Warning: The following article contains spoilers for Mob Psycho 100 III anime and manga.
The continuous story of Mob’s one-sided crush is finally being developed through the release of the third season of Mob Psycho 100 III. Since the first introduction of Shigeo ‘Mob’ Kageyama, fans became instantly acquainted with Tsubomi Takane, Mob’s longtime crush, and childhood friend. The two middle school students’ friendship dates back to when they were in kindergarten when they would play together at a playground, and a very sweet and young Mob would consistently try to impress Tsubomi with his psychic powers.
Although initially in awe at Mob’s fun tricks, the boy’s ceaseless efforts to dazzle the young girl would eventually prove fruitless. Over time, Tsubomi would become unfazed by the power display, taking a particular interest in boys who seemed to be fast runners instead, displaying physical prowess over psychic abilities. From this moment onward, Mob’s motivation for every decision he ever made, would be around Tsubomi.
Whether to impress her by becoming physically more robust, or to become a cult leader, the psychic chooses to keep wooing Tsubomi as his priority. Are his efforts all in advance or will they actually ensure that Tsubomi will finally let herself be infatuated by Mob?
Do Mob and Tsubomi end together?
At the moment, in the animated series, Mob and Tsubomi are not even close to being together. At the same time, quite a few instances lead the audience to believe Tsubomi is aware of Shigeo’s crush but does not reciprocate his feelings. In one particular moment, Tsubomi notices Mob and Emi at the top of the bridge, and the girl appears to be proud of the boy for finally appearing to move on from her. For this reason, Tsubomi appears to be entirely conscious of where they stand, albeit not interested in pursuing any type of romantic relationship.
Mob, however, is at a disadvantage. He is wholeheartedly smitten with Tsubomi since they were children, willing to change his mind, appearance, and entire life based on his crush. For this reason, and after having a one-sided crush for years on end, Mob finally confesses to Tsubomi right at the end of the Mob Psycho 100 manga.
When news of Tsubomi moving away starts spreading around their school campus, the young girl immediately gets a line of boys looking to confess their feelings at long last, with Mob being one of the people desperately trying to get his feelings across. Although not much is known about Mob’s crush, Tsubomi’s personality comes through the moment she realizes Mob does in fact have feelings for her: she promptly rejects him.
Tsubomi is known to be strong-willed, decisive, and upfront, and in spite of possibly knowing Mob’s feelings from the get-go, she immediately rejects Mob’s confession and advancements the moment he gathers the courage to admit his feelings. Although Tsubomi admitted to never thinking of Mob as anything other than a friend, she still waited for Mob even after rejecting every single boy, patiently waiting for her only real friend to admit his feelings.
After the rejection takes place, Mob is absolutely heartbroken, but as time goes by, the boy starts accepting his fate, forcing himself to grow as a person and thus, control his feelings and temper better than he has in the past. Overall, Tsubomi never once gave Mob any special treatment, however, she respected him and his confession until the end. In the epilogue, it is admitted that Mob and Tsubomi also remained in touch, showing that despite Mob still holding feelings for her, Tsubomi still cherished their friendship and wished to maintain this one friend.
Mob Psycho 100 is, most of all, a story about personal growth and acceptance of oneself, and that’s exactly what Tsubomi taught Mob: to accept himself in spite of getting rejected by his childhood crush. Interestingly enough, other than Reigen, Tsubomi is the only character who has helped Mob change and evolve as a person — more so than the other way around. Their seemingly one-sided relationship ends up being one of the most defining bonds and growth points in the young teenager’s life.
If you do want to continue watching the animation of Mob’s story, Mob Psycho 100 III is still airing every Wednesday at 12 pm ET on Crunchyroll.