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Edens Zero Chapter 276 Review/Recap

Have you ever looked at a fictional character making a hard decision and wondered, “Are they making the right choice?” What if their choice, no matter how much you understand it, might be the wrong decision? Especially if it could lead to disaster for everyone. Because Shiki just did that with his decision about Mother. And while I have a feeling things will work out, I can’t stop feeling like Shiki messed up.

Recap

Fifteen years ago, after finding Mother and Shiki and creating the Shining Stars, Ziggy returned to Granbell. However, he feels immense guilt over giving them false memories and modeling them after the deceased humans. It becomes too much for him, thus leading him to let them go and live their own lives. He also orders the Edens One AI to stop constructing its ship and the Dark Stars…or so he thinks. 

Now, Ziggy realizes he should’ve stopped the One himself. Void retorts that it has already become self-aware and comes to a conclusion to wipe out humanity by killing Mother. 

Meanwhile, Mother asks for Shiki’s answer. Rebecca calls her out for putting that decision in the hands of a baby who couldn’t agree. However, Shiki simply asks Mother if she’ll let him choose, which she affirms. Saying he’ll make his future and not let his friends die, Shiki decides to let Mother disappear. Mother says that Shiki could’ve been a hero or Demon King. As she fades away and space distorts, she says he chose to be the Demon King.

Review

I am immensely torn on Shiki’s ultimate decision. My emotional half understands why he made it, and I might make the same decision if it came down to it. On the other hand, the logical half thinks Shiki might have doomed the cosmos to a slow death. Worse, it seems he played into Void’s hands; we still don’t know why Void wanted Mother and humanity dead so badly! Part of me still wants to call Shiki’s choice selfish for that alone. Or I’m biased because it means that Earth is gone and may never return. 

While Shiki might have made the wrong decision, that might not be the case. This isn’t the first time Mashima has pushed his characters into a no-win scenario only for them to find a third option. Fairy Tail is full of them, and Edens Zero has seen its fair share. This series has a knack for pulling its cast out of impossible scenarios, and I don’t think Mashima will stop that now. Either he’s willing to leave the future uncertain (which would suck), will let things end on a downer, or he’s got some insane plan in store. And I’m willing to bet it’s the last one.

Regardless of how Mashima ends this, until he does, this chapter will divide a lot of fans. Should Shiki have saved Mother and let his friends die again? Or did he make the right choice? Was Ziggy right to lie to the Shining Stars about their origin, let alone make them? I don’t know, and the uncertainty both frustrates and excites me.

I Give “Shiki’s Decision” a 5/5

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