History Recap / MobPsycho100S1E1SelfProclaimedPsychic

* FeetFirstIntroduction: Mob enters the story this way, framed by a massive blue aura.

* HitPoints: A non-video game example; inverted. Every emotionally-significant event in Mob's life adds up on an on-screen hit counter, strengthening any subsequent release of his powers instead of weakening him.

Mob blushes at the sight of his crush Tsubomi in school the next day, falls asleep in algebra class, and flails weakly in physical education. Reigen calls him at the last minute on his way home for another job: this is also a pattern. The counter is now at 25%. They've been called to exorcise an abandoned tunnel where an entire biker gang perished in a group accident decades ago. Reigen asks Mob to watch and learn, but Mob does all the work: an ancient and far more powerful mountain spirit was holding the gang boss and his friends hostage, forcing them to savage anyone who entered the tunnel. The teenager easily exorcises the thing, releasing the grateful boss and his crew to the afterlife.

* DoesNotKnowHisOwnStrength: Parodied and zigzagged, as [[PhonyPsychic Reigen absolutely knows how strong his [[note]]nonexistent[[/note]] psychic powers aren't]] ''and is lying''. Reigen's go-to excuse on why he doesn't exorcise spirits himself: because 'he's too powerful' and everyone around him could get hurt if he unleashed his powers.

A small, vaguely human-shaped hole in the universe opens over a desolate valley, exploding the ground underneath it. As gigantic ''yōkai'' flood in after it in pursuit, an on-screen counter ticks upwards from zero. The little figure blasts these, and more, faster and faster, into psychedelic splatter without moving a limb, but eventually succumbs to the onslaught. Eyes sparking like agitated white dwarf stars, it self-destructs, taking this entire world with it as the counter hits 100.

Another time, another place. Arataka Reigen, who calls himself a psychic, is meeting with his client Hanako and her skeptical boyfriend Taro. Hanako explains: a spirit has been headbutting her in her dreams every night after her visit to an abandoned building on a dare. She needs an exorcism. The Ceiling Crasher, the spirit haunting this building, laughs off Reigen's attempt to exorcise him with salt, so our phony psychic pulls out his phone and calls on his 'ultimate weapon': a short, harmless-looking boy named Shigeo 'Mob' Kageyama. Mob, an ''actual'' psychic, raises his arm in silence and exorcises the incredulous ghost mid-sentence. He then reminds Reigen--who happens to be his mentor--not to summon him on short notice.

Reigen hands Mob his insulting pay for the day, then imparts some wisdom laced with more insults. As the boy makes his way home, a counter appears on-screen. It reads 'Progress Towards Mob's Explosion: 22%'. At dinner with his family that night, Mob's spoon bends and dumps his food on the dining table. This is a pattern. Mrs Kageyama wonders aloud why he can't be more like his academically-talented younger brother Ritsu.

Mob blushes at the sight of his crush Tsubomi in school the next day, falls asleep in algebra class, and flails weakly in physical education. Reigen calls him at the last minute on his way home for another job: this is also a pattern. The counter is now at 25%.

Today, they've been called to exorcise an abandoned tunnel where an entire biker gang perished in a group accident decades ago. Reigen asks Mob to watch and learn, but Mob does all the work: an ancient and far more powerful mountain spirit was holding the gang boss and his friends hostage, forcing them to savage anyone who entered the tunnel. The teenager easily exorcises the thing, releasing the grateful boss and his crew to the afterlife.

* DoesNotKnowHisOwnStrength: Parodied and zigzagged, as [[PhonyPsychic Reigen absolutely knows how strong his psychic powers]] aren't ''and is lying''. Reigen's go-to excuse on why he doesn't exorcise spirits himself: because 'he's too powerful' and everyone around him could get hurt if he unleashed his powers.

* PunishedWithUgly: Reigen initially assumes that his lady client was cursed with an ugly face. Her boyfriend corrects him saying that that's how she normally looks.

A small, vaguely human-shaped hole in the universe spawns out of nowhere on the floor of a desolate valley, exploding the ground beneath it. As gigantic, colorful monsters charge into the valley in pursuit, a counter appears on screen ticking upwards from zero. The little figure blasts them into psychedelic splatter without moving a limb. More arise and attack, faster and faster, threatening to overwhelm it as it hustles to keep up. They succeed. Eyes sparking like agitated white dwarf stars, it grimaces madly and self-destructs, taking this entire world with it as the counter hits 100.

Another time, another place. Arataka Reigen, who calls himself a psychic, is selling an exorcism course to Hanako and her skeptical boyfriend Taro. Hanako explains the situation: after her visit to an abandoned building for a 'test of courage', a spirit has been invading her dreams every night. When they venture out to the site, it quickly becomes apparent that Reigen is not what he claims to be. Just as Taro is fully convinced of his fraudulence, Hanako's ghost tormentor, the Ceiling Crasher, announces his presence with a threat. This ghost merely laughs off Reigen's attempt to exorcise him with salt, so the man then pulls out his phone and calls his 'ultimate weapon'.

A short boy in black answers the call. The harmless-looking child--still in school uniform--enters a beat later; his name is Shigeo 'Mob' Kageyama. Mob, an ''actual'' psychic, raises his arm in silence and exorcises the incredulous ghost mid-sentence. He then reminds Reigen, who happens to be his mentor, not to summon him on short notice.

Back in his office, Reigen presents Mob with his wages for the day's work: an insulting 300 yen. Mob graciously accepts it before pointing out that the phony psychic shouldn't have needed his help. Reigen cuts him off, then smugly reminds the child of the important purpose he serves in his life. The boy makes his way home, uneasily pausing to stare at his open hand as a counter appears on-screen. It reads 'Progress Towards Mob's Explosion: 22%'.

At dinner with his family that night, Mob's spoon bends as he lifts his food to his mouth, making a mess on the dining table. Apparently this is a habit. Mrs Kageyama scolds him, then praises his brother Ritsu in the next breath for another perfect exam score. Their father defends Mob. Dismissing their mother's words, Ritsu straightens out his older brother's spoon and hands it back.

Mob blushes at the sight of his crush Tsubomi in school the next day, falls asleep in embarrassing fashion in algebra class, and flails weakly in physical education. Reigen calls him at the last minute on his way home for another job: this is a pattern. The counter is now at 25%.

The two take a bus to an abandoned tunnel that has become a popular and dangerous haunted spot. They are soon surrounded by a barrage of spirits; Mob exorcises them while Reigen runs ahead--smack into the spirits' boss, leader of a biker gang that perished in a group accident in this tunnel. The angry ghost attacks with fire. Mob shields his master just in time. He proceeds to exorcise the gang leader, but stops at his protests: it turns out that an old, far more powerful mountain spirit had taken his gang hostage decades ago. At this, the child walks deeper in after it. The mountain spirit swallows him whole; but Mob easily exorcises the thing from inside. He spies a photo of the boss with his gang and hands it to him. Weeping with gratitude, the gang boss passes into the afterlife with his crew while the boy watches on. Reigen, of course, can't see any of this and urges Mob to follow him out.

While the two wait for a bus back to town, Mob offers his boss another chance to come clean: why didn't he do anything back there? Reigen, sweating bullets, reminds him that weak spirits are his responsibility. They later go out for ramen and Reigen asks Mob to limit the toppings on his bowl. His own bowl, however, is ''loaded''. The counter now reads 27%.

* DoesNotKnowHisOwnStrength: Reigen's go-to excuse on why he doesn't exorcise spirits himself is because "he's too powerful" and everyone around him could get hurt if he unleashed his powers.

* {{Gonk}}: Reigen's lady client along with her boyfriend Taro are not as aesthetically pleasing to look at.

* UndignifiedDeath: The ghosts haunting Honeido Tunnel turn out to be the members of a ''bosozoku'' gang who died when the pack leader ''slipped on a [[BananaPeel banana peel]]'' and caused a huge crash.

** In just under a minute of screen time, Mob is shown to be a hopelessly unathletic and lackluster student. He doesn't seem to have [[FriendlessBackground friends]] either.

At dinner with his family that night, Mob's spoon bends as he lifts his food to his mouth, making a mess on the dining table. Apparently this is a habit. Mrs Kageyama scolds him, then praises his brother Ritsu in the next breath for another perfect exam score. His father defends Mob, while Ritsu dismisses their mother's praise. He straightens out his brother's spoon, handing it back.

* ActionPrologue: The first 90 seconds or so of screen time is taken up by a battle between our protagonist in ???% form and multiple evil spirits. Neither this battle nor the form the counter takes in this scene is ever referred to again in the series — it's implied that this was an earlier concept for a battle that appears in the show's second season.

* TheStoic: Played with.
** Mob is not exactly [[EmotionlessBoy emotionless]]; his emotional displays are subtle. Look closely and you'll see a glimmer in his eyes after the gang boss thanks him for releasing him and his friends, or an expression of wonder/surprise after Mrs Kageyama comments on Ritsu's perfect exam score. They're also made apparent from other characters' reactions to his words: Reigen's end of his first phone call with Mob implies the boy's displeasure before he voices it.
** The emotional hit counter also shows otherwise.
* ToughLove: Reigen's calling Mob different variations on {{UsefulNotes/Baka}} multiple times in this episode while reminding him of the important purpose he serves in Mob's life...can be read as this. Mob seems to take the verbal insults in stride.

Another time, another place. Arataka Reigen, who calls himself a psychic, is selling an exorcism course to Hanako and her skeptical boyfriend Taro. Hanako explains the situation: after her visit to an abandoned building for a 'test of courage', a spirit has been invading her dreams every night. When they venture out to the site, it quickly becomes apparent that Reigen is not what he claims to be. Just as Taro is fully convinced of his fraudulence, Hanako's ghost tormentor, the Ceiling Crasher, announces his presence with a threat. This ghost just laughs off Reigen's attempt to exorcise him with salt. Reigen then pulls out his phone and calls his 'ultimate weapon'.

At dinner with his family that night, Mob's spoon bends as he lifts his food to his mouth. It makes a mess. Apparently this is a habit. Mrs Kageyama scolds him, then in the next breath praises his brother Ritsu for another perfect exam score. His father defends Mob, while Ritsu dismisses their mother's praise and straightens out his brother's spoon, handing it back.

The two take a bus to an abandoned tunnel that has become a popular and dangerous haunted spot. Inside, the boy feels an oppressive spiritual presence. They are soon surrounded by a barrage of spirits; Mob exorcises them while Reigen runs ahead. The child warns the self-proclaimed psychic to watch out for the spirits' boss, but too late. This spirit, leader of a biker gang that perished in a group accident in this tunnel, attacks with fire. Mob shields his master just in time. The boy begins exorcising the biker gang leader, but stops at his protests: it turns out that an old, far more powerful mountain spirit had taken his gang hostage decades ago. At this, Mob walks deeper in after it. The mountain spirit swallows him whole; but Mob exorcises the thing from inside. He spies a photo of the boss with his gang and hands it to him. Weeping with gratitude, the gang boss passes into the afterlife with his crew while Mob watches on. Reigen, of course, can't see any of this and urges Mob to follow him out.

While the two wait for a bus back to town, Mob offers his boss another chance to come clean: why didn't he do anything back there? Reigen, sweating bullets, reminds Mob that weak spirits are his responsibility. They later go out for ramen and Reigen asks Mob to limit the toppings on his bowl. His own bowl, however, is ''loaded''. The counter now reads 27%.

* {{Jerkass}}: Reigen's justification for underpaying Mob and selling it as a 'bonus'; his putdowns to Mob's face. These are toned down significantly in subsequent episodes.

A short boy in black answers the call. Reigen asks him not to keep his clients and an evil spirit waiting. The harmless-looking child--still in school uniform--enters a beat later; his name is Shigeo 'Mob' Kageyama. Mob, an ''actual'' psychic, raises his arm in silence and exorcises the incredulous ghost mid-sentence. He then reminds Reigen, his mentor, not to summon him on short notice.

Back in his office, Reigen presents Mob with his wages for the day's work: a paltry 300 yen. Mob graciously accepts his meager pay before pointing out that Reigen shouldn't have needed his help. The phony psychic cuts him off. When the child gently calls him out again, Reigen counters that he lacks training, then reminds Mob of the important purpose he serves in his life. The boy makes his way home, pausing to stare at his open hand as a counter appears on-screen. It reads 'Progress Towards Mob's Explosion: 22%'.

At dinner with his family that night, Mob's spoon bends as he lifts his food to his mouth, making a mess on the dining table. Mrs Kageyama scolds him, then praises his brother Ritsu for another perfect exam score. His father defends Mob, while Ritsu dismisses their mother's praise and straightens out his brother's spoon, handing it back.

The two take a bus to an abandoned tunnel that has become a popular and dangerous haunted spot. Inside, the boy feels an oppressive spiritual presence; he continually asks Reigen whether he can as well. A barrage of spirits surround them, and Mob exorcises them while Reigen runs ahead of him. The child warns the self-proclaimed psychic to watch out for the spirits' boss, but too late. This spirit, leader of a biker gang that perished in a group accident in this tunnel, attacks with fire. Mob shields his master just in time. The boy begins exorcising the biker gang leader, but stops at his protests: it turns out that an old, far more powerful mountain spirit had taken his gang hostage decades ago. At this, Mob walks deeper in after it. The mountain spirit swallows him whole; but Mob exorcises the thing from inside. He spies a photo of the boss with his gang and hands it to him. Weeping with gratitude, the gang boss passes into the afterlife with his crew while Mob watches on. Reigen, of course, can't see any of this and urges Mob to follow him out.

* InsaneTrollLogic: Downplayed, as Reigen does not believe his own logic. Reigen is so powerful he'd melt everyone around him if he attempted to exorcise weak spirits? Really? Mob comments on it, but plays along.

* UndignifiedDeath: The ghosts haunting Honeido Tunnel turn out to be the members of a ''bosozoku'' gang who died when the pack leader ''slipped on a BananaPeel'' and caused a huge crash.

* Jerkass: Reigen's justification for underpaying Mob and selling it as a 'bonus'; his putdowns to Mob's face. These are toned down significantly in subsequent episodes.

A small, black human figure spawns out of nowhere on the floor of a desolate valley, exploding the ground beneath it. A counter appears on screen ticking upwards from zero, while gigantic, colorful monsters charge into the valley. It blasts them into psychedelic splatter without moving a limb. More arise and attack, faster and faster, threatening to overwhelm the little figure. They succeed. It self-destructs, taking this entire world with it as the counter hits 100.

Arataka Reigen, who calls himself a psychic, is selling an exorcism course to Hanako and her skeptical boyfriend Taro. Hanako explains that after her visit to an abandoned building for a 'test of courage', a spirit has been tormenting her in her dreams every night. When they venture out to the site, it quickly becomes apparent that Reigen has no psychic powers. Just as Taro is fully convinced of Reigen's fraudulence, Hanako's ghost tormentor -- the Ceiling Crasher -- appears. Reigen attempts to exorcise the spirit with salt, but the ghost laughs it off. He then pulls out his phone and calls his 'ultimate weapon'.

A boy in black answers the call. Reigen asks him to come quickly, as his clients and an evil spirit are waiting. The harmless-looking child enters a beat later; his name is Shigeo 'Mob' Kageyama. Mob, an actual psychic, raises his arm in silence and exorcises the incredulous ghost mid-sentence. He then reminds Reigen, his mentor, not to summon him on short notice.

Back in his office, Reigen presents Mob with his wages for the day's work: a paltry 300 yen. Mob politely accepts before pointing out that Reigen shouldn't have needed his help. Reigen cuts him off. When the child gently calls him out again, Reigen counters that he lacks training, then reminds Mob of the purpose he serves in his life. The boy makes his way home, pausing to stare at his open hand as a counter appears on-screen. It reads 'Progress Towards Mob's Explosion: 22%'.

Mob eats dinner with his family that night. His spoon bends as he lifts his food to his mouth, making a mess on the dining table. Mrs Kageyama scolds him, then praises his brother Ritsu for another perfect exam score. His father defends Mob, while Ritsu dismisses their mother's praise and straightens out Mob's spoon, handing it back.

At school the next day, Mob blushes at the sight of his crush Tsubomi, falls asleep in algebra class, and flails weakly in physical education. Reigen calls him at the last minute on his way home. This is a pattern. He complies, and the counter appears: 25%. The two take the bus to an abandoned tunnel that has become a popular and dangerous haunted spot. Inside, the boy feels an oppressive spiritual presence. He exorcises a barrage of spirits while Reigen runs ahead of him. Mob warns the self-proclaimed psychic to watch out for the spirits' boss, but too late.

The spirit, leader of a biker gang that perished in a group accident in this tunnel, attacks with fire. Mob shields his master just in time. The boy begins exorcising the spirit, but stops at his protests. It turns out that an old, far more powerful mountain spirit had taken his gang hostage decades ago. Mob walks deeper in after it. The mountain spirit coalesces before him, then swallows him whole; but Mob exorcises the thing from inside its belly. He finds a photo of the boss with his gang and hands it to the ghost. Weeping with gratitude, the gang boss thanks him and passes into the afterlife with his crew while Mob watches on. Reigen can't see any of this and urges Mob to follow him out.

While the two wait for a bus back to town, Mob asks his master why he didn't do anything. Reigen, nervous, reminds Mob that weak spirits are his responsibility. They later go out for ramen and Reigen asks Mob to limit the toppings on his bowl. His own bowl, however, is ''loaded''. The counter now reads 27%.

** In just under a minute of screen time, Mob is shown to be a hopelessly unathletic, lackluster student. He doesn't seem to have [[FriendlessBackground friends]] either.

* LemonyNarrator: Lemony both for its style ''and'' its tendency to point out the obvious, in direct comment on narration in other shōnen action series. The narration becomes more satirically heavy-handed in subsequent episodes.

Reigen Arataka, who calls himself a psychic, is selling an exorcism course to Hanako and her skeptical boyfriend Taro. Hanako explains that after her visit to an abandoned building for a 'test of courage', a spirit has been tormenting her in her dreams every night. When they venture out to the site, it quickly becomes apparent that Reigen has no psychic powers. Just as Taro is fully convinced of Reigen's fraudulence, Hanako's ghost tormentor -- the Ceiling Crasher -- appears. Reigen attempts to exorcise the spirit with salt, but the ghost laughs it off. He then pulls out his phone and calls his 'ultimate weapon'.

* {{UsefulNotes/Bosozoku}}: The gang boss and his crew are part of this subculture.

The spirit, leader of a biker gang that perished in a group accident in this tunnel, attacks with fire. Mob shields his master just in time to protect Reigen from being burned alive. The boy begins exorcising the spirit, but stops at his protests. It turns out that an old, far more powerful mountain spirit had taken his gang hostage decades ago. Mob walks deeper in after it. The mountain spirit coalesces before him, then swallows him whole; but Mob exorcises the thing from inside its belly. He finds a photo of the boss with his gang and hands it to the ghost, bringing grateful tears to his eyes. The gang boss thanks him and passes into the afterlife with his crew while Mob watches on. Reigen can't see any of this and urges Mob to follow him out.

While the two wait for a bus back to town, Mob asks his master why he didn't do anything. Reigen, nervous, reminds Mob that he's in charge of dispatching weak spirits. They later go out for ramen and Reigen asks Mob to limit the toppings on his bowl. His own bowl, however, is ''loaded''. The counter now reads 27%.

A small, mysterious figure spawns out of nowhere on the floor of a desolate valley, exploding the ground beneath it. Vaguely human, silent, and so dark it swallows light, its brilliant white eyes pulse with streaks of lightning. A counter appears on screen, ticking upwards from zero. Gigantic, colorful monsters charge into the valley. It blasts them into psychedelic monster-splatter without moving a single limb. More arise and attack, faster and faster, threatening to overwhelm the little figure. They succeed. It self-destructs, taking this entire world with it as the counter hits 100.

Reigen Arataka, who calls himself a psychic, is selling an exorcism course to Hanako and her skeptical boyfriend Taro. Hanako explains that after her visit to an abandoned building for a 'test of courage' some time ago, a spirit has been tormenting her in her dreams every night. When they venture out to the site, it quickly becomes apparent that Reigen has no psychic powers: he fails to even identify the correct building. Just as Taro is fully convinced of Reigen's fraudulence, Hanako's ghost tormentor -- the Ceiling Crasher -- appears. Reigen attempts to exorcise the spirit with salt, but this fails. He then pulls out his phone and calls his 'ultimate weapon'.

A boy in black answers the call. Reigen asks him to come quickly, as his clients and an evil spirit are waiting. The harmless-looking child enters a beat later; his name is Shigeo 'Mob' Kageyama. Mob, an actual psychic, raises his arm in silence and exorcises the incredulous ghost mid-sentence. He then reminds his mentor that he wasn't supposed to summon him on short notice.

Back in his office, Reigen presents Mob with his wages for the day's work: a paltry 300 yen. Mob politely accepts before pointing out that Reigen should have been able to take care of this weak spirit himself. Reigen cuts him off, then dramatically explains why he calls Mob for spirits like these. When the child gently calls him out again, Reigen counters that he lacks training. He reminds Mob that he is teaching him to control his powers so he doesn't 'go berserk'. The boy makes his way home and pauses to stare at his open hand as a counter appears on-screen. It reads 'Progress Towards Mob's Explosion: 22%'.

Later that night Mob eats dinner with his family. His spoon bends as he lifts his food to his mouth, making a mess on the dining table. Mrs Kageyama scolds him, then praises his brother Ritsu for another perfect exam score. Untroubled by the spoon bending, his father defends Mob. Ritsu dismisses their mother's praise and straightens out Mob's spoon, handing it back.

At school the next day, Mob blushes at the sight of his crush Tsubomi, falls asleep in algebra class, and struggles to hold his own in physical education. Reigen calls him at the last minute on his way home from school, asking him to come down to the transit station for a big job. This is a pattern. He complies, and the counter appears: 25%. The two take the bus to an abandoned tunnel that has become a popular and dangerous haunted spot: it was the site of a huge group accident 30 years prior, and numerous college students have gone missing there. The boy feels an oppressive spiritual presence inside. Sensing an oncoming attack, he exorcises the barrage of spirits while Reigen runs ahead into the tunnel. Mob warns the self-proclaimed psychic to watch out for these spirits' boss, but Reigen has already bumped into him, mistaking him for a wrestler practicing there.

The spirit, leader of a biker gang that perished in that group accident, attacks with fire. Mob shields his master in a psychic barrier just in time to protect Reigen from being burned alive. He begins to exorcise the spirit, but the gang leader protests. Mob hears him out over Reigen's demands to 'melt' him, and the boss explains that another older, far more powerful mountain spirit was forcing his gang to prey upon anyone who entered the tunnel. Mob walks deeper in, noting that the aura he'd felt before entering was still present. The mountain spirit coalesces before him and swallows him whole. Mob exorcises the thing from inside its belly easily. He finds a photo of the boss with his gang and hands it to the ghost, bringing grateful tears to his eyes. The gang boss thanks him and passes into the afterlife with his crew while Mob watches on. Reigen can't see any of this and urges Mob to follow him out.

While the two wait for a bus back to town, Mob asks his master why he didn't do anything. Reigen, nervous, reminds Mob that he is in charge of dispatching weak spirits. They later go out for ramen and Reigen asks Mob to limit the toppings on his bowl. His own bowl, however, is ''loaded''. The counter now reads 27%.

** Mob's silent [[FeetFirstIntroduction introduction]] reveals much about him: that he [[ExtremeDoormat complies with unreasonable demands]], is ''far'' more powerful than he appears, is prone to being underestimated as a result, and that he [[EmotionSuppression hides his emotions]].
** In just under a minute of screen time, Mob is shown to be a hopelessly unathletic, lackluster student. He does not seem to have any [[FriendlessBackground friends]] either.
** Reigen gets a couple. He is introduced as an inordinately sweaty, [[LargeHam dramatic]], and very wacky salesman who ensures his clients are satisfied. Later we see he is not the [[MeanBoss kindest boss]] to Mob.

* HeroicSelfDeprecation: When Mob exorcises the old mountain spirit holding every other spirit in that tunnel hostage for decades ''and'' comments on its weakness, the gang boss is shocked. He wants to know who this kid is. Mob replies that he is nobody.

* InsaneTrollLogic: Played with, as Reigen does not believe his own logic. Reigen is so powerful he'd melt everyone around him if he attempted to exorcise weak spirits? Really? Mob comments on it, but plays along.

** Mob is not exactly [[EmotionlessBoy emotionless]]; his emotional displays are subtle. Look closely and you'll see a glimmer in his eyes after the gang boss thanks him for releasing him and his friends, or an expression of wonder/surprise after Mrs Kageyama comments on Ritsu's perfect exam score. They're also made apparent from other characters' reactions to his words.

A small, mysterious figure spawns out of nowhere on the floor of a desolate valley, exploding the ground beneath it. Vaguely human, silent, and so dark it swallows light, its brilliant white eyes pulse with streaks of lightning. A counter appears on screen, ticking upwards from zero. Gigantic, colorful monsters charge into the valley. It blasts them into colorful monster-splatter without moving a single limb. More arise and attack, faster and faster, threatening to overwhelm the little figure. They succeed. It self-destructs, taking this entire world with it as the counter hits 100.

Reigen Arataka, a psychic, is selling an exorcism course to Hanako and her skeptical boyfriend Taro. Hanako explains that after her visit to an abandoned building for a 'test of courage' some time ago, a spirit has been appearing in her dreams every night, tormenting her. When they venture out to the site, it quickly becomes apparent that Reigen has no psychic powers: he fails to even identify the correct building. Just as Taro is fully convinced of Reigen's fraudulence, Hanako's ghost tormentor, the Ceiling Crasher, appears. Reigen attempts to exorcise the spirit with salt, but he is unmoved. The self-proclaimed psychic pulls out his phone, then calls his 'ultimate weapon'.

A boy in black answers the call. Reigen asks him to come quickly, as his clients and an evil spirit are waiting. The child, pale, round-faced, eyebrows hidden under bowl-cut bangs, and still in his school uniform, enters a beat later; his name is Shigeo 'Mob' Kageyama. Mob raises his arm in silence and exorcises the incredulous ghost mid-sentence. He then reminds his mentor that he wasn't supposed to summon him on short notice.

Back in his office, Reigen presents Mob with his wages for the day's work: a paltry 300 yen. Mob accepts it politely before pointing out that Reigen should have been able to take care of this weak spirit by himself. Reigen cuts him off, then dramatically explains why he calls Mob for these spirits. When the child gently calls him out again, Reigen tells Mob that he lacks training and needs to learn everything he can from his master. He reminds Mob that he is teaching him to control his powers so he doesn't 'go berserk'. Mob makes his way home and pauses to stare at his open hand as a counter appears on-screen. It reads 'Progress Towards Mob's Explosion: 22%'.

Later that night Mob eats dinner with his family. His spoon bends as he lifts his food to his mouth, making a mess on the dining table. Mrs Kageyama scolds him for this habit, then praises his brother Ritsu for another perfect exam score. Untroubled by the spoon bending, his father defends Mob. Ritsu dismisses their mother's praise and straightens out Mob's spoon, handing it back to him.

We follow Mob off to school the next day, where he blushes at the sight of his crush Tsubomi, falls asleep in an embarrassing way during algebra class, and struggles to hold his own in physical education. Reigen calls him at the last minute on his way home from school, asking him to come down to the transit station for a big job. This is a pattern. He complies, and the counter appears: 25%.

The two take the bus to an abandoned tunnel that has become a popular and dangerous haunted spot: it was the site of a huge group accident 30 years prior, and numerous college students have gone missing there. Reigen heads in, then realizes Mob isn't behind him and bids him follow. The boy can feel an oppressive spirit presence inside, but Reigen feels nothing. Mob senses an oncoming attack and begins exorcising the barrage of spirits while Reigen runs ahead into the tunnel. He warns the self-proclaimed psychic to watch out for the boss of all these spirits. Reigen has already bumped into him, mistaking him at first for a wrestler practicing there.

The spirit, former leader of a biker gang that perished in that group accident, attacks. Mob shields his master in a psychic barrier just in time to protect Reigen from being burned alive. The potency of this barrier confuses the gang leader, as he can tell Reigen has no spiritual powers. Reigen continues to act the part anyway, coating his fist in salt and punching the ghost, to no effect.

Mob begins to exorcise the spirit from behind Reigen. The gang leader disintegrates, protesting the entire time. Mob hears the spirit out over Reigen's demands to 'melt' him, and the boss explains that another older, far more powerful mountain spirit was forcing his gang to prey upon anyone who entered the tunnel. Mob declines Reigen's further demand to melt the spirit and walks deeper into the tunnel, noting that the aura he'd felt before entering was still present. The mountain spirit, an enormous, nasty sandworm-like being, coalesces before him and swallows him whole. Mob exorcises the thing from inside its belly easily. He finds a photo of the gang leader with his crew and hands it to the ghost, bringing grateful tears to his eyes. The gang boss and the other spirits regain human form and pass into the afterlife while Mob watches on. Reigen can't see any of this and urges Mob to follow him out.

While the two wait for a bus back to town, Mob asks his master why he didn't do anything back there. Reigen, nervous, starts sweating profusely and reminds Mob that he said he'd leave the small fry to him. They later go out for ramen and Reigen asks Mob to limit the toppings on his bowl. His own bowl, however, is ''loaded''. The counter now reads 27%.

* ActionPrologue: The first 90 seconds or so of screen time is taken up by an awesome battle between our protagonist in ???% form and multiple evil spiritual nasties. Neither this battle nor the form the counter takes in this scene is ever referred to again in the series — it's implied that this was an earlier concept for a battle that appears in the show's second season.
* {{UsefulNotes/Bosozoku}}: The gang boss and his crew are an example of this subculture.
* BrutalHonesty: Mob kindly but bluntly calls Reigen out on his BS at least three times here.

** In just under a minute of screen time, Mob is shown to be a hopelessly unathletic, lackluster student. He is not shown to have any [[FriendlessBackground friends]] either.

* MoralityChain: Reigen to Mob. First made explicit here. He implies a few times in this episode that Mob ''needs'' a limiter, being overpowered to some undefined extent. We will later discover why.

** Mob is not exactly [[EmotionlessBoy emotionless]]; his emotional displays are ''subtle''. Look closely and you'll see a glimmer in his eyes after the gang boss thanks him for releasing him and his friends, or an expression of wonder/surprise after Mrs Kageyama comments on Ritsu's perfect exam score. They're also made apparent from other characters' reactions to his words.

* MoralityChain: First made explicit here. It is implied a few times in this episode that Mob ''needs'' a limiter, being overpowered to some undefined extent. We will later discover why.

Reigen Arataka, a psychic, is selling an exorcism course to Hanako and her skeptical boyfriend Taro. Hanako explains that after her visit to an abandoned building for a 'test of courage' some time ago, a spirit has been appearing in her dreams every night, tormenting her. When they venture out to the site, it quickly becomes apparent that Reigen has no psychic powers: he fails to even identify the correct building. Just as Taro is fully convinced of Reigen's fraudulence, Hanako's ghost tormentor appears. Reigen attempts to exorcise the spirit with salt, but he is unmoved. The self-proclaimed psychic pulls out his phone, then calls his 'ultimate weapon'.

* HitPoints: A non-video game example; inverted. Every emotionally-significant event in Mob's life adds up, strengthening any subsequent release of his powers instead of weakening him.

* JustAKid: Hanako's ghost bully the Ceiling Crasher's response to Mob before the boy obliterates him.

A boy in black answers the call. Reigen asks him to come quickly, as his clients and an evil spirit are waiting. The child, pale, round-faced, eyebrows hidden under bowl-cut bangs, and still in his school uniform, enters a beat later; his name is Shigeo 'Mob' Kageyama. Mob raises his arm in silence and exorcises the incredulous ghost mid-sentence, then reminds his mentor that he wasn't supposed to summon him on short notice.

** In just under a minute of screen time, Mob is introduced as a hopelessly unathletic, lackluster student. He is not shown to have any [[FriendlessBackground friends]] either.

Back in his office, Reigen presents Mob with his wages for the day's work: a paltry 300 yen. Mob accepts it politely before pointing out that Reigen should have been able to take care of this weak spirit by himself. Reigen cuts him off, then dramatically explains why he calls Mob for these spirits. When the child gently calls him out again, Reigen tells Mob that he lacks training and needs to learn everything he can from his master. He reminds Mob that he is teaching him to control his powers so he doesn't 'go berserk'. Mob makes his way home and pauses to stare at his open hand as a counter appears on-screen for the first time. It reads 'Progress Towards Mob's Explosion: 22%'.

We follow Mob off to school the next day, where he blushes at the sight of his crush Tsubomi, falls asleep in an embarrassing way during algebra class, and struggles to hold his own in physical education. Reigen calls him at the last minute on his way home from school, asking him to come down to the transit station for a big job. He complies, and the counter appears: 25%.

* HeroicSelfDeprecation: When Mob exorcises the old mountain spirit holding every other spirit in that tunnel hostage for decades ''and'' comments on its weakness, the gang boss is shocked. He wants to know who this kid is. Mob answers that he is nobody.

* MoralityChain: First called out explicitly here. It is implied a few times in this episode that Mob needs a limiter, being overpowered to some undefined extent. We will later discover why.

* WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes: Reigen finds cockroaches terrifying.

* Action Prologue: The first 90 seconds or so of screen time is taken up by an awesome battle between our protagonist in ???% form and multiple evil spiritual nasties. Neither this battle nor the form the counter takes in this scene is ever referred to again in the series — it's implied that this was an earlier concept for a battle that appears in the show's second season.

* Establishing Character Moment:

** Mob is not exactly emotionless; his emotional displays are ''subtle''. Look closely and you'll see a glimmer in his eyes after the gang boss thanks him for releasing him and his friends, or an expression of wonder/surprise after Mrs Kageyama comments on Ritsu's perfect exam score. They're also made apparent from other characters' reactions to his words.