10 anime main characters who can stop Subaru's Return by Death in Re: ZERO

Subaru's Return by Death from Re: Zero could be one of the most vague abilities in anime and for anime main characters to nullify it is an even bigger feat because of the nature of this ability. As revealed in season 2 by Echidna, this ability of Subaru is an 'Authority' given to him by Satella, the Witch of Envy. So, it could be considered a cursed spell.

It is similar to Petelgeuse's Unseen Hand (which is the Authority of Sloth), however, Subaru's ability remains untitled to Satella as its Sin is still unrevealed in the anime. The ability works by returning the main protagonist back to a safe point after he dies due to some calamity, however, to the eyes of Subaru, it is just a change of camera angles because he is unaware of how it works.

It is also accompanied by various penalties which are hard to beat like he cannot tell anyone about it. Here some anime main characters who can nullify this curse-like magic without getting affected by its penalties.

Disclaimer: Any opinions expressed in this article solely belong to the author.

Aizawa, Aqua, and 8 other anime main characters who can nullify Subaru's Return by Death in Re: ZERO

1) Shota Aizawa (My Hero Academia)

Aizawa as seen in the anime (Image via BONES)

The homeroom teacher of Class 1-A of the U.A. High School, Shota Aizawa is one of the anime main characters capable of stopping Subaru's Return by Death due to his quirk powers, Erasure.

Aizawa's quirk powers erase anyone's innate abilities as long as he doesn't blink. With Subaru's cursed spell being similar to a technique engraved in his body, Aizawa would be perfect to stop Subaru from restarting after dying.

2) Asta (Black Clover)

Asta as seen in the anime (Image via Studio Pierrot)

The oddball in the magic society with no magical powers, Asta is one of the main protagonists of Black Clover and also one of the anime main characters strong enough to stop Subaru's Authority spell with his anti-magic.

With the help of his grimoire's anti-magic swords, Asta can nullify any magic technique and Subaru's Return to Death could be no expectation to this rule as this Authority is granted to Subaru through a Witch's magic spell.

3) Sakura Mikan (Alice Academy)

Sakura Mikan as seen in the anime (Image via Group TAC)

Mikan is the central protagonist of Alice Academy and also one of the anime main characters who is strong enough to stop Subaru's Return by Death using one of her unique Alices, the Nullification Alice.

This Alice gives Mikan the power to nullify another Alice. Subaru's Authority is not an Alice, but it is still an ability. As Alice is another word for ability in the series, the Nullification Alice of Mikan could work against Return by Death and stop Re: Zero's protagonist from returning after his death.

4) Osamu Dazai (Bungou Stray Dogs)

Osamu Dazai as seen in the anime (Image via Bones)

The main protagonist of Bungou Stray Dogs and also a member of the Armed Detective Agency, Osamu Dazai is one of the anime's main characters who is strong enough to negate the Witch of Envy's Authority on Subaru through his ability titled 'No Longer Human.'

The 'No Longer Human' skill allows Dazai to nullify the abilities of anyone who touches the Bungou Stray Dogs protagonist. As Return to Death is also an ability associated with the Re: Zero protagonist, Subaru could lose it when he touches Dazai.

5) Merlin (Seven Deadly Sins)

Merlin as seen in the anime (Image via A-1 Pictures)

Merlin is one of the main protagonists of Seven Deadly Sins and The Boar's Sin of Gluttony out of the Seven Deadly Sins. She is also one of the few anime main characters capable of negating Subaru's Return by Death cursed spell through her sorcery.

Titled as the strongest mage of Britannia, Merlin has an exceptional collection of spells in her arsenal out of which 'Magic Cancel' is the one that could stop Satella's authority as the spell removes any spell from existence.

6) Sakura Sakurakouji (Code: Breaker)

Sakura Sakurakouji as seen in the anime (Image via Kinema Citrus)

The female protagonist of Code: Breaker and also one of the Rare Kinds in the series, Sakura is one of the few anime main characters capable of negating Subaru's cursed spell through her Rare Kind Spell.

Sakura's Rare King Powers not only make her immune to any kind of magic spells, it can cancel out others' abilities. Return by Death is associated with the Re: Zero protagonist, Sakura's special power might work against Subaru, but she might be reduced to a doll due to her Rare Kind Powers' limitations.

7) Giorno Giovanna (Jojo's Bizarre Adventure)

Giorno Giovanna as seen in the anime (Image via David Productions)

One of the anime main characters who is capable of stopping Satella's Authority on Subaru in the most brutal way, Giorno Giovanna is the main protagonist of Jojo's Bizarre Adventures part 5. Giorno's trump card in battle, and the reason why he is present in this list, is his enhanced stand, Gold Experience Requiem.

This move is produced when Giorno's normal stand, Gold Experience, is pierced with the Stand-creating arrow, giving rise to an ability that puts Giorno's opponent into an infinite loop of death. If Subaru doesn't achieve death, there is no way for Satella's Authority to work on him.

8) Touma Kamijou (A Certain Magical Index)

Touma Kamijou as seen in the anime (Image via J.C.Staff)

Touma Kamijou is the male protagonist of A Certain Magical Index and one of the anime main characters capable of stopping Subaru's Return by Death from Re: ZERO, due to his Imagine Breaker ability.

This ability was granted to the protagonist at his birth and it allows him to negate anyone through his right hand. With this ability being strong enough to negate godly spells and powers, Satella's authority could stand no chance against it.

9) Sensei (No Longer Allowed in Another World)

Sensei as seen in the anime (Image via Atelier Pontdarc)

Sensei (or Osamu Dazai) is the protagonist of No Longer Allowed in Another World and one of the few anime main characters capable of stopping Satella's Authority on Subaru through his unnamed divine spell that can reverse-isekai anyone.

As the narrative of Re: Zero goes, Subaru was isekai-ed into another world, and with Sensei's divine spell, Satella's spell could be rendered useless (as Subaru would be transported into the world of non-magic). However, Subaru would need to tell Sensei the story of his life (which the fandom witnessed in season 2) and it would inspire enough to activate his divine spell.

10) Aqua (Konosuba)

Aqua as seen in the anime (Image via Studio Deen)

More commonly referred to as 'useless goddess' by Kazuma, Aqua is one of the female protagonists of Konosuba. She is, despite having the title useless, also one of the few anime main characters capable of stopping Subaru's Return by Death using her overpowered sacred spells.

Despite being useless in everyday chores, Aqua is still a goddess who has countless overpowered spells in her arsenal. She could stop Satella's Authority using spells like Sacred Break Spell (negates spells), Resistance (increases someone's resistance to spells), Magic Seal (seals someone's powers), and many others.

Final thoughts

Yes, with so many anime main characters capable of stopping Satella's Return by Death it might look like Subaru's cursed spell is a weak one. However, it could be due to the spell's unexplored nature and how it still needs a proper name. The ability from Re: Zero is indeed something to fear and Subaru's mental breakdown throughout the series, numerous times, is proof.

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Edited by Bharath S