The creation of the α worldline began with the naïve Okabe from 20 days ago, who witnessed Makise's death and sent a text message—intercepted by SERN.
And the current β worldline?
It was created when Okabe, who had lived through everything, went back in time and accidentally killed Makise. The time machine thesis she left behind eventually led the world to ruin through global warfare.
Zhu Qing could only think:
My brain cells are no longer enough for this.
And that's when—the world-changing slap landed.
Mayuri gave a dazed, broken Okabe a hard slap across the face.
"Okabe isn't the kind of person who gives up halfway. Mayuri knows that."
At that moment, Okabe's phone received an email.
A video message.
Sent via a modified Phone Microwave by… Okabe himself, from 26 years in the future.
In the final episode of 'Steins;Gate', three Okabes appeared simultaneously:
The Okabe, who had returned to the β worldline after experiencing everything.
The clueless rookie Okabe from 20 days ago.
And the one from the video—
The Okabe of the future, the protagonist of 'Steins;Gate 0', who, after countless worldline jumps, finally discovered a way to save Makise and shift the worldline to 'Steins;Gate'.
After hundreds—perhaps thousands—of worldline shifts across the original and 0-series arcs…
It was this convergence of Okabe from the past, present, and future that finally found the one method to let both Mayuri and Makise live.
"This must be our first meeting, me from 15 years ago."
The future Okabe's voice, calm and emotionless, came through the phone.
Yet in that instant, every 'Steins;Gate' fan in Great Zhou felt a surge of emotion.
Even though 'Steins;Gate 0' hadn't aired in Great Zhou yet, Zhu Qing's heart trembled.
However, from a production standpoint, it was difficult for Jing Yu to explain why the narrative required Okabe—having just returned from the α worldline—to go back in time, fail once, and even kill Makise with his own hands, before receiving the video message from his future self with the answer to saving her.
Because that future Okabe in the message…
Was someone who had also failed once,
Given up on saving Makise,
Lived in that worldline for 15 years,
And then discovered a way.
This was the plot of 'Steins;Gate 0'.
If Okabe hadn't failed that first time,
Then this future self would never have existed.
And the video message? It wouldn't exist either.
Until now, we had always seen the story from the perspective of the protagonist—
Sending messages back in time to change worldlines.
But now, from Okabe's perspective, we saw what it meant to receive a message from your future self,
And how that would change your actions,
And in turn, change the future.
"Can this stop being so mind-bending? I don't even know if I'm following anymore!"
"I don't understand it, but I still want to keep watching. How many Okabes are there in this series anyway?! This is getting wild."
"How does a screenwriter even come up with this stuff? Three different series in one quarter, and this one still has this many layers of foreshadowing?"
"I thought the earlier episodes were already genius. Then the final episode drops a whole new dimension of insanity."
"Where did this future Okabe come from? Did he just appear out of nowhere?"
"Isn't it obvious? If Okabe had never received this message, he would've given up—and become the future Okabe we see in the video."
"But here's what I don't get—if they're the same person from the same worldline, and he receives the message now, then logically, the future Okabe must have received it too, right? So if the message doesn't change the worldline, why would the future version still bother sending it? Isn't this a failed time loop?"
"That's based on the assumption that Okabe just keeps making the same mistakes. It's like this: say Okabe's mother was killed when he was 10. At age 20, he goes back in time with a time machine—and discovers he was the killer. Meaning time travel is already part of history. He was always the killer. Time travel doesn't change the past—it's part of it. That's the closed loop logic."
"But in this show, that's what Suzuha represents. No matter how many times she goes back, she can't change the worldline—because from the moment the universe began, it was already 'written' that she would return to the past. Her actions are history. She doesn't retain memory across timelines like Okabe does, so she's stuck in an infinite loop—never affecting anything."
"Exactly! That's what makes Okabe's Observer ability so powerful. After every worldline shift, he remembers, grows, and acts differently. He's not bound by the world's rules—he exists outside the system. Like those cultivator stories say: 'Beyond the Five Elements, outside the Three Realms.' His actions are independent of fate, so when he changes, the worldline changes. Everyone else is bound by the worldline—they act as they were always meant to. So the Okabe, who failed to save Makise, gave up, and lived 15 years—that one had to exist first, to come up with the solution and send the message."
"Do you understand now what the story's really doing here?"
"Not really, but your explanation's long, so I guess you're right."
"Okay, based on what we know, we can actually start mapping things out. Let's call the Okabe we've been following for the whole show Okabe 01. He comes from the β worldline into the α worldline, experiences everything, and returns to β. But then he fails once more while trying to save Makise with Suzuha, gives up, and lives 15 more years. That Okabe becomes the one who sends the video message—let's call him Okabe 01 (History)."
"Then he sends the video to his past self—also Okabe 01 (History)—who receives it in this episode, and tries again."
"So, the Okabe we think is the protagonist? He's actually just the vessel. The real protagonist is the one in the video—the future Okabe, who has experienced everything. He's the one who found the answer. But the writer cut out the entire 15-year arc and instead seamlessly transitioned us back to Okabe 01 (History), making it feel like the story was continuous. But it wasn't. That entire arc was skipped, and no one noticed."
"Damn. My brain's melting."
"I'm totally lost."
"I thought something was weird with this part of the plot, but now it all makes sense!"
Zhu Qing, still stunned, stared at the massive lore dump being typed out in the fan group, while also keeping an eye on the TV as 'Steins;Gate' continued.
"Understand this: saving Makise is possible. The method was just wrong. Listen carefully. You cannot change the established past. You cannot alter what you originally saw. If you do, the worldline will shift, and everything will be lost."
"It's only because of the Okabe who struggled in the α worldline, that you now want to save Makise… and only because of that, did I invent the time machine."
The future Okabe's voice remained calm.
"So—deceive. Deceive yourself. Save her without changing the fact of her death. That way, the worldline won't shift."
"You should understand what I mean."
This mind-bending monologue from future Okabe left Zhu Qing reeling.
And she wasn't alone—
Most of the fans in the group chat had the same reaction:
"I don't get it."
"No clue where this is going."
But that was what made it so exciting.
They were all veteran drama watchers—jaded, used to predicting plot twists.
But it had been a long time since any of them had no idea what would happen next.
"Now begins the final operation. Let me explain the outline of Operation Skuld."
Future Okabe's voice grew dramatic. A little chuuni.
"Don't change the established past. Change the outcome.
Fool your past self.
Fool the world!"
It had begun again—that familiar chuuni energy.
Future Okabe and the Okabe of August 2010 in the show…
Simultaneously triggered their "mad scientist" personas.
"Hehehe… HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
"I am the mad scientist, Hououin Kyouma! Deceiving the world?
Child's play.
The world… is under my control!"
Goosebumps.
For no reason at all, everyone felt the hype surging again.
Cool.
Cool as hell.
Zhu Qing's eyes sparkled.
So this is how awesome chuuni can be?
Sure, Jing Yu was handsome—
But Okabe, as a character, had a charm that rivaled even his creator.