A Song Ten Years in the Making
"Stay Alive" has been with Re:Zero almost from the beginning. Rie Takahashi (Megumin in KonoSuba, Ai Hoshino in Oshi no Ko) first sang it in character as Emilia back in 2016, when it served as the second ending theme of the anime's debut season. The song returned this June as "Stay Alive Regain," a new version written, composed, and arranged by Heart's Cry that played during the finale of Season 4's first half, episode 77 of the series overall. The new recording hit digital platforms on June 18, 2026.
That finale placement was a late change. According to an Anime Corner report on the staff's comments, the episode was originally set to use "STYX HELIX," the show's first ending theme, until music producer Marina Chabata suggested reviving "Stay Alive" instead. One month later, the revived version made it to the live stage.
White Costume, White Penlights at Makuhari Messe
Anisama, formally Animelo Summer Live, is the three-day summer anime-song festival held at Makuhari Messe, the convention complex just outside Tokyo. This year's edition, themed "-Messenger-," runs July 10 through 12, and Takahashi's slot came late in the Day 2 lineup on Saturday night.
According to Animate Times' live report, the performance opened not with music but with words: a series of messages delivered in Emilia's voice that pulled the hall into the show's world before the first note. Takahashi then sang "Stay Alive Regain" in a pure-white costume modeled on the character, her clear vocals carrying over an arena of penlights that had turned white to match. She closed with the line the series has made emblematic, "Onegai, anata no namae wo kikasete" ("Please, tell me your name"), leaving what the outlet described as an otherworldly afterglow in the venue.
She was in good company on the Re:Zero front. Day 2's lineup also included Konomi Suzuki, who performs the Season 4 opening theme "Recollect," along with GRANRODEO and Daisuke Ono, who made his first Anisama appearance in 14 years.
Looking Ahead
Re:Zero has plenty still coming in 2026. Season 4's second half, an eight-episode stretch titled The Recapture Arc, premieres in Japan on August 12, 2026, picking up after the Loss Arc's June cliffhanger. Crunchyroll streams Season 4 internationally, offering subtitles and an English dub across the Americas, Europe, Africa, Oceania, the Middle East, India, and Southeast Asia.
"Stay Alive Regain" itself is available now on digital music platforms. As for Anisama 2026, the festival wraps its final day today, July 12, and Animate Times is continuing its performance-by-performance coverage through Day 3.