It’s not actually a redemption story.
Summary:
- Mushoku Tensei doesn’t try to redeem Rudeous or frame him as a good person.
- He remains flawed, but many say that makes him unlikable.
- Fans can’t ever agree on this topic.
Perhaps the most controversial isekai anime of all time is Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation (Mushoku Tensei: Isekai Ittara Honki Dasu). We can’t blame you for not liking it: the protagonist is definitely not a good person, and many find him disgusting — and they’d be right.
The controversial point about Rudeous is his relationships with young girls. Despite living his life from the start in another world, he’s still essentially a middle-aged man — no wonder viewers find that unhealthy and creepy. However, his behavior, while inexcusable, does actually have a point.
The anime doesn’t actually try to redeem its protagonist
Mushoku Tensei doesn’t try to frame Rudeous as a good person. He’s not one before his reincarnation, and he doesn’t really become one after — he’s still the same person as he was. That said, after being reincarnated, he tries to at least live his life to the fullest in another world.
The anime isn’t actually about him trying to redeem himself. It’s merely about him getting another chance at life. While he does try to do the right things sometimes, he’s still flawed and, for many, unlikable — granted, many characters in Mushoku Tensei are terrible people, so it’s not like he’s the only one.
Without growth, Rudeous is problematic and unlikable
Others say, however, that having a series that gives a terrible person another chance without them trying to become better is problematic in itself. After all, there’s no reason to give such a character another chance — even if they don’t waste their life, they’re still going to be uncomfortable to watch for many.
In the case of Rudeous, this one might actually be even worse, as at least, he wasn’t actively hurting people when he was just a NEET.
The opinions seem to be split
Overall, Mushoku Tensei is just a story of one man redoing his life in another world. He doesn’t redeem himself, and in this sense, it’s quite unusual: redemption stories for such characters are pretty common, and some actually like the way Rudeous is written.
By staying flawed, he’s unique among protagonists who dedicate their lives in other worlds to getting better.
Others, however, feel that there was no need to include these elements into the story at all, and Rudeous remaining creepy makes him basically unlikable. The anime has many fans and many haters, and it is definitely successful in spawning many controversies and different opinions — which some say is a sign of a good story.