Mob Psycho 100 is not just an anime about superpowers, it also explores self-discovery themes and teaches finding some of the biggest life lessons.
After the huge success of One-Punch Man in 2015, mangaka ONE has produced a second anime adaptation with the title Mob Psycho 100. Despite having plenty of exciting battle scenes, the narrative is mainly concerned with the development of complicated characters. The story centers on the lives of a middle-schooler with strong psychic talents who goes by the moniker “Mob” and his mentor Reigen Arataka, a kind-hearted con man who has been using the boy’s abilities to run a paranormal consulting company. The relatable themes of self-discovery and choosing the proper path in life are explored in Mob Psycho 100.
Violence does not solve anything
Reigen Arataka, the main character, has a life philosophy that I really admire. Moreover, he takes “not committing violence” very seriously.
Mob is placed in “dangerous” settings in a handful of the sequences in Mob Psycho 100.
When Mob (Shigeo) finds himself in a precarious situation near the end of the anime, Reigen hammers home the point that “violence” isn’t always necessary. There is no alternative option, despite how it “seems” on the surface.
It’s not healthy to suppress your emotions
Shigeo’s power at 100% is said to be a terrible phenomenon in Mob Psycho 100. His reserved demeanor is a direct result of keeping his emotions under control in the hope that his influence won’t harm anyone close to him after an earlier incident in which he put his brother Ritsu in danger.
Yet it becomes clear that repressing or ignoring emotions is unhealthy and not the right course of action.
Instead, emotions should be handled healthily, with some situations facilitating the expression of raw emotion more than others. Bottling things up will only lead to internal chaos.
Being different from others is not a problem but we should always try to be good
The first lesson Reigen ever gave Mob was to accept himself more. The young boy was concerned that being psychic made him too unique compared to other kids. Reigen informed him that it doesn’t matter if someone is born with a musical gift or athletic ability; what counts is how they use their abilities.
Many people suffer from low self-esteem, ambiguous identities, or aspects of themselves they dislike, but they must realize they are valuable and valid in their own right. “Embrace those parts of yourself and try to live positively,” the great instructor Reigen stated. Just be a good person, that’s all.
There is always something to learn from a con artist
Going back to Reigen Arataka for a moment, Mob Psycho 100 fans are well aware of his reputation as a con man. The “Spirits And Such Consultation Office” is the name of the company he owns. Here, he deceives his clients into thinking he can handle all of their problems by taming, destroying, or even conversing with spirits.
He essentially profits greatly off the foolishness of others. However, there is still plenty to learn from this man. A con artist is good at talking to people and communicating with them. They are so skilled at it that it is the foundation of their entire “business”.
Even though I now see that it is unethical or even moral, the lesson in this situation is clear. People occasionally feel awkward, uninterested, bashful, fearful, or uneasy around other people. And as a result, they lack the motivation and confidence to work on their communication abilities.
It is indeed challenging to achieve your goals in life if you are not a good communicator. Because effective communication skills will always be important as long as people are there.
Having the ability to control your emotions can help you a lot
Shigeo’s emotional outbursts have far more severe effects than in a typical scenario, but the underlying idea of controlling one’s emotions to ensure the safety of others is still valid. Shigeo has developed some emotional self-control, but his 100% strength is always present and just waiting for the appropriate occasion to trigger.
In Shigeo’s situation, he seeks to strike a balance between controlling his abilities and ensuring the safety of others, all the while attempting to embrace and connect with his sentiments. Shigeo’s ultimate goal is to assist others, and lessons can be learned by seeing him control his emotions to do that.
Don’t bottle everything up, the best way to solve a problem is to talk things out
Reigen Arataka is a born communicator, talker, and extrovert. There is practically nothing this man can’t accomplish with words.
When we experience challenges in life, they frequently include another person in some way, comparable to a partnership, a buddy, a coworker, or someone else. The only “real” method to end these issues for good is to have a discussion and reach an understanding.
Aversion and malice will always exist between you and other people if this is the case. And as long as that persists, it will somehow hinder you. Depending on what sort of “problem” you’re attempting to resolve.
Everybody is struggling with something
Every character in Mob Psycho has their own personal demons or inner turmoil to deal with, and this applies to real-life situations. Whatever a person’s concerns, it is clear that others are dealing with either the same thing or something else entirely.
Ritsu is jealous of his brother, Reigen is coping with the sense that he is a phony, and Shigeo struggles with emotions. Ritsu and Shigeo have both displayed symptoms of inferiority complexes toward one another, proving that everyone has their viewpoints and insecurities. Shigeo and Ritsu, at least, are supported in overcoming obstacles by their close brotherly relationship.
The truth always comes out
Years of posing as a well-known psychic allowed Reigen to convince clients that he had exorcised the ghost bothering them when all he had done was relax their stiff shoulders or Photoshop their cursed image.
He kept Mob under his sway by assuming the same persona and promised to teach the youngster how to exploit his abilities in exchange for assistance with the enterprise. Everything eventually came crashing down as Mob questioned his master’s deceptions and Reigen was duped into revealing himself on public television.
Truthfully, it’s best to be sincere and truthful because lies tend to plague those who tell them.
To get something you want in life, you need the power of persuasion
Reigen must be brought up once more since he is such a potent illustration of a person we can all learn from. The epitome of a “salesman” is Reigen.
He can persuade a vegetarian to eat meat or turn your crazy strict heritable father into a kind-hearted one. Reigen is an expert at persuasion and achieving what he wants in any circumstance. Even in a situation where a careless mistake can result in death.
Influence matters. Kids that are not older than 6 today will persuade their father to buy them anything they one by using some tricky ways.
Of course, the youngsters are manipulating here, but the idea is still valid: if you cannot influence people, you will never succeed in life.
Forgiveness is always 10x better than getting revenge or staying enraged
Shigeo is very tolerant and accepting of individuals who wrong him or assaulted him, unlike many other anime heroes. One of the hardest things to do is to not harbor resentment toward those who have done crimes or wrongdoings, but doing so demonstrates immense maturity.
Ritsu, Teruki, and Minori are three excellent examples of Mob Psycho characters that wronged Shigeo at some point, but he always forgives and assists in rehabilitating the adversarial parties. Shigeo’s shy and socially awkward manner can be interpreted as just not comprehending the negative aspects of these people, hence his strength in forgiving others accords with his personality.
Always be considerate of others
Some people may find this one to be apparent or even simple, but it’s sometimes the small things in life that are easily overlooked. Reigen had a poor habit of calling Mob into work without warning during the first part of the novel, not caring about what he was doing at the moment.
Mob lost patience when it came to the point where he had to leave his friend’s birthday party to go to a job. After some time, he spoke out to his master about the unfair treatment. Seeing things from others’ perspectives is a vital talent because it can be simple to forget that others have their own lives, concerns, and obligations. Be considerate of other people’s time and what they value.
No matter how nice people are, everyone has a zero tolerance to something
Mob or Shigeo Kageyama, is a sweet, considerate, and compassionate anime character. He is so kind that it is not an exaggeration to claim that he has a pure heart and wouldn’t intentionally hurt anyone.
But even someone as kind-hearted as Shigeo has his limits. Teruki Hanazawa discovers this the hard way as he treats Shigeo like an idiot and tricks him into “fighting back.” Everyone has a different threshold for rage. I’m not an outlier in this regard.
To genuinely deserve everything in life, you must work for it
Shigeo is a very powerful esper in Mob Psycho 100, but he is conscious that everything else in his life has been put on hold in favor of his amazing psychic abilities. Shigeo first struggles with his feelings of shame and resentment over the fact that he has never actually worked for a living.
Since the beginning of Mob Psycho, Shigeo has worked to correct the problem while still maintaining control over his emotions and abilities. He is aware that his body, confidence, and charm all need to be greatly improved.
To begin this protracted path toward self-improvement, he joined the Body Improvement Club. Although taking these steps to take charge of your life isn’t always simple, Shigeo’s self-awareness is admirable.
He understands that to genuinely deserve everything in life, he must be more than the sum of his psychic abilities.
People won’t be in your life forever
Reigen emphasized that Mob should remain his assistant for the foreseeable future for a very long period. But in Season 3, this cunning instructor suddenly came to the realization that he had been harming a person who looked up to him by holding him back in life.
It’s extremely normal to want to keep people close for one’s good or because it makes one feel better, but if one cares about someone, it’s crucial to understand that their dreams and journey in life may not always line up with one’s own. Relationships can be unpleasant, but they are beautiful since they are only temporary, therefore it’s crucial to preserve them.
Staying insecure can make you make wrong decisions in your life
In Mobb Psycho 100, Ritsu Kageyama, Shigeo’s younger brother, exhibits a similar disposition. As the “smarter” of the two, Ritsu excels academically and supports Shigeo as much as possible.
But Ritsu gets the chance to “develop his powers” later on in Mob Psycho 100’s first season. And like most individuals who assume power too fast, he becomes intoxicated by the sensation. But ultimately, it’s all a performance. He makes bad choices because of his inferiority complex since he feels insecure and has the urge to “be better” than his older sibling.
You wind up doing the silliest things to establish a point when you’re anxious to impress other people. Spreading false information, fibbing, deceiving, demeaning others, or even stealing. People who are insecure or have poor self-esteem will try anything to improve how they “feel.”
The only issue is that blaming others for your issues won’t make them go away. Additionally, those poor choices will ultimately lead to your ruin.
A person’s value is defined by their actions, not through their status or words
One of the biggest life lessons that Mob Psycho 100 drives home is that a person should not let a name, words or status define who they are. An individual should be remembered for their acts and objectives, not for how they lived their life.
Shigeo should not only be viewed as a strong esper but also as a young guy who has many problems that he must resolve. While Shigeo has been trying to forge a sense of identity via labor rather than just using his powers, his generosity and forbearance should also be viewed above being a strong esper.
You will end up alone if you have the habit of scamming people
Mob eventually began to see Reigen’s manipulation as he grew older and more experienced, which helped to fuel the bitterness that caused them to temporarily split ways. The melancholy con man returned to a bar where he used to scam people but soon discovered that such tenuous relationships did little to lessen his loneliness.
Reigen, a typically self-assured and outgoing man, suddenly found himself without anything or everyone after word of his fake business went around the city. Trust is said to be nearly impossible to recover once it has been lost because it takes years to create but only seconds to destroy. Reigen instructs his audience to treat those in their lives right, and they’ll be shocked by how many people stand up for them.
Knowing your weaknesses and strengths all together is very important
Shigeo Kageyama is conscious of the advantage he has as an esper user
The pinnacle of Shigeo’s abilities is his ability to use telekinesis to move items and exorcise spirits.
But when it comes to athletics, Shigeo is pitifully unathletic. He can hardly run 100 meters without feeling like he’s having an asthma attack since his body is so frail.
And he doesn’t perform the greatest academically at school. Shigeo is conscious of this and strives to improve. Despite his blatant, the key to finding your flaws is awareness.
Knowing what you are unable of enables you to concentrate on your strengths. Focusing on your strengths is all that matters in the end. The finest benefits for your time and effort are obtained in this manner. But if you don’t know what you’re good at and what you’re better off avoiding, it’s difficult to know that.
It’s good to fight for what you think is important
Shigeo demonstrated how his understanding of his emotions had grown via what he learned. Shigeo spoke out and discussed holding onto what he thought was important when Emi’s companions tore up her novel and dismissed it as a trivial pastime.
If a villain uses the idea that standing up for what you believe in is okay to justify evil deeds, it can lead to perilous ground, but with someone like Shigeo, it’s a different story. He’s always wanted to discover healthier ways to deal with emotions, so when he liked Emi’s work, he wanted to defend it and, in turn, Emi’s own goals and aspirations.
Nobody has all the answers
Despite beginning out very hesitant and unsure, Mob has spent recent episodes attaining unheard-of levels of confidence in himself. In fact, Mob shocked Reigen by solving his own difficulty without waiting for his mentor’s guidance, startling him in the process.
By expressing his concerns about becoming overly dependent on others, the intelligent young student demonstrates amazing knowledge. He realizes that remaining put for an extended period of time will only impede his growth.
Even if it’s wise to heed the advice of those with more experience, it’s also crucial to keep in mind that they are often fallible and don’t always have their own lives worked out. One can approach life’s difficulties however they see fit by conducting their own research, using critical thinking, and developing their own opinions.
Surrounding yourself with the right people can help you improve your self-confidence
The protagonists in Mob Psycho 100 not only learn from their errors but also from the relationships they develop along the way.
Reigen has benefited from Shigeo’s influence, much as the master has from his pupil. Being around like-minded people can be fantastic for immediate connecting and sharing interests, but developing relationships with people who have quite different personalities can assist in expanding horizons and give a character some depth.
Take control of yourself
One of the biggest and most crucial lessons Reigen taught his pupils was something he first needed to learn for himself. It’s best to quote him directly: “Your life is your own, and it’s up to you to live it exactly the way you want.” He realized he had been living his own life passively and without much thinking after letting go of his manipulation and control over Mob.
Even if good mentors are crucial, there comes a point where individuals must actively pursue their own identities and aspirations. People must be the people they want to be, not the people that other people expect them to be.
It’s never too late to change
Reigen struggles with his weaknesses and makes many blunders during Mob Psycho 100, gradually discovering how difficult it is to serve as a mentor and role model. The façade of a self-assured grownup who runs their own business and generally appears to have their life together soon shows signs of weakness. He begins to push anyone who would have referred to him as a friend away.
However, Reigen’s character journey offers optimism as he recovers from his lowest point and reconsiders his career decision, his interpersonal relationships, and what he can do to change. Anyone who is willing to learn and grow can improve themselves, regardless of age or stage in life.
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