The final moments of the first part of the third season of Netflix’s Beastars left Legoshi’s fate in jeopardy, as his second encounter with Melon resulted in the Shishigumi boss throwing him off a cliff into the sea—raising questions about his survival. Every season of the coming-of-age youth animal drama anime has thus far concluded with Legoshi putting himself in harm’s way either to test his belief or to protect someone. Previously, Legoshi had taken on much stronger foes, like the former chief of the Shishigumi clan and Riz the brown bear; however, his present adversary, Melon, has proven to be the most interesting one so far, as Legoshi has felt a personal connection to him due to his hybrid identity. Legoshi, who has become quite mature thanks to his exposure to multiple worldviews, refused to take an aggressive approach even after getting himself nearly killed by the psychopathic hybrid during their first interaction.Â
However, Legoshi’s faith in Melon is proven misplaced by the end, as he was once again put in a near-death situation, and this time being rescued seems impossible for him. Before the final part of Beastars reveals Legoshi’s fate, I will try to draw upon details from the source material, i.e., the manga written by Paru Itagaki, to discuss the fate of Legoshi and key events that are going to take place. A spoiler warning is hereby issued, as major plot points will be discussed, and if you want to keep the suspense till the final part arrives, it will be better to look away right now.
Legoshi’s Aquatic Saviour
Manga readers know that there is a specific reason as to why the Droplet of Reaper, a seaside cliff, was chosen as the setting for the second interaction between Legoshi and Melon, as given how this season had introduced aquatic culture to Legoshi through the introduction of Sagwan the spotted seal, Legoshi’s chances of survival hinge on an aquatic savior. Previously, Sagwan had taught limited sea-speech to Legoshi, which would come in handy in the dire-st situation of Legoshi’s life. As the manga shows, an injured Legoshi bleeds while drowning, which draws the attention of a large shark who appears surprised to see a surface world creature in such a situation and almost decides to eat Legoshi. However, Legoshi uses sea speech to introduce himself, which impresses the shark quite a lot. Legoshi also shares that he is friends with Sagwan the seal, which prompts the shark to rescue him and bring himself to the shores. As it turns out, in the oceanic culture, seals are regarded with high esteem due to their intelligence, which is why the shark decided to save Legoshi after knowing about his association with a seal despite initially wanting to devour him.
The incident is significant and doesn’t merely follow the lead character having plot armor archetype. Aquatic culture, with its adherence to the natural order of the food chain, is quite different compared to that of the surface world. Aquatic creatures are portrayed as wiser, as they respect the sanctity of life even while carrying on with the consumption of other creatures for survival policy. The shark’s regard for seals superseded his urge to devour his prey, and even a hypercarnivore like him was able to resist his instincts and rescue Legoshi. The balance and harmony of aquatic life acts as Legoshi’s inspiration to carry on the good fight and further undermines the devious ideologies of detractors like Melon, who want to project their self-loathing mentality upon the world by trying to segregate animals further. Even though the anime adaptation produced by Netflix has changed a number of plot points from the manga, this one crucial incident will most probably remain unchanged.
Melon’s Final Conflict With Legoshi
Without spoiling much from the manga, it can be revealed that the final confrontation between Legoshi and Melon will bring the final resolution to Beastars—bringing the overarching thematic significance of interspecies relationships and carnivore-herbivore coexistence to a befitting conclusion. The ideological conflict will be something to look out for, as there is a world of difference between the duo. Legoshi’s worldview has been shaped by multiple perspectives and by his own identity, from adopting the pacifist ideology of his grandfather Gosha to connecting with his heritage as a hybrid to facing his inner conflict as a carnivore who wants to fight for coexistence and continue his relationship with his herbivore partner, to accepting Sagwan’s worldview influenced by aquatic culture—the grey wolf mind of his has gathered enough wisdom and experience to know the folly of absolutist ideologies. Melon, on the other hand, is a hybrid who couldn’t come to terms with his hybrid identity, had a dysfunctional relationship with his parents, and was deprived of enjoying natural sensations like libido and appetite due to his mixed heritage. In his vision, Legoshi saw his mother encouraging him to take pride in his identity as a hybrid—as he is the best of both worlds—whereas in his loveless existence, Melon’s hatred for himself was projected towards the rest of the world through his streak of wanton violence and his efforts to bring a permanent divide among two groups.
The final part of the final season of Beastars will see Melon and Legoshi facing off for a final conflict and will entangle characters like Louis and Yahya in the process as well. Yahya’s inclusion is most important in this context, as his disdain for carnivores and interspecies relationships is quite close to Melon’s destructive mindset, and it will be interesting to see whether the veteran Beastar has what it takes to shun his prejudices and fight for true justice.
