Content Warning: The following contains spoilers from the Oshi no Ko manga.
The latest chapter of Oshi no Ko seems to confirm the death of our main protagonist, Aqua Hoshino. After pushing his murderous biological father Hikaru onto the freezing ocean, killing him for good, Aqua’s self-inflicted stab wound causes much blood loss. Aqua is then shown drowning in agony, revealing in his last moments that he’s scared of dying. Such an ending to the main character is shocking and devastating. With only two chapters remaining in the manga, what will happen?
Chapter 163 Recap
In a previous chapter, 163, the compassionate Tsukuyomi (nicknamed “Crow Girl” by the fans) offers Aqua a peaceful and bittersweet dream in his final moments. We see what could’ve been if neither Aqua nor his twin sister Ruby had died in their previous lives. In this dream, Sarina (Ruby) overcomes her terminal illness, and Doctor Gorou (Aqua) sees her achieve her dream of becoming an idol and performing alongside Ai Hoshino, cheering them both on as a fan. Sarina would’ve had the loving family she always wanted and Doctor Gorou wouldn’t have had to watch his patient die.
Questioning who he is, Aqua or Gorou, Aqua listens to Crow Girl as she tells him that he is a boy willing to help anyone without anything in return as he did for Kana and Akane. Tirelessly working alone, Aqua protected his sister the way he couldn’t in his past life. Crow Girl then affirms that this is what made him Aqua Hoshino. Protecting Ruby from being killed by Hikaru was Aqua’s last act as a selfless brother. The last panel of the chapter shows the keychain Sarina gave to Doctor Gorou with Crow Girl kneeling in front of it, followed by Aqua disappearing from the dream.
Chapter 164
The next chapter confirms that Aqua did die. Starting the chapter at the end of B-Komachi’s concert, we see a panel of a concerned Kana asking for Aqua, who never showed up to watch their performance. Ruby is seen greeting the idol group’s fans, oblivious to everything. Next, we see Aqua drowning, thinking about how everything in him hurts, his eyes bulging in pain. Author Aka Akasaka isn’t cruel, however, letting Aqua die in peace. In the end, the boy imagines hearing his sister and B-Komachi sing from the phone left by the cliffside, calming him as he dies with a smile.
With the presumed end of Aqua, the narration is led by Akane, who says that a fisherman found Aqua’s body 12 miles from where Aqua and Hikaru fell into the ocean. Panels of Aqua’s family and friends seeing the news of Aqua’s death are shown, shocking expressions abound; Kana’s eyes appear as black holes. The media mentions that Hikaru killed Aqua due to the secrets revealed in the hit movie about their family, The 15 Year Lie. Aqua successfully kept his last lie to protect Ruby from the incident. Akane mourns the loss of Aqua as she places a bouquet on the beach, wishing she could’ve helped Aqua even if it meant helping in the murder.
What Could Happen
With only two chapters left, what can happen? With Ruby missing from the rest of the chapter, we’ll most likely see her reaction to Aqua’s death. Will she see through Aqua’s lie and resent her brother for keeping his plan from her? Will we see Aqua’s funeral? Will we get a time jump and see what happens to Ruby and the other characters in the future? Is there any chance Aqua could be alive? With the next chapter coming out November 7th, we can surely expect a bittersweet ending to tie the story together.
Even with Aqua’s death, the shipping wars will not end. Who would you have preferred to end up with Aqua, Kana or Akane? Or the third option — therapy? We can all agree the poor boy desperately needed it.
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