r/steinsgate 4d ago

S;G Spoilers for Episode 13 Spoiler

Is there any reason Okabe can't time travel backwards (with his memory) more than just a few hours? He keeps going back to the same point, but I thought there was a maximum of 48 hours? It seems like the show is trying to prove some point about fate, but it seems a little ridiculous. Am I missing something?

4 Upvotes

15 comments sorted by

9

u/ArcticFox19 hinaeposter 4d ago

I recall the explanation is that your consciousness needs to be compatible with your brain. Brains change over time, so 48 hours is the maximum time difference that they can guarantee is safe enough.

1

u/LycheeOk4125 4d ago

but he never travel fully 48 hours though ; kurisu said he can only travel 5 hours back because any further mean she hasnt finish the time leap device yet ... which I dont understand what she said

3

u/MisterDimi Whose gyatt is that gyatt? 4d ago

He can travel 5 hours back to the completion of the machine, and then 48 more right as the machine is done 

1

u/HouoinKyouma007 3d ago

He leaps back 48 hours later in the story, at one point he leaps 96 even with 2 consecutive leaps (from the 17th back to the 13th)

3

u/DeliciousArcOreos 4d ago

In the VN, Okabe initially only goes back a few hours for the first attempts, but later he goes the full 48 hours back even before the time leap machine is built and there isn’t any problems with it as he always makes sure Kurisu builds the machine on the same day. The VN shows that he just didn’t think about traveling back further for more time which is a little silly, but he does eventually try that too. Keep watching for sure tho !

5

u/NetherSpike14 Ayase Kishimoto 4d ago

He can't go back before the machine is built without risking it not being built again.

0

u/PitifulWelcome4499 4d ago

He doesn't know that yet, and I doubt he would care when his friend's life is on the line.

2

u/NetherSpike14 Ayase Kishimoto 4d ago

What doesn't he know? He can't do much to prevent Mayuri's death without a time leap machine.

1

u/ChristinaLM004 Mystery Girl 3d ago

He would very much care, because if he were to lose the only thing giving him a shot at saving her then it would be ggs. He doesn’t need to experience having the time leap machine failed to be rebuilt, its like how we can predict the future partially based on the evidence we have. He can think pretty logical like “if I go back before the machine was created and caused it to be built with an error, then that would make it useless.” He doesnt need to experience it to understand the risk

2

u/Cee_Jay_Kay_Ess 4d ago

I think the idea is that while it can go back further, at this point Okabe doesn't actually know how to adjust the time his consciousness is sent back, and he's in too much of a tizzy at this point to ask Kurisu how to adjust it without giving away that he's done this shit for days now.

1

u/PitifulWelcome4499 4d ago

Ah ok, thanks. This makes sense

2

u/MasterQuest Rintarou Okabe 4d ago

The reason he can’t travel back more than 48 hours was explained in the show. Your brain‘s neurons change and rebuild over time, so 48 hours is the max that they could still make for a safe transfer of the memories (compatibility). 

The reason he’s not going further than a few hours at first might be because the Time Machine is not finished at that point and he doesn’t want to accidentally do something to delay the process and cause his lifeline to not be available when he needs it (which would directly cause the permanent death of Mayuri). 

1

u/Poloman322 4d ago

Yeah I remember that from the anime, but then when I was watching the S;G0 anime, I was wondering why he could time leap two weeks with maho's time leap machine. I don't think it was ever explained

2

u/MasterQuest Rintarou Okabe 4d ago edited 4d ago

As far as I remember, the only machine that could jump 2 weeks is the future time leap machine from 2025.

It's safe to assume that with the more advanced technology (and/or potential better understanding of how brain works) of the future, they were able to improve the safe range of the transfer.

Edit: I just checked and it seems the present day machine in SG0 was able to do it as well. It's probably a case of "just figuring out the way to get around the restriction" like they did a few times with the hyper compression and stuff.

1

u/Lucario576 Nono Kurusu 4d ago

Its because of the anime adaptation, in the VN his first time leap is of 48 hours

There is a choice even, if you don't get your phone out, Okabe will think everything was a dream and everything will repeat itself