Is Uta dead or alive?

Produced by Wit Studio, ‘Bubble’ is a science fiction novel anime that tells a heartwarming tale of love and sacrifice. Tetsurou Araki’s directing centers on Tokyo after the unexplained bubble trap phenomenon led to several gravity anomalies and ultimately had a devastating effect on the lives of its residents. Once the region is cut off from the world, kids who have lost their loved ones start using it for their parkour team battles. Among them there is an extraordinary boy named Hibiki whose chance meeting with a mysterious girl changes his life. Curious how? Let’s take a look at the emotional ending of “Bubble” to look for an answer. SPOILERS FORWARD!

Bubble Plot Synopsis

About five years ago, bubbles of mysterious powers fell from the sky all over the world, marking the beginning of an era of chaos and confusion. While people were barely accustomed to the strange phenomena, a huge explosion of unknown origin occurred in central Tokyo, and the city was enveloped in a giant bubble in the aftermath. As the bubbles around the world suddenly stopped falling, the Japanese capital was then abandoned and became ground zero for the inexplicable spectacle.

As the bubbles that descended on the region burst, most parts of the city slowly submerged in the water. However, despite repeated government warnings, the city was soon overrun by orphans who had lost loved ones in the incidents that followed the first bubble fall phenomenon all those years ago. Not only do they thrive in the dangerous conditions but also take advantage of the circumstances to play the dangerous game Tokyo Battlekour – a parkour team battle.

Among these children, a boy named Hibiki claims that he can hear the sound of songs coming from a tower, where the explosion happened before the bubbles stopped on the rest of the world. The cloud above the tower has remained untouched due to the gravitational anomalies near it. In addition, scientific research efforts have been thwarted time and again because observations with instruments in the region are impossible. When Hibiki tries to reach the source of the songs he hears coming there, he accidentally falls into the water and is about to lose consciousness when a miracle happens.

A bubble that seems to be sensitive and quite concerned about Hibiki’s well-being chases after him and suddenly merges with many other bubbles to become a girl. She saves his life and later befriends his peers Kai, Shin, Usagi and Makoto. Hibiki names her Uta, and she slowly becomes acquainted with the human world by reading books under the guidance of Makoto, a scientist who studies the phenomenon of bubble trap. However, she avoids coming into contact with anyone as her body is made with bubbles and starts showing its true form after coming into contact with a human. Uta also shows remarkable physical agility similar to Hibiki.

Therefore, when the Tokyo Battlekour team, the Under Taker, challenges them to a live broadcast match by kidnapping Makoto to earn money, Uta vows to teach them a lesson. While the techniques and mind games used by the opponent initially overwhelm Hibiki’s team, Uta helps them achieve a last-minute victory. The team later celebrates victory together, but their star player is missing. While everyone doesn’t notice, Hibiki finds Uta and tells about his feelings for her. He is about to kiss her, but the duo is interrupted by a coarse noise coming from the tower again. Uta realizes what is happening and leaves after telling Hibiki that this was the last time they met.

Bubble Ending: Is Uta Dead or Alive?

When Uta first took her human form, she was innocent of the world she was about to embrace as her own. Makoto helped her expand her understanding through her vast collection of books on literature, physics, chemistry, and other subjects. One evening, she also told Uta the story of a mermaid who lived deep under water and, for some inexplicable reason, had a strange affinity with the human world. She rebelled against her loved ones after falling in love with a prince.

As soon as Uta heard the story, she started interacting with the mermaid while also rebelling against her sister to save Hibiki after falling in love with him. However, after the Tokyo Battlekour match against the Under Taker, Uta’s sister has run out of patience. She calls him back to the tower and Uta finally gives up hope of living with Hibiki and his friends. When she returns to her sister, Hibiki, along with her friends, follows her there and tries to save her. Unfortunately, just as he is about to reach her, Hibiki is attacked by red bubbles that begin to drown him in water.

As Uta watches in horror from a distance, she realizes that her lover will die if she doesn’t act. She leaves her sister, throws herself straight at Hibiki and hugs him. This frees him from the deadly grip of the red bubbles, but Uta’s body slowly begins to disintegrate. As her body gradually changes into the bubbles that have fused together to make her body, Uta finds peace in the fact that she has saved Hibiki. While her lover cries inconsolably next to her, she expresses her gratitude for all the love she has received, and her body eventually disappears.

Though it may seem like the end of Uta, remember that she lived as a sentient bubble for a long time before meeting Hibiki. Therefore, it would be wrong to assume that she can’t do it now after she takes on human form and then disintegrates into bubbles again. The film also leaves a hint at the end. While Hibiki is playing a parkour team fight with his team, he is followed by a bubble, who is without a doubt Uta. Therefore, finally, Uta does not die in the end and only returns to her true form after her body disintegrates.

What are the Tokyo Battlekour rules?

Tokyo Battlekour is a parkour team battle where two sides compete against each other. The game leaves a lot of room for players to strategize and create their own style, but there are some rules that must be strictly followed. Each team can only have five players when the game starts. However, they can be knocked out later if they somehow lose their balance or are tricked by the opposing team into falling into the water.

Teams can use mechanical tools that give their players some advantage over their opponents. However, a team can only win by acquiring a flag raised on a tall structure, which in most cases is a building or a tower.

Read more: Best Science Fiction Anime