Oshi no Ko manga has been running its final lap. Fans and otakus worldwide are gripping their teeth in excitement to see where the journey to stardom takes Ruby and Aqua. But amongst all this, the manga takes a dark turn.
In Chapter 158, we see Ruby get stabbed by an assailant as she opens the door. The panels made all the fans go crazy, and the twists don’t end just yet. It seems that things are not as black and white as the manga panels make it out to be. Warning: spoilers ahead!
1. The Truth Behind Ai’s Death
Chapter 158 gives us an overview of the unstable character that is Nino. Thanks to Akane, Ruby dodged a dagger (quite literally), but as Saitou and Akane have Nino talk about the past, we see the fog of mystery clear out from the events that took place long ago.
The death of the idol, Ai Hoshino, mother of Aqua and Ruby, has been a central and integral part of the Oshi no Ko story. With Nino being directly involved, new facts come to light.
After Saitou pins Nino down, he asks her about the fact that she dated a fan back in her idol days. She mentions her past and talks about a fan she dated. This boyfriend was initially a fan of hers but later switched to Ai Hoshino.
There have been many speculations regarding this in the online community, but contrary to popular opinion, Nino didn’t do anything out of spite or jealousy.
In fact, for her, it was quite natural for her boyfriend to admire Ai Hoshino, as she is the brightest and best idol in the world. So, she accepted the fact very quickly.
The man Nino dated was named Ryosuke Sugano, the man who stabbed and killed Ai Hoshino. Saitou was under the impression that Nino was hit hard by the actions of Ryosuke and his eventual suicide due to him being mad about Ai.
It shockingly turns out that Nino was not at all affected by that, and it was she who asked Ryosuke to commit suicide. As someone who believes firmly that they are Ai’s number one fan, Nino wanted to kill Ruby not due to jealousy or revenge but so Ai would remain the best forever.
Akane Kurokawa informed Niino that Ai Hoshino wanted to be normal friends with Nino up until her death. According to Ruby, Ai wanted to be ordinary friends with Nino. This makes Nino tear up, and says that was what she always wanted, the only thing she wished for.
Akane finally jumps to the main point and asks Nino about the true personality hidden behind the curtain, who masterminded everything Nino and Ryosuke have done. She believes they cannot plan and commit the crimes by themselves.
The panels switch there, but we know that the true mastermind behind Ai’s death will be revealed very soon, probably in the next chapter. Until then, we have learned much about Ai’s death circumstances.
2. What happens in Chapter 159 of Oshi no Ko?
The previous chapter of Oshi no Ko ended with a horrific visual of Ruby getting stabbed when an unknown person knocked on her door. In chapter 159, we see Nino’s knife buried in Ruby’s abdomen while she apologizes, telling her that she must never surpass Ai.
This was when it was revealed that it was Akane, who dressed up as Ruby with a knife-proof vest on. Meanwhile, Ruby is all safe and sound, preparing for her next concert elsewhere.
Nino greeted her former president since she was caught in the act and had nothing much to say anymore. Saitou asked Nino whether she was trying to exact revenge on Ai. He mentioned that he knew her boyfriend, who used to be her fan, later became crazy for Ai.
Nino denied this and said she had already forgiven her boyfriend, Ryousuke. She explained that at that point, Ai was such a huge idol that it would be surprising if Ryousuke didn’t like her.
The scene gets switched to Ruby’s concert, which was executed flawlessly. We even saw Kana being emotional during the concert as she was about to leave the idol group.
After this, we saw Hikaru Kamiki watching the live stream of the concert. When he asked Aqua to join him, Aqua said he was trying to find a way to save Hikaru as per Ai’s wishes, however, it seemed as if all of that may be a lost cause.
3. About Oshi no Ko
Oshi no Ko is a supernatural crime-solving manga series written by Aka Akasaka and illustrated by Mengo Yokoyari. It has been serialized in Shueisha’s Weekly Young Jump since April 2020 and received an anime adaptation in 2023.
The story follows a doctor, Goro, reincarnated as his favorite idol Ai’s kid. Ai names him Aquamarine and his twin sister, a reincarnation of a patient at the hospital, Ruby. Ai is later killed by a stalker who was also responsible for Goro’s death. As Aquamarine swears revenge on the stalker for his mother’s demise, Ruby follows the same path as her mother to become an idol.
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