Mob Psycho 100 is one of those anime series that evokes the full range of emotions in its viewers. Created by the same brain behind One-Punch Man, it's to be expected that the story of a child psychic who falls under the tutelage of a scam artist would make us laugh ourselves to tears. But Mob Psycho 100 also successfully manages to bring out the real tears from time to time, an impressive feat for a show that's rooted in comedy and psychic powers.
While Mob Psycho 100 is about using telekinetic powers and exorcising ghosts on its surface, it dives much deeper than that when it comes to its protagonist, Shigeo "Mob" Kageyama. We witness Mob grow up through a chain of events that occasionally brings out our emotions, too. Here are 10 moments in particular that made us teary-eyed during the first two seasons of the show.
10 The Series Flashes Back To When Mob Met Reigen
Mob Psycho 100 frequently flashes back to when Reigen and Mob first met, and it's an adorable moment that never fails to evoke all the feelings. After seeing the advertisements for Reigen's psychic services, the kid assumes that the man is someone who will understand what it's like to grow up with supernatural abilities.
Reigen is bewildered by Mob's appearance at first, first believing that it's a prank and later concluding that the boy is just "troubled" and making things up. But when Mob catches a glass of spilled tea with his mind, Reigen realizes he's the real deal — and subsequently takes him on as an apprentice. The happiness that fills Mob's face at the opportunity to speak to someone every day... bless.
9 Reigen Gets Sliced With Yusuke's Sword
Yusuke Sakurai is one of the members of the seventh division of Claw, the group that attempts to kidnap Mob's brother Ritsu toward the end of the first season. Mob tries to get Ritsu back, with the help of his friend Teruki, but the organization proves to be more of an obstacle than expected. Eventually, Reigen has to come in to save them.
When Yusuke and his fellow villains threaten Reigen and the others, Mob feels pressured to destroy them. Reigen does whatever it takes to calm Mob's anxieties, and he gets Yusuke's katana in the back for it. Just when you're admiring the relationship between the two, Mob's mentor gets sliced across the back. Thankfully, the series finds a way around actually killing Reigen.
8 Ritsu Unbends Mob's Spoon
While it's clear that the brothers care for one another in all the ways that count, there's also an obvious distance between the two of them. We later find out that this stems from a number of things: For one, Mob is a tad jealous of Ritsu's popularity and success in high school, while Ritsu resents Mob for being the brother with psychic powers.
But as the series continues, we learn that Ritsu does in fact have some powers — even if they aren't quite as substantial as Mob's. The two also break down the barriers between them, particularly when they begin to understand what's standing between them. And by the end of the season, when Ritsu uses his own powers to unbend Mob's spoon during dinner (which, it turns out, he'd been accidentally bending all along), we have all the brotherly feels.
7 Emi Reveals She Was Only Spending Time With Mob Because Of A Bet
Mob doesn't open up easily, so it's an impressive feat when he begins socializing with his classmates more frequently. And at the beginning of the second season, he and Emi start bonding on walks home together. Mob develops feelings for the girl, and it seems that they're requited — at least until she confesses that she only was spending time with him because she lost a bet to her friends.
Given how fragile Mob's confidence in himself is to begin with, it's heartbreaking to see him get bullied like this. But what's even worse is witnessing Emi's friends making fun of her writing aspirations and watching Mob stand up for the girl anyway.
6 Mob Refuses To Exorcise An Innocent Ghost Family
During Season Two, Mob and Reigen are on one of their usual missions to exorcise some ghosts when Mob freezes up. Although the people who hired them are afraid of the spirits living nearby, the three ghosts are essentially harmless. All the ghost family wants is to be left in peace.
This throws Mob off, as he's been conditioned to get rid of evil spirits — but these three seem to be the opposite of evil. His anxiety spikes, something that Reigen and Dimple both notice, and it only gets worse as the people who hired them continue to push him to exorcise the ghosts.
5 Mogami Shows Mob What It's Like To Live Without Powers
Keiji Mogami transports Mob to an alternate reality where he never had psychic abilities. As fans might imagine, Mob's life is incredibly different without his telekinetic powers. For one, he doesn't even know Reigen and Dimple, two characters who have a major impact on his character growth.
Without his powers — and the relationships that stemmed from them — Mob's life is pretty bleak. He's bullied regularly, doesn't have many friends at school, and isn't even particularly close with his brother.
4 Reigen Says Some Pretty Rude Things To Mob
When Mob finally begins spending time with his friends from Body Improvement Club and Telepathy Club, he calls Reigen to ask if he can miss work and go to karaoke instead. And sure, that's not something most adults can actually do, but...Reigen takes things a bit far.
Not only does Reigen insist that Mob comes in, but he goes on a tirade about how all of Mob's friends aren't really interested in his friendship — a low blow considering Mob's difficulty forming relationships, and an even lower one given that Reigen's basically a father figure to him.
3 Reigen And Mob Work Things Out
After Reigen's appalling behavior, he and Mob stop speaking for a while — which, thankfully, is harder on Reigen than it is on Mob. Mob spends the time actually bonding with his friends from school, while Reigen becomes a famous psychic with regular television appearances.
But just as it looks like Reigen might face real consequences for his scams, Mob steps in to save him. At a televised press conference, Mob uses his own abilities to make it look like Reigen is using telekinesis — settling the case against his master. During this episode, though, Reigen also realizes how much Mob has grown up. And when Mob tells his master that he’s a good man, it’s just about the sweetest moment on the show.
2 Mob Discovers The Burnt Wreckage Of His Home
Mob Psycho 100 takes a pretty dark turn halfway through its second season, at least for a little while. The criminal organization Claw shows up to kidnap Mob's brother, but upon realizing that his parents are home as well, they torch the place before taking Ritsu away.
When Mob arrives at the scene, things escalate pretty quickly. Even after fans find out that the series is intentionally misleading them, this moment still feels like a gut punch.
1 Mob Convinces Serizawa To Switch Sides
At the end of the second season, Mob goes to take on Claw’s leader, Toichiro, who has essentially taken over his city. But before facing the final boss, he has to contend with Toichiro’s cronies, the Ultimate 5. That includes a formerly reclusive psychic named Serizawa.
As we learn a bit about Serizawa, it becomes clear that he represents what Mob could have become. He follows the destructive path Toichiro laid out for him because he feels that, without Claw, he’d have nothing. But Mob convinces him that friendships are what make life worthwhile, extending his own compassion to the man.