Both ‘Re: Zero’ Seasons in Order (Including OVAs & ONAs)
Re: Zero − Starting Life in Another World combines isekai, dark fantasy, and adventure and is one of the more popular anime franchises today. Currently, Re: Zero – Starting Life in Another World consists of 2 seasons with 50 episodes and 2 OVA movies. There’s also a series of chibi-styles shorts, but those aren’t exactly canon.
In this article, we’ll give you the ultimate Re: Zero watch order, both chronological and by release date. After that, we will give you an overview of all the released material.
Editor’s Note: This watch order was updated in October 2023 and includes all released seasons, OVAs & ONAs so far.
All Re: Zero Seasons, OVAs & ONAs in release date order
The franchise started back in 2016 and quickly expanded to include additional OVAs and ONAs. As for the ONA series, you can watch it alongside the main anime seasons, as these episodes have roughly the same release dates as the anime episodes.
- Re: Zero Season 1 (2016)
- Re: Zero Season 1 ONA – Break Time (2016)
- Re: Petit (2016)
- Memory Snow OVA (2018)
- The Frozen Bond (2019)
- Re: Zero Season 2 (2020-2021)
- Re: Zero Season 2 ONA – Break Time Season 2 (2020-2021)
As to whether you should watch the first season in its original form or the “Director’s Cut,” we strongly advise you to watch the “Director’s” Cut.” Not only is there more material, but the animation is also much better and overall higher quality work. Since the plots are completely the same, you can easily skip the original season and just watch the “Director’s Cut.”
Are Re: Zero seasons, OVAs & ONAs connected?
All Re: Zero seasons and OVAs are connected. They contribute to developing characters and plotlines but aren’t necessarily released in the correct order. The Frozen Bond takes place before the first season.
When it comes to ONAs and chibi-styled shorts, those are canon, and it’s unnecessary to watch them in the first place. However, if you want to watch some extra content, we recommend that you watch them alongside the first and second seasons of the anime, as the short episodes came out around roughly the same time as the anime episodes.
Both Re: Zero seasons & OVAs in chronological order
Now we’ve said that the Re: Zero series wasn’t released in proper chronological order, and we have you covered. Here’s Re: Zero in chronological order, including extra material.
- The Frozen Bond OVA movie 2
- Re: Zero Season 1 (episodes 1-11 of the original series, 1-5 of the “Director’s Cut”)
- Memory Snow OVA movie 1
- Re: Zero Season 1 (episodes 12-25 of the original series, 6-13 of the “Director’s Cut”)
- Re: Zero Season 2
1. The Frozen Bond OVA movie 2 (2019)
The second OVA movie in the Re: Zero franchise takes place before the first anime season. Emilia reflects on her past with Puck, revealing her struggles as a half-elf with uncontrollable magic. She faces discrimination from villagers and makes a pact with Puck to protect herself. In the present, she finds solace in Subaru’s words about melting snow, drawing a parallel to her frozen past. There are some scenes that take place in the current timeline, but most of the OVA is set in the past.
2. Re: Zero Season 1 (episodes 1-11 of the original series, 1-5 of the “Director’s Cut”)
Subaru Natsuki, transported to another world, encounters Satella and Puck after saving them from hoodlums. In an attempt to repay the favor, he seeks to retrieve Satella’s stolen insignia, leading to his death and the activation of his ability “Return by Death.” Despite multiple resets, Subaru faces challenges, including a fatal encounter with Elsa, as he strives to fulfill his mission and navigate the complexities of the unfamiliar world.
Note: If you’re interested in Re: Zero Season 1 ONA – Break Time & Re: Petit, this is the point where you should start watching them, as the release dates of the episodes roughly correspond to the release dates of anime episodes. Those chibi animations, however, are not canon.
3. Memory Snow OVA movie 1 (2018)
Memory Snow takes place between episodes 11 and 12 of the first season shortly after the Mabeast incident. Subaru plans a date with Emilia, but the unexpected cold weather forces a delay. Puck’s excess ice magic freezes the mansion, prompting Subaru to organize a Snow Festival to melt the ice and lift spirits. The festival brings joy, and Subaru connects with Beatrice over constellations before looking forward to future moments with Emilia.
4. Re: Zero Season 1 (episodes 12-25 of the original series, 6-13 of the “Director’s Cut”)
The continuation of the first season. At this point, you should also resume watching the shorts again if you’re interested in them.
5. Re: Zero Season 2
After a battle with the Witch Cult, Subaru is horrified to discover that everyone, including Emilia, has forgotten Rem due to the Sin Archbishops of Gluttony. Rem fell into a coma after having her existence eaten, and Crusch lost her memories. Devastated, Subaru attempts suicide to go back in time, but it fails, leading to a meeting where they decide to continue their alliance despite the losses. Emilia provides comfort to Subaru as he mourns the loss of Rem.
Where to watch the aforementioned anime, OVAs & ONAs?
The entire Re: Zero franchise can be found on Crunchyroll, including the shorts. They are only a few minutes long but add additional value to the primary franchise content.
Will there be more seasons of Re: Zero?
There will be a third season of Re: Zero, which was announced at Kadokawa’s AnimeJapan 2023 stage event in March of 2023. So far, no release date has been given, but we will update this as soon as we have more information.
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