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| “ | To its way of thinking, other living things serve only as food. And its single desire is merely to keep satisfying that hunger, until all that's left behind is a deserted field. What makes the Great Rabbit so resilient is its viability. A single one is capable of multiplying indefinitely. To truly eradicate this creature, you would have to kill every one of them at exactly the same time, that would be like trying to evaporate each raindrop as they fall from the sky simultaneously. | „ |
| ~ Echidna explaining the Rabbit to Subaru Natsuki. |
The Great Rabbit is a supporting antagonist in the 2014 Japanese dark fantasy light novel series Re:Zero − Starting Life in Another World and its 2014 manga & 2016 anime television series adaptations of the same name, and a minor antagonist in the 2015 spin-off light novel prequel series Re:Zero − Starting Life in Another World Ex.
Alongside the Black Serpent and the White Whale, the Great Rabbit was considered one of the Three Great Mabeasts created by the Witch of Gluttony that inspired terror and infamy across the world. Eventually, it was banished to another dimension by the spirit Beatrice, who had fought it alongside her contractor Subaru Natsuki after the Great Rabbit had breached the territory of Lord Roswaal L. Mathers.
Appearance & Behaviour[]
The rabbits that made up the Great Rabbit appeared unassuming and even adorable at first glance.
A typical Great Rabbit closely resembled the rabbits found on Earth and were even similarly named. Just like Earth rabbits, every Great Rabbit had a short fluffy tail, large hind legs, long ears, and a coat of fur. They were adorned with a pair of sharp front teeth that could cleave through flesh and bone with astounding ease. Their fur was as white as snow and their eyes, that lit up when filled with murderous intent, were red. Although small in size (roughly twice as large as a clenched human fist), the rabbits more than made up for their lack in strength due to the insurmountable amount of them there were. They had several physical traits common to mabeasts, including a fluorescent pink wheel-like sigil and a horn. The rabbits' sigils were small and located on the lower right side of their backs and their singular horns, which were small and had a drill-like shape, were located on their foreheads.
When creating the Rabbit, Daphne imprinted her own sense of hunger onto the mabeast, resulting in the creature feeling a constant urge to eat. The Great Rabbit's primary concern at all times was satisfying the insatiable hunger it felt. It considered anything or anyone as suitable food and would devour the flesh, bones, and blood of its targets, leaving nothing behind. It was no more intelligent than most animals, and wasn't capable of making observations about its prey or whatever scenario it was in. It would find new prey by following strong magical signatures to their source, as living creatures generally had the highest concentration of magical energy that could be found. Because of this, it was possible to lure the Rabbit to a specific location by providing a strong magical trace for it to follow. Despite being made up of numerous singular rabbits, the Great Rabbit functioned as a singular consciousness. Because of this, the entire collection of Rabbits would always stick closely together. The hunger that the Rabbit felt was so extreme that, if there was no food to consume within a convenient distance, the individual rabbits would consume each other in an attempt to sate the consciousness' thirst for food.
Biography[]
History[]
| “ | It's but one of the Three Great Mabeasts. There's the White Whale, the Black Serpent, and the Great Rabbit. They were created four hundred years ago by Daphne, the Witch of Gluttony. They're her legacies of misfortune, that still wreak havoc upon the world. | „ |
| ~ Echidna briefly explaining the origin of the Rabbit. |
Over four hundred years ago, the Witch of Gluttony Daphne sought to wipe starvation from the world. To do so, she created magical creatures called Mabeasts that would feed off of magical energy. The idea was that, as the creatures fed off of magical energy and not a physical food source, they could serve as a infinitely renewable food source for the people of the world. Of these beasts, there were three that were far superior to all others—the White Whale, the Black Serpent, and the Great Rabbit. The Great Rabbit was a ginormous collection of small fist-sized rabbits that shared a singular consciousness. Each rabbit could multiply infinitely, and the collective consciousness would only die if every single rabbit was killed simultaneously. Unlike the Whale and the Serpent, Daphne implanted her own insatiable sense of hunger on the Great Rabbit, ensuring that it would grow more and more to provide more food.
Unfortunately, the mabeasts created by Daphne went out of control and began consuming living beings (as they were typically rich in magical energy). The Great Rabbit was no exception to this, as it went from place to place devouring anything with meat on its body. It chose its next targets by following concentrated flows of magical energy to their source. Over the years, the Three Great Mabeasts including the Rabbit became known as unstoppable calamities responsible for numerous tragic massacres. Around three hundred years after its creation, the elven warrior Archi mentioned the Rabbit as well as the Whale when a servant of the Archbishop Petelgeuse Romanée-Conti revealed to him that the Black Serpent had encroached upon the elf's village.
The Valkyrie of the Karsten Lands[]
After almost four hundred years of rampaging, the Great Rabbit entered the Foutour Plain located within the territory of the noble House of Karsten. The first people the Rabbit came across were a group of trappers who had been attempting to collect pelts when they were ambushed. Naturally, the Rabbit devoured almost the entirety of the trapper team including its leader. One lucky individual was able to escape to a nearby village where they warned the inhabitants of the oncoming force. Taking the initiative, the village chief efficiently evacuated the village and sent his son to warn Duke Meckart Karsten of the oncoming calamity.
Upon hearing of the incursion, Duke Karsten led a large force of retainers to drive the Rabbit out of his lands. Having already devoured all of the animals and mabeasts in Foutour Forest, the Great Rabbit faced off against the fighting force and wounded Duke Karsten in the process. However, Meckart's daughter Crusch Karsten arrived on the scene with her knight Ferris. Using her sword and her powerful wind magic, Crusch was able to drive the Great Rabbit from her father's territory. Due to her efforts during the incident, Crusch received the appellation "the Valkyrie of the Karsten Lands" and was named the new Duchess of the House of Karsten.
Attack on the Sanctuary[]
First loop[]
| “ | A rabbit? How is this the only living thing I've seen? | „ |
| ~ Subaru Natsuki encountering the Great Rabbit for the first time. |
Around three years after the incident in the Karsten Lands, the Great Rabbit came across the Sanctuary of Kremaldy, a hidden village located in the Mathers domain. It had been drawn to the area by a massive pulse of magical energy fired by a mage that had changed the weather to snow. The Rabbit entered the snow-covered village and devoured every living thing in its path. By the time the Rabbit was done with the inhabitants of the village, there were no traces of the carnage, as they had completely devoured the flesh, bones, and blood of the villagers. Eventually, a young man named Subaru Natsuki entered the village after having been absent for the massacre. Naturally, he was clueless as to what had happened, as from his perspective any sign of life had simply vanished.
The Great Rabbit mercilessly devouring Subaru Natsuki.
As he wandered through a snowy field, he encountered a rabbit. Unaware of the danger it posed, Subaru allowed the rabbit to approach him. When he crouched down to pet the rabbit, it bit his left hand off and began nibbling on the severed limb. As Subaru keeled over in pain and shock, two more naturally camouflaged rabbits emerged from the snow under his feet and chewed off his left leg from the knee down. Missing his leg, Natsuki fell to the ground in agony as more and more rabbits emerged from the snow with eyes full of bloodlust. The large horde that comprised the Great Rabbit ran at Subaru from all sides and leapt on the helpless boy as he screamed in fear. The Great Rabbit quickly began ripping Subaru's body apart from the inside and out, causing the boy to experience a sense of unimaginable pain and violation. It didn't take long for him to die.
Second loop[]
| “ | Subaru: I will destroy the Great Rabbit. I already killed the White Whale. You'd better not come crying to me like a grieving mother. They've run wild for over four hundred years. And that's more than long enough. I'll wipe them all out without a trace. Daphne: If you think a human... is capable of such an act, then go ahead and try it. |
„ |
| ~ Subaru declaring his intent to destroy the Great Rabbit. |
Natsuki had an ability called "Return by Death" that rewound time every time he was killed. In this case, Subaru returned to a point five days before the Rabbit attacked the Sanctuary. Initially, Natsuki was falling into insanity because of the trauma he had experienced at the hands of the Rabbit, although thanks to the timely intervention of the Witch of Greed Echidna, his mind was saved. Subaru consulted Echidna about the Rabbit, learning about its identity as one of the Three Great Mabeasts.
Echidna, who wasn't particularly knowledgeable on the beast, directed Subaru to its creator Daphne for advice. Subaru followed Echidna's advice and spoke with the Witch of Gluttony, asking her why she had created the mabeasts and how to defeat the Rabbit. After giving vague details on the first question, Daphne revealed to Subaru that the Great Rabbit chose its targets by following magical signatures, meaning it could be lured by an individual with a potent amount of magical energy stored in their body. The Rabbit itself didn't appear in this loop of time, as Natsuki died facing the Witch of Envy, who, unlike the previous loop, had invaded the Sanctuary five days before the Rabbit was supposed to arrive.
Third loop[]
| “ | Subaru: The Great Rabbit? But it's only the second day... Roswaal: It is likely due to this snow. Subaru: Daphne said the Great Rabbit is drawn to large amounts of mana... |
„ |
| ~ Subaru and Roswaal L. Mathers discussing the Rabbit's abrupt arrival. |
In the next loop, the Witch of Envy didn't appear, meaning Subaru was able to make it past the first day. Unlike before, the mage responsible for conjuring the snowstorm did so three days earlier than the other loops, meaning the arrival of the Rabbit would inevitably come sooner. Like the first time, the Great Rabbit entered the Sanctuary and made its way through the snow-covered fields, although this time it was done at the dead of night. Eventually, the horde came across the hut that the mage responsible, Lord Roswaal L. Mathers, was occupying. Inside the small building, Roswaal spoke with Subaru until he noticed the many eyes of the Rabbit trained on them from the shrubbery outside the hut.
The Great Rabbit approaching Roswaal L. Mathers with killing intent.
One of the rabbits crashed through the window of the hut, only to be incinerated mid-air by a blast of fire magic projected by Lord Roswaal.Mathers proceeded to throw Subaru outside of the window and into the snowy field where the Great Rabbit laid in anticipation of its upcoming meal. Roswaal, who was aware of Natsuki’s capability to rewind time, exited the building and joined Subaru in the Rabbit-infested field. As he was the source of the potent magical energy, the Rabbit chose Roswaal as its first victim. Mathers, knowing his time had come, allowed the rabbits to clamber onto his body and gorge into his magic-rich flesh. As the Lord of the Mathers domain fell to the floor silently, more rabbits came streaming forth to completely submerge him.
Already having an intimate understanding of the horror the Rabbit could cause, Natsuki resolved to never perish at the hands of the terrifying mabeast again. As he ran, the Rabbit began descending on the unsuspecting innocents within the Sanctuary who screamed out in agony as they were eaten alive. Desperate to make it to the Tomb of Echidna where he sought to achieve a more peaceful death, Subaru began summoning the emotionless clones of the half-elf girl Ryuzu Meyer to distract the Rabbit. Meanwhile, the remaining hundred or so occupants of the Sanctuary decided to retreat into the village's cathedral where they set themselves on fire to escape their grim alternative fate. Subaru continued to run from the Rabbit, and although he was fatally injured by various bites and lacerations placed on him by the mabeast along the way, he was able to make it to the Tomb of Echidna. Within the Tomb, Subaru rested on the lap of his beloved Emilia until he succumbed to his wounds and passed away.
Fourth loop[]
Once again, Subaru awoke in the Tomb of Echidna. Seeking the guidance of Echidna once more, Subaru decided to attempt the trial of the present that would allow him an audience with the Witch of Greed. The trial showed Subaru the possible alternate realities where he had died, and what had happened after he failed in those timelines. During this procedure, Subaru had visions of the Great Rabbit devouring him during their first encounter. Eventually, he was able to make it through the trial and visit the Witch.
Powers & Abilities[]
The Great Rabbit's most potent ability was its power to self-duplicate. The Rabbit could make a seemingly infinity amount of perfect clones of itself that shared its hunger. Furthermore, the created rabbits could also make an infinity amount of clones of themselves. The collective horde of rabbits shared a single consciousness, acting like a hive-mind that did everything in synchronization. Considering that a rabbit could make multiply clones of itself with astonishing speed and every rabbit needed to be dead at the same time for the Great Rabbit to die, the Rabbit was almost impossible to kill. The Witch of Greed Echidna stated that trying to kill the Great Rabbit was like trying to evaporate every drop of rain that fell from the sky.
A single rabbit that made up a part of the collective consciousness was not particularly dangerous, as it could be squashed under foot. That being said, considering that its razor-sharp teeth allowed it to cleave a man's hand off with a single bite, caution was still advisable. Furthermore, its diminutive size made it harder to hit with some attacks. Its primary method of finding new prey was to follow magical signatures, as the highest concentration of magical energy tended to exist in living creatures. Although it was not as powerful as the White Whale, it was infinitely harder to destroy.
Theme[]
Battle of the Beasts by Kenichiro Suehiro[]
Quotes[]
| “ | A rabbit? How is this the only living thing I've seen? | „ |
| ~ Subaru Natsuki encountering the Great Rabbit for the first time. |
| “ | Ah, you mean the Great Rabbit. In this case, it's great not in size, but in number. It's but one of the Three Great Mabeasts. There's the White Whale, the Black Serpent, and the Great Rabbit. They were created four hundred years ago by Daphne, the Witch of Gluttony. They're her legacies of misfortune, that still wreak havoc upon the world. | „ |
| ~ Echidna telling Subaru about the Rabbit and its cohort. |
| “ | To its way of thinking, other living things serve only as food. And its single desire is merely to keep satisfying that hunger, until all that's left behind is a deserted field. What makes the Great Rabbit so resilient is its viability. A single one is capable of multiplying indefinitely. To truly eradicate this creature, you would have to kill every one of them at exactly the same time, that would be like trying to evaporate each raindrop as they fall from the sky simultaneously. | „ |
| ~ Echidna explaining why the Rabbit was such a formidable threat. |
| “ | The Great Rabbit relies on its ability to detect mana to track down and find its prey. The Great Rabbit is naturally drawn to places that have a lot of mana, so you could use a powerful magic user as a lure, then wipe them all out at once when they gather there. There may be quite a few of them, but they all share one consciousness. They don't have the wisdom to avoid being killed, so it won't make a difference. | „ |
| ~ Daphne explaining the Rabbit's weakness to Subaru. |
| “ | Subaru: I will destroy the Great Rabbit. I already killed the White Whale. You'd better not come crying to me like a grieving mother. They've run wild for over four hundred years. And that's more than long enough. I'll wipe them all out without a trace. Daphne: If you think a human... is capable of such an act, then go ahead and try it. |
„ |
| ~ Subaru declaring his intent to destroy the Great Rabbit. |
Light Novel Excerpts[]
| “ | The Sanctuary was filled with tranquillity. There was no sign of human presence, nor the sound of any insect. From time to time, he heard only the sound of leaves swaying in the wind, a change announced by the faint shift in his eardrums. He heard nothing in this world— "—Aa?" In that soundless world, that white-marred hell, he was taken back by a change within. At first, Subaru sensed something like a small ball of wool tumbling in the wind. However, he immediately understood that it was no ball of wool at all. It rolled to Subaru's feet, and there, made a tiny tremble. Then Subaru, eyes wide, realized it had two long ears protruding from it. It had long ears, a soft white pelt, short legs, and two red eyes. With a tilt of its head, its mouth moved in unhurried fashion as it made a high-pitched kii. "Rab...bit...?" Subaru's eyes beheld a rabbit and a particularly small one at that. The rabbit was as small as Subaru's closed fist, a creature no larger than a mouse. The long ears characteristic of a rabbit were fairly short and, combined with its round tail, all of the parts were in order, if at a very compact size. In the Sanctuary, where insect, animal, land dragon, man, and all others had vanished in the snow, a rabbit had suddenly emerged. "Why is a rabbit here...? ...Should a rabbit be here?" An inexhaustible supply of mysteries was born, and the crush of information made Subaru feel like even his brain wanted to retch. Was the rabbit at his feet a clue for learning what had happened in the Sanctuary? Clinging to that thought, he stretched a hand toward the rabbit— The next instant, from the wrist down, Subaru's hand was ripped off. "Aeegh?" Blood gushed out of the raggedly cut wound; his reddish-black arteries drooped downward. Perhaps the thin white threads pulled out were muscle fibers or nerves. Either way, the spectacle of human flesh being destroyed was particularly grotesque. Such evasion of the reality of his lost hand prevailed for exactly two seconds—whereupon his brain was wrecked by the ferocious pain from another dimension. "G, aah?! Uoaa! Aaa, gaggaaaa—!!!" The world blazed white. His mind, dominated by pain, had lost all pain ability to recognize pain reality. What pain had happened that pain he had to endure such pain? What was the cause of pain? What had pain happened? Why this pain? Pain, painpainpain—Agonizing further and further, he pressed his blood-spilling left wrist against the ground. Unwittingly, he bit into the snow, a seemingly meaningless mixture of ice and mud. He tasted the soil, crunched down the ice, and his vision whirled in search of what had happened— At his feet, the white ball of wool had red spots scattered over its pelt. It was moving its mouth. It was chewing. Subaru could see his fingers hanging out of its moving little mouth. He understood. It had been eaten. His hand had been eaten. "G— Gaaaaa—!!" An understanding he didn't want to be aware of, a pain he didn't want to feel; the agony dragged his spirit toward madness. His mind was like stained glass as it cracked, shattering and turning into vestiges of fine sand. "Gi—iihigiiii!!!" And yet, pain had roused his shattered mind. He felt a burning sensation in his calf. His eyes reeled from a stimulus like flesh and bone being mercilessly raked by a file. Reddish-black bubbles poured into the middle of his throat, causing him to convulse like a fish out of water. He didn't faint. He couldn't. The pain was too strong for that. The pain was too strong for that. The cruel pain forced his mind to remain awake. Kii, kii, went the countless cries that his eardrums picked up. The number of these high-pitched voices was vast, and he was surrounded by presences he couldn't bother to count. His eyeballs were already derelict in their duty, having given up on looking at his surroundings. That was a mercy. He was glad it was only his ears still working. He could not have borne the sight. "———" Fangs tore into his entire body. From the feeling of the fangs biting into him, he knew it was a horde. He screamed. He rolled onto his back, sending his voice toward the heavens. That very moment, he sensed something furry enter his mouth, ripping out his tongue. His throat was violated, opening a path from his windpipe to his stomach, from which his viscera could be veraciously eaten. He was being chewed away. Fangs invaded from his anus, crashing inside his body against those that had entered from the mouth. As if in a contest, they raced left and right to consume his inner organs, making mincemeat out of Subaru Natsuki. He was alive. He was being eaten alive. He could feel his flesh being torn into fragments. He wasn't afraid. He couldn't feel pain anymore. He didn't even know where his mind was. He was being eaten. He was being consumed. His left eye was eaten. His ears were gone. His inner organs had been torn way, and just then, the skin of his face was ripped off. A hole was opened in his skull, and fangs thrust into his brain— —. ——. ————. ——————aa—. |
„ |
| ~ Subaru's first encounter with the Great Rabbit. |
| “ | ――His body was formed anew. His devoured flesh, his peeled skin, his gnawed bones, his chewed nerves, his slurped up blood, and his soul, trampled and ravaged with the utmost gluttonous relish―― returned to their original shapes. A sensation came from his fingertips, and with this as the starting point, his whole body began to jolt and convulse. Kicking up dust, writhing on the cold, hard ground, he groaned as white foam flowed from the corner of his mouth. There was no pain. Nor sense of loss. His four limbs were still attached to his torso, and no physical damage had been incurred by his head and body. Yet his thoughts were vague as though he had just woken from sleep, and instead of clearing in a matter of seconds, Subaru’s body and mind continued to reject the homecoming of reality. Such was the horror of the events preceding his Return. Could anyone say that they’ve experienced being invaded through the mouth and having their intestines shredded and devoured from inside? Or ever had the feeling of having their skins peeled off like it were a competition, exposing their dark red flesh and allowing their pink fat to be licked away by unruly tongues? His brain refused to feel that pain, and as though it was happening to someone else’s body and not his own, he objectively recognized the truth that he was being “Eaten”, like in a waking nightmare. A nauseating sensation rushed up, and only yellow bile was retched from his dried-up stomach. The foam blowing from his mouth mixed with the acidic liquid, as Subaru continued to convulse, collapsed on his side. Like a person having a seizure, or a fish flopping on land, the rejection of reality was not by Subaru’s own volition, but by the choice of his very soul. For who would gladly assent to their own existence being devoured and eaten? And who could blame Subaru for interpreting the reality of his being devoured in such a way? What had he done to deserve it, whose will was behind it, and was there no alternative to that wretched end? His consciousness flashed and flickered. Were his eyes open or shut? No control over his body returned to him. His very soul refused to live in reality. Far from allowing him to choose awareness, his soul did not even present him with the choice. Only, overwhelmed by the “Loss of its own existence”, Subaru’s body continued to drown in that sense of despair. ――Why. If there was a single definite word within Subaru’s mind, it would be that one. ――Why. What the hell happened? What was that? Why did that happen? Why did that have to happen? What was happening to him now? Was there something that must happen to him now? What was he supposed to do now? ――Why, why, why, why, why. Presented with no answers, while even the question itself was uncertain, there was only the shrieking of his soul. ――Why! Why! Why! He continued to throw out the question which was without an answer, an unsightly figure who doesn’t know when to give up. Drowning in reality, tormented by a nightmare, one who had lost sight of the path of life, a figure asking “Why”. And, it was then―― {You have once again acquired the qualifications} A voice whispered in the ears of the shivering Subaru. High, and exalted. A voice which, even if the present Subaru heard it, he could not decipher its meaning. Nonetheless, the terrible voice echoed into Subaru’s interior―― {You are invited――to the Witch’s tea party} In the next instant, Subaru’s only-just-returned consciousness once again lost all reality. | „ |
| ~ Subaru after returning from death due to the Great Rabbit horde in the light novel. |
List of Appearances[]
| Anime Adaptation |
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Trivia[]
- In the first volume of Re:Zero − Starting Life in Another World Ex, the Great Rabbit was presented as a collection of giant rabbits instead of small rabbits. It wasn't described as a collective consciousness, as the "Giant Rabbits" were apparently known to scatter instead of staying close together. Furthermore, it actively destroyed any inorganic object in its wake instead of purely organics objects. This was likely because the author hadn't fully flushed out the concept of the Rabbit before including it in the story.
- The scene in which the Great Rabbit first appeared and devoured Subaru was an homage to a similar scene in the 1997 film The Lost World: Jurassic Park. In the scene, Dieter Stark came across a group of Comsognathus, small dinosaurs that were seemingly harmless. As he got closer to them however, they clambered on him and ate him alive, an action reflected in the Great Rabbit's attack.
- Although purely speculative, it is likely that the Rabbit's behind-the-scenes conception was inspired greatly by the Rabbit of Caerbannog from Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
- The Great Rabbit's multiplication ability may be a play on the excessive breeding habits exhibited by real life rabbits.
- Louis Arneb, one of the three Sin Archbishops of Gluttony, was named after the star Alpha Leporis. Alpha Leporis was referred to as "Arneb" in antiquity, which is the Arabic word for "hare." Similarly, the other two Archbishops of Gluttony, Lye Batenkaitos & Roy Alphard, were named after stars which had names meaning "sea monster" and "hydra" respectively. In this way, Louis represented the Great Rabbit, Lye represented the White Whale, and Roy represented the Black Serpent.
External Links[]
[]
 Villains
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| Witch Cult |
| Capella Emerada Lugunica · Louis Arneb · Lye Batenkaitos · Pandora · Petelgeuse Romanée-Conti · Regulus Corneas · Roy Alphard · Sirius · Stride Volakia |
| Witches of Sin |
| Carmilla · Daphne · Echidna · Hector · Minerva · Pandora · Satella · Sekhmet · Typhon |
| Mabeasts |
| Black Serpent · Great Rabbit · White Whale |
| Mother's Organization |
| Elsa Granhiert · Meili Portroute · Mother · Roy Alphard |
| Holy Empire of Volakia |
| Balleroy Temeglyph · Eugard Volakia · Kurgan · Miles · Stride Volakia · Todd Fang · Yae Tenzen |
| Others |
| Bean Argyle · Melaquera · Reid Astrea · Roswaal Mathers · Sphinx · Ton, Chin, and Kan |