It’s a rollercoaster of emotion, spanning time and space and cognition with underpinnings of real quantum physics. The characters are incredible and the narrative unforgettable. Well for this list we’ll be going through some of my favorite moments throughout the original 24-episode anime! El Psy Kongroo.
15. Human is Dead
From Episode 5 After hacking into SERN and deciphering SERN’s encryption using the specific proprietary code of the IBN 5100, the Future Gadget Lab manages to read the Jellyman files they’d been hiding from the public. They discover they had used the Large Hadron Collider to manifest micro black holes, and have been performing experiments with teleportation and time travel resulting in numerous deaths throughout time. It’s a harrowing example of the detrimental effects of their current investigation, finally ramping up the risks of their project to have real stakes.
14. Suzuha’s Father
From Episode 16 After numerous failed encounters, Amane Suzuha is finally able to find out who her father is. It’s no other than Hashida Itaru, the otaku connoisseur and main hacker of the Future Gadget Laboratory. What’s amazing about the revelation is the way it’s hinted towards repeatedly throughout the show – from the badge, depiction of Barrel Titor, the time travel meet up, hair color and eye color, and more. Rewatching Steins;Gate is always a treat. And this reveal is one of the reasons.
13. Time Leap to Save Mayuri
From Episode 13 Mayuri has just been killed. Suzuha rushes in, holds Moeka at a stalemate, and proceeds to instruct Okabe to travel back in time. What follows is an episode of pure misery, with Okabe trying again and again to save Mayuri with no positive outcome. He watches her get shot, stabbed, run over by a car and train, and more stuff, all in the pursuit of saving her. It’s a complete tone shift from what came before. And is one of the most unforgettable mid-climaxes of any show I’ve ever seen.
12. FB Revelation
From Episode 20 Episode upon episode of buildup and we finally discover who the illusive FB really is. It’s Yugo Tennouji, often referred to as Mr. Braun after Ferdinand Braun, creator of the CRT television. The reveal is so natural; it all just comes into place and suddenly makes sense. Everything from their ease of access to SERN to the inclusion of the lifter, to even letting Okabe have a discount on the price of the room they rent, comes into perspective. We also see another light to him: a ruthless, cold-blooded man who’s willing to take on any job to make money to protect his daughter. He’s a complex, fascinating character, and that’s hinted at all the way through the show.
11. Kurisu Kiss
From Episode 22 Finally after twenty-two episodes, the one true OTP of the show – Kurisu and Okabe – admit their feelings for one another and kiss. And it’s also during one of the most emotional moments in the show: the moment Okabe must choose between his best friend and true love, and is torn. It’s a beautiful portrayal of Kurisu’s character and Okabe’s true feelings for her, stripped of the ego and pantomiming and bickering. It’s pure, beautiful, and horribly tragic – with a gorgeous soliloquy from Kurisu accompanying their embrace.
10. I Failed
From Episode 16 Immediately after discovering the identity of her father, Suzuha commits herself to continuing her mission of reclaiming the IBN 5100 for the Future Gadget Library in the 70s. However, due to wordline interference courtesy of Okabe, the time machine fails and she’s sent back in time without her memory or purpose. When her memories (eventually) return to her in the year 2000, she sends a horrifically broken letter to the future gang before hanging herself. Her last words, ‘I failed, I failed, I failed…’ hang in our ears as Okabe makes the decision to ensure her mission succeeds, even if it means she never got close to them all, nor uncovered her father’s identity. It’s harrowing, disturbing, and emotionally disruptive. One of my worst crying moments, I’ll be honest.
9. Kurisu Sacrifice
From Episode 20 Finally, the pieces have come together. Okabe has successfully pushed back Mayuri’s death, and has even discovered a way to save her entirely. He’s about to send the erase SERN’s data on them and bring them back to their original wordline before realizing something awful. Something we all likely forgot, too. By returning to that wordline, Okabe realizes he’ll be condemning Kurisu to death. It’s an unforgettable and horrific revelation built upon some incredible plot structuring that only strengthens during a rewatch.
8. Suzuha Revelation
From Episodes 14/15 Suzuha was odd from her introduction. She introduced herself with an outdated colloquialism, flies off the handle at the mention of brainwashing, knows a lot about John Titor, and flinches at helicopters. Somehow, all these oddities seem commonplace on an initial watching. But re-watching really hammers home how obvious they were being. She’s a time traveler sent from the year 2036, keen to alter the tides of fate into a direction where World War III isn’t inevitability.
7. Akihabara Radio Kaikan Confusion
From Episode 1 Episode one of Steins;Gate is a masterpiece, both on an initial watching and certainly on a rewatch. It manages to tie the last episode into it, creating a closed time loop of causality that makes a second viewing absolutely incredible. For first time watchers, the events in the Radio Kaikan building in Akihabara will be a confusing affair, made even more complex by what immediately follows afterwards. It’s such a ridiculously good episode from almost every perspective: narrative, sound design, artistic styles, and characters. It creates and solves suspense in one fell swoop. Masterclass, it is.
6. Akihabara De-Moefied
From Episode 9 Immediately after letting Faris send her D-Mail, the gang starts to walk back to the laboratory when Mayuri makes a slight comment about needing to board a train to buy some doujins. Okabe replies, pointing around him, declaring that pointless as Akihabara is the haven for otakus, until he realizes that’s no longer the case. Gone are the anime eyes, the maid cafes, the giant posters, the computers. In their place is furniture, desk lamps, and fans, all brown and drab. This is the first time Okabe realizes the full extent and ramifications of time manipulation. And it’s made even more powerful with the early inclusion of the ending song playing over his confusion and worry.
5. Severed Head Text
From Episode 11 They’ve finally finished creating the PhoneWave, and are certain they can now send cognition back in time as opposed to direct retroactive interference with the help of the D-Mails. Before going public, Okabe goes shopping to acquire food for their celebration party, when his phone vibrates. He opens it up to see a severed doll head covered in red jelly, evocative of a decapitated child covered in blood, and the phrase: ‘you know too much.’ It’s equal parts shocking and horrific, finally driving home how far in the deep end they’ve submerged themselves.
4. Trip to the Past
From Episode 23 After 23 episodes of constant whirlwinding through time and space, the final mission is clarified: Okabe must go back in time to prevent Kurisu’s death, and also World War III. It’s a horrible moment in the story, where Okabe attempts to save her from her father, only to kill her himself. It also ties in perfectly with episode one, making it a brilliant experience during the inevitable rewatch. The stakes are higher than ever, and Okabe is completely broken as a person by it. This is this event that splinters the timeline into episode 24 or episode 1 of Steins;Gate 0, as canonically explained.
3. Achieving Steins;Gate
From Episode 24 At long last, Okabe has saved Mayuri and Kurisu at great cost. They’re both not going to die, and Okabe no longer needs to jump through time. He let’s go of his relationship with Kurisu and manages to achieve the Steins;Gate WorldLine. That last scene, with Okabe walking past Kurisu as some of her memories flood back to her, is such a beautiful tearjerker of a conclusion. It’s equally bitter and sweet, promising plenty of potential for the future, but leaving it undisclosed.
2. Steins;Gate 0
From Episode 23 The second half of episode 23 is a bit of a brainscrew. Essentially, there’s an alternative version of this episode – 23b – wherein Okabe doesn’t receive the text message and collapses, defeated and alone. This leads into the midqual, Steins;Gate 0, that takes place both during, after, and outside of the events of this episode. It’s more or less the divergence point for the series. And watching S;G0 (then coming back) is one hell of an experience to truly understand the pain and upset future Okabe experienced.
1. I Just Wound You
From Episode 12 How could it not be this scene? Half of the show is now up. So far, we’ve experienced plenty of oddities and a few creepy moments. But the jovial spirit of the show never subsided, not really. Yet this is the turning point; the moment Moeka walks in and shoots Mayuri coldly in the head. It’s shocking, upsetting, and a huge motivator for Okabe going forwards. This is the moment the true nature of the show is revealed. And I’m so glad it only got better. However, I can’t put anything but this in first place – it was too memorable, and I still remember the ripple it sent through the anime community when it aired in 2011.
