I’m Glad Maes Hughes Died.

In the Separation Arc, we see Reigen tell a young Mob that is doesn't matter whether or not he has powers, all that matters is that he's a good person. This is immediately followed by our slightly older Mob returning that exact gift: telling Reigen it doesn't matter whether or not he has powers, all that matters is that he's a good person.

And they both desperately needed these assurances from each other. They saved each other from drowning in guilt and self-loathing. And they weren't wrong.

But they weren't exactly right either.

The Confession Arc exists because they both need to grow beyond that point. Confronting the fact that these things do matter—that they can't just ignore Mob's powers, or Reigen's lies. "Being a good person" does not unmake the part of yourself you wish wasn't there. Those parts of you still don't define you—that was right—but they still matter, and they still have to be faced.

Going to that next level is just... gah. This writing is so good.

to say the same thing that i've been saying for YEARS once again, mob and reigen's relationship is so bonkers crazy insane, like... here's mob, 14 years old, and reigen's been lying to him since he was 11. to reigen, it was a white lie, even a kindness. to mob, it was not so inconsequential -- it was proof that he was not alone in the world and that he could be okay as an adult. and of course mob believed him fully at first. why wouldn't he? but over the years, the cracks started to form. if things didn't quite add up, mob tried not to think about them. and reigen kept digging the hole deeper; he never thought it would go this far. now mob's 14 and the truth is seeping in around the edges of his consciousness but he refuses to speak it, even after the press conference, when reigen all but begs him to. reigen wants him to say it. i know you've been lying to me. just say it. but mob won't and reigen can't, and they settle back into this weird holding pattern for a while longer. when things finally bubble over for mob, this is at the heart of it. the repression, insecurity, anger, doubt -- mob learned a lot from his master, including: we don't talk about it. so reigen, finally, SHOUTING the truth at him -- it doesn't matter that mob already knew. there's power in the confession, reigen's humility to finally admit it, the vulnerability of saying it out loud instead of leaving it unspoken. it takes all the air out of the conflict, the tension almost immediately evaporates... mob just needed to hear it. to be shown that it was okay to be honest, vulnerable... then when he returns from his long-built-up confession to tsubomi, mob breaks down in tears but it doesn't destroy the city. he just cries and reigen awkwardly pats his back and it's okay.

anyway SCREAMS at the top of my lungs, i love mob psycho 100

Things I love about this exchange:

1. It’s really funny.

2. Reigen refers to being the bodyguard and right hand man of a megalomaniacal esper terrorist as “Serizawa’s last job” which is a perfect example of his attitude towards everything. “Yes I know you kidnapped the prime minister but have you, personally, got any customer service experience?”

3. It’s clear from this scene that Serizawa’s job interview was saving Reigen from a giant ball of psychic power and at no point did either of them discuss what he’d be doing there.

4. “Smack them with my umbrella.” Obviously this is a translated work and I don’t know if this nuance was in the original line at all, but I love the phrasing here. I don’t believe for a second Toichiro told him to “smack” people with his umbrella so much as "eliminate them without hesitation or mercy" and the fact that Serizawa would frame it in such an innocuous way speaks to the level of denial he was in.

5. Reigen, who recently had to knock out a client that pulled a knife on him: Yeah, things aren’t that different here.

So the spirit copies someone you trust. For Tome that was Reigen. For Reigen that was Mob…

And for the spirit possessing Reigen (Rusty) that was becoming Reigen, because you can see his head forming from the Mimic spirit. Which is sad but expected, as it means the few nice words and promises Reigen gave Rusty to trick it were the best it ever heard, side no other face appears on Mimic.

Hi! I love all your MP100 metas. Truly amazing! Here is a popular take on mob which I noticed quite common in eastern fandom but not brought up much in western: shigeo actually has very strong ego, in a way that he only allows himself to be affected by words he wants to follow, sticks to his wants without giving in to others' wishes, and sometimes breaking others' worldview (teru) or challenging (ritsu, dimple, reigen) simply by following his own will, which relates to ??? . What do you think?

*blushes* THANK YOU AAAAAHHHHHH

i agree with you! shigeo himself is not even aware of his own strength in that regard for much of the story; watching him become more comfortable with his own iconoclasm is one of the things i enjoy most about mob psycho 100. i think shigeo's strong will and (mostly) unshakeable principles are maybe not mentioned as much in western fandom because shigeo is pretty far from the western--i'm just gonna say american here, because it's the perspective i'm best acquainted with--ideal for a young male protagonist.

we tend to prefer at least some degree of blustery, extroverted self-confidence in our heroes; soft-spoken, sad, traumatized kids who seem unsure of themselves don't fly here unless their character development involves 'outgrowing' this. shigeo is understated, and quiet, and downbeat, and kind of sickly even after gaining stamina. he also doesn't trust himself or his own perceptions for quite a while, and i've read more than a few reviews of MP100 in which these qualities made it easy for the authors to discount him as a whole. if a viewer finds him 'boring' or can't relate to him at all, they won't bother to stick around for his steely tenacity or his surprising resistance to groupthink.

despite his apparent 'weakness', he doesn't give in easily, doesn't bend even if his life is at stake, and even manages to persuade others or change their hearts in his own quiet way, simply by being himself. and his strong ego, as you put it (i would actually say his id, if we're going freudian with this) actually SAVES HIS LIFE. repeatedly. that and ???% are one and the same.

i live in a country where quiet people are routinely overlooked because they're not boldly proclaiming their greatness to everyone they meet; to me, shigeo is a reminder that i don't have to compromise who i am to have a successful life. and that is a powerful message to hear at any age.

here’s proof that serizawa’s new umbrella is supposed to be transparent (or at the very least translucent), btw. it’s a consistent detail in the manga and it’s obvious in every panel in this multi-page sequence. i only picked a few where i thought it was most obvious. it’s a great detail emblematic of serizawa’s growth. the umbrella is no longer a tool used to shelter or block out the rest of the world; he can see through it now and it ties in well with its use in this chapter as a tool to protect as opposed to attack.

aaaand here’s the preview pic for next week’s episode. solid white umbrella, just like his old one. i’m pretty pissed that the anime is doing this; maybe it was to save on the animation budget or something? i don’t know but i sure as hell don’t like it. so i’m speaking my truth as a transparent umbrella stan now. spread the word! let the truth be known!!!

hey ! any tips on how to draw ritsus emo ass hair? u dont have to tho

here are my tips n tricks + general assumed structure

i dont draw his hair consistently but tbh you dont have to. just give him bangs and spikes that sprout from the whorl and ur good

Mob Psycho 100 - Chapter 1 / REIGEN - Chapter 7 : Reigen Arataka, first and last panel 

Well it’s Team Mustang Week, so let’s start with a little picture collage!

Enjoy!

Admin Mustang

I figured I would also upload this too, but here’s the inside covers and all the bonus pages from the final volume of Mob Psycho 100!

The last image says “Because of you, I was able to change.”