When it comes to shonen anime, the characters who possess an incredulous amount of power typically receive the most attention. Rightfully so, since they are the ones who dish out most of the amazing fight scenes that hype the viewers. Mob Psycho 100 is no exception to this, especially with a main character who can arguably crush everyone else in the story. Interestingly, however, one character in the series boasts an even higher popularity than the protagonist.
Shigeo Kageyama, more commonly known as Mob, possesses psychic powers powerful enough to destroy buildings with ease. The catch, however, is that his abilities are directly affected by his emotions. As such, he constantly keeps himself in check. But despite his superb psychic powers, Mob decides to seek apprenticeship under a virtually powerless being: Reigen Arataka.
Mob's Mentor Reigen Arataka Is a Conman - With a Heart
The only reason Reigen Arataka became Mob's mentor is that he is overwhelmingly good at conning other people. His main shtick is pretending to exorcise evil spirits; he mostly cares about earning money and has no qualms about manipulating his clients to earn his keep. The only reason he accepted Mob as an apprentice is the boy's psychic powers. Arataka uses him as an employee and sends him to exorcise real evil spirits, while he himself rakes in the compensation for the job well done. But despite his shady modus operandi, Arataka is surprisingly a kindhearted individual.
Although he technically cons most of his clients, Arataka only accepts payment after resolving their issues in a more conventional manner. For instance, he uses his photo editing skills to "exorcise" the evil spirit in cursed photos, giving his clients a somewhat satisfactory result. And despite his questionable teachings, he is a decent guardian for Mob. He has even proven on multiple occasions that he actually cares about Mob's wellbeing by putting himself in danger in order to save him.
Why Mob Psycho 100 Fans Love the Powerless Arataka
This stark contrast in Arataka's character is the primary reason he has entranced Mob Psycho 100 viewers. Despite his lack of supernatural powers, he possesses unparalleled charisma and quick wits. He can come up with unique solutions to even the direst problems, garnering fans' awe.
Being a well-animated character, Arataka is also a favorite theme of memes and online content. His outrageous expressions are always great comedy content and his weird antics are entertaining to watch. Great popularity ultimately comes with high chances of being shipped with other characters, and Reigen is not exempt from that. Fans ship him not only to his coworker Serizawa, but even to the evil spirit Dimple.
Reigen Arataka may not possess power that can equal Mob, but he is undeniably one of the most popular characters in Mob Psycho 100. The stark contrast between his goofiness and reliability greatly increases his charisma, while his over-the-top reactions are great inspirations for internet content. Of course, the fact that he is an actually decent person greatly helps his popularity. After all, he only cons innocent people by giving them satisfactory service. It can even be argued that he is getting underpaid for what he is passionately doing.