The Oshi no Ko manga ends on a dark, tragic, but ultimately hopeful note, with Aqua dying to stop their father and Ruby carrying the story forward as an idol who breaks the cycle of violence and revenge.

How does Oshi no Ko end?

⚠️ Massive spoilers ahead for the manga ending (beyond the current anime).

By the final chapters, Aqua has fully committed to revenge, tracing back Ai’s murder and the other related crimes in the entertainment industry. He confronts the man behind the chain of deaths and manipulation and chooses a path that shocks a lot of readers.

  • Aqua confirms the truth about his father’s crimes and the larger web of murders tied to the industry.
  • The confrontation ends with Aqua sacrificing his own life to eliminate this “monster,” choosing to die so that Ruby and the others can live without being haunted by him anymore.
  • His death is not framed as a triumphant victory, but as a bittersweet, self‑destructive choice born from his obsession with revenge.

Ruby, devastated, has to live with losing both her mother and now her brother, but her story doesn’t end in despair.

Ruby’s future and the final tone

After Aqua’s death, the manga shifts focus to Ruby and what she does with all that pain and legacy.

  • Ruby processes her grief and uses it to fuel her growth as an idol, eventually surpassing even Ai’s impact in her own way.
  • The finale shows Ruby continuing to perform, inspire people, and “shine like a star,” explicitly highlighting that she chooses life, hope, and connection instead of being consumed by revenge like Aqua was.
  • Some interpretations emphasize that the core “goal” of the story is met: Aqua achieves his revenge, and Ruby finds her own identity and path beyond simply being Ai’s daughter.

The emotional feel of the ending is:

  • Tragic: Aqua dies, and many fans were upset at the lack of a neat happy ending.
  • Cathartic: The main villain is dealt with, and the cycle of violence that started with Ai’s death is finally cut off.
  • Bittersweet/hopeful: The last scenes focus on Ruby stepping into the future, still hurt but determined to keep telling her—and Ai’s—story through her art.

Why the ending caused so much debate

Online discussions and video essays point out a few big reasons why the ending is controversial and heavily debated.

  • Aqua’s death felt “too cruel” or rushed to many readers who wanted him to heal rather than die with his revenge.
  • Others argue that the ending fits the manga’s themes: revenge doesn’t heal trauma, and someone stuck in that mindset may destroy themselves even if they “win.”
  • Ruby’s final arc, where she grows beyond just being Ai’s replacement and becomes her own artist, is praised, but some think it came at too high a cost.

Forum and social discussions since late 2024–2025 often describe it as either “one of the worst endings ever” or “a brutally honest, thematically consistent finale,” with very little middle ground.

Where the anime is right now

As of early 2026, the anime has not yet adapted the manga’s final chapters.

  • Recent anime seasons end around the darker mid‑story arcs (mysteries, body discovery, deepening revenge) and hint that even more serious events are coming, but they stop well before Aqua’s final sacrifice and Ruby’s full future as an idol.
  • So if you’ve only seen the anime, the manga ending is significantly further ahead—and much harsher—than where the show currently is.

Quick TL;DR

  • Aqua discovers the full truth, confronts the killer, and dies while taking him down, sacrificing himself to protect Ruby’s future.
  • Ruby grieves but moves forward as an idol, ultimately shining even brighter and choosing life over revenge, closing the story on a bittersweet but hopeful note.

Bottom note: Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.