOKYO MX, AT-X, and 21 stations nationwide
• Arc 2: “Recapture” (8 episodes) — began airing August 12

Staff

• Original Work: Nagatsuki Tappei (MF Bunko J / KADOKAWA)
• Original Character Design: Otsuka Shin’ichiro
• Director: Shinohara Masahiro
• Script Supervisor: Nagatsuki Tappei
• Series Composition: Yokotani Masahiro
• Character Design / Chief Animation Director: Sagawa Haruka
• Monster Design: Chiba Keitaro
• Music: Suehiro Ken’ichiro
• Animation Studio: WHITE FOX

Cast

• Natsuki Subaru: Kobayashi Yusuke
• Emilia: Takahashi Rie
• Beatrice: Arai Satomi
• Ram: Murakawa Rie
• Rem: Minase Inori
• Julius Juukulius: Eguchi Takuya
• Anastasia Hoshin: Ueda Kana
• Meili Portroute: Suzuki Eri
• Shawla: Fairouz Ai
• Reid Astrea: Sugita Tomokazu
• Ley Batenkaitos / Roy Alphard: Kawanishi Kengo
• Louis Arneb: Ohara Yoshimi