《Oshi no Ko》The Death of Hoshino Ruby: A Plot Bombshell or Catalyst for Revenge?

In the phenomenal anime work 'Oshi no Ko,' the plot begins with the shocking scene of Hoshino Ai's assassination, embedding the heavy themes of 'death' and 'revenge' deep into the story's core. As the plot progresses, fans' hearts often hang on the fate of the main characters. Among these, the search keyword 'Hoshino Ruby death' reflects readers' high level of concern and anxiety about the safety of this girl who inherited her mother's dreams. Did Hoshino Ruby actually meet a death ending in the manga's plot? How did the story context behind this develop?

The Shadow of Death: From Mother's Death to Past Life Mystery

Hoshino Ruby's life has been closely connected with the shadow of death since the moment of her reincarnation. Witnessing her mother Hoshino Ai being stabbed to death at home by a fanatic fan became an indelible trauma for her and her brother Aqua. This was not only the starting point of the story but also laid crucial foreshadowing for Ruby's future behavior and psychological transformations.

As she grew up, Ruby single-mindedly wanted to follow in her mother's footsteps to become an idol. However, when she discovered through clues that her past life's (Tendouji Sarina) death and her mother's murderer both pointed to the same mastermind, the tremendous shock completely transformed her. Learning that her past life's beloved teacher Amamiya Gorou (her brother Aqua's past life) also died protecting her, this despair and anger replaced the starlight in her eyes with flames of revenge.

The Black Star's Awakening: An Idol Born for Revenge

After learning the whole truth, Ruby underwent the most drastic character transformation—'Black Star Awakening.' The cheerful girl who originally simply chased her idol dreams now had black stars appearing in her eyes, identical to Aqua's, representing her determination for revenge. This black star symbolized that she was no longer that naive girl, but an avenger bearing the lives of three people: her mother, the doctor (Gorou), and her past self.

During this period, Ruby's behavior patterns became extremely aggressive and purposeful, single-mindedly wanting to use her idol status to gain greater influence to approach and punish the killer of her beloved. She became willing to use any available people or things solely to achieve her revenge goal, a transformation that shocked and pained countless readers.

The direction of the manga's ending: Did Ruby die?

Regarding the question of 'Hoshino Ruby's death,' according to the publicly available manga ending information, Hoshino Ruby did not die. However, she experienced blows more painful than death. In the final stage of the revenge plan, her brother Aqua chose to perish together with their biological father Kamiki Hikaru to protect Ruby's future and idol career.

Her brother's death plunged Ruby once again into the immense grief of losing a loved one. Despite enduring unimaginable pain, she ultimately chose to hide this sorrow beneath a mask of lies, carrying her brother's life with her as she continued forward on the idol path, eventually reaching the dome stage that her mother never could. Although this ending allowed Ruby to survive, its heavy and oppressive atmosphere sparked major controversy among the reader community about it being a 'bad ending.' Many fans believed that having Ruby bear everything alone and continue building her idol career on lies was a betrayal of the character's core themes.

In summary, Hoshino Ruby did not die physically, but she experienced several 'deaths and rebirths' spiritually. From witnessing her mother's tragic death, to learning the cruel truth of her past and present lives, to finally losing her brother, each blow caused drastic changes in her personality. Ultimately, she chose to bear everything and continue shining, but the darkness and lies hidden behind that radiance also became the most profound and controversial aftertaste that 'Oshi no Ko' left for readers.

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