"Oshi no Ko is NOT a Revenge Story": Fan breaks down how Aqua's vengeance is merely a subplot in the series

One of the many reasons Oshi no Ko became an instant success was the storyline. It wasn’t a run-of-the-mill slice-of-life series that this medium is known for. Instead of going for a “feel-good” story, the mangaka decided to expose the darker side of the entertainment industry. Therefore, the themes explored in the story will be relatable and serve as good narrative tools in the storytelling process.

An initial glance at Oshi no Ko might deceive the fanbase by making it look like a revenge story. Since most of the story is centered around Aquamarine Hoshino, who exhibits sociopathic tendencies, she attempts to track down his mother’s killer to exact revenge.

While this would work as a storyline, it certainly isn’t the central theme of Oshi no Ko. The storyline is much more layered; therefore, viewers and readers should take their time to understand what the story is about. One Reddit fan pointed out that this series's central theme is love and lies.

Disclaimer: This article contains massive spoilers from the manga chapters.

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Love and Lies: Oshi no Ko’s utilization of deceit and love as leitmotifs in the story

A fan on Reddit explains how the theme of the series is no revenge (Image via Reddi thread r/OshiNoKo)

The very first character of this series is an excellent example of how this theme is explored. Ai Hoshino, arguably the biggest idol in the country, expresses her views on love. She repeatedly says that saying “I love you” to her fans is a lie, hinting that this would become the story's central theme. There came a point when Ai Hoshino could say and mean the phrase - when her two beautiful children were born.

Aquamarine Hoshino is arguably one of the best examples of this theme. As a character, he is constantly running away from his true feelings. He believes that avenging his mother would somehow make him feel better and that he wouldn’t have to experience and process grief. This is far from it; everything he does is only for revenge. Fans believe that deep inside, Aqua Hoshino is just a human who, too, is attempting to seek love despite the events that took place in his life. Despite his thirst for revenge, it is doubtful that even someone like Aqua would go to the extent of killing someone.

The fan uses Ai Hoshino as an example to reiterate their earlier statement (Image via Reddit thread r/OshiNoKo)

Kana Arima in the Oshi no Ko series is another character used to explore this theme. She is constantly lying to herself about the way she feels. She always feared watching her loved ones leave her, so she started sacrificing her needs to accommodate the ones she loved. This is another example of how a character attempts to seek love but is forced to lie to others and themselves to achieve it. That begs the question of whether the love they seek is true.

Oshi no Ko has laced the entire storyline with the concept of love and how deceit is a part of it. Fans hope that this dark and twisted chronicle receives a fairytale ending. It will be interesting to see whether some or all characters in this show find true love despite their twisted world.

Stay tuned for more anime and manga news as 2023 progresses.