Redo of Healer
回復術士のやり直し
Storyline
The whole story, ending included.
A revenge fantasy of sexual violence, broadcast in a censored cut, with an uncensored one on AT-X — catalogued only to mark the outer boundary of the realm.
Keyaru, an orphaned village boy who runs his late parents' apple orchard, is revealed as the Healing Hero and taken into the service of the Jioral Kingdom. His healing can restore a severed arm, but he must live through the pain of everyone he heals. Princess Flare, the Magic Hero, has him drugged and kept as a tool, and for four years she and two other heroes, Blade and Bullet, beat him and sexually abuse him. He survives by pretending to be broken, discovers that his power can copy the skills of anyone he heals, kills the Demon Lord himself and uses her Philosopher's Stone to turn the world back four years, keeping his memories.
In his second life he waits until he is strong enough, escapes, tortures and rapes Flare, and rewrites her face and memory: she becomes Freia, a devoted companion who does not know who she was, while the kingdom believes Flare murdered. Taking the name Keyarga, he sets out after Blade and Bullet. He buys Setsuna, an enslaved girl of the Ice Wolf clan, promises her revenge on the soldiers who raided her people, and takes her true name, which gives him control over her; bound to obey him, she is sexually abused by him as well. Kureha, a sword-saint who comes to stop him, is drugged, raped and given feelings for him that he plants in her mind, and goes back to the capital as his spy.
When the knight captain Leonard destroys Keyaru's home village and Anna, who took him in as a child, dies after Leonard rapes her, Keyarga turns Leonard into a woman, has him gang-raped by his own brainwashed men and burns them all alive. In the city of Branica he meets Eve Reese, the Demon Lord of his first life, not yet risen, and takes her under his protection. He turns himself into a woman to lure Blade and leaves her to be killed by men he has brainwashed. When Princess Norn, the strategist behind the attack on his village, sends her army to massacre Branica's demons and his friend Karman is killed, Keyarga kills her champion, rapes Norn with Freia and remakes her as Ellen, a younger sister in love with him. The series ends with his companions around him, Keyarga admitting that he has begun to care for them, and the king sending Bullet to hunt him down.
Starring
Yuya Hozumias Keyaru (Keyarga)
A village boy made the Healing Hero, abused by the kingdom's heroes for four years, who turns back time to take his revenge.
Keyaru (Keyarga)’s story
Keyaru is an orphan tending his parents' apple orchard, dreaming of saving the world, when he is named the Healing Hero. For four years the kingdom drugs him and the heroes beat him and sexually abuse him; he feigns a broken mind, kills the Demon Lord himself and uses her stone to turn time back. In his second life he escapes, tortures and rapes Flare, remakes her as the devoted Freia and takes a new face and name, Keyarga. Drugs, rape and rewritten minds become his instruments. He cannot save Anna, who raised him, or most of his village, and the one boy he rescues blames him. At the end he admits he has begun to care for his companions, but will know no peace until he has had his revenge on Bullet.
Ayano Shibuyaas Flare Arlgrande Jioral (Freia)
The first princess and Magic Hero, chief author of Keyaru's suffering, whom he rapes and remakes as his devoted companion Freia.
Flare Arlgrande Jioral (Freia)’s story
Flare is the first princess and the Magic Hero, loved for her saintly smile and, in private, a sadist who looks down on everyone. In Keyaru's first life she keeps him drugged as a tool, abuses him herself and wants the Philosopher's Stone for herself. In the second, when he escapes, he tortures and rapes her and rewrites her face and memory, and the kingdom believes her murdered. As Freia she knows only that she is his servant and lover, and serves him with total devotion. She fights beside him and, on his orders, plays Flare again to expose the kingdom's crimes. Keyarga notices that, devotion aside, she is much as she was. At the end, drugged by him, she is made to join his rape of Norn, the sister she no longer remembers, and stays at his side.
Shizuka Ishigamias Setsuna
An enslaved girl of the Ice Wolf clan, bought by Keyarga and bound to him by her true name and her wish for revenge.
Natsuki Aikawaas Kureha Clyret
The kingdom's sword-saint, whose arm Keyaru once healed, turned by drugs and a rewritten mind into his lover and spy.
Minami Tsudaas Norn Clatalissa Jioral (Ellen)
The second princess, a ruthless strategist behind the attack on Keyaru's village, whom he rapes and remakes as his sister, Ellen.
Natsumi Takamorias Eve Reese
A black-winged demon who was the Demon Lord in Keyaru's first life, now a candidate for that throne travelling under his protection.
Why it matters
Redo of Healer raises the oldest question about rape-revenge stories: what happens when a story wants its audience to enjoy the revenge. Keyaru's suffering is real and is shown as abuse; the series then gives him the power to rewrite other people's bodies and memories, and makes rape, drugging and slavery the instruments and rewards of his justice. The women he punishes become devoted companions, and the story offers their devotion as proof that he was right. It drew wide criticism for this. Most of the reviewers in Anime News Network's winter 2021 preview guide panned its recurring rape and revenge, and every station carried a censored version; only the specialist channel AT-X also showed the uncensored cut, at four in the morning. Its author, Rui Tsukiyo, expressed surprise that a higher than average share of its viewers were women.