Most well-known animes are acclaimed and praised for their unique art style, story, and characters, with most anime in the shōnen category (shōnen translates to “young boy”, alluding to the fact that most shows in the shōnen category are for boys) also featuring battles. Popular anime, such as One Piece or JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, check all these boxes with their unique art styles, compelling story, beautifully written characters, and amazing battles. But those two anime are hugely different from Mob Psycho 100. One Piece follows a crew of pirates as their captain, Monkey D. Luffy, tries to achieve his dream of becoming King of the Pirates, while fighting off anyone who hurts his friends or tries to stop him from achieving his dream. JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is about the Joestar bloodline fighting off evil using physical manifestations of their fighting spirit, known in the anime as Stands, with each hero and villain being unique in several ways. But Mob Psycho 100 is a simpler than those grand adventures and epic battle-filled shows.

Mob Psycho 100 is a well-known Japanese web manga written and illustrated by “One” (that is their pen name). Crunchyroll gave Mob Psycho 100 an anime adaptation, with Studio Bones, known for anime such as Soul Eater and Cowboy Bebop, animating it. The first season of Mob Psycho 100 aired between July and September 2016, with the second season airing from January to April 2019, and then the final third season aired from October to December of 2022. By December of 2022, Mob Psycho 100 had 2.8 million physical copies out in circulation, and in 2017 Mob Psycho 100 won the 62^nd Shogakukan Manga Award (one of Japan’s major manga awards) in the shōnen category.

The Art Style

The art style of Mob Psycho 100 is simplistic, which makes it stand out more. Most people would even call it “ugly” due to it being so different from most manga and anime. Comparing Mob Psycho to another popular anime, Dragon Ball Z, is absurd. The art style is the way it is due to the creator of Mob Psycho, “One,” not having that great of art skills. It has a sort of charm to it due to that fact and stands out like a sore thumb compared to all the other popular manga and anime of the time.

However, Mob Psycho is very well known for its art style changes, something that Mob Psycho revolutionized, which led to other anime such as Bocchi the Rock or Kaguya-Sama, Love is War. The art style changes are usually used for comedic effect, to show more expressive faces with their characters, and with Mob Psycho, it is no different. A running gag in season 3 of Mob Psycho 100 was Mob’s face changing from the simple way it normally looked to a more detailed and stereotypical “handsome” face whenever he felt confident.

The art style can also be very exaggerated at points to emphasize emotions. Most of the time it is done with Reigen Arataka, Mob’s friend and boss. With Mob not really showing much emotion throughout the series, Reigen covers all the emotions for him, as well as all the other side characters covering for Reigen when he is not the scene. Due to this over exaggeration of every other character’s expressions, Mob stands out more despite him being the most basic of all the characters, emotions-wise.

There are also times when the art style changes for a battle scene. In season 3, when Dimple is fighting the Psycho Helmet, Dimple has a different form than usual, appearing much more humanoid and muscular than his normal self, as well as shining like gold. In the fight, the animation is as smooth as butter, due to Studio Bones being one of the best animation studios for smooth and clean animation.

The Characters

Mob Psycho 100’s cast of characters is quite unique, such as the main character, Shigeo Kageyama, nicknamed by his classmates as Mob due to that name referring to a “mob” of lower-level enemies, like in a role-playing game, because most of those enemies do not stand out at all, like Mob. He looks like a normal kid, black hair, no real motivations at the moment, just going with the flow. However, he does have one thing that makes him different from everyone else. He possesses extremely strong and sometimes uncontrollable psychic powers, due to being an Esper (Espers or ESPers, also known as Psychics, are humans that naturally awaken, possess, and can harness psychic powers), which as a little kid led him to hurt some bullies who were being mean to his little brother, Ritsu Kageyama. After he hurt the bullies, Ritsu feared Mob, which led Mob to not show any emotions due to that being the reason his brother stays away from him. Mob is always nice and caring to anyone he meets, such as when Mob helps Emi, another student at his Middle School. Emi was just making fun of Mob with her friends, but then her friends rip up her book she was making. Mob, being the kind-hearted boy he is, goes to help her. Even though she made fun of him, Mob still helped her. In the beginning of the series, Mob does not really have many friends, but he does have someone who always cares for him. His boss, Reigen Arataka.

Reigen Arataka is a businessman, a liar, a fake psychic, and Mob’s best friend. Reigen claims to be the greatest psychic of the 21^st century, and the owner and operator of the Spirits and Such Consultation Office, where Mob also works. Reigen and Mob, mainly Mob, exorcise evil spirits from homes and other locations in Japan, and they do not get much money, but they manage. Reigen’s role in the anime is the Deuteragonist, the second main character of Mob Psycho 100. He also takes the role as a sort of mentor character for Mob, usually teaching the middle schooler lessons when he might not mean to. But he is not the only friend Mob has.

Dimple is a spirit who as befriended by Mob, and he has probably most of the character development out of the main trio. In his first appearance, he is a big, buff humanoid with the same derpy face he always has. He was leading a cult, with which he intended to spread worldwide so he could “become a god.” However, Mob beats him up and they become friends. Dimple throughout the series after his first fight with Mob, takes a simple ghost-like appearance, until his fight with Psycho Helmet, where Dimple achieves his Kami Form, and defeats Psycho Helmet, and temporarily “dying,” but he comes back in the final episode to help Reigen reach Mob, but we will cover that later.

There is a colorful cast of side characters, consisting of Mob’s brother Ritsu Kageyama, Mob’s rival Teruki Hanazawa, the members of the Telepathy Club, the members of the Body Improvement Club, and Mob’s crush Tsubomi. Ritsu was covered before in Mob’s paragraph, but he does play a significant role, being one of the only characters able to fight on the same ground as Mob in the final episode. Teruki Hanazawa was originally an antagonist, but after fighting Mob, he becomes more of a friendly rival than actual evil force. The Telepathy Club members slightly know about Mob’s psychic powers, so they wanted him to join their club so they can learn more about his powers and use them to perform actual telepathy. The Body Improvement Club members are big buff guys who only want to see Mob improve (like the name suggests), and one of the members used to be a delinquent who was causing problems at the school, but Mob fights him, and he has a change of heart, causing him to join the Body Improvement Club to help Mob get better health-wise. Mob’s crush Tsubomi does not really serve a purpose except to motivate Mob to keep going through the series. In the final episode, she does serve a massive role, but that will be covered later.

The Story

            Mob Psycho 100’s story is very compelling in the way it handles Mob and his attitudes. The story follows Mob and his friends as he tries to live a normal life and get his crush, Tsubomi, to notice him. Mob could have a normal life, but his psychic powers usually get in the way. His emotions do affect his powers, which is why he tries to hide his emotions, but eventually they burst out into a literal explosion of psychic powers, hence the 100 in the title, which refers to when Mob reaches 100%, leading into his transformation.

Mob sees himself as two people. The normal, everyday Mob, who works with Reigen to take care of spirits and goes to middle school, and the psychic powered, explosive and instinctive Shigeo Kageyama (also referred to as “???”), who sees himself as the “True Mob.” Shigeo takes control of Mob many times throughout the series, usually when Mob is fighting the main villain of the season, and most of the time Shigeo helps Mob with whatever he was doing.

Throughout the story, Mob deals with both everyday issues like exercising and bullies, and paranormal difficulties like spirits or other Espers than himself. He and Reigen also must protect himself and other Espers from Claw, a group of Espers who see themselves as superior to humans without psychic powers, which some other villains from the series also believe, whether they are Espers or spirits. Mob, being a nice kid, somehow befriends or stops these villains before they can do much harm to others or achieve their goals. A fitting example of this was Claws leader, Toichiro Suzuki, where once Mob beats him, he turns himself in to the police and serves his time. But, in the final episode, he comes back to stop Shigeo, but while he is fighting, his son arrives. Toichiro sees his son and decides to not risk his life to stop Shigeo, but instead to go home with his son and enjoy what time he has left with him.

The Battles

Most of the battles are between Mob and the main villain or villains of the seasons, with some being between other characters. And, with this being an anime, all the battles are spectacles. And, since this is made by Studio Bones, the animations, special effects, and choreography are off the charts smooth.

Mob’s battle with Teruki Hanazawa in season 1 is a perfect example of Mob “befriending” the villains he fights. Teruki is a sort of “Dark Mirror” to Mob, in the sense that they both have exceptionally strong psychic powers that can become uncontrollable at times, but Mob uses his powers for the good of other people and tries to live a normal life with non-Esper people. Teruki, however, sees himself as higher than non-Esper people, and uses his powers exclusively for himself. Teruki is a “bad timeline” version of Mob, where instead of being kind and helpful, Mob would have been rude and narcissistic. So, when Mob defeats and then befriends Teruki, it could symbolize Mob denying that darker path of his, making him a better person due to him also accepting and helping Teruki become a better person.

A battle I mentioned earlier, between Kami form Dimple and Psycho Helmet from season 3, is an incredible example of how amazing and spectacular the battles look. Dimple is glowing gold with his multi-colored attacks firing at high speeds to Psycho Helmet, while tree branches reach up to try and block the attacks being launched at Psycho Helmet. This battle is also the moment where Dimple shows he has changed, due to it happening after he and Mob become friends again, and Dimple apologizes to Mob.

The Final Episode

Mob Psycho 100’s final episode, “Confession ~The Future~”, is a perfect finale for this series. But first, I should provide some context. In the episodes before the finale, Mob has finally gotten noticed by his crush, Tsubomi, and will be meeting with her at a park. So, he asks everyone he knows what he should get her. Eventually, he settles on a simple bouquet of roses and heads out to the park to meet her. However, he sees a kid walk into the street with a truck coming right at him. So, Mob, being a kind-hearted boy, pushes him out of the way and gets hit by the truck. But he is fine due to his Esper powers.

The bouquet is not, as it was flattened by the wheels of the truck. Mob, seeing this, instantly reaches 100%, meaning Shigeo has taken control of Mob, and then the first explosion of psychic energy bursts out of Shigeo, destroying the street, truck, and buildings around him. Thus begins Shigeo’s rampage around Seasoning City (where most of the series takes place). Due to the city being destroyed, many characters from previous arcs and seasons come back to try to stop Shigeo, but he is not stopping. Shigeo is supposed to help Mob with whatever he was doing before reaching 100%, and Mob was about to see Tsubomi, and that is the only thing Shigeo intents to do, without anyone getting in his way.

While Shigeo is rampaging, Ritsu (Mob’s younger brother) sees a vision of his older brother and runs out of his meeting to go stop Shigeo. Shigeo starts fighting with workers in a convenience store, as well as members of the evil Esper team from season two, Claw. Suddenly, the former boss of Claw, Toichiro Suzuki, shows up and starts using his own Esper powers against Shigeo, but while he is putting up a good fight, it will not be enough. Then, his son Sho shows up to help his father. They are doing an amazing job, but Sho eventually gets knocked down. Toichiro sees this and realizes he cannot lose what he just got back, so he decides to leave with his son.

In another part of Seasoning City, Ritsu is trying to make it to Shigeo, while wondering what set Mob off suddenly. His thoughts are cut off short though when he sees a tattered and bruised Teruki Hanazawa (Mob’s rival from season 1). Going back to Mob, he encounters the members of the Body Improvement Club, with all of them voicing their concerns about Mob and wanting him to wake up, due to them thinking he is sleep-walking. However, Shigeo does not care, and simply blasts them away. Jun, however, locks hands with Shigeo in an attempt to stop him. Before Shigeo sends him flying, Jun says the club members have always admired Mob for who he is and hopes he will return to normal, which makes Mob feel very touched, but Shigeo does not, shooting him into the air. Before Jun falls to the floor, he is saved by Ritsu.

Ritsu says that he was always afraid that something like this would happen, but he tells Mob that he accepts this side (referring to the rampaging Shigeo) as much as the rest of Mob, because it is a part of him. Despite feeling very thankful, Mob is still panicking due to him not being in control of his body. Shigeo starts to walk forward to Ritsu, while Ritsu starts to reflect on how the two brother’s relationship has evolved and how Mob was always holding back with his powers. Mob begs for Shigeo to stop, but his words fall on deaf ears as Shigeo uses his Esper powers to bind Ritsu. Mob continues to try to stop Shigeo from hurting his younger brother, and while he tries, Ritsu thinks that if he shocks Mob, he will snap back to how he normally is. So, Ritsu unlocks his full psychic powers, and achieves his own form of 100% to fight with Shigeo. But it does not last long, as Shigeo simply blasts him away without a second thought.

After Shigeo defeats Ritsu, there is a big montage of characters from previous seasons watching the news, revealing that throughout the rampage that Shigeo has been causing, a tornado appeared and has surrounded him, making it impossible to reach Shigeo and save Mob. Speaking of Mob, he is having a fight for control in his mind. He tries to reason with Shigeo, but all Shigeo wants it to bring Mob to Tsubomi, and for Shigeo to become the “True Mob.” In this scene where Mob and Shigeo are talking within Mob’s mindscape, there is an amazing show of symbolism, as while they talk Mob slowly breaks apart and fades with his pieces going to a darker, more saturated form of himself, which is the representation of Shigeo. And now, we have reached the finale.

Surrounding Shigeo is a tornado, and tons of rubble are being thrown around and destroying more buildings. Far away from the destroyed city, Tsubomi sits near a park waiting for Mob, wondering where he is. The police have blocked off the area and are trying to get backup, but one person decides to run straight to the storm. And that person is Reigen Arataka. Shigeo and Mob do not know that Reigen is coming, so Shigeo starts to remind Mob about all the things Tsubomi has done for them. Tsubomi was one of the only people who cared for Mob and loved him despite his psychic powers. She thought his powers were incredible, and flashbacks to Mob’s childhood with Tsubomi flash by as Shigeo takes increasingly more of Mob’s body, becoming more Mob like than Mob himself, and Mob starts to give in to Shigeo’s power. But Reigen is still running into the storm. While he is just a normal human, Reigen still tries his hardest to reach Mob. He gets hit by rubble, smashed into rocks, slashed by broken fences, clothes tattered by the wind and stones, but he keeps going, yelling out to Mob as an attempt to get Mob to snap out of this rampage and listen to Reigen. While Reigen is yelling at Mob, he realizes that it was not just Tsubomi who cared for Mob despite his powers, but Reigen too cared for Mob. And, with help from an assumed dead ally, Reigen finally reaches Mob and tries to talk to him. Shigeo, however, does not care for Reigen’s attempts to stop him, so he slams Reigen down into the ground, but Reigen gets right back up and grabs Shigeo’s arms so he cannot attack Reigen anymore.

Then it is revealed that Dimple (who was thought to be dead after his fight with Psycho Helmet earlier on in season 3) was possessing Reigen’s body to get both of them to Mob. Dimple reaches Mob inside his mind and tells Mob to hear Reigen out. Reigen, in an emotional outburst, reveals that he has been lying to Mob for most of their time as student and master, and that Reigen not now nor ever had psychic powers, and that he does not know anything about having psychic powers or how to exorcise spirits or any of that. Reigen apologizes to Mob for considering himself to be the master of psychic powers that taught Mob everything he knows, but he promises Mob that everything will be okay and back to normal after this. He says that, while he hates his lying nature, he and Mob have grown due to the things he has taught. And he finishes this great speech by saying that Mob is “…fine, just as you are,” which encourages Mob to accept both sides of himself. Inside Mob’s mind, Mob finally accepts Shigeo, and tells him that no matter what happens when they go to see Tsubomi, they can and will get through it.

Finally, Mob gets control of his body, and grabs the final flower from his bouquet and runs over to the park. Dimple asks Reigen if they should go with Mob to make sure he is okay, wondering if Tsubomi is even still at the park, but Reigen says that Mob must do this on his own. Mob meets with Tsubomi, and she rejects him. Mob is fine, though. He accepts that she is not ready, and heads back to meet with Reigen and Dimple to tell them how it went, and while he tells them, he starts to cry. Reigen puts his arm around Mob to comfort him as all three of them walk back home through the rubble.

Six months after Shigeo’s rampage, Mob is still at school, but he is doing way better than any time before. He is attending his clubs and participating in activities and classes more than ever. He plans things with his friends, walks home with Ritsu, engaging in conversation with his younger brother, and he seems more comfortable and outspoken around other people, compared to how he was at the start of the series. While Mob and Ritsu walk home, they run into Teruki, who decides to go with them to Reigen’s office, the Spirits and Such Consultation Office. Once they arrive, Mob is surprised to see many of his friends. Turns out, they planned a surprise birthday for him, and the final scene is of Mob laughing with his friends.

Mob Psycho 100 is an incredible manga and anime that has been recognized as such through the years, with its unique art style, amazing story, wonderfully written characters, and spectacular battles, and its final episode wraps it all together perfectly. This series is very dear to my heart, due to its relatability. Mob is just a kid who wants a normal life, but he cannot have it due to his powers. He hides his emotions unless he is with people he knows will accept him no matter what, and when his emotions take control, he explodes with psychic energy. The creator of Mob Psycho 100, “One”, deserves all the praise they receive.