Warning! Contains spoilers for Chapter #121 of Oshi no Ko!
Oshi no Ko has been suggested on how to neglect RubyIts original mother is, but its latest chapter confirms this in a devastating flashback. The manga by Aka Akasaka and Mengo Yokoyari is no stranger to inflicting massive amounts of trauma on its characters with devastating revelations. But the truth about Ruby’s mother is especially confusing because it has so much to do with her motives and personality.
Chapter #121 of Oshi no Ko, translated by Felicia Sumali, fully reveals the events of Ruby’s past life as the terminally ill Sarina. After the girl was admitted to the hospital and her condition gradually worsened, her mother Tendouji grew increasingly distant, unable to bear the pain of seeing her child like that. This left Sarina alone for most of the end of her life, which is what makes her cling to Ai and Doctor Gorou for hope. Sadly, when she passed away, her mother went on to have more children, seemingly forgetting about Sarina. All of these actions have deeply hurt Ruby and are the complete opposite of her loving second mother Ai.
Oshi no Ko confirms Ruby’s mother abandoned her when she was dying
This revelation unfortunately confirms a lot of the hints that Oshi no Ko has made up about Sarina’s mother. Ruby’s original mother was introduced into the story as one of the people involved in marketing the film, so Aqua went for a drink with her. While there, she seemed to completely disregard the child she had lost, focusing instead on getting drunk. Aqua has had a negative view of her since her previous life as Sarina’s doctor, but this only strengthens his point of view. However, this may just be her way of dealing with the pain of her daughter’s death. It wasn’t until this latest chapter that her true tragic negligence was revealed.
Part of what makes this revelation so tragic is that it’s so real. Tendouji’s response to stepping away from the source of her grief is something many parents can do when faced with similar circumstances. And her promiscuous drinking as well as her new family could be seen as coping mechanisms used to fill the void left by Sarina’s death. Oshi no Ko’s darkest moments are based on real-life tragedies, and while it’s likely there isn’t a specific person on whom Tendouji’s actions are based, they feel true to the darker parts. of human nature. However, while these actions may be rooted in reality, they still don’t make it any less painful for her to abandon her dying child when she needs it.
Tendouji’s neglect of Ruby will affect the future of Oshi no Ko
This revelation about Ruby’s mother hurts Ruby and also makes Ai’s death all the more tragic. It also links more of Ruby and Aqua’s secret past lives to the present, proving that Oshi no Ko isn’t just using their reincarnations as a gimmick as some fans have said. Tendouji will definitely appear in the story later, and it will be interesting to see how her mother’s presence affects Ruby even more now Oshi no Ko finally revealed the whole dark truth about her.
Chapter 121 Oshi no Ko available to read on Manga Plus.