Mushoku Tensei Just Shocked EVERYONE 

R.I.P Paul🙏

Paul Gaiden gives Paul's backstory from his own birth to Rudeus', and it details a few things that make his line to his son so much deeper. "Save your mother, even if it kills you." It's something he's failed at before. Paul was a doted-on child who gave in to his desires and reckless behavior, ultimately losing standing with his father. His mother was his only light in the Notos house, coming to comfort him when he'd been confined to his room under house arrest. Ultimately, these visits sapped her meagre strength and left her bedridden. When Paul regained his freedom, he tried to find a doctor for his mother, only to return to the house and finding her dead. The eleven-year-old Paul was blamed by his father and his six years junior brother Pilemon of having caused her death. He ran away from home the next year. After years of adventuring he met Zenith, and she ultimately started reminding him of his mother through her beauty and her kindness. She accepted him for who he was and loved him. She ultimately gave him children and was his home. Then he lost her. He has been run thin and ragged by his hopeless quest, and now she was within his reach. "Save your mother, even if it kills you!" He isn't just telling his precious boy this, but screaming it at himself. The love of his life, his wife, the mother of two of his children, and a living reminder of his own mother, is in trouble and in need of his help. He again has a chance to save his mother in spirit, as equally as Rudeus has a chance to save his in reality.

The Zenith scene broke me😭

Fun fact: there is an audio drama that depicts Paul's inner monologue as he is dying. The last words he says in his mind were, "Gotta... keep... positive...," as he is giving a half-smile.

His death wasn’t shocking it was expected, the shocking part was that they specifically delayed this to air on Father’s Day. Although I didn’t expect him to get chomped in half

Additional information about Paul and Rudeus against the Hydra: Paul is actually very skilled/talented in swordsmanship probably more than you realize. Ordinary people would take many years and even decades to become advanced in one of the three sword styles and yet Paul was advanced in all 3 of them at a young age. In reality Paul was more or less about the level of a Sword/Water/North Saint the reason he isn't Saint rank in all three styles is because obtaining Saint rank requires that you know how to apply battle aura and have a complete understanding on how you're doing it. If you remember when Paul was teaching Rudeus swordsmanship he used vague words like Whoosh, Bang, Bonk and such to explain how to destroy a big rock with a wooden sword. Paul doesn't understand the reality of what he's actually doing (he is actually using mana to greatly boost his sword and physically abilities but he can't quite explain this to Rudeus because he is naturally doing it, he is extremely talented being able to do this and not have a full understanding on how he's doing it.) In short: Paul is more or less Saint level in all 3 styles and most likely could beat other Saint level swordsmen. --- Rudeus using water magic against the hydras breath attack is actually very impressive and is only possible due to his mana supply being so massive (due to the Laplace factor and his training at a young age) and his staff which reduces the amount of magic he needs to use water magic allowing him to do much more with less mana. Against that breath attack from the hydra even 10 normal mages wouldn't be able to defend against it doing what Rudeus did.

I was not shocked when Paul was dead because I was spoiled by a random ass RU-vid video’s thumbnail before but still, I was shocked and speechless by how it happened.

just for some clear up Paul isn't all that powerful. He's the strongest swordsmen on the team but the reason he was able to slice the hydra so easily is because of the swords hes using. If he used normal swords he wouldn't had been able to slice the necks either.

The animation was INSANE!!!

Funny thing is ppl think this is peak just watch till the future Rudius ark hope we get the dark future animated in detail.

The Turning Piont 3, in which Rudy decided to go save Zenith, aired on Mother's Day. After that they skipped one week and aired this episode on Father's Day. That can't be coincidence, they intended to do it this way.

you know i got spoiled about it and still got shocked on the episode. This was masterfully done.

Imma be honest, I expected Paul would die after raising too many death flags through out the episode, but when the battle with the hydra started I was amazed and the thought of him dying really went over my head because of how coordinated and amazing the animations were. The worries of him dying suddenly disappear seeing how he handled the hydra, but then everything went poof, getting chills Rudeus screaming in desperation calling Roxy, saw his missing arm and was speechless to see Paul die... My mind was blank trying to process all of it and paused the episode and was just staring for like half an hour... After I recovered after that scene, credits were rolling, my mind blank and to make matters worse mf's really had to pour salt to my wounds and saw Zenith cannot even talk now, my jaw fking droppedz got trauma and the episode finished.

Dude this anime just turned into berserk real quick with Rudy losing his arm and his mom not knowing how to talk after the fight

The fact that, opposite to the LN, you get bombarded with paul´s death and the state of Zenith in the same episode is insane and i love it

I have nothing but highest praise for this episode. Having read the light novels. I knew what was going to happen, but was still blown away by how closely they stuck to the source material. I had the same emotional reaction that I had when I first read it. I won't spoil anything, but I will say that the next couple of episodes still have some surprises in store for all the anime only fans.

Didn’t think the anime could make me feel more broken than the novel did but visuals of Paul’s final expression managed to make me silently cry instead of just being silent and empty

As an anime only fan who is completely ignorant of the source material spoilers. This episode hit me like a steam train going full speed. I was just left staring at my empty TV screen for who knows how long trying to process what the hell was just dumped on me. I was planning to watch some other anime that was airing too but that took all my will to do anything else. I slept right after my "wtf did I just watch" phase.

not taking anything away from Paul but just so you know, he was able to cut the hydra because of his magic sword that cuts better the harder his target is.

For the first question, an episode come to my mind. Vinland Saga S1 E24. And Mushoku's this one, both of them are tremendous stories about death of "father". Both: Someone like a father figure. Sacrifices themselves to save something important. Provides the protagonist with a significant opportunity for growth. Serves as a turning point that greatly influences future developments. The protagonist does not initially see him as a father, but realizes it later.

I think the last time I was speechless was devilman crybaby in 2018, mushoku tensei definitely choked me

The fact it was released on fathers day😭😭

Really wasn't expecting Zenith to be a vegetable after all they did to save her☠️ Mushoku just built different

I listened to the light novels. So seeing this death animated gave me chills, I was not ready but damn I'm glad they did the episode justice. Makes me excited for what's coming.

3:55 That line basically shows that Paul views Rudy as an equal, not as a child. He doesn’t actually want Rudy to die, obviously, it just shows the respect he has for him

paul was (young sheldoned) in that episode. everyone who read the manga already knew that paul was just a dead man walking until that scene 😢😢

Well not to say Paul isnt strong but the only reason he could cut the hydras heads is cuz of his short sword, which is a legendary artefact that can cut almost anything hard

Mushoku Tensei is the best story ever written. Change my mind.

episode 10 was more of a turning point than the turning point

Just FYI, it wasn't fully Paul himself, why the Heads were so easy to cut. The smaller Blade was a legendary blade, that gets sharper, the harder or more sturdy the object is, that is being cut

The reason why Paul could cut through the hydra so easily was because of his short sword has the ability armor break where the harder the opponents armor is the sharper the blade becomes. It is the perfect counter to an opponent like the hydra that has hard scales. Elinalise was not significantly weaker than Paul she just lacked the right equipment. It shows how much difference equipment can make.

This is THE BEST episode of Mushoku hands down. It's also the most pivotal in season 2 since it is the start of Rudeus becoming the person he needs to be, especially when things get real in the future. But man this episode is just... Bruh Like... - Rudeus lost a limb. - Paul died believing he was a bad father - Paul also did all this, pooled so many resources and effort, just to rescue a vegtable - Healing magic heals the body BUT NOT the mind. So they're literally gonna be forced to take care of a constant reminder of their failure - Technically, Rudeus lost both his parents. - Rudeus caused his father's death, both by disobeying the mangod and by slipping mid-battle - Rudeus is already very mentally weak and breaks easily. So imagine this situation man... - Also, when you think about it, he lost 4 parents now. - ALSO, HE NEEDS TO TELL ALL THIS TO HIS SISTERS, ONE OF WHOM RELIED ON HIM TO SAVE THEM

Last time I got traumatized was in s1 where eris left rudy. Then now we got this... RIP Paul Greyrat

paul had an enchanted sword the harder the object sharper his swords become

Paul would be happy to know, and it's shown in the episode that he was happy, his sacrifice resulted in saving his beloved son and wife. This episode has made me tear up and cry with every reaction I watch. Phenomenal episode, probably the best anime episode l've seen in years. As a LN reader I knew it was coming, but they did a superb job, and it literally made me have goosebumps with the visuals, soundtrack, and especially voice acting.

I was spoiled with Paul and Zenith. It still ripped my heart out seeing Paul die. And by the time I was able to stuff it back in my chest it got ripped out again for Zenith. I usually go right to the new episode of Demon Slayer but this time out of respect for that episode and the feels I got, I waited.

There is a reason why paul is the only one who can chop the head of the hydra, and because that is because of his sword which becomes sharper the harder the object it cuts. His sword cant cut a soft meat but can chop of hard objects

Rip Paul, Died like a true dad protecting his family on fathers day just perfect chefs kiss 🧑‍🍳

Zenith ain't zenith that's casca now 💀

My guys Father got killed While rescuing her Mom which turned out to lose her whole gawd dam memory and made out of her master IN the same episode

I saw this coming miles off. Still a gut punch for the best character in the series.

For someone who already read all of the novels, this arc/scene are 3rd place in mushoku tensei best moments. Wait until you see /quagmire vs Dragon God Round 2 | or The Final Battle

Paul´s death was strongly foreshadowed and he died to some hydra. It had superior animation and direction, but writing wise I liked S2 P1 more.

i didnt got spoiled but i did read in comment sections that this arc made everyone sad so from that i was prepared to see zenith die even tho i didnt care that much about her like rudeus says in the episode , i thought i wouldnt feel sad but then the plot twist kicks in and i was shocked and when they show that zenith the reason paul died for is in that state i finally cried... not even expecting something sad i could predict what happens here unlike other anime , mushoku built different

The sound indicates that the magic is being absorbed by the hydra, but it wasn't using sound waves to negate the magic. As Roxy said during their discussion after the first encounter, it has scales that absorb magic. The reason why magic works at point-blank range is because either there aren't enough scales to absorb it or the part that's being hit has no scales at all (such as a neck when the head is cut off). I think Paul is just being way too emotional in his argument with Rudy. I mean, how long has it been since Paul thought about his own mother? I can excuse it because directing his frustration at seeing her and not being able to save Zenith, only to redirect that frustration as anger at someone else, is a very Paul thing to do. I also think the anime f-ed up with that line about how Rudy has no connection to Zenith. The season finale episode of season one had Rudy's memories of how much Zenith loved him be the trigger to pull him enough out of his depression to go north searching. Saying she was just a roommate sort of negates the emotional impact of that episode. I realize they were probably following some quotes from the light novels, but they should have done a better job being internally consistent as an anime show. They could have mentioned that Paul had dedicated the past six years almost entirely to finding Zenith while Rudy had a lot of other things on his plate, so naturally Rudy wouldn't be as emotionally invested in it as Paul. Good call on the arm being named Heracles. I had totally forgotten about that.

It's practically a running gag at this point that Rudeus would lose focus at intense situations, so Paul paying the price wasn't nearly as surprising.

I knew that paul would die but that he died like that and the fate of zenith...sad day

Light novel readers: 😐

What i cant get over with is that they delayed it just to release it on FATHER'S DAY!!

In the novel it states that pauls swords are really blunt on regular stuff but is enchanted to cut hard armor like butter lise not being able to pierce the hydra showed how hard the hydra scales where.

Ill never forgive them for delaying an episode by 1 week just for this episode to come out on fathers day

5:57 introducing the new prosthetic product: "zaliff prosthetics" by Zanoba Shirone, Cliff Griomor, with the assistance of Rudeus Greyrat himself

I finished watching the episode like 3 hours ago and bro the way i saw paul burning made me cry

Last time i got speechless on end credit of episode is MT season 1 last episode

Just sow you know, Paul could cut thr hydra's head because of the magic sword on his left hand. It can't cut butter, but it can cut adamantium.

This indaian accent is killing me

Nice response and well done

I would have been shocked if everyone wasn't spoiling this three weeks ago in shorts, thumbnails, titles, comments, etc. Kinda ruined it for me, ngl.

Rudeus about to smoke that Paul Pack

Especially with Roxy hugging rudy;-; 😅

Hydra doesn't use sound waves to resist magic, actually. Those crystals on its body can just absorb the magic.

I hated this arc... Paul died, Rudeus depressed, His mom unable to even speak... It sucks it just sucks but it was also one of the best arcs ever in the series. Specially that solemn and beautifully haunting illustration when Rudeus poured a drink for his father.

It was a gut wrenching episode, I had that looming sense of dread for Paul since I too also had his death spoiled very early into starting this show, but I didn't know exactly when it was supposed to happen, but when that hydra was presented I knew this fight was most likely going to be it, and with the way the lead up set everything I knew it was going to be Rudy's over confidence at fault again

And this episode release exactly Father's day😢😢😢

This timeline for rudy isn't that bad in the future unlike the other rudy. But Paul's death was surely emotional , as an LN reader, for me too.

Rudy basically lost both his parents at this point.

Is there anyone who played Darksoul or Eldenring? Then you should understand why Rudy can't react, because of shitty camera angle.

Glad you caught the heracles easter egg.

Paul Solod a fvcking hydra😮😮😮i knew he was dope but this Paul showcase was too fire😢

The drama cd got me even more depressed now that you know what Paul was thinking while he was dying 😢

they killed Paul on Father's day

Fun fact Paul was able to slice the hydra like butter thanks to his magical short sword which has the properties of becoming sharper the harder the thing it is trying to cut is. Since the hydra is sharp it can easily cut through it, but it can’t even cut through actual butter because butter is so soft

the gojo ptsd is wild

it wasnt Pauls strengt that could cut the hydra. It was his sword, its ability is that the higher the defense of the opponent is, the more sharper the sword gets

6:33 naahhh "Seeing Zenith turn into a Vegetable" bros is a menace

So light novelers you guys ready for the next episode for those anime only people to watch it😅?

"When was the last time you were left speechless after finishing an anime episode?" Lmao last week after finishing Neon Genesis Evangelion. Anyways, animation quality in this episode is top-notch. They really put all of their budget into it 😂. Paul's death is pretty well executed. The way they showed Paul nonchalantly charging to the Hydra, knocking on Death's door several times only for him to succesfully door ditch that bastard. Although he got caught in the end RIP 💀. Even after I read the LN, this episode still left an impact on me that I would never have expected. They did a good job imitating the same feeling I felt with the LN.

they gave it the mini move treatment lol

ep 10 and 11 of s2 p2 of mushoku tensei 💀💀i got spoiled from instagram but shit still broke me

i got spoiled by magma readers

It happened to me twice were subaru carring rem body and puck killed everyone

Rudy might as well have dead parents at this point 🗿

I trully recommend you to read the light novel. Is far more specific and crude.

He might have been a mid husband, but the man was a great father.

There is a misunderstanding here, Paul was essential for defeating the hydra but the main reason he was able to cut the hydra necks like butter compared to elinalise was his new secondary short sword which has a special trait that in this case can cut the hydra good. (i'm sure if u go framae by frame every neck cut is by her new sword). They just explained it in a previous episode and very briefly.

The last anime ep to shock me the way this ep of Mushoku did was in seven deadly sins when we learn about meliodas’ and Elizabeth’s curses

pa/ul

Rudy had the worst father's day ever...

already knew it was all coming....

This is my favorite episode of Mushoku Tensei for now 👌🏽

People aren't talking about paul double sword enough. Perugius mention it as one of the war treasure i believe. It can't cut meat, but it can cut through armor steel like butter. Without the sword it would take longer for them to defeat the hydra

they even released the episode on father`s day

It didn't shock me as i read the LN its only going to get a bit more depressing xD

Perfect timing for the episode on fathers day lol

I wonder how they'll animate [Spoiler] don't continue reading . . . . . . . . the alternate timelines dragon god jr (Orsted) has seen, it was honestly such a weird concept to me

paul became Pa Ul Grey Wart

"turning point" 😭

Peak fathers day!!!

Mushoku tensei just shocked everyone except for those one's that watches spoilers 😏

I got spoiler about paul death since season 1 but it still shocking for me because his death coming at the most unexpected way