Okabe’s Decisive Actions in Steins Gate 0: Why Save Mayuri and Suzuha?

In the Steins Gate 0 series, Okabe’s decision to save Mayuri and Suzuha by time traveling to 18,000 BC despite the eventual erasure of their world line is deeply rooted in his character development and the themes of hope and human connection.

Emotional Motivation

Okabe is profoundly affected by the loss of Mayuri and Suzuha in the original timeline. His experiences have taught him the importance of human relationships. Saving them even temporarily honors their friendship and the bonds they have formed. This emotional drive is a core part of Okabe’s character.

Desire for Agency

Throughout Steins Gate 0, Okabe struggles with feelings of helplessness and guilt over his inability to save Mayuri. By actively choosing to save Mayuri and Suzuha, he reclaiming a sense of agency and purpose. It is a way for him to fight against the fatalism that pervades the narrative.

Hope for the Future

Even though he knows the world line will be erased, Okabe clings to the hope that their actions might inspire change or lead to a different outcome. The possibility of altering the fate of their world line, or at least giving Mayuri and Suzuha a chance to experience life, motivates him.

Themes of Sacrifice and Love

The series often explores the idea of sacrifice for the sake of loved ones. Okabe’s willingness to go to such lengths, even knowing the eventual outcome, highlights the depth of his love for Mayuri and Suzuha. It emphasizes that the value of life and relationships can exist even in the face of inevitable loss.

Why He Takes the Risk

When a D-mail is sent to the past, the current reality is altered. Throughout the original series, we see the present changing when the D-mail is sent to the past. This concept leads to the reality that the only true world line after reversing all the D-mails narrows down to the one where Kurisu is murdered by Okabe and Suzuha saves her in the first episode. The timeline before the first D-mail and Kurisu’s death never truly existed.

Coming to the question as to why Okabe goes back to save Suzuha and Mayuri, it is purely out of a possibility or doubt that his D-mail would not work. He goes back in time to try and save them just in case. Note that in the last scene before hopping into the time machine, he asks Ruka to send the D-mail in the past, but he does not send it right then. They first bid farewell to Okabe as he sets out on his journey back. The reality will not change unless a D-mail is sent back in time. Ruka then sends the D-mail, and the current reality of the year the D-mail is sent—the year 2036—becomes Steins Gate. Simple as that.

Exploring Further:

Okabe, who is back in the past, would not exist anymore as the new reality Steins Gate has overwritten the Beta worldline. If it does exist, it will only be by Kurisu, as happened in the Deja Vu movie. For now, Okabe would wake up somewhere in the Steins Gate worldline in the moment the D-mail is sent and he alone would remember the Steins Gate 0 events. Everything is turned out for the best in the end. The only sad part would be that all the memories of Okabe from the Steins Gate worldline till the D-mail was sent will be overwritten by memories of the Steins Gate 0 events, as has happened every time Okabe sent a D-mail. He never had recollection of the time period between the moment the D-mail was sent and the present.

If you are wondering about Suzuha growing up to travel back in time, know that she will not exist anymore. As happens when Okabe is coming back with her in the time machine after saving Kurisu, she simply ceases to be. It is not shown what happened to her right there, but she says “see you in 7 years” and suddenly Okabe is in the hospital. We have seen multiple versions of Suzuha based on the D-mails sent. So through this last D-mail from the Beta worldline, Suzuha is erased from existence, and the timeline is finally Steins Gate. Again, time travel will not exist in the Steins Gate worldline until Kurisu invents it in the future to save Okabe from losing his sense of reality in the Deja Vu movie.

Steins Gate was achieved using time travel, yes, but only to become the one worldline where time travel does not exist. All the shit Okabe suffered after numerous heartbreaks in 3000 time leaps led him to that one reality where the world is saved—his one true destiny: Steins Gate.

Understanding the intricate storylines and underlying themes in Steins Gate 0 provides a deeper appreciation for Okabe’s actions and the series as a whole. Through his decisions, we see a character driven by love, responsibility, and hope, even in the face of overwhelming fatalism.