Warning: Spoilers for the Oshi no Ko Ending Ahead!
The saga of Aqua Hoshino has concluded withOshi no Ko’sfinal installment, chapter #166 released on June 22, 2025. The manga ran from August 09, 2025, telling the often painful story of Aqua and Ruby Hoshino, adoring fans of Ai Hoshino who were reincarnated as her children before her cruel murder in the opening arc. While the resolution will inevitably make some readers unhappy,Oshi no Ko’sending conveys an important message of hope winning over despair in its final chapter, “Star.”
Oshi no Kohas offered poignant and incisive views on the entertainment industry and its flaws, which often bore a crushing weight upon its biggest performers. Ai Hoshino was a tragic casualty of the pressure, with her never getting to realize her ambitions to go to the Tokyo Dome, being killed by an orchestrated response from her scorned former boyfriend. The ending ofOshi no Koin the wake of its defeated villainlays outhow its remaining stars break this cycle of tragedy, instead kindling the hearts of those who survived to bring light to a dark world.
Oshi no Ko’s Ending Is About One Necessary Lie
To Bring Light Into the Darkness
After the harrowing conclusion of Aqua’s revenge against Hikaru Kamiki, resulting in their mutual death, those left grieving in his wake, particularly his twin sister, Ruby, decide to choose to live and not despair in theOshi no Koending. Despite Ruby losing her brother,Kana never getting her chance to tell Aqua she loved him, and Akane never getting to see him again, the chapter becomes a heartfelt montage of the friends and colleagues Aqua made over the years as they continue their lives.Ruby achieves this by telling herself lies “about not being sad.”
The panel of Ruby leaving home is a direct parallel to Ai leaving in her final scene, this time with a much happier ending.
This lie becomes a powerful beacon, allowing her friends and audiences to endure even in bleak times. Ruby’s anguish is no secret and highly publicized as she carried on performing while grieving her brother; forcing herself to smile and lie about not being sad is compelling anduplifting for her audiences in a world filled with sadness. B-Komachi endures, with Ruby, Mem-Cho, and a new member performing at the Tokyo Dome, fulfilling the late Ai Hoshino’s dreams in the process, adopting the star aesthetic for her light sticks to represent the starry eyes of Ai, Aqua, and herself.
The Oshi no Ko Ending Is About Not Resigning Oneself to Despair
It’s Impossible to Live Without Encountering Sadness
AsOshi no Kochapter #166 reminds readers one doesn’t need to look hard to see the darkness of the world;some may feel tasked with creating or fighting for the joy of others. This is further cemented by parallels toAkane and Aqua’s bridge moment, Kana and Mem-Cho embracing a tearful Ruby, Minami, Frill, Melt, and Ichigo Productions pushing through the pain, and Taiki Himekawa silently visiting his mother’s grave. As even Taishi Gotanda is shown working with his Japan Academy Award for Best Picture in view next to a picture of Aqua, hope triumphs over despair.
Ruby chose to inspire hope, so others wouldn’t despair as she did.
As Ruby performs at the Dome, she lies, just as her mother did, out of love for her fallen family and the fans who deserve light in their lives. This is demonstrated in one set of panels where a young audience member sees how brightly Ruby shines out of defiance against the world’s darkness. InOshi no Ko’sending, as an act of rebellion against a world that left her alone to die from cancer in a past life, losing her brother and crush from a past life, Ruby chose to inspire hope, so others wouldn’t despair as she did.
Oshi No Ko
Cast
Oshi No Ko is a 2023 Japanese series that follows a small-town doctor’s encounter with a popular teen idol leading to an entanglement in the cutthroat entertainment industry. The narrative explores themes of ambition, identity, and the hidden realities behind fame as the characters navigate complex personal and professional challenges.
