Rem is the obvious choice.
After starting off on the wrong foot, or err, arm, she is the only character to be an unshakeable
support for Subaru.
She is someone who understands him fully, buys into his mission and worldview, and as
a result will stand beside him no matter what hare-brained scheme he comes up with.
You can see the evolution of her trust go from murdering him because of a bad feeling
and off smell, to being entirely accepting of his very suspicious knowledge of all things.
In addition to her fierce loyalty and belief in all he does, she’s also an invaluable
asset.
She carries with her a savviness of the world and its culture, something that Subaru desperately
needs.
She also literally carries something else Subaru needs, a giant heavy dose of firepower.
Because it is obvious his strengths do not lie in his strength.
No, Subaru’s best power, at least currently, has always been his mind.
He comes up with the plans, and Rem has always been there to execute on them.
It is their tag-team duo that leads to their victory over the forest mabeasts, and they
strike once again to take down the White Whale, once and for all.
If that doesn’t scream power couple, I don’t know what does.
When Subaru’s mind ends up taking all it can, and he almost reaches the point of no
return, who is the one to bring him back from the brink?
Rem.
It’s an infamous episode, but she combats his self-loathing and doubt with her own perspective,
which is really the audience’s perspective.
We learn and get reinforced that she has actual reasons for falling in love with Subaru, not
just because the plot demands it.
Both we and Rem are able to see Subaru as a whole, taking in the bad yes, but also the
good.
His almost unconscious consideration for those around him, unshaking faith in his friends,
and fanatical, almost demonic zeal in the face of impossible odds.
During Rem’s refutation, she says the perfect words to come from any potential partner.
“If it’s too hard for you to walk alone, I’ll hold you up.
We’ll share the burden and support each other as we walk” and “When no one else
in the world believes in you, when you don’t even believe in yourself…
I will believe…”
Like really, what more could you ask for?
However, although Rem may support Subaru one hundred percent, no questions asked, that
doesn’t make her a mindless plaything.
We can tell that she is incredibly perceptive as to when things are going badly, and while
it’s clear she doesn’t always know entirely what’s going on, she does whatever is in
her power to help.
Sometimes this means ditching Subaru for the greater good.
Now *we* know that that didn’t entirely work out, but it proves that Rem is not just
a slave to his whims.
She has actual personality, her own thoughts, emotional baggage, and motivations.
We can see that she’s incredibly fastidious and a hard worker, most likely overcompensating
for her guilt-stricken past.
We can see that she is remarkably defensive of all those who have given so much for her,
displaying both the fact that rarely will she take acts of kindness for granted, but
that they will be backed up with devotion the likes you have never seen—and she obviously
has these qualities way before Subaru even comes into the picture.
But even with all of her strengths, Rem was still stuck.
Her “time was stopped,” as she put it, the weight of her sister’s legacy bolting
her in place.
It is Subaru who comes along, as if out of a dream, and saves her—physically and mentally.
She begins to live for herself, do what *she* wants to do, instead of trying to live up
to her *sister’s* potential.
He saves her life, not just her present life, but her future one.
Isn’t that what couples do?
They make each other more.
Finally, not to continue returning to episode eighteen, but it really is the best example
why it just has to be Rem.
Here she’s given everything she could ever want, the chance to run off with her hero
and the love of her life.
She admits that she’s fantasized about it before, and adorably prattles on recalling
a fairytale she’s so obviously painstakingly gone over a million times.
And what does she do with this once in a lifetime opportunity?
She rejects it.
Because she knows that she would be, in her own words, “leaving behind the Subaru-kun”
that she loved most.
I find this self-awareness and ability to make the hard but correct choice to be what
Subaru needs most of all.
The fact of the matter is, Subaru could not have asked for a better life-partner than
Rem.
Who in their right mind would pass up on someone so steadfastly loyal, immensely kind-hearted,
and strong—physically and mentally—as she?
That’s the case for Rem.
Emilia is the obvious choice.
Who in their right mind would pass up on someone so fiercely independent, immensely kind-hearted,
and strong—magically and mentally—as she?
From the very first episode, we’re given little snippets into the core of who Emilia
really is.
She saves Subaru from the three muggers yes, and that certainly leaves an impression on
him.
However, the episode is quick to show us what leaves a bigger impression, the existence
of the flower clip.
Because saving someone from a group of muggers isn’t exactly the most surprising thing
to do, especially when you’ve got access to someone as powerful as Puck… really it’s
expected.
You’d be kind of a bad person to ignore him.
What’s not expected is going out of your way while on a time crunch to help a panicked
child who’s lost their parents—which happens whether she meets Subaru or not.
We can see how pleasantly surprised he is when he notices the clip for the second time,
because he’s gotten an insight into who Emilia’s truly is.
Mainly the fact that... she can’t leave well enough alone.
Can’t leave well enough alone… does that sound at all familiar to you?
Over the course of the season and once again reinforced in the Frozen Bonds OVA, we’re
shown that Emilia is more similar to Subaru than one would think.
She chastises him for just showing up to the Royal Selection uninvited, and yeah I admit,
that was pretty stupid.
But we also see that despite the villagers near hatred and distrust of her, she can’t
bring herself to not at least try and warn them about the impending invasion.
As mentioned, this also mirrors her behavior in the OVA, where despite the best course
of action being to not involve herself in the business of others, she can’t help but
sacrifice her reputation in order to protect the village.
That’s just… who she is.
It is because of this that she and Subaru get into that fateful argument.
She explains to him that she is not looking for a protector, guardian, or even safety
net.
She can protect herself just fine.
In fact, they can protect each other.
Instead, she is looking for someone who can support her on equal footing, treat her not
as a trophy to be won, but as a partner to journey forth with.
And you know what, she *tells* him this.
She doesn’t run away or try to ignore his wrongdoings, she actively confronts him and
calls him out for being an idiot.
The fact that the show refuses to allow Subaru the luxury of undoing this moment sends a
remarkable message—fights happen.
Conflict is a fundamental and necessary part of every relationship, and you can’t pretend
that you’ll be able to avoid it forever.
Instead, Subaru and Emilia are forced to deal with it, and grow from it as a result.
Because Emilia isn’t exactly free from fault here, having been the one enabling him all
this time.
The ending theme of Stay Alive showcases her contemplating her actions and meditating about
the future in solitude.
What is a relationship but the mutual and symbiotic growth of two people?
Emilia’s life basically started from zero, and she’s suffered an almost incomprehensible
amount of hardship.
Despite this, she’s been able to ascend to the point of becoming a candidate for the
throne.
That’s just an example of how diligent and hard-working she is.
We can see time and time again that she absolutely refuses to be given handouts.
If she’s going to be King, it won’t be because Subaru is there to fight her battles,
but because she herself has made her case.
This stubbornness and refusal to compromise on her ideals continues to be almost Subaru-esque,
and it’s no wonder why he’s so drawn to her.
She is someone who is almost frustratingly kind-hearted, rising above prejudice to defend
those who couldn’t care less about her.
I find this self-awareness, and the ability to make the hard but correct choice to be
what Subaru needs most of all.
Finally, Emilia has been the only constant in Subaru’s life.
Just like how no matter what timeline, she will always have that flower clip, Emilia
is a landmark from which Subaru can get his bearings.
In contrast, someone like Rem started off more as a sidequest to be completed than an
actual pillar of support.
Not to say that their current love and friendship isn’t genuine, but in contrast to Emilia
his first impressions of Rem are plagued by uncertainty and betrayal.
We can’t forget that Subaru first and foremost is an otaku, and despite the countless wake-up
calls, he must hold the notion somewhere that Emilia is the heroine of this story.
And also well, the fact that he tells us outright.
“I love Emilia.
I want to see Emilia smile.
I want to be of help to Emilia’s future.
If there’s a bleak, painful future waiting for her, I want to take her away to a future
where we can all laugh together.”
The fact of the matter is, to Subaru, Emilia’s suffered enough.
And she could have not asked for a better person to take on some of that suffering.
That is the case for Emilia.
Thanks for watching!
This is a more fun video that I had in mind, and I hope I did it justice.
I tried to do my due diligence in presenting the best steelman arguments for both Rem and
Emilia, and avoided negative attacks as much as possible.
But the next step is yours!
Tell me in the comments who you think has the better argument.
Did I leave some things out?
Was I able to change your mind?...
probably not, but a guy can dream.
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And of course, if anything I said was wrong, I’m sorry.
I must’ve stuttered.