I’m Worried About the Ending of Oshi no Ko

Do be warned that this article contains major spoilers for the entirety of the Oshi no Ko manga, including plot points that have not yet been covered in the anime as of 2024.

Oshi no Ko was the breakout hit anime of 2023. From Yoasobi’s “Idol” serving as the show’s iconic and explosive opening to the tantalizing central mystery of Aqua trying to figure out who his father is, Oshi no Ko had me absolutely glued to my screen in a way that hasn’t happened since the Attack on Titan finale. After binging the entirety of Season 1, the next natural step was for me to start reading the manga, which is quickly approaching its conclusion.

For the most part, mangaka Aka Akasaka has done a great job in terms of pacing and little revelations that keep propelling fans to continue reading. I can confidently say that there hasn’t been a single dud in its first 10 arcs (out of 11, which is still ongoing), and every arc has been integral to the central mystery in one way or another.

Whether it’s getting one step closer to the identity of Ai Hoshino’s killer, Ruby and Aqua struggling with their own identity crises, or even the slice-of-life bits that help flesh out the supporting cast, Oshi no Ko is a fantastic read, through and through. The buildup towards the reveal of Ruby and Aqua’s father, and Ai’s killer, is magnetic and tense, and the way the revelation unfolds in its 10th arc is extremely cathartic.

Now, all that’s left is to wrap things up and complete this revenge story. And that’s where the problem lies.

In Oshi no Ko chapter 154, we got the full breakdown of Ai’s relationship with Hikaru Kamiki. Whereas Hikaru thought that Ai never loved him and broke up with him out of convenience, Ai reveals that she did care about him and only initiated the breakup because she wanted both of them to get to a more emotionally healthy place. The chapter ends with Hikaru sobbing while watching Ai’s DVD, which turns him into a very sympathetic and misunderstood figure.

However, let’s not forget that he’s a psychopathic killer who has murdered at least one other actress in cold blood and, also, nearly pushed his own daughter down a flight of stairs. After chapter 154, plenty of fans — myself included — figured that this must’ve been some sort of act. There’s no way a cold-blooded murderer would suddenly transform into a sympathetic figure that we feel sorry for at the eleventh hour. There must be more to it.

But with the release of chapter 155, it turns out there might not be anything more to Hikaru’s story. Towards the end of 155, Aqua and Akane reach the conclusion that former B-Komachi member Fuyuko Niino was also colluding with Hikaru in Ai’s murder and that she was actually the mastermind all along.

This, in my view, is poor storytelling. It also completely negates any sort of tension and buildup we had in the first 10 arcs, where readers were eagerly devouring every panel of the manga to find out just what the deal is with Ai’s killer. To introduce another antagonist right at the end of the story feels like a copout, and if Hikaru was just a red herring who was manipulated by this other character the entire time, then that would truly be a disappointing ending for Oshi no Ko.

For starters, Aqua concluding that Niino was involved also seems like a leap. There’s a logical gap in this deduction, as there were no real hints that he even had any idea Niino was somehow in contact with his father. While her involvement was hinted at in a previous arc, it would be a shame for Oshi no Ko to pull a bait-and-switch to end Hikaru’s story here and suddenly pivot over to Niino as the main villain.

I could be completely wrong about Oshi no Ko‘s ending, of course. There could still be time for the manga to flesh out Hikaru further and offer more insights into his murder master plan. But who knows how many chapters are left in this final arc? Oshi no Ko has been such an enjoyable read so far, but it really needs to land the ending for it to become one of the all-time greats.