REVIEW: ‘Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation’ Season 3 Episode 7 — “Phase Four”

Mushoku Tensei Season 3 Episode 7, “Phase Four,” sees a shift in the series’ group dynamic as Linia (Ai Fairouz, Kaiju No. 8) and Pursena (Minami Tanaka, Wuthering Waves) graduate from their studies, departing for the next phase of their personal journeys. But despite being two members shorter, there is still plenty of life surrounding Rudeus (Yumi Uchiyama, Persona 5 Royal), and an incredible opportunity soon presents itself in Mushoku Tensei Season 3 Episode 7: Jobless Reincarnation. 

The opening sees Rudeus and friends gathered for the graduation. The sequence delivers all the pomp and circumstance such ceremonies bring.

The music is particularly fitting, and the choice to let it take center stage, with dialogue dismissed for much of the sequence, gives the moment an extra air of gravitas. In fact, it goes so heavy into the moment that it honestly feels strange.

While Linia and Pursena’s first appearances were a while back now, they have never been particularly important presences in the story. More often than not, they would serve as part of a comedic moment or cringe-inducing hijinks.

Mushoku Tensei Season 3 Episode 7 makes a big moment feel overdone.

The lengths that Mushoku Tensei Season 3 Episode 7 goes to make their graduation a moving moment feel overdone. There could be something better the narrative could do with its time than craft an overwrought send-off for a pair most probably won’t notice aren’t there anymore. Especially since the story has one more moment for the duo before it sends them off.

Before the pair departs, Rudeus and a couple of his friends bear witness as they fight to determine who will lead their tribe and who will be free. That the participants actually say the phrase “be free” leaves the scene on an interesting note. It creates a lingering doubt about which path may actually be more desirable to them, and if they put their all into their brawl simply for the sake of their egos. 

Mushoku Tensei Season 3 Episode 7‘s ceremonial fight takes a surprisingly humorous turn. As the battle begins, Rudeus uses his rock manipulation magic to craft a hammer and bell to start the fight, and proceeds to commentate the brawl. It’s chuckle-worthy as Uchiyama puts all the energy of a true play-by-play caster into his coverage of the fight. 

After the brawl, as each takes their leave of their former master, they both make a surprising decision. Both, in turn, decline Rudeus’ offer to use his magic to heal them, opting to let the scars and bruises form naturally, leaving them with a reminder of the companion they were parting ways with. 

This casts Linia and Pursena in a surprisingly noble light. This is a very different look for them, but one that manages to craft a little last-minute fondness for the duo just as they exit stage left. 

The remainder of Mushoku Tensei Season 3 Episode 7 focuses on Nanahoshi’s (Shion Wakayama, Arknights: Endfield) continuing experiments with teleportation. Her efforts progress well, as the group manages to teleport a watermelon from our world to theirs. This is the first time they’ve managed to teleport an organic mass between worlds. 

“Phase Four” uses slice-of-life storytelling to transition to the series’ next arc. 

An awesome observatory moment comes from this accomplishment. Upon seeing the strange striped orb, Cliff (Ryôta Ôsaka, Daemons of the Shadow Realm) asks if Nanahoshi and Rudeus are sure it is safe, as the stripes give off a threatening aura to him. Having eaten watermelon all my life and loved it, this is a possibility that has never occurred to me.

However, if you were seeing it for the first time, I could see how the melon’s striped pattern could suggest a potentially poisonous presence. A clever bit of writing that shows an effort to see the familiar to us through the lens of an outsider. 

During a brief celebration to honor their latest accomplishment, Nanahoshi invites Rudeus and the rest of their friends to meet her magic instructor, the legendary Perugius, the Armored Dragon King. He is one of the three fabled heroes who defeated the Demon God 400 years ago. A truly momentous opportunity. 

Mushoku Tensei Season 3 Episode 7 brings an array of moments as it transitions from the slice-of-life storytelling it’s used thus far this season to what feels like the next major arc for the series. 

Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation Season 3 Episode 7 is streaming on Crunchyroll.

Previous Episode | Next Episode