WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Episode 21 of How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom, now streaming on Funimation.
Realist Hero's premise is centered on a modern-day student from Japan who tries to revitalize a medieval fantasy kingdom with political reform. King Souma Kazuya often monologues about the pros and cons of a given plan, providing examples from his world to illustrate what he wants to do. Despite his dedication to find similarly gifted people, he often seems elevated above his subjects and court. In Episode 21, Roroa Amidonia's foresight challenged Souma's status as the series' smartest character, as the princess revealed she's even more savvy than she had previously let on.
In Episode 20, Souma's Kingdom of Elfrieden annexed Roroa's Principality of Amidonia, and she asked him to marry her. Episode 21 clarified Roroa's plans as she outlined how she could help the newly united countries. It turns out she had played a key role in the uprisings that led Amidonia to join Elfrieden -- and she has more in common with Souma than initially appeared.
Roroa established herself as a counterpart to Souma when she offhandedly proposed his Gemstone Broadcasts set aside time to "promote local wares," with merchants paying the kingdom for the service. Nobody else, including Souma, had proposed sponsored broadcasts, emphasizing how likeminded they are in terms of having modern-day ideas in a fantasy context. However, the suggestion also showed how their thinking was different -- and could potentially complement each other.
Whereas Souma’s 'modern' ideas in Realist Hero included municipal reform and alleviating famine with agricultural innovation, Roroa’s related to the potentially more cynical world of advertising and marketing. This was fitting for the literal merchant princess who worked to buy Elfrieden’s royal jewels in Episode 1. At worst though, this could devolve into the official broadcasts becoming overly dependent on private interests.
When Souma reminded Roroa of his role in the death of her father Gaius, her under-reaction was both logical and emotional -- another way in which she's philosophically similar to Souma. She highlighted the “Kill or be killed” nature of war, downplaying his personal involvement in Gaius’ death. She also criticized how her father's obsessive focus on military funding had starved Amidonian people, expressing frustrated empathy with those most affected by his policies. Roroa’s personal feelings for Amidonians mirrored Souma’s desire for Elfrieden’s people to prosper, and her more detached view on the casualties of war mirrored Souma’s more pragmatic side as a realist.
Their conversation reinforced how her business acumen, planning ability and intelligence could provide value to the court. She told Souma that marrying her would give him additional legitimacy in terms of ruling Amidonia, and she also proposed running her own business and using its profits to increase Souma's royal budget. Roroa also confirmed that she, with the help of new finance minister Gatsby Colbert, was responsible for the various rebellions in Amidonia that ultimately led to its combination with Elfrieden. The fact that she effected this monumental change without Souma’s awareness speaks to her intelligence, and she didn't miss the opportunity to tease him about it.
Sometimes, the revelation that a series of events was overseen by an unexpected third party can be a cop-out that undermines other characters' roles, but there are a few ways in which Realist Hero handled this trope well. Firstly, Roroa’s involvement had been thoughtfully foreshadowed by Prime Minister Hakuya Kwonmin’s concerns that another force was behind the rebellions, as well as the scenes of Roroa and Gatsby’s mysterious meetings that appeared intermittently throughout previous episodes. Her mission also realistically contained some unplanned variables -- such as another rebellion instigated by the Lunarian Orthodox Papal State, which was less helpful to her plans.
Souma may have not only been convinced by Roroa's skill and intelligence, but by how similar their personalities are. When Gatsby politely proposed Roroa's profit go through the treasury, they both emphatically responded, "Nothing doing!" in unison. This despite the fact that Gatsby had asked Souma for permission to speak, and Roroa had not. Souma was clearly prepared to forgive a multitude of her sins due to her strength as a resource for the kingdom, not least the implicit security concerns of her secret arrival in a gift of carpet rolls, which Souma did not even mention here.
There has always been a risk of Souma coming off as a condescending lead as he explains his plans to his relatively old-fashioned cohort. As he fulfills his mission to find the kingdom's most talented people, it becomes increasingly clear that his futuristic gift is not just intelligence, but helping others make the most of their own. Alongside Episode 19's scientist Genia Maxwell, Roroa Amidonia helped prove that Souma's modern way of thinking is not as rare as it seems in Realist Hero's isekai world.
