Re:Zero Marks 10 Years With First Exhibition in Shibuya

Kobayashi and Takahashi Get the First Look

The exhibition, officially titled "TV Anime Re:Zero -Starting Life in Another World- Exhibition -10th Anniversary-," opened to the public on September 12. The day before, Japanese anime news site Anime! Anime! attended a media preview and press conference with the show's two leads, and its full report is the basis for this piece.

Yūsuke Kobayashi (Senku in Dr. Stone, Arthur Boyle in Fire Force) has voiced Subaru Natsuki since the anime premiered in 2016. His take was that the exhibition lets visitors relive everything the anime has covered so far. Columns from the director, production staff, and cast are posted throughout the venue, and he said the sheer volume of material made it clear the organizers want visitors to stop and read at every station.

Rie Takahashi (Megumin in KonoSuba, Takagi in Teasing Master Takagi-san), who plays Emilia, said the staff columns told her things she had never heard in ten years of recording. That included the story of her own audition, which she said she was finally able to hear.

The layout starts with an "Opening Theater," a giant monitor playing a video that compresses a decade of the anime. From there it moves through character material, one area per season from the 1st through the currently airing 4th, and a Memorial Gallery covering the ten-year run.

Each season area is packed with production materials: character designs, key animation, and background art. The two actors picked out small details like the design sheet for the monolith and the design sheet for Reid's chopsticks. Kobayashi said the costume designs were the most interesting part for him, since the cast normally only receives things like expression sheets when episode 1 is recorded, and he had never seen the design work for Subaru's new 4th season outfit.

A Giant Unseen Hand, a Herd of Great Rabbits, and a Priestella Diorama

The centerpiece of the 1st season area is the "Diligent Photo Spot," a giant recreation of the Unseen Hand, the authority of Petelgeuse, the Sin Archbishop of Sloth. Visitors can climb onto the oversized palm for photos. Kobayashi said that of all the seasons, the 1st left him with the strongest impression of the road Subaru had walked.

The 2nd season area has a recreated herd of the Great Rabbit, one of the three Great Mabeasts, staged on a snowfield. Takahashi called the sculpting extremely detailed. Kobayashi said some of the rabbits were a little grotesque, and that the staff's seriousness showed in the work.

The same area holds the "Choose Me Memorial Theater," built around episode 49, Ore o Erabe (Choose Me), which took first place overall in an episode popularity poll. The space is designed to look like the burning Forbidden Library, with video and audio replaying the promise between Subaru and Beatrice.

For the 3rd season, the big draw is a large-scale diorama of Priestella, the Watergate City. Viewed from above, it lays out the concentric streets, waterways, and control towers, so visitors can trace where Subaru and the Sin Archbishops fought. Nearby is the "Hero Fantasy Photo Spot," recreating the city hall Metia where Subaru gave his speech, and a "Super Sakuga Anatomy" display that breaks down the Garfiel vs. Kurgan fight from episode 63, Senshi no Shōsan (roughly "A Warrior's Praise"). More than 100 key frames out of roughly 3,000 are on the wall alongside in-progress footage.

The 4th season area reaches the current broadcast. There is a display for episode 82, Natsuki Subaru, which both actors said they did not expect to see covered. Kobayashi joked that the organizers pushed right up to the wire and said he appreciated the effort to bring the exhibition that far.

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Subaru and Emilia at "Zero"

The display both actors singled out is called "Subaru and Emilia's 'Zero'": the actual audio from the auditions Kobayashi and Takahashi recorded before the anime went on air. The broadcast began ten years ago, so the recordings are older still.

Kobayashi said he assumed he would sound about the same and was surprised at how young he sounded. Takahashi's response was that Subaru was still Subaru. Kobayashi explained that the audition came before either of them had developed their characters, so it captures a pure first impression. He said he hoped fans would listen kindly, with a sense of how far the performances have come, and that it really is "from zero."

Takahashi said she originally imagined Emilia as a more relaxed, laid-back character and delivered the audition at a slower tempo. Her current Emilia, she said, has a lighter, quicker rhythm.

The display also includes notes from executive producer Shō Tanaka (田中翔) explaining why the two were cast. Takahashi said she had always tried to live up to being chosen, and it made her happy to know that the person who chose her had spent ten years watching with those hopes in mind.

Recording Episode 82 Against Himself

Episode 82 has Subaru, who has lost his memory, in dialogue with the Subaru from before. Kobayashi performed both sides. He recorded the amnesiac Subaru's lines first, then played the original Subaru while listening to that audio.

He described acting against his own voice as an experience he has not had on other productions. What struck him was that he never got distracted by hearing himself, which he took as proof that ten years of work had solidified Subaru Natsuki as a character.

The two also talked about how the recording sessions changed over the years. Kobayashi said the 2nd season was the biggest shift. It was recorded under pandemic conditions, and he said the bonds formed during the grueling 1st season carried the cast through. After the 2nd season, the Beatrice and Roswaal actors became more closely tied to the Emilia camp, and by the 3rd season the studio atmosphere had changed. Takahashi described the 3rd season as having an "everyone go together" feeling that matched its key visual. Kobayashi said that while the 4th season's story is harsh, the recording sessions themselves are relaxed.

Their advice for visitors was simple: don't rush. Kobayashi said each Re:Zero episode is heavy and memorable, and the exhibits bring those moments back, so he wants people to stop wherever they feel like it. Takahashi recommended comfortable shoes, since visitors will be on their feet for a long time, and pocket money for the large merchandise selection. Because the later displays include major spoilers, Kobayashi suggested watching through episode 82 before attending.

The exhibition closes with a "10th Anniversary Photo Spot" of ten character standees drawn for the event and a "Message Canvas" where visitors write notes to the series on star-shaped sticky notes.

Looking Ahead

The exhibition runs through October 4, 2026 at Shibuya BEAM Gallery on the fourth floor of Shibuya BEAM in Tokyo's Shibuya district, open 11:00 to 21:00 with last entry at 20:30. Tickets start at ¥2,200, with timed entry on weekends and holidays; details are on the official exhibition site. No additional venues or tour dates have been announced.

The 4th season, produced at White Fox with Masahiro Shinohara directing and Masahiro Yokotani on series composition, is streaming on Crunchyroll. Its second half, the Recapture Arc, began on August 12, 2026 and runs eight episodes, bringing the season to 19 in total.

Tappei Nagatsuki's original light novels and the manga adaptations are published in English by Yen Press.