Strength of a Father, and Aftermath! Skipped Content! - Mushoku Tensei II Episode 22 

on Father's day is absolutely diabolical

The part where Rudy is about to thank Paul for saving him right before realizing what happened was a really spot-on portrayal of processing trauma. It's similar to people who get into catastrophic car accidents not realizing what just happened and attempting to go on like everything is normal. He sort of looks over to the side where the dust is still settling as if he's casually chatting with Paul despite getting his arm chomped off and it takes a long moment before he sees the expression on everyone else's faces and his gaze shifts over to Paul cut in half. Absolutely chilling moment.

I Lost my Father 2 years ago to cancer so maybe that's another reason why every scene with Rudy and Paul literally has me in tears because of how relatable everything that's happening to Rudy and Paul is. It's like looking at my own past and it's just mind-blowing how they make this anime Soo relatable. Happy Father's day ❤️

the fact that Rudy named his left arm Heracles never crossed my mind its gonna be a silly foreshadowing, PEAK

i keep seeing comments about pauls death on fathers day not being right, but what better display of fatherhood than a man giving up everything for his family. happy fathers day paul, may you rest in peace knowing you were the best father for those so privileged to call you one.

The fight scene was really well done. Paul is a beast. Roxy running around healing was awesome. Elinalise tanking for Rudeus. Rest in Peace Paul Greyrat. You were far from perfect. You were scummy a lot. But, in the end, you were a true father and husband o7

Paul was a dad who was too unintelligent to really communicate with Rudy, his son was a genius; and did things very much the opposite way of Paul. On top of that Rudy had shown he really didn't even need Paul as a father after surviving the demon continent. Paul did the best he could, but being separated really destroyed any chance for them to grow closer. In the end Paul was a badass father who literally died for his boy.

Did not see Rudeus also losing a hand... but wow... the things and people he lost on this day... This whole day had to have mentally wrecked Rudeus... Curious to see how he recovers.

Happy Fathers day, paul. You can now have the talk with your father

1:33 Yea Paul was a total badass in the novel, it pointed out that Paul was the one who was doing all the major damage to the hydra, as Elinalise didn’t have the power to totally behead them. I was expecting his death, I’m looking forward to seeing it in the anime.

Paul goes out like an MVP and Rudy never really bonded with Zenith but Paul is really his dad

honestly i think they've nailed the past 2 episodes, perhaps even 3. when i heard the director of the anime reincarnation of the worlds strongest exercist was taking over i was really hopeful because i think he did an excellent job with that one too. and it seems hes really pulled through here too. the director who took over for the first half of season 2 basically just kinda put literally what was happening in the story into anime form, but lost the emotion/essense of the story. the first seasons director was REALLY good at boiling down the scenes (including combining scenes) to convey the spirit of the story. the newest director is also good at that too. im very happy. i hope he signs on for season 3.

Yeah it was diabolical having this episode drop on Father's day. This way this episode has extra force having it drop on Father's day, with Paul dying to save his son's life and free his wife. 😢

Even though I already knew what was gonna happen, it still hit me like a ton of bricks. I definitely shed a few tears.

we're so lucky to have such an excellent adaptation

I'm not crying. I'm not crying. I'm not crying

Paul almost single-handedly lead a small army to find every single person he could from buene village… and in the end, he never got to see the rest of his family come together. It’s truly heartbreaking.

This episode fucked me up. I cried

Paul in his last moments: see rudy? That's how cool your pops is ....

Oh man I kept on refreshing your channel's page to get the SCOOP today! Happy Father's Day 😭

There is literally no other creator that I enjoy their reviews and videos as much of as you Otaku Spirit, I love your content so much, thank you for all you do.

Rifujin really did everyone dirty especially Paul and its exactly on fricking Father's Day.....

As a man with a 16 year old son...episode BROKE ME

I am amazed that they have adapted this as faithfully as they have. Most of the "missing" scenes you read here were just descriptive language that described exactly what was on the screen. At least, until about 31:00.

44:00 felt the same 😔 I know its just a tv show but still I’m glad there’s someone who feel the same way, this episode was hard and heartbreaking for a lot of us 💔

To be fair it was still worth it going , if he didn't go zenith wouldn't be saved and roxy would be dead , also aisha and norn would probably escape from rudy house and go alone which might result in thier end

What an episode... I'm speechless. This was done right.

I honestly can't remember if they covered this in the main light novel series, but, If you look online you can find a bunch of side stories that the writer put out on that "Let's be authors" site, so there's no telling what is "canon" and what is not. (far as im concerned theyre all canon including Santa Orstead. lmfao) But iirc there's something that mentions that Zenith worked as the villages local clinic. I only bring this up because this is another interesting bit of world building and lore that helps you better understand rudeas mindset and disconnect as a parental unit from her. She goes back to work pretty quickly after he is born cause they have Lilia. Because of this all the normal(ized by society) stuff you attribute to "your mother" like cooking and cleaning etc. is done by Lilia and helps us realize in a way why Rudy see's Lilia as the real mother figure in his life. She was with him non stop whether she wanted to be or not cause of how creepy he was with her. SO in his mind he associated love and affection with Zenith, but emotionless parenthood with Lilia. And of course he forms a strong bond with Paul simply because they're both scumbags, at that point. Dude was litterally parenting his own father. lol so it's almost as if Rudy loves Paul like a father would love his son. Sorta trippy if you really ponder it. lol

Subaru and Rudeus have the greatest dads in almost ALL of anime

I'm really conflicted about Rudy's relationship with his new parents I think he's cold to them because of his past life but I think they're actually really good parents especially considering it's their first group of children. Paul has some anger/lust issues but I think he is a man of his age and world. I think he might even be pretty hard on himself for what he's done at least from what we see in the anime. That aside i think Paul and Zenith really struggled prior to the disaster to support and give Rudy the best opportunities they could possibly provide. They were also really respectful of him like how they never pushed him to leave the house but still made sure that he was progressing in ways that he could. I think they reached a really good balance between comfort and safety as well as the friction required to grow but always with love and respect towards him. I get that he hasn't seen them and that would make sense for a mentally undeveloped child but Rudy is an adult like any of us; if someone treated me like that for 7 years i feel like I'd have a really strong bond with them. Hopefully there's more exploration of that and maybe Rudy realizes too late I think being truly grateful would be a good growth section.

This hit me pretty hard, my sister had a stroke, then my father had a heart attack and died 2 months later. Then my sister had another stroke. I really feel for Rudys issolation.

Lost my father in January of last year (2023) from skin cancer. i haven't cried yet only because i know exactly where he is. he was a true Southern Baptist preacher who dedicated his life to preaching God's word and salvation. It was not "good-bye" for me but rather see you later.

Episodes like this are why I'm anime-only for certain series. Even though there were flags, I didn't see things going down like this at all, and holy shit was this airing on Father's Day the most devastating turn of events.

28:16 "no matter how many times I read this it still gets me... happy father's day" everything is not daijoubu😭

i knew what was coming for months but shiiii it still hits you right in the gut

I think they screwed up pointing out how Rudeus was out of his element in melee range and how his demon eye was useless against such a big and chaotic monster. A lot of people blaming him for causing Paul's death by daydreaming and not paying attention moments before the catastrophe.

Thank you so much for adding visuals to these Skipped Content episodes ❤

I look forward to these videos almost as much as the new episodes every Sunday. Thank you for making these!!

Thank you for releasing this as fast a you can. I really appreciate it

thank you very much for the spiler warning c: amazing episode x.x

What an episode and on father's day!

Press f to pay respects

Love your content. I show up every week for this lol

The ending with how zenith became after she woke hurt really deep cos it reminds me of my grandma's final months of dementia cos like seeing zenith before was so full of life then boom now she's an empty shell. It really killed me on the inside deep. With Paul's death idk I just disconnected I guess but yeah both were bad losses for rudeus in their own way. And not only that he has to face his two sisters and be the man of the house all whilst he also feels like crap too.

You did great this episode/video! That was cool to include your live reaction at the end there, it was funny to see the episode reflection through your glasses 😄

same emotions, thank u for covering this

Great breakdown and summary. Thanks as always Andrew!

Great video! Damn this hits hard...

I got spoiled due to the RU-vid shorts that's talked about it and I just couldn't look away this story is amazing one of the best I've seen in the "modern" anime today.

I love how Rifujin purposely intended for Rudeus' left hand to deal the final blow on the hydra, named "Heracles" by Rudues himself. Going full circle with the Greek Myth of Hercules

Man you are really the best I'm now watching you after each episode you're adding so much feeling to the content that it's making it really awesome I just wanted to thank you for all the work you put in to understand what's going on and related with so much feeling

Finally caught up on the playlist 🎉

thanks for your passion and content man

Thank you for the video!

thank you for keeping the title and thumbnail relatively spoiler free

I love your content! I look forward to you explaining things that weren’t covered in the anime!

I was waiting for this!

I'm glad we saw your emotions. It is one of the few books I read that made me cry. And more RU-vidrs should express how great of a story this is.

yoooo that episode was sick

Absolutely amazing episode. Had me on edge of my seat the whole time and took us through a roller coaster of emotions. MT really is peak.

Awesome job

I was not ready for this episode 😭😭😭

Watching your videos kinda made me realize that I would totally enjoy listening to audio books (but only if done by you hehe)

I was waiting for this video about the recent episode 😭

Been waiting all day for this!

Stay strong my friend. You’re doing an awesome job. Watching this right after I watched the show. Love the work. ✌️✌️

Man honestly, this video was a tough listen the episode alone had me in tears. you breaking it down, so perfectly just made it even worse, but in the best way possible I hate how relatable to show is really makes you think about your life. You’ve become one of my favorite content creator to listen to your storytelling is amazing. Thank you for giving your perspective.

it was really impactul to see this animated, reading it hit really hard because of the details that are described to you, but you watching and hearing everything is just...

I cant wait for the tweets for next week. I'm super psyched for controversy to erupt again lol

Happy fathers day Paul, have a nice whole day.

Just a brilliant and heartbreaking episode. One of the best of the series so far.

As someone who read the LN you can really see that Paul is using all 3 sword schools against the hydra. It makes you wonder what could Paul archive in the schools if he trained the past 10ish years. I certainly would have become a saint in all 3. I don't think he could have gotten any King tier skills if he still had a job and his family because king tier in swordmanship does take years of training if you're not a prodige like the sword god. And while Paul hates the north sword school, it is probably the style that helps him the most in labyrinths since it is such an unorthodox style that helps him react to unexpected situations.

So much love !!! Happy Father’s Day ❤

Especially his smile at last second when he sees Rudy is fine kicked me hard! They really do such small touches so well that you can't quite imagine while reading novels. I agree they should had left Zenith to next episode and end it with Paul burning. It both rushed the episode and also overloaded us, Zenith hits me hard i don't know. She made me cry so much in novels, even seeing her face hurts..

this episode really broke me too, I have been lost all day.

The fact that Rudy was torn, upset, and anguished over the fact that Paul died and not his previous life parents shows how he’s changed emotionally. Even though he always talks about Paul and Zennith as if they’re not really his parents but Paul dying still hurt Rudy it was so gut wrenching I wasn’t even spoiled and I knew Paul probably wasn’t gonna make it just from all the death flags. Happy Father’s Day Paul you’ve left your mark that’s for sure😢

Just watched it n it hit me in the feels

Paul is a great character, and this battle did showcase how much of an accomplished warrior he is, hey may not be like Rudeus when it comes to mind from an academical point if view but he definitely encompasses exactly what a leader should be like, he makes the right decisions, he listens to other people's opinion, and he does do his best, and most of all, he will sacrifice himself to save the members of his group and for his family, he went down like an absolute GOAT

I was waiting for ur video..

Goddamn! This episode was such a gut punch. There are very few anime series that I’ve become invested in, and even fewer that have been able to stir deep emotions. They're doing such a wonderful job adapting the manga and we're the better for it. I hope they're able to close out the season right. Thank you for your excellent commentary/breakdown, it’s greatly appreciated.

I love the usage of some mushoku Monday stuff in these vids after watching houuuuurs of Mondays content

thank u brother

Lost my father 2 years ago and when I read this in the LN, I cried so fucking hard. I once again cried for this episode

Then emotion with this one. Paul going berserker rage at the sight of Zenith. I wasn't effected when you were reading the LN but this anime version had me in tears.

Absolute PEAK anime content! The fact that this episode was released on Father's Day is a subtle reminder of the sacrifices FATHERS make for their families. Though Paul was far from a good man or father for most of the time we knew him. In the end, Paul showed us just how good of a man and father he truly was.

Great vid and excellent review, also I'm sure it was hard to talk about "loss" of a father on fathers day, especially when it makes you think about your own real life loss. Anyway, on a happier note, your dog seemed to have been enjoying your review. Keep up the great work!

Paul 😿 the goat 🔥🐐

Many people think its evil that they released this on Father's day. But I think it is in fact the perfect timing. It is showing the greatest sacrifice a father makes for his family. He died for his family, his ultimate sacrifice sets an example what a father should do for his family, for Rudeus to follow now that he is becoming a dad soon. It perfectly exemplifies what a father should be (on Father's day) for his family despite him still being a flawed hot headed character near the end

Hit me right in the feels😢

This episode is Soo heartbreaking. Just soo heavy it was unreal. Even though I saw it coming. Paul had been putting up flags. But damn.

I don’t think it was a malicious or trolling move to air this on Father’s Day. Paul died, but this episode honored him more than any touching monologue or show of love could ever accomplish. This was a tribute to dads and an illustration of the highest virtue a dad could have: willingness to sacrifice to protect your progeny.

Been waiting for you to post this. Episode was straight bonkers

Wild episode

Omg… they handled the emotional scene so well. Without any overdramatized emotion. It was so much I had the chance to think about every emotion I was feeling

This episode sent me, man. I literally, as soon as Zenith talked when I already had tears in my eyes? My jaw actually dropped, and I sat with the video on my screen ended... just processing. They did such a fantastic job, and hell, Rudeus really was messing up, and he knows, he knows he's the cause of his Father's death in that moment (from my watching it) and had to see him split in two? The smile. Oh fucking hell that tore me up. Paul's badassery itself, engraging with his love right there before his eyes finally and now he has a chance to save her, and just blows up. Oh god. Chills. Everything about this episode was chills down to the music at the end and seeing them all talk but just.... knowing from their faces. It left me speechless.

if thats what an advanced swordsman can do against such a strong beast... im afraid of what others of higher rank can do. jfc paul was a beast. rip paul. you will be missed, rifujin did you super dirty.

Great fight!

So, watching the anime, when those scenes came up, it was sad, blinking lots, etc. but didnt hit me too hard. Your retelling of the missing content hit me hard though, even though I knew what was coming it hit me.

Just sitting here waiting for episode 23 skipped content to come out, so I can proceed to listen to it all week long to keep myself from going crazy waiting for the next episode. Can't believe the season is almost over.

First Like and comment?! Phenomenal job on the episode. I've watched about half a dozen reactions and everyone has been blown away. Lots of tears.