#there doesn't need to even be any crazy intricate backstories or whatever just their behaviour is more than unique and interesting enough

[eshithepetty]

One of the many things that I love about Mob Psycho 100 is how it shows so little, but implies so much about it's characters. This is essential for a relatively short series that's focused mainly on it's protagonist, managing to make every character besides them feel just as complex and important to the story. Some examples:

We're never shown much of how Teruki's parents' absence and dealing with claw members alone has troubled him, but we can infer those causations and consequences from the way he acts in the present, building a coping mechanism out of making himself superior, relying on his powers for support because that's what's saved his life countless times, not to mention his overall moral ambiguity that comes from encountering life-threatening situations without any guidance on how to deal with them. The effects that his fight with Mob had on him are a bit difficult to understand at first, leading to it seeming ridiculous and amusing, but the way he takes on Shigeo's morals in a surface level way, since he admires him for the power he has held in such high regards his whole life, as well as Mob's contradictory, yet undeniably superior outlook to his own, but struggles to understand it deeper since his moral baseline has been so removed due to his circumstances, makes sense and is quite interesting to explore in further detail.

A lot of Shou's actions might be confusing to a viewer not paying attention. He's a fun character for sure, acting like every type of shonen protagonist mashed into one while also wearing a likeness to Johnny Test, but in the world of MP100, the implications of his behaviour and worldview are actually quite tragic. In a series that places utmost importance on portraying kids as kids, here's a boy who's found his life's purpose in taking down an enemy he has come to see as a typical villain, seeing himself as the opposing hero. While he does have a relaxed attitude, he seems to operate on survival mode most of the time, growing up around people who's entire personalities are intervowen heavily with the fact that they distance themselves from society and ordinary life. Despite this, he knows what kindness looks like from his mother, knows that what his father is doing is evil, and is trying to fix it, cause there seems to be noone else sensible or aware enough to do it. This focus on this one monumental task, coupled with the enviorment he lived in, made him skip past his childhood far too quickly, resulting in him getting stuck in a toxic mindset, the only one he knows how to have. It's essential, however, to note that that doesn't make him any less of a child - in fact, his way of thinking is quite immature, despite how self sacrificing it is. And this is wholly because the adults he has grown up along are fundimentally childish.

Reigen is a mash of contradictions. Out of all these characters, he's probably had the most ordinary life, so it makes sense that he's also the character who is most grounded in reality. Despite this, his entire bussiness is built on facade and masquerade, and his personality is reflective of that in his habit of pretending. He's selfish, caring a lot about his own desires and image, and yet he can be downright reckless when it comes to his life with how willingly he enters deadly situations. His firm roots in society often make him seem very lawful good, and to an extent he is, but when it comes to protecting society and dealing with danger that could impact the whole of it, he's a firm believer in being able to just sit it out as long as the issue doesn't involve you specifically. In a lot of ways, Reigen is very relatable to the average person watching. Most people don't take very radical stances on one side or another. We certainly have strong opinions, but those opinions often contradict one another, because we don't usually have the time nor the outlook, or even the need to monitor those opinions to make sure they're in favor of one another. Because noone is ever perfect. Everyone has flaws and cracks and nuances that are really hard to explain, and Reigen definitely showcases all of that.

Upon first impression, Ritsu seemed like he was just going to play a minor supporting role - like the rest of Mob's family, he popped in occasionally, acting as a simple nurturing brother to Shigeo. So when he started his dramatic heel turn, supplying the arc with seemingly planned speeches and story beats that seemed to lead to a cliche rivalry, fans were quick to label him as the token edgy boy. But as fun as it is to lovingly make fun of him, his actions follow a logical progression, from a boy traumatized by his brother's power that he previously admired and expected to become his own, to someone trying his best to deal with those complicated events, starting a diary and trying hard in school as to not worry his family any further. While we all aknowledge that Shigeo supresses his emotions, Ritsu supresses his feelings as well. He doesn't have dangerous fluctuating powers of his own to worry about, but he was terrified of those exploding from his brother, so he cages himself in, not really forming friends at school, avoiding confrontation at all cost, especially around Mob. And, by the point of the anime, he was just so tired. Their parents, as I percieve them, seem to be very average, which fits nicely with Mob's character and how he's just an ordinary middle school boy, but it does lead me to think that, while they supported their sons as best they could after the ???% incident, they weren't well equipped and didn't think to bring the boys some proper therapy, which is why Shigeo had to come to Reigen by himself. And, to an extent, it's understandable - the boys are still sweet to each other, they check in on each other, they don't even fight about it, seems like they're handling this surprisingly well! Right? But conflicts are essential between sibling bonds, or any bonds, really. They're a way to relieve tension, to adress problems that need to be fixed. And Ritsu could find no way to do that in a healthy way by himself.

I could easily go on. There's a lot more stuff to talk about concerning these characters, and it's just so incredible to me how ONE has managed to make them all so fun and ridiculous, and yet so multi-dimensional as well. It makes this series easy to enjoy for casual viewers, ones who just like the main plot, action, humor etc. and don't want the story to be dragged out more than necessary, but still offers tons of insight to gain that more invested and perceptive fans can talk about and discuss for hours on end. Not to mention, I think it adds a lot to the humanity and authenticity of the characters - in real life, people don't get to know every detail of the ones they meet and familiarize themselves with. Instead, learning about and starting to care for someone usually comes through random moments of insight and clarity, of jokes and scary moments of intimacy, of little confessions. And Mob Psycho 100 is essentially all about the ways that people interact with one another, isn't it?