In mid-May, Episode 8 of 'Steins;Gate' aired.
Episode 7 had focused on Okabe's efforts to reverse the worldline changes caused by Faris's father being revived and Ruka turning from male to female.
After all, if the world didn't return to its original state, there was no way they'd ever find the retro PC.
Once the two of them agreed to restore the worldline, only one D-Mail remained uncorrected — the one sent by "Shining Finger" Moeka.
And so, Episode 8 was all about Okabe trying to convince Moeka to find a way to nullify the D-Mail she sent on that earlier worldline.
Of course, things didn't go smoothly.
During the process, they discovered that the electronics shop owner downstairs — Mr. Braun — was actually Moeka's superior. He was the one who had been controlling her through networked messages all along. He was also her emotional anchor... and, as it turns out, the man who directly caused the death of Doodooroo(Mayuri) in several previous worldlines.
The fact that this cold-blooded villain had been living just downstairs the entire time came as a complete shock to fans.
"Finally! Three whole weeks of episodes, all leading up to this one goal: finding the retro PC."
"It's kind of funny... they had it from the start, but because all the lab members kept sending D-Mails, the worldline changed and they lost it."
"Wait, I'm a little confused. Now that they've found the PC again, how exactly do they save Doodooroo?"
"Here's how: they'll use the PC to infiltrate SERN's servers and delete all data relating to Okabe and his team. Without that anomaly to flag them, SERN won't notice the time machine, and therefore won't conquer the world using it. This shifts the worldline from α to β. Unlike the small, local changes of earlier D-Mails, this is a massive change in outcome. Once they make this shift, the 'worldline convergence' that guaranteed Doodooroo's death in the α line won't apply anymore."
"So wait... does that mean Doodooroo might still die?"
"Exactly. We don't know what the β worldline will bring. It all depends on what the writers decide. But since we're already at Episode 10 with only two weeks left, I doubt they'll throw in any huge curveballs now. We're probably headed for a clean, satisfying ending."
Fans in the chat were busy analyzing everything that had happened so far.
And honestly, if 'Steins;Gate' ended like this — with Doodooroo being saved and the time machine erased from SERN's radar — it would still be considered a great show. After all, the plot began with her death, so ending with her rescue would leave 99% of viewers feeling satisfied.
But.
At the end of Episode 8, 'Steins;Gate' decided to pull a fast one.
Just as Okabe finally found the retro PC and had Itaru infiltrate SERN's system to erase all traces of their involvement...
Makise suddenly asked, casually:
"That very first D-Mail... it was the one that said, 'I've been stabbed,' right?"
Her tone was light, relaxed — even though this worldline's group had only recently grasped the seriousness of their situation thanks to Okabe's explanations.
But it was over now. They just needed to delete that anomalous message SERN had intercepted, and the worldline would shift.
Then, as her words sank in — and as panic slowly surfaced in Okabe's eyes — everyone watching realized something terrifying.
In the worldline where SERN conquered the world, Doodooroo was destined to die due to worldline convergence.
But in the worldline where SERN didn't rule…
Doodooroo might live — but Makise would die.
"The worldline where Mayuri doesn't die… is the worldline where Makise does die!"
Okabe's inner monologue trembled as he came to this realization.
α-worldline: Mayuri dies.
β-worldline: Makise dies.
And that's exactly where Episode 10 cut off.
The fan chat went dead for about thirty seconds.
Over one million 'Steins;Gate' fans, watching in real-time on Yunteng TV, sat there in stunned silence.
Not only did Okabe fall into despair on screen — the viewers did, too.
Then, in the chat...
"Are you kidding me, Teacher Jing Yu? Another 'pick one to die' situation? Wasn't 'White Album 2' enough? You had to pull the same stunt in 'Steins;Gate'?"
"I'm done. I was literally halfway through popping champagne, celebrating that Mayuri finally escaped her inevitable death… and now you tell me it's either her or Makise? Are you serious?!"
"No way. I don't want either of them to die. What the hell kind of choice is this?"
"Wait, maybe Makise doesn't HAVE to die? I mean, in the first episode's worldline, wasn't her death ambiguous? Maybe it wasn't because of convergence?"
"Come on, use your brain. Mayuri's death was confirmed to be caused by α-worldline convergence. If Makise dies in β, it's got to be convergence, too. Think about it — in β, the Organization never spotted Okabe's time machine, right?
Why?
One: they never observed him in the first place.
Two: Makise died and never helped them build it."
"I'm crying. I feel so stupid. I waited all these weeks hoping for a happy ending, and it turns into this?! In most love triangles, even if one girl loses, she lives! Like Kazusa — she didn't end up with Haruki, but she was still alive! In 'Steins;Gate', the one who isn't chosen gets a one-way ticket to the underworld. If Okabe stays in α, Doodooroo dies. If he switches to β, he has to sacrifice Makise."
"This is pure despair. I can't even imagine myself in Okabe's shoes. If I were him, I'd have a mental breakdown."
"This is BS. The writer really has no chill. Not even a sliver of humanity left in that brain. I swear, he must be low on iron or something. I'm mailing him a knife tomorrow so he can enjoy a nice helping of 'iron content.'"
"Look at Okabe's face at the end — pure despair. And the wildest part? The guy playing him… came up with this plot himself!"
The final moments of Episode 8 sent the entire fandom into turmoil.
An hour after the episode ended, fan chats were still in full chaos mode.
Major forums exploded into debate over who deserved to live more — Makise or Mayuri.
And yet, through all the controversy, one thing was clear:
The average rating for this episode hit 5.31%.
Meanwhile, 'You, Under the Cliff' — airing in the same timeslot — clocked in at 6.52%, a 0.3% drop from the previous week.
At this point, it was no longer just 'Steins;Gate' slowing down 'You, Under the Cliff'.
The reality was:
'Steins;Gate' had started stealing 'You, Under the Cliff's potential audience growth.
The casual viewers 'You, Under the Cliff' had hoped would tune in during the second half of the season? Gone — scooped up early by 'Steins;Gate'.
And now, even 'You, Under the Cliff's loyal audience was beginning to defect, bit by bit.
'Steins;Gate' wasn't just competing with 'You, Under the Cliff'.
It was devouring it.