Re:ZERO’s Seven Deadly Sins

Re:ZERO’s Seven Deadly Sins

What are the Sins in Re:ZERO?

When most people think of the seven deadly sins in anime, they probably either think of the series by the same name, or the homunculi from Fullmetal Alchemist. But the concept of the seven deadly sins being embodied by characters is more widespread throughout anime than just those two series.

If you’re familiar with Re:ZERO, then you’re probably already aware of the fact that the sins are featured in this series as well. And it’s these sins which are the focus of today’s discussion.

But before I go any further, there is something I need to point out: Everything I know about Re:ZERO comes from the first season of the anime. I have not read any of the light novels. So if some of the things I mention here are disproven later in the series, we’ll find out when the anime gets there.

Sloth - Betelgeuse Romanee-Conti from the anime series Re:ZERO
Sloth – Betelgeuse Romanee-Conti

With that disclaimer out of the way, what exactly the sins are in Re:ZERO hasn’t been explained very well yet. Based on information from the anime, we can come to a couple different conclusions about them.

At the start of the series we might assume that the sins are merely cataclysmic monsters or people who pose an extreme threat to the world, but are otherwise unrelated. However, later on it appears that they’re actually a cohesive group led by one of their members.

But, if we look at the group as a whole, or at least as a whole based on the members we know exist so far, there may be a greater evil behind them. There could be someone controlling the sins, despite them seeming to be the main antagonists at this point in time.

And if that’s the case, I’m not sure how I feel about the story.

Envy, Sloth, and Gluttony

The first of the sins we hear about is the Witch of Envy, Satella. We haven’t actually seen her yet in the series, but we can assume that she looks pretty similar to Emilia based on the fact that they’re both silver-haired half-elves.

It’s also implied that Satella is also the one who summoned Subaru to this world, which lends some credence to the idea that Satella is the leader of the sins despite being one herself. However, once Sloth is introduced into the series, it becomes more plausible that Envy is the leader.

Betelgeuse Romanee-Conti is a high-ranking member of the witch’s cult and also the sin of Sloth. The fact that he’s both one of the sins and someone who works for Satella furthers the idea that although Satella is one of the sins, she’s also the leader.

Of course, Betelgeuse’s following of Satella could also be similar to how Sloth follows Lust in Fullmetal Alchemist despite Lust not being the leader of the homunculi.

Gluttony - The White Whale from the anime series Re:ZERO
Gluttony – The White Whale

The third and final member of the sins we’re introduced to in the first season is Gluttony, the White Whale. This is where the idea of Satella being the ringleader doesn’t make as much sense. As far as I remember (I’ll find out if I’m right when the director’s cut gets to this point), the White Whale is unrelated to Satella.

The White Whale fits more into the description of the sins as calamities which the citizens of the world fear rather than one cohesive group. After all, it’s not even a person, it’s a giant animal which just so happens to attack people who stray too near.

Lust, Pride, Greed, and Wrath

The final four sins technically haven’t been introduced in the series yet, but there are four characters who match these sins who have. The reason I’m writing on this topic is because I just watched the episode of the director’s cut which covers the start of the royal selection — and that’s where we see these characters.

You may recall that there are five candidates, Emilia, Priscilla, Crusch, Anastasia, and Felt. If you remove Emilia from the lineup, the remaining four girls appear to be Lust, Pride, Greed, and Wrath.

Priscilla is obviously the Lust of the group. Everything about her is supposed to be sexualized and she’s kind of a dominatrix. Then we have Crusch who comes from a military family and fits the definition of Pride perfectly. She won’t do anything to dishonor herself or her family.

It should come as no surprise that Anastasia would be Greed — I think this is the most obvious one of all. She comes from a tycoon family and stated that she sees becoming the ruler of the country as a great way to make more money.

The royal selection candidates (and Reinhard) from the anime series Re:ZERO
The royal selection candidates (and Reinhard)

And lastly we have Felt, who would technically be the first sin we actually met if this does turn out to be accurate. When she finally agrees to take part in the royal selection, she declares that if she wins she’s going to tear down the country and destroy everything it stands for because of what it’s done to the poor. She’s Wrath.

Now, I’m not saying that these girls are part of the same organization as Satella or Betelgeuse, but if we consider the sins as calamities which could destroy the kingdom, then they make sense.

Satella and Betelgeuse seem to want to destroy the kingdom. The White Whale causes mass destruction simply by existing. And each of these four girls would bring about the destruction of the kingdom in a different way if they were to become the next ruler.

Conclusion

I’m not really sure how I missed the connection between the four royal selection candidates besides Emilia and the remaining sins the first, second, or even third time I watched Re:ZERO. It was only during this most recent rewatch (the director’s cut broadcast) that I put the pieces together.

Of course, all this theorizing could be completely wrong. But, I like to think that there was at least a reason for these girls to be written to perfectly match the remaining sins — even if it was done just to throw someone like me off the trail of the real threats to the kingdom.

If, like me, you’ve only seen the first season of the anime so far, what do you think about this theory? Are the sins really just a random group of dangerous people or creatures? Are they a cohesive group with a plan? And, are the royal selection candidates even sins at all? Let me know in the comments.

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I also have a review of the Re:ZERO – Memory Snow OVA for those interested.

My review of the first episode of the second season is available now.

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