This is Kageyama Shigeo, AKA Mob. I'm assuming that if you're on this page, you not only have
watched the show, but are also just as deranged as I am, so I'll just get right to it. If you have
not watched the show, leave, because none of this will make sense, and you will be spoiled.
Now that that's out the way, we already know that he's autistic, but I have some other headcanons
that I'd like to drop here. I think my favorite one is bi-ace, simply because
- The epitome of
romance to him is holding hands
- Terumob
- The existence of Tsubomi and his
canonical crush on her
Pan-ace also works; really, it's just a multiromantic identity
(as opposed to multisexual) and ace. I've seen transfem headcanons of him(her) and I also think
they're cute and I like the fanart.
Another headcanon that I indulge in is the Dissociative Identity Disorder headcanon due to his
canonical relationship between himself and his powers, emotions, and desires. I think that
it opens up really interesting dynamics to explore between characters, and I'm glad that systems
can see themselves in him.
God I fucking love him he is my son but anyone who knows me knows that already. I have his plushie
and I should probably wash him because I gave him too many forehead kisses and now he lowkey smells
like spit. I also dropped him on the sidewalk a few times, oops. He provides emotional support to
me and my classmates.
Anyways, time for Character Analysis.
My fucking god. Okay. Listen to me. Listen. He is 14 years old and when he was 10 or 11 his childhood
crush called his powers lame and he stopped wanting to use them after that. And then he almost
killed his younger brother when he lost control of said powers when some high schoolers tried to
mug them. This incident permanently branded his powers (in his mind) as something dangerous and
something to be kept locked away. Tsubomi calling him lame is what started the separation between
him and his powers, but the incident with Ritsu is what sealed the deal. After those two incidents,
Mob went into Reigen's office and started working part-time for him for 300 yen per hour (a scam).
This continued till the start of the canonical story. Do you understand? For three years, this boy
repressed his powers and emotions because he rejected the self that hurt his brother and disappointed
Tsubomi. By the start of the story, Mob has no desires; he is coasting through life and going with
the flow of those around him. He has no desires because he repressed the part of him that wants.
This is until Season 1 Episode 2, when Mob has multiple people ask him what he wants to accomplish
in life, and also if he wants to join the Telepathy Club. He remembers his dream: to confess to
Tsubomi and walk home together while holding hands.
I would say that
Mob Psycho 100 is a story about Mob slowly redisovering himself and
picking up the pieces that he cast aside and ultimately accepting himself in order to move forward.
I would also say that this moment, him remembering his dream, is the beginning of that journey.
I will now take this opportunity to briefly talk about Shigeo, firstly introduced in the series as
???% (Season 1 Episode 5), the rejected and repressed parts of Mob. Listen to me. Listen. All he
wanted was to be seen, to be accepted by the person he admires, to be heard. That's it. Yeah he
destroyed a city, but he can't help it okay? Who cares. When I say Mob is my son, so is Shigeo.
They are my sons, and they do no wrong. Ever.
Look at the happy boy.
Slowly, throughout the series, we see Mob gradually reconnect with Shigeo. We see him become more
expressive, more sure of himself, and consider his feelings more; we see him stand up to Reigen,
and we see him decide to help him. We see him build friendships, we see him grow (he does get a
little taller), and we see him get in better shape! But at the end of the day, Mob is
still afraid of himself; he's convinced that Shigeo's existence will drive everyone away (see:
Season 3 episode 12), as it initially did with Tsubomi (out of boredom) and Ritsu (out of fear).
It isn't until Reigen and Dimple talk to both Shigeo and Mob that Mob decides to accept himself,
and he asks Shigeo to do the same. Together, they endeavor to "Go back to how things were." What
does this mean? It means that Kageyama (I'll be using Kageyama to refer to Mob and Shigeo as a
whole individual, because at this point, they've accepted each other) wants to go back to how he was
before he started to reject himself and his powers. He also wants to go back to being close with
Ritsu and Tsubomi, like they used to be. Do you understand? This series is about Mob recovering
from his trauma and learning to forgive himself for hurting his brother. Do you get it? This series
is about Shigeo finally being accepted again. Do you understand? This series is about a 14 year old
boy learning that it's okay for all of him to exist. That he doesn't have to supress himself in
order to be loved. It's okay for him to be accepted. Do you get it? I'm going to cry. This series
is about a 14 year old boy. Fuck. In spite of all of the fantastical events that take place, the
climatic event is Kageyama confessing to his childhood crush. It just drives home the point that
this series is not about psychic powers, it's about a 14 year old boy in middle school, who happens
to have psychic powers. God.
I love this show, and him, so fucking much.