Reigen Arataka

You know, I didn't even want to make a shrine for this guy in the first place. Like, web shrines are meant to show your love for something, but I genuinely want Reigen to get run over by a dump truck & die in the most brutal way possible. I guess it just felt kinda weird to have a site themed & named after Reigen without dedicating a page to him. So here it is !

My very profound desire to lock him inside my freezer hasn't prevented me from drawing him nonstop since 2022. I have over 1000 drawings of him that take up an absurd amount of space on my computer. I never look up references when drawing him anymore because he's engraved inside my brain. Literally. I wouldn't even be surprised if I got brain surgery & the surgeons noticed my brain had Reigen-shaped wrinkles or whatever. I think they might faint or consider quitting their job. I wouldn't blame them ; I'd be revolted by the sight of him too.

I don't know what it is that makes me draw him so often, consistently for several years in a row. He's easy to draw, that's for sure. Personality-wise, many have pointed out similarities between him & myself, whatever. But I don't see him as an extension of myself or anything like that, rather I see him as something ... peculiar. He is a concept taking the form of a ductile object that is outside of my reach. Maybe it's for the best.

He is initially presented as a manipulative, cunning con man, guilty of the crime of child labor by taking advantage of a middle schooler. Your typical WhatsApp scammer uncle. He's the type of guy you'd throw large rocks at if he was real & you wouldn't ever forgive him or trust him even if he said sorry & attempted to prove that he's a good guy at heart. Good thing is, he's a fictional character, so none of us are ashamed of excusing his terrible actions. Isn't that amazing ?!

He's also quite unattractive. The only thing that saves him is his charisma. His ability to sweet talk as well. If he loses all that, he's totally done for. He's a tall, lanky businessman who sweats way too much. You'd wonder how a man can be menopausal, at the ripe age of 28. You'd also want to ask : "Jesus Christ, can someone tell me when exactly he's gonna start balding so I can prepare myself to cover my eyes as soon as it happens ?"

Put simply, he is everything I find nasty about men. Well alright I might be exaggerating a little bit here. But I wouldn't want to experience the misfortune of meeting a man like Reigen. At all !!! God bless the Earth !!!!!!


Despite everything, my fat cat is very fond of him. I think he looks a little gay. But whatever makes my princess happy ♥

I think I might be drawn to him due to how realistically flawed & painfully average he is. He's far from horrible, far from morally grey, yet he's far from perfect. I do not categorize him in the strict boxes of "good guy" or "bad guy", even if he leans towards the good side & tries to be good. He is simply Reigen Arataka. He's cringy, clever & just ... normal. (Okay maybe not quite normal. I actually believe he has BPD, maybe even NPD as well. It just makes too much sense. Trust me.) My desire to severely harm him doesn't really come from a place of anger towards his flaws, I believe they are essential to his character & they make him so compelling. I think I just enjoy seeing every side of him, whether he experiences positive or negative emotions ... idk I'm not too sure about positive emotions for him. I'll offer them sparingly ... I won't let him get carried away.

I'm also (unfortunately) part of the minority that prefers Reigen in the manga ! It is an opinion I stand by firmly for many years. "bbbbbut he's ugly in the manga !!!" Good. I want him to be FUGLY. He must only be attractive in the eyes of aunties who have terrible taste in young men. I'm just fascinated by how human he looks in the manga's art style, honestly. I also believe he is much more handsome with brown hair, as opposed to orange-ish blond hair. (That's why I usually draw him with brown hair !)


Look at this gorgeous color palette & hideous facial expression. He's perfect ! One of my favorite artwork from ONE-sensei, who is also a major art inspiration for me.

But I must admit that I've eventually fallen for anime Reigen as well ... but only after watching the Arabic dub. Oh he's amazing. He sounds gay as hell & it fits him. His voice is soothing, like sweet honey melting inside my ears.

You may take a look at this 7-minute compilation of his Arabic dub voice (VA : Mohammad Dal'o). I would've made it wayyyy longer, but I decided to restrain myself for a reason I can't remember because I made it months ago. (& this kinda goes without saying, but it contains spoilers. Because they're clips directly from the show, y'know.)


This is my baby sensory video. My cocomelon. I watch this & something heals inside my soul. The way he pronounces certain words & letters scratches an itch in my brain. I might be insane. Crunchyroll, please give me the Arabic dub for S2 or I will injure myself in front of everybody.

Anyway. He may evoke many violent & confusing emotions in me, but I cannot run away from the fact that there is still a soft spot for him in my heart. He's like a big brother, a domestic cat, a menace, maybe even a fallen angel. I'm intoxicated as hell as I'm writing all that, so this is all said very honestly, from the bottom of my heart. Thank you, Reigen Arataka, for being so ugly, borderline & embarrassing. May God bless your gay soul or whatever.