Re:ZERO Season 4 Part 2: Why Are There Three Trials in the Pleiades Watchtower? Lore and Theories Explained
When I first read Arc 6 of Re:ZERO, I expected another survival challenge for Subaru. What I didn’t expect was a carefully designed mystery that feels more like solving an ancient RPG dungeon than watching a typical fantasy anime. Now that Re:ZERO Season 4 Part 2 is adapting this incredible story, anime-only viewers are finally reaching one of the franchise’s most fascinating locations—the legendary Pleiades Watchtower.
At first glance, the tower simply looks like another dangerous dungeon filled with impossible obstacles. But after revisiting the novels and thinking about the story again, I realized something that made me appreciate Tappei Nagatsuki’s writing even more.
The three famous trials aren’t there just to slow Subaru down.
They’re a brilliantly constructed security system that reveals exactly how intelligent Flugel really was.
The Pleiades Watchtower Was Never Meant to Welcome Visitors
One thing that often gets overlooked is the true purpose of the tower itself.
Most people in Lugunica see it as the home of Shaula, the mysterious guardian who has waited centuries for her “master.” Others believe it’s simply an ancient archive filled with priceless knowledge.
Personally, I think that’s only the surface.
The deeper you look into the lore, the more the Watchtower feels like an enormous vault protecting something the world should never access casually. Considering its location near Satella’s prison and everything hidden inside the Taygeta Library, it’s obvious this place wasn’t built for scholars or tourists.
It was built to keep almost everyone out.
That completely changes how the three trials should be viewed.
Instead of independent tests, they’re really three different security checkpoints designed to verify that whoever reaches the top deserves absolute authority over one of the world’s most dangerous places.
Every Trial Tests a Completely Different Kind of Strength
One of my favorite aspects of the Watchtower is that no single hero could easily clear every challenge through brute force.
Each trial examines a different quality.
| Trial | What It Really Tests | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Taygeta | Knowledge and identity | Confirms the challenger possesses impossible information. |
| Electra | Combat ability and determination | Prevents armies from conquering the tower through strength alone. |
| Maia | Spiritual worthiness and authority | Determines who can inherit control of the Watchtower. |
That progression feels incredibly deliberate.
Flugel wasn’t looking for the strongest warrior.
He was searching for someone unique.
The First Trial Is Probably the Smartest Password in Anime
This might honestly be my favorite puzzle in the entire series.
Instead of asking a difficult question about magic or history, Flugel created a challenge that practically no native resident of the Re:ZERO world could ever solve.
Why?
Because the answer relies on Earth’s astronomy.
Think about that for a second.
Even if someone studied every book in Lugunica for a thousand years, they’d still fail because the information simply doesn’t exist in their world.
That’s genius.
It’s less of an intelligence test and more of an identity verification system.
Subaru succeeds not because he’s smarter than everyone else—but because he comes from another world.
Looking back, this feels like one of the earliest hints that Flugel may have expected another Earth-born individual to eventually arrive.
Reid Astrea Proves That Raw Power Isn’t Enough
The second trial changes the atmosphere completely.
Instead of solving a mystery, Subaru’s group faces the legendary Reid Astrea, whose reputation almost feels mythical.
What I appreciate most is that Reid doesn’t behave like the honorable hero many viewers might expect.
- He’s arrogant.
- He’s crude.
- He’s unbelievably overpowered.
- And honestly…he’s entertaining because of it.
Every encounter reminds the audience that history often remembers legends differently than they actually were.
More importantly, Reid serves an important purpose.
Imagine an army trying to invade the Watchtower.
It wouldn’t matter how many elite knights arrived.
Reid alone would stop them.
That’s why I think Flugel chose him.
Not because Reid was the strongest swordsman ever, but because nobody could realistically overpower him through conventional means.
Victory requires creativity instead of overwhelming force.
The Final Trial Feels Surprisingly Sad
By the time Subaru reaches the final stage, the tone shifts again.
Instead of another impossible battle, viewers encounter Volcanica, the Divine Dragon.
This scene always hits me harder than expected.
For centuries, Volcanica has been remembered as one of the world’s greatest protectors.
Yet what Subaru actually finds is someone whose mind has slowly faded with time.
Four hundred years is simply too much for almost anyone.
That makes the final trial surprisingly emotional.
It’s no longer just about earning authority.
It’s about inheriting responsibility from a guardian who can no longer fully carry it.
To me, that’s one of Arc 6’s strongest emotional moments.
The Pleiades Theme Isn’t Just Decorative
One detail I absolutely love is how the tower itself reflects the Pleiades star cluster, which Japanese audiences instantly recognize as Subaru.
Every major floor carries the name of one of the famous stars.
The important trial floors are:
- Taygeta — First Trial
- Electra — Second Trial
- Maia — Third Trial
Then there’s the mysterious hidden floor connected to Merope, often associated with the “Lost Pleiad” in Greek mythology.
This symbolism makes Subaru’s climb feel much more meaningful.
He isn’t simply moving upward through a building.
He’s following a path that has been connected to his own name from the very beginning.
Whether that’s coincidence or proof of Flugel’s larger plan remains one of Re:ZERO’s biggest mysteries.
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Why Three Trials Instead of One?
I’ve seen this question asked countless times within the fandom.
The simple answer is that one test would always have a weakness.
Someone could memorize information.
Someone could overpower a guardian.
Someone could manipulate magic.
But combining completely different requirements creates an almost perfect filter.
To succeed, a challenger must possess:
- Knowledge beyond the world’s understanding.
- Determination strong enough to face impossible odds.
- Worthiness to inherit an ancient responsibility.
Very few people in the Re:ZERO universe satisfy all three.
Subaru barely does—and only after countless failures.
That perfectly matches the core philosophy of the series.
Success is never handed to him.
He earns every step through suffering, persistence, and growth.
Final Thoughts
What makes the Pleiades Watchtower unforgettable isn’t simply its powerful guardians or its hidden secrets.
It’s the incredible amount of thought behind its design.
Every trial reflects a different layer of Flugel’s philosophy. The first proves who you are. The second proves what you’re capable of. The third asks whether you should be trusted with power at all.
That’s why I believe these challenges remain some of the best-written trials in modern fantasy anime.
They’re never just obstacles for exciting action scenes.
They’re storytelling devices that gradually uncover the truth about Subaru, Flugel, and the mysterious history that has shaped the Re:ZERO universe for over four centuries.
With Re:ZERO Season 4 Part 2 finally bringing these moments to the screen, anime-only fans are about to experience one of the franchise’s smartest and most rewarding arcs—and if the adaptation delivers, the Pleiades Watchtower may become one of the most memorable locations in anime fantasy.
