The wisdom of Mob Psycho 100’s exploration of purpose
The world of Mob Psycho 100 is filled with weirdness, but it is always focused on the simple concept of finding where you belong. The third season, likely to be the show’s last, hammers this point home even further, with most of the colourful cast getting a moment to reflect on who they are and what they intend to do with their lives.
While the focus is solidly on Mob’s growth throughout the season, Mob Psycho 100 doesn’t neglect the supporting cast that got our favourite esper to this point and it doesn’t shy away from dropping some important ideas along the way. As the finale of the third season sinks in, I’m left to reflect on how such a simple concept blossomed into one of my all-time favourite anime.
How Mob Psycho 100 explores purpose
It is easy to fall into the path set before you when you’re good at something. That’s a question that comes up for Mob over and over again during the anime. He is easily the most powerful esper on the planet, with latent abilities that could topple governments and set him up for life if he wanted to. The question that comes up for our little bowl-cut-wearing hero is if that is what he wants to do.
He’s got Reigen sitting next to him, offering him a steady job for as long as he wants it. He has other powerful espers offering him the chance to use his powers for his own selfish purposes. His teachers are pressuring him to choose his future education and employment path. Even Dimple, the disembodied spirit that has been part of Mob’s life since early in season one, offers his advice on what Mob should want with his life. All of it is overwhelming for Mob, which makes sense. He’s just a teenager, after all.
The pressures that Mob faces aren’t unique to someone with his powers, but they are amplified by them. Every young person is eventually faced with the crushing weight of a future they are barely prepared for rapidly approaching them in a world that may or may not accept them. And Mob Psycho 100 doesn’t attempt to offer any sort of solution to these anxieties. Instead, it offers the simple reassurance that it is okay to be scared.
Even with all his growth throughout the show, Mob still doesn’t have a firm grasp on who he wants to be in the future. The first half of the third season states this rather explicitly as he struggles to fill in his career path survey given to him by his teachers. It also shows, however, that these worries aren’t unique to him just because he has psychic powers. While many of his classmates boast that they know exactly what they intend to do, the grown-ups in Mob’s life aren’t nearly as sure.
Even Reigen, who rarely lets the mask of his confidence slip for anyone, tells Mob about how he started the Spirits and Such Consultation Office on a whim, yet it became the thing that defined him in the years that followed. Rather than present this as a story of a drifting wanderer without a purpose in life, Mob Psycho 100 offers this with a touch of hope. So you don’t know what you want to do with your life? Neither does anyone else. Just do your best and try to do good in the world and you’ll be alright.
This is why Mob becoming a leader in the Body Improvement Club at the end of the show is so important. Improving upon something you’re not good at is just as important for personal growth as showcasing something that comes naturally to you. To grow you have to push yourself, try new things, and not be afraid to fail before you can improve. And it is okay to not know exactly what you want in life because sometimes it is about the journey rather than the destination.
Admittedly, I struggled to start Mob Psycho 100’s third season. The controversy behind the sudden recasting of its lead left a bad taste in my mouth, but I’m glad I eventually gave it a shot. There are multiple little lessons to pick up between the explosions of psychic energies and comedic moments. If you need a bit of a pick me up as the long road of 2023 stretches out before you, you can catch the full show streaming on Crunchyroll.
Join The Discussion
Rice Digital Discord
Rice Digital Twitter
Rice Digital Facebook
Or write us a letter for the Rice Digital Friday Letters Page by clicking here!
Disclosure: Some links in this article may be affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission if you make a purchase after clicking on them. This is at no additional cost to you and helps support Rice Digital!
- Six of the best Stands in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure - June 2, 2023
- 4 of the best JRock tracks from May - June 1, 2023
- Hump Day Husbandos: Guts (Berserk) - May 31, 2023
