Yo wsp guys? I've earned myself a bit of a reputation for being the Mushoku Tensei guy in our humble little community, so what better time than now to drop my official takes on every character amiright?

Today's character: Rudeus Notos Greyrat

This is probably pretty well-known by now, but Rudeus is my favorite character in all of fiction. He start off as a lazy perverted bum who is kicked out of his house at the age of 34 and hit by a truck. He is reincarnated as an infant with all of his memories in a fantasy world of magic and swordplay, aiming to use this second chance to live to the fullest, without any regrets.

Rudeus is a very slippery slope when it comes to character growth and is one of the most realistic depictions if not THE most realistic that I have ever seen. Growth is not easy. It is an uphill battle that tosses you around and discourages you. It makes you feel defeated, like you will never change and is one of the hardest parts of life. This is something most animes shy away from depicting because it's uncomfortable and may have a harder time keeping an audience. Mushoku Tensei, however, tackles this head-on with Rudeus. He is human just like the rest of us. He messes up just like the rest of the world and stumbles and falls. He has his highs and lows as he strives to be a respectable man without regrets, making him immensely relatable. There is not a single character that I relate to more and resonate with more than Rudeus. This level of characterization is such a rare thing, and people just forget that something uncomfortable can be something beautiful as well.

This journey through his life where we see him struggling like a bloody •••Show to be a better person, even through the relationships he nearly (sometimes even DID) jeopardize and the self-loathing that comes with failure. Even the little things count. His parallel with Norn (more on that in Norn's review) and even the way he dies. He was depicted as the scum of the earth. A pedo who was at his lowest point. He died SAVING someone. This shows that there was still some good in him.

So far, this growth has all culminated through the diary. By now, Rudy's growth has been transformative and monumental from who he was to the family man he is. The diary showed us a picture of everything going to •••Show. After all of this, he is still a pathetic man who would let one tragic event dictate the course of the remainder of his life. He is entitled and arrogant and immature. There is still so so much more room for growth we are shown and this character is nowhere near complete yet.

There is controversy that lies in his actions. I won't defend the polygamy, but people still call him a pedo and people will hate on him and say he's a bad character just for making mistakes as if other popular characters didn't do things worse. Light is a serial killer beyond help. So is Johan. Eren committed genocide. Thorfinn was a vengeful killer striving to change. Making mistakes does not make you a bad character. That is the catalyst for GROWTH and DEVELOPMENT, which is the point of Rudy's character. Lastly RETAINING MEMORIES IS NOOOOTTTT THE SAME AS RETAINING AGE. Rudeus is biologically 17 as of now and is younger than Eris and other female characters. Why can't we drop the pedo allegations for a 17 year old who died at 34?

Rating: 11/10