Episode 23: Open the Steins Gate

Open the Steins Gate (境界面上のシュタインズゲート, Kyōkaimenjō no Shutainzu Gēto ) is the twenty third episode of the anime adaptation of the visual novel Steins;Gate.

In a completely unexpected turn of events, a face from the past returns to the present with a working time machine and a mission for Okabe -- a mission that could prevent World War III!

Synopsis
August 21st, 2010: 5:32 PM

Okabe, Daru, and Mayuri come to Radio building rooftop, where Suzuha has safely landed her time machine. Daru thinks it's a transformable robo initially, but Okabe explains what it really is. From there, Suzuha asks "Uncle" Okabe to help her go back in time again and prevent World War III. However, Okabe refuses, having become accustomed to a life without time leaping, and noting that Kurisu is already dead. Suzuha then tells Okabe to prevent the World War III is to save Kurisu from dying, and that by doing so, they will go to another world line known as Steins Gate. Okabe doesn't believe it, even though Suzuha says that he is the very person who conceived the theory, and that even with the slim chances it's worth the risk. Okabe hesitates, but after Mayuri and Daru tell him to go, he decides to do so Kurisu may live. Suzuha and Okabe climb in, with Okabe leaving his phone behind with Mayuri. Inside the time machine, Okabe learns that the time machine can not only go backward in time but also forward, and also has a passenger's seat, proving that the world line for this Suzuha's 2036 is different from the first's. Suzuha sets the coordinates and activates the time machine; as they start to leave, they see little beads of time dancing around them.

July 28th, 2010: 11:51 PM

As Okabe and Suzuha arrives, Okabe nearly throws up. Suzuha breaks the door open with a silenced pistol, with the plan being for Okabe to save Kurisu and watch out for Dr. Nakabachi while Suzuha prepares a return trip; however, Okabe must not run into his past self. Okabe walks into the building when he notices Past Okabe heading for the roof, having heard the time machine. He follows Past Okabe and Past Mayuri to the Oopa vending machine, then makes a break for the eighth floor. However, he ends up running into Past Kurisu, and nearly suffers from a mental breakdown. He reaches out to touch Kurisu, who claims that she doesn't know him, causing her to drop her envelope she brought on the ground. An intercom then announces that Dr. Nakabachi's press conference is beginning, and Okabe quickly rushes over there. He then begins following Kurisu to the press conference (the other encounter proving why Kurisu thought she met Okabe 15 minutes earlier), having been tasked to not alter Kurisu's path by Suzuha or risk making the world line worse.

Afterwards, Okabe heads into the closet where Kurisu dies, and has to hide among the boxes to avoid Kurisu noticing him when she comes. Okabe also sees that her envelope contains papers about time machines, and wonders if that is why she was killed. Just then, a man comes up to Kurisu and harshly asks her why she is there. Kurisu gives him the papers, calling him dad. Her dad is then revealed to be Dr. Nakabachi, who begins reading the papers, leading Okabe to realize that Nakabachi is the one that kills her. Kurisu's papers are revealed to be a time machine theory, and Nakabachi is shown to have left some Academic group to do his own work and destroy their empire. After going over the papers, Nakabachi decides that the paper isn't bad, but refuses to publish it under his and Kurisu's name as she requested and instead decides to publish the paper for himself. Kurisu protests by saying that that's stealing, provoking Nakabachi to slam her on the floor and claim that she is the thief because, in his mind, she is destroying his ability to become a world-famous scientist. Okabe jumps out from his hiding place and knees Nakabachi in the face, and recognizing him comes to the conclusion that Okabe is working with Kurisu to destroy his reputation. Hysterically, he proceeds to take out a switchblade and slash at Okabe, but Okabe throws him against a wall, causing him to drop the knife. Okabe goes for the knife, and Kurisu tries to get Nakabachi to stop, but he takes a screwdriver and begins threatening her with it. Okabe, getting the knife, tries to stab Nakabachi, but at that moment Kurisu manages to push Nakabachi aside, and in the process, Okabe stabs Kurisu, revealing himself as the true murderer. As Kurisu collapses in Okabe's arms, an unregretful Nakabachi proceeds to leave with the paper. Kurisu then dies, leaving Okabe in a state of trauma and screams loudly like what Past Okabe has heard.

August 21st, 2010: 5:56 PM

Okabe and Suzuha return from the past, where Okabe collapses on the ground in shock. His clothes are covered in Kurisu's blood. Suzuha tries to rally him, saying that they still have enough fuel for one round trip and that now that they know what happens they can prevent it. However, Okabe, knowing that this is how the attractor field converges and suffering through severe trauma, refuses. Just then his phone gets a text asking him to turn on the news. Daru opens the news on his phone, and it is shown that Nakabachi has arrived in Russia to seek Asylum there; he then explains that there's a fire on the plane but he manage to calm everyone down, and he explains that due to a toy that ended in his envelope, Mayuri's Metal Upa, his envelope is safe from the fire. As he was asked what was inside the envelope, he reveals that it is a Time Machine paper. Suzuha revealed as Nakabachi was spreading the attention of his time machine papers, scientists throughout nations raced to build a time machine. And due to that in the coming future nations throuhgout the world got worried if another nation finished their time machine sooner, and then they starts nuclear war as the outcome of that worry. World War III was caused by Nakabachi spreading news about his time machine papers. As a consequence, 5.7 billion people die. Even then Okabe refuses, believing that he can't break the 1% barrier and save Kurisu, just like how it was with Mayuri. He then prepares to limp away, but Mayuri suddenly slaps him, saying that he can't just give up because that is not who he is.

Suzuha then tells Okabe to open a video file he received on July 28th. Though the file was not viewable at the time it arrived, she said Okabe has to fail saving Kurisu once to be able to view that video. Okabe opens the glitchy file and sees his future self from the year 2025 sitting in a chair. Future Okabe says that Okabe experiencing Kurisu's death is necessary, because it links him with the Future Okabe that creates this video, and thus with the link established, Okabe able to see this video. He then explains how to change the future and reach Steins Gate. He gives Okabe two instructions: destroy the time travel paper and save Kurisu. Okabe hesitates in the part about saving Kurisu. But at the same time Future Okabe mentions the same thing. Future Okabe then says that there is a way to save Kurisu, and Okabe just doing it in the wrong approach. For one thing, he has to keep all things consistent with how Past Okabe saw Kurisu die, as if they change everything will go away. Okabe must not undo the cause of all his three weeks experience adrift in another attractor field worldline. Because of that experience, here Okabe, and also the Future Okabe, has the will to save Kurisu. To that end, he has to somehow change Past Okabe's perception so that he thinks Kurisu is dead when in actuality she is still alive. Future Okabe then tells the time machine name is C204, and he says Okabe probably knows what the C stands for, as Okabe slightly says "Christina". Then Future Okabe also says that he was the one that named the targeted worldline as "Steins Gate", and says that Okabe also knows what that means. As if synchronized, Okabe, and the Future Okabe in the video, harmonically say "It doesn't mean anything". Concluding what he has explained, Future Okabe says; "Deceive your past self", "Deceive the world", "That is the only way you can reach Steins Gate". Okabe, having finally overcome his depression, agrees, and Future Okabe closes the message with "El Psy Congroo". Okabe come to conclusion how delusional he is even in the age of thirties. But then he accepted the mission, revives his Hououin Kyoma persona and declares that the world fate is decided by his hand, and prepares for "Operation Skuld".

Characters

 * Rintarou Okabe
 * Mayuri Shiina
 * Itaru Hashida
 * Kurisu Makise
 * Suzuha Amane
 * Shouichi Makise
 * Moeka Kiryū / Moeka Kiryū (cameo)
 * Feiris Nyannyan (cameo)
 * Ruka Urushibara (cameo)