As someone who stopped reading the manga where the anime stopped at season 2, from little spoilers I've seen, Fushi becomes a very messy character (not in a bad way, they just make... bad decisions). Is this something that I should be worried about that makes Fushi come across as out of character? Because it seems like Fushi tries to act like a god at times, when previously they very much did not like being uplifted as such. I suppose I just worry that I'm about to read a Fushi that becomes some sort of liar who harms the people around them. Although, I probably should just bite the bullet and start reading the series again to gather my own opinion 😅 Change tends to scare me though, especially for characters I hold very beloved, lol. I apologize for this weird ask, but I admire the way you look into this story without a black and white lense and how in depth you see a lot of the characters.
Thank you so much for asking this question! Not only does it touch on a subject that I’m very enthusiastic about, I think Fushi’s seemingly random personality change is one of the things people find most confusing about the present era. So, this is actually perfect timing! Like you said, it’s so different from how they behave in the previous part of the story that it looks almost out of character. But! I actually think all of Fushi’s actions in the present era are extensions of the same traits that they’ve always had. The difference is, the consequences are altered by their new circumstances.
First, let’s examine Fushi how suddenly starts acting like a god. During the previous era, Hayase and the Guardians were the ones who first started treating them as such. And Fushi hated that because 1) it’s Hayase, but more importantly—2) they wanted to live as a human. Being the Guardians' god would mean relinquishing their human lifestyle and no longer being around people who were accepting of their weaknesses.
Chapter #25: The Beholder narrates Fushi's decision to take on a human lifestyle in Takunaha.
But Fushi gives up on this themselves sometime during the two hundred fifty year period between when Pioran died and when they met Kahaku. They become convinced that their existence was the reason the nokkers keep killing people, and that they’re undeserving of a normal human life. They isolated themselves for forty years, and only started to integrate into society again with the compromise that they would never stick in one place for very long.
They were convinced that they brought harm to people just by existing. So, they responded in two ways: one was to punish themselves for that by refraining from the thing they longed for, companionship. The other was to try and compensate for that harm by minimizing it as much as possible.
Chapter #61: Fushi explains their system for moving around during the two hundred year time-skip.
During this period, Fushi notably doesn’t engage in altruism like they used to, and doesn’t make any attempt to hunt nokkers themselves. They’re not even trying to help people, which speaks to how completely sure they are that any involvement with them would end badly.
The one who introduced the idea that Fushi’s non-humanness could actually be a good thing was Bon. He had a new perspective, which was that all of the things about Fushi that prevented them from living a normal life were actually gifts meant to be shared with other people.
Chapter #63: Bon shares the philosophy that he learned from Tonari.
With Bon’s encouragement, Fushi found that they liked being able to help the people who approached them for favors. They weren’t adverse to being a god if it had a positive result. So, they were actually open to that idea a lot earlier on than the present era, and it’s not even the Guardians’ fault for once. Bon made good use of Fushi’s reputation and connection to the Guardians, then bolstered it even further—and Fushi wasn’t unhappy about this (like they might have been if it had happened earlier), because this was the proof that they were still needed. They had a reason to exist again.
Chapter #65: Fushi tells Bon about their plan in Uralis.
Fushi’s renewed vow to help as many people as possible was what landed them in Renril, promising to save an entire city. But in order to keep that promise, Fushi had to become as close to all-knowing and all-powerful as possible. In that fight and the months leading up to it, Fushi didn't eat or sleep. At this point, Fushi’s reason for existing—to save people—started to outweigh their humble dream of living as a human.
Chapter #90: Fushi pushes themselves worryingly hard without taking a break before the battle even starts.
It makes sense. An immortal doesn’t need food or rest to live (never mind that the lack of both those things clearly made a negative impact on Fushi’s ability to function, just like an ordinary person who pulled an all-nighter). Fushi’s comfort is obviously worth less than people’s lives. But this choice is built on a very big assumption that Fushi makes: they and they alone are responsible for saving Renril.
Before coming to Renril, Fushi had made an enormous amount of progress training their abilities, so much so that the efforts of everyone around them now seemed meaningless in comparison. We first saw this when Bon and Kahaku came to visit them, and realized that Fushi could now defeat nokkers from a distance with little to no effort.
Chapter #85: Fushi defeats a nokker without even moving, to Bon and Kahaku's unease.
Fushi stopped being bound by human limitations, and started conceptualizing themselves as a part of everything around them. This change in perspective combined with their pre-existing belief that they have to atone for being alive—plus Bon’s encouragement that they have unique gifts—created a sort of double standard. Fushi expects too much of themselves and too little of everyone else: in short, it’s a god complex.
Chapter #88: Fushi tells Bon that getting Renril's soldiers to cooperate is unnecessary.
From Fushi’s dismissive attitude towards other people in Renril, it’s apparent that they’ve begun seeing everyone as distractions. Almost like insects, humans are small enough to no longer be significant.
Chapter #93: Fushi notices how tiny humanity now feels.
But once the battle starts, it quickly becomes clear that Fushi’s not as all-powerful as they need to be. They still get exhausted like a normal person, and the lack of sleep starts to affect their ability to focus pretty quickly. People work more efficiently when they rest regularly, and Fushi is no exception—taking a break at any point during the battle would have been the wisest course of action. Yes, it would have probably cost people their lives, but they were already passing out unexpectedly, throwing up, getting nosebleeds, and at one point tried to give up completely. People ended up dying anyways.
Fushi even had immortal allies that they should have been able to rely on when necessary. But Bon—leading Kai, Hairo, and Messar—insisted that they push through this fight because he believed that in the long run, he was preserving Fushi’s humanity for them. As the one who gave Fushi the will to live again, Bon’s words were enough to convince them they were doing the right thing… up to a certain point.
Chapter #105: Fushi responds after Bon promises to tell them the truth once the battle is over.
There was potential for Fushi’s allies—Kai, Hairo, Messar, even Cam and the other Renril soldiers—to convince them to rely on other people a little bit more during the battle. And maybe, after the nokkers were gone for good, Fushi could have easily settled back into their human lifestyle if everything had gone as Bon planned it. But Kahaku’s unpredictable actions ended up causing permanent damage.
Chapter #106: Fushi admits to Kahaku that they want to rest.
Fushi placed their trust in Kahaku, and the result was them almost dying and Kahaku killing himself. Kahaku unintentionally ended up becoming a very good reason why Fushi shouldn’t rely on their friends, ever—ironic, considering he was trying to prove the opposite. That’s going to have a palpable effect on their decisions from now on.
The Present Era
Chapter #115: Fushi reflects on why they want to create a peaceful world.
So with that, we’re caught up to the present era: the world that Fushi spent five hundred years perfecting. Currently, Fushi is banking on this era being so peaceful that playing god is no longer necessary. Their plan was to work until every last nokker was eradicated, and only then would they allow themselves to live a normal life with their friends. Five hundred years of penance for an eternity of happiness is a fair deal to make, no? Fushi is supposed to be able to live as a normal human now.
But what happens if it turns out that the present era isn’t as peaceful as it looks? What will Fushi do if something goes wrong? Well, Fushi’s promise was to make this world truly peaceful. So they have to fix it.
Fushi already refused their friends’ help five hundred years ago when they entered into their deep sleep—and they only resurrected their friends because they were absolutely sure that there was no more danger. Why would they put their friends in danger again by relying on them now? From Fushi’s perspective, the only choice is to cover up their mistakes before anyone else finds out.
The exception is Bon, who Fushi continues to use as their confidant. He’s in a slightly different position from the rest of their friends, as the one who first started them on their path towards godhood. Fushi’s able to trust him as an advisor in a way that they can’t trust anyone else—because they’re sure he’s going to continue enabling them.
So, that’s the main reason why Fushi lies: they tell themselves it’s an "act of selflessness." In each case, it would trouble their friends and others if they knew the truth about what was going on, so they tell some white lies.
There’s a quote from Fushi in the present era trying to comfort Mizuha (the deuteragonist of the present era) after she explains something her mom did to upset her that I think summarizes it nicely:
Chapter #125
Fushi is speaking from their own experience here. Later in this very same scene, they tell Mizuha a comforting lie about her ancestor being a good person and leading a happy life. This is confirmation that they think lying is a kindness, and that it’s motivated by care for the person in question.
The thing to remember whenever Fushi lies is that they think they’re doing it for someone else. Their lies often have the immediate benefit of not making the other person sad; Fushi is only delaying their eventual disappointment.
But here’s the thing: Fushi’s not protecting their friends for selfless reasons. They’re doing it because they’ll be hurt by the truth, too. Shielding their friends with lies is the same as putting a band-aid on top of a cut without treating it. It doesn’t solve the problem, it just covers it up so Fushi doesn’t have to think about it. As Mizuha so bluntly points out during her conversation with Fushi:
Chapter #125
In Mizuha’s case, she believes lying is a sign that her mom doesn’t actually care about her and is just trying to protect herself. I think the truth is somewhere in the middle: Fushi and Mizuha’s mom do indeed both lie to people because they care about them. It’s just that they care more about those people being safe than about their autonomy. Just like in Renril, Fushi still views the people around them as weak and incapable. They choose what they think will make their friends happy, but deny them the chance to make the choice themselves.
The fact is no matter how powerful they are, Fushi isn’t a god. Even the Beholder, the closest thing To Your Eternity has to an omnipotent being, cannot control people’s thoughts and actions.
Chapter #32: The Beholder admits to Fushi that he could defeat the nokkers, then explains why he can't permanently stop their attacks: they have free will.
So Fushi can't make everybody happy, or make a truly peaceful world. Because in order to do that, they would need to be able to control people's hearts. The closest they can get is to control what people know. This is a conflict that is central to the present era and the final arc of the story. I think a lot of the people who think Fushi should keep powering up like the protagonist of a shounen battle manga miss this.
I would be remiss if I didn’t also mention how similar Fushi’s struggle to adapt to the present era is to people who’ve left abusive or otherwise dangerous situations. When someone develops a coping mechanism to handle a specific problem, it doesn’t just disappear once they get out. It sticks around, and it doesn’t function like it did originally, because it’s responding to different stimuli. Think of a boat: when traversing the water, a boat is handy and necessary for your survival. If there's a flood, you need a boat to get around. But when the water level's gone down and you're trying to get somewhere by land, the boat is no longer helpful. It isn't just useless; having to drag it around everywhere also slows your progress (my friend was the one to suggest this analogy, and I find it very apt).
Fushi is in a completely new environment, but they’re still acting like they did in the previous era. It was the safe choice for Fushi to not rely on others when they were in a situation where nokkers would kill their friends. Now that they can resurrect people and the nokkers are no longer an issue,* it’s harmful to their new, peaceful life. Fushi has no good reason to not just tell their friends the truth—in fact, they’re denying themselves allies (or even just a sorely needed reality check). Worst case scenario, it could even damage their relationship with their friends if they find out Fushi's been lying. This behavior is a carry-over from the previous era, but it’s now a hindrance to Fushi instead of a help: it’s maladaptive.
*Maybe.
So to answer your question: yes, Fushi makes bad decisions. Yes, it’s messy. But the turn Fushi takes in the present era is quite possibly my favorite thing about them. It’s such a great example of how the things we do to protect ourselves can end up becoming something that prevents us from moving forward—and it adds some layers to Fushi’s character that I actually thought were missing before. I know it’s a popular opinion that the story should have ended in the previous era, but I can’t say I agree. For me, this arc is what makes To Your Eternity worth rereading over and over.
"To Your Eternity (Fumetsu no Anata e)" TV Anime Season 3 x Village Vanguard collab visual
An immortal being was sent to the surface of the earth and met a boy living alone in the middle of tundra. The being can take the shape of dying things, but only if the "impetus" is stronger than the previous one. What sort of experiences and meetings will the being encounter while living forever?
I've been workin on a big one! This is the sketch, but i got the lines of fushi, joaan, the turtle, tree, orb, and some of the effects around it done. Chipping away at it every day. Tomorrow, I'll be looking up some butterflies! It's so fun to lose myself in the details.
i wanted to draw mizuha in her pretty little birthday outfit but hannas outfit in that scene is basically just pajamas (sob) so i put her in a different outfit cause like cmon girl its your girlfriends best friends birthday dress up a little
