Re:ZERO Season 4 Episode 18 delivers two intense battles as Emilia faces Volcanica and Ram takes on Lye.
Masahiro Shinohara directs the fourth season, also known as Re:Zero kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu 4th Season (Re:ゼロから始める異世界生活 4th season) / Re:ZERO – Starting Life in Another World.
Re:ZERO Season 4 Episode 18 Review
Emilia’s Strange Encounter With Volcanica Takes a Violent Turn
The episode relies heavily on 2 proper fights: one with Emilia and one with Ram. Emilia faces off against Volcanica, and things begin in a very odd manner for her. Emilia thought Volcanica was a sentient being who would tell her about her next test, and she would try to pass that somehow. This was also why she politely introduced herself and waited for Volcanica to give her more information.
However, what she got instead was a dragon who was single-mindedly repeating its dialogue. Soon it became clear that something was amiss, and she was not really conversing with an actual being. Emilia tries to investigate the situation, and right at that moment, Volcanica moves and starts attacking her. The way her fight begins does not end in that same exact manner, and the mystery stays intact till the end, at least for her segment.
Lye Pushes Ram to Her Limits by Taking on Rem’s Appearance
Ram’s conflict with Lye was the heart of this episode. She gets the duty of taking care of one of the most notorious villains in this series, and Subaru helps her out initially in an indirect manner. Ram is definitely powerful enough to take Lye on her own, yet she struggles at the beginning vehemently. It was also not helpful that he was playing with her mind and her memories. There was a section where he makes Ram see her traumatic past with her sister, and even then she moves over the trauma and bashes Lye as he deserved.
The conflict heats up between them further, and Lye unleashes his true powers in front of Ram. On top of that, Lye was also not holding back this time around. He showcased that he too was powerful enough and could utilise the personalities whose souls he fed on previously. Things become far more complicated when Lye takes on the appearance of Rem.
Lye Takes Rem’s Form to Break Ram, But His Plan Backfires
This episode again did not hold back when it came to animation quality. The fight between Ram and Rem was one of the most beautiful things ever. Obviously, it was not the original Rem but Lye using Rem’s appearance to affect Ram negatively. He knows very well how protective Ram is towards her sister Rem, and he tries to take advantage of that exact thing and defeat Ram.
However, what he did not consider is the strong bond between Ram and Rem. Even though Ram had to fight someone who looked like Rem, it was not a matter for her. Ram is already bonded with her sister physically and emotionally, which is why she knows very well that the person she was facing off against was not at all her sister.
Final Thoughts
This episode was also really good, and the fight sequences looked great. I would still not consider it better than the fight between Reid and Julius, yet it was good enough. In this episode as well, Subaru played a very minimal role, and we might see him fight his own enemies in the next episode. All in all, I really enjoyed this episode and would obviously recommend fans to check it out.
