History NightmareFuel / ReZero

* [[TheDreaded Elsa Granhiert]] is the main antagonist of this arc, and she's a nightmare all on her own, serving as a [[WakeUpCallBoss fitting welcome]] to [[CrapsackWorld the world Subaru was transported to]]. A [[ImplacableWoman relentless,]] [[{{Sadist}} sadistic,]] [[LackOfEmpathy entirely amoral]] PsychoForHire with the delightful nickname of '''''[[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast "Bowel Hunter"]]''''', she delights in [[CruelAndUnusualDeath slowly and painfully disemboweling]] her victims and [[NightmareFetishist relishing the sight of their bare innards]]. She's the first real indication that no, Subaru ''isn't'' a StockLightNovelHero in a standard [[TrappedInAnotherWorld isekai]] PowerFantasy, and that [[ThisIsGonnaSuck things aren't about to be pleasant.]]

* Episode 15: '''Betelgeuse Romanee-Conti'''. His faces, movements and mannerism, despite being creepy, can be even funny at the beginning, but, the way he kills Rem is so brutal and cruel the dude ends up being a walking NightmareFuel source.

** Subaru was about to be subjected to more torture by witnessing Betelgeuse rip apart Emilia's corpse with his powers. Pack ends up preventing this...only Pack is furious over what happened to his "daughter".

* Episode 25: The final battle between Subaru and Betelgeuse...specifically how adamant the latter is in wanting to catch and kill the former. Betelgeuse utilizes the last of his power and all of his determination to turn himself into a crawling, nightmarish abomination, shouting at Subaru to "give" him Satella's love and ranting about how Satella could abandon him despite devoting all of his life to her. Subaru himself kills Betelgeuse by running him over with a cart and Betelgeuse's last word is screaming [[SayMyName his nemesis' name.]]

** His ''other'' death at the start of that episode, in which he makes it down to Emilia's LastStand. his fingers are frozen off, as he stumbles back [[AnArmAndAleg his leg]] [[LiterallyShatteredLives shatters]] in front of him, and he eventually freezes entirely as he stares at the icy carnage around him before his frozen head ''[[BodyHorror splits open]]''.

* [[TheDreaded Elsa Granhiert]] is the main antagonist of this arc, and she's a nightmare all on her own, serving as a [[WakeUpCallBoss fitting welcome]] to [[CrapsackWorld the world Subaru was transported to]]. A [[ImplacableWoman relentless,]] [[{{Sadist}} sadistic,]] [[LackOfEmpathy entirely amoral]] PsychoForHire with the delightful nickname of '''''[[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast "Bowel Hunter"]]''''', she delights in [[CruelAndUnusualDeath slowly and and painfully disemboweling]] her victims and [[NightmareFetishist relishing the sight of their bare innards]]. She's the first real indication that no, Subaru ''isn't'' a StockLightNovelHero in a standard [[TrappedInAnotherWorld isekai]] PowerFantasy, and that [[ThisIsGonnaSuck things aren't about to be pleasant.]]

* Episode 15: Betelgeuse. Just Betelgeuse. His faces, movements and mannerism, despite being creepy, can be even funny at the beginning, but, the way he kills Rem is so brutal and cruel the dude ends up being a walking NightmareFuel source.

* Episode 23: "I am the archbishop of sloth, [[WhamLine Betelgeuse Romane-Conti, DESU]]!!"

* Episode 1A/1B: Subaru's first two deaths occur in the two-parter pilot inside the loot house, and each are horrific all on their own, setting the tone for [[PsychologicalHorror the rest of the show.]]

* Subaru's special ability, "Return by Death", is equivalent to a SavePoint, allowing him to reutrn to a point before he died. It's triggered by actually ''dying'' first and, while he keeps all knowledge upon waking up, he remembers all of the times he died and how painful those deaths are. Death itself is still an ugly thing... and very bloody. Put it this way: it's TheyKilledKennyAgain PlayedForHorror. As such, Subaru's many deaths are always either horrific or deeply upsetting:

** The aversion of HarmlessFreezing for a couple of his deaths are nothing short of [[JustForPun chilling.]] Special note goes to his death in episode 15, where, just as a final fuck you to Subaru, his head falls off.

* Episode 34: We finally get to see some of the witches face to face. Though they look cute, their mannerisms are unnerving, to say the least.

*** Crosses into TearJerker with Subaru's results: He passes the [[AnArmAndALeg "morality" test]] but fails the [[LiterallyShatteredLives "guilt" test]], leading Typhon to believe that he is not a bad person, but he believes that he is. [[BreakTheCutie Poor kid needs a break.]]

* The anime's soundtrack is fairly scary at times, with memorable tracks like [[https://youtu.be/nNVX0raSfvY Tabboo Investigation]] and [[https://youtu.be/8e_JWu8StjM Hexentanz]] building an atmosphere of foreboding and dread with their witch-like chanting and deep, sharp strings. King of them all is '''[[https://youtu.be/CJiG15euUes Call of the Witch]]''', which is used to punctuate particularly disturbing scenes. The vocals in this track also sound like ''laughter'', which only emphasizes the hopelessness of Subaru's current situation. If this track plays, something has gone horribly wrong with this timeline.

* Then comes the reveal that there are '''multiple archbishops''' [[spoiler: total 6 not including '''corpse soldiers''' which include two legendary warriors]] roaming Pristella with the intention of holding the city hostage until their demands are met.

** Archbishop of Wrath, Sirius "Romanee-Conti." A delusional LoveFreak much like her taken namesake Petelguese. She's capable of [[{{Synchronization}} synching pain and emotions]] including injuries across short or long making her exceptionally difficult to deal with. To put this in perspective, pitting her against '''Reinhard''' only succeeds in getting many people killed. Even without directly confronting her, her Witch Factor transmits negative emotions across the city and magnifies then, which inevitably leads to multiple incidents caused by sheer panic. [[spoiler: Tellingly, she's one of the few that, while defeated, they don't know if they should kill her.]]
** Archbishop of Greed, Regulus Corneas. While we had previously been introduced to him via his sudden ambush at the end of Arc 3 and he was later reintroduced via Emilia's memories due to his role in past events, we get a full exploration of him in this arc. He's an [[EntitledBastard entitled,]] [[TheBluebeard wife killing,]] near [[NighInvulnerability invulnerable,]] brute who marries pure women to serve as both his servants and [[spoiler: vessels for his heart.]] Anything and anyone could [[BerserkButton slightly set him off,]] leading to him using his [[TimeMaster Witch Factor]] to splatter his enemies across the land.

** Archbishop of Lust, Capella Emerada Lugunica. An [[NighInvulnerability invulnerable,]] Narcissist, capable of transforming [[VoluntaryShapeshifting herself]] [[TheTransmogrifier and anyone around her into whatever she likes.]] Furthermore, it's implied, but not confirmed, she's also capable of raising the dead. Nothing anyone does to her has a lasting impact and she leaves the deepest scars on the city of Pristella itself.

** Archbishop of Wrath, Sirius "Romanee-Conti" is a delusional LoveFreak much like her taken namesake Petelguese. She's capable of [[{{Synchronization}} synching pain and emotions]] including injuries across short or long making her exceptionally difficult to deal with. To put this in perspective, pitting her against '''Reinhard''' only succeeds in getting many people killed. Even without directly confronting her, her Witch Factor transmits negative emotions across the city and magnifies then, which inevitably leads to multiple incidents caused by sheer panic. [[spoiler: Tellingly, she's one of the few that, while defeated, they don't know if they should kill her.]]
** Archbishop of Greed, Regulus Corneas. While we had previously been introduced to him via his sudden ambush at the end of Arc 3 and he was later reintroduced via Emilia's memories due to his role in past events, we get a full exploration of him in this arc. He's an [[EntitledBastard entitled,]] [[TheBluebeard wife killing,]] brute who marries pure women to serve as both his servants and [[spoiler: vessels for his heart.]]

!!Arc 2 / Season 1 Episodes 4-11

!!Arc 3 / Season 1-2 Episodes 12-26

!! Arc 4 / Season 2 Episodes 27-

* Subaru's special ability, "Return by Death", is equivalent to a SavePoint, allowing him to reutrn to a point before he died. It's triggered by actually ''dying'' first and, while he keeps all knowledge upon waking up, death is still an ugly thing... and very bloody. Put it this way: it's TheyKilledKennyAgain PlayedForHorror. As such, Subaru's many deaths are always either horrific or deeply upsetting:

** The way Return by Death is depicted in the anime is very creepy- a disembodied, black, clawed hand that reaches out to Subaru. Even ''creepier'' are the times, if he ever attempts to reveal his ability, it gets him to shut up by ''lovingly caressing his heart''.

** His ''other'' death at the start of that episode, in which he makes it down to Emilia's LastStand. his fingers are frozen off, as he stumbles back [[AnArmAndAleg his leg]] [[LiterallyShatteredLives shatters]] in front of him, and he eventually freezes entirely as he stares at the icy carnage around him before his frozen head ''[[BodyHorror splits open'']].

* Subaru's special ability, "Return by Death", is equivalent to a SavePoint, allowing him to reutrn to a point before he died. It's triggered by actually ''dying'' first and, while he keeps all knowledge upon waking up, death is still an ugly thing... and very bloody. Put it this way: it's like [[WesternAnimation/SouthPark Kenny]] if his running gag of dying all the time was PlayedForHorror. As such, Subaru's many deaths are always either horrific or deeply upsetting:

** His ''other'' death at the start of that episode, in which he makes it down to Emilia's LastStand. his fingers are frozen off, as he stumbles back [[AnArmAndAleg his leg]] [[LiterallyShatteredLives shatters]] in front of him, and he eventually freezes entirely as he stares at the icy carnage around him before his frozen head [[BodyHorror SPLITS OPEN.]]

*** Believe it or not, it's a lot worse in the Light Novel/Web Novel, as not only does all of the above happen, its being a novel can actually describe what Subaru is feeling as the rabbits eat him, with some of the monsters actually ''traveling [[AssShove up his anus]]'', not just his stomach. Subaru also doesn't die '''until the rabbits crack open his skull and feast on his brain'''. Waking up from his death doesn't cause Subaru to beat his head into the floor like the anime but he instead ''vomits violently and suffers a full blown seizure''.

* Episode 23: "[[BodySnatching I am the archbishop of sloth]], [[WhamLine Betelgeuse Romane-Conti, DESU]]!!"