The ending of this seems like nonsense to me...

The ending of this seems like nonsense to me. I'm sure this has been discussed to death but I am really confused about a few things.

1. So as I understand it, past present and future are sort of simultaneous. In the first world line in the Alpha Attractor Field, let's say Okabe sends that d-mail about the lotto 6, obviously that shifts the world line but the theoretical world line they were in before the shift, if you laid it all out flat and looked all the events that lead to the future Suzuha is from, wouldn't that mean Okabe sent a d-mail and then nothing happened?

2. What bothers me more is when he gets to the Beta Attractor Field. How can there possibly be a world line in the Beta Attractor Field where he fails and then creates a time machine? In all of the world lines, he would receive the memories of previous Okabes, fail to affect the world line, and then open the message from his future self. Even if he were to then not use the time machine at this point, or the world line doesn't account for the time machine use, the message from his future self is part of the world line. So there is no reason it would take him 15 years to develop a theory and a time machine that already exists in the present. This makes no sense. What is the series of events that causes him to mull over it for 15 years if the solution is right in front of him via text in what I assume is every world line? Isn't this even paradoxical, because he'd have no reason to make the time machine at this point anyway since he already has one? Or is Okabe building a time machine not part of the convergence and the message is from an Okabe in a different world line?

3. Finally, how come he doesn't switch world lines when his past self sends a text? How can he be in Steins Gate when he should have been moved to the Alpha Attractor Field since his past self sent a d-mail?

Does anyone else have these same problems with the ending sequence and are there any reasonable explanations?

Looks like you have a case of "secondaritis." It's painfully fatal. I would suggest killing yourself.

What the fuck does that even mean?

I'm assuming he's saying: read the visual novel.

What so all of this actually makes sense in the VN? Because it's a fucking mess right now. Especially the shit about Okabe already having a time machine and a theory of how to change everything from his goddamn future self so there'd be no reason to build one in the future. If this genuinely makes sense in the VN then I guess I'll probably read it.

1. There's no really good satisfying explanation for this one. You can probably just assume that in the original timeline (and in any timeline, for that matter) no D-mail is sent, or no line-altering actions are made. I know it makes no sense for there to be the "free will" to make a line-altering choice in a "predetermined" line, but whatever.

2. Having trouble understanding your problem here.

3. By past self do you mean the future Okabe?

2. Okabe receives a text from his future self in every single world line. He knows the solution already and fucking OWNS a time machine permanently that just needs fuel. There would be no reason possible that he'd have to mull over how to save kurisu, because the message from his future self will always get to him. He also literally disappears when he goes in the machine to go back a second time so he shouldn't even be present in the world line anymore but that's a different issue entirely.

3. No, the past self that he tricks should send a text and switch the world line to the Alpha Attractor Field

>1. So as I understand it, past present and future are sort of simultaneous. In the first world line in the Alpha Attractor Field, let's say Okabe sends that d-mail about the lotto 6, obviously that shifts the world line but the theoretical world line they were in before the shift, if you laid it all out flat and looked all the events that lead to the future Suzuha is from, wouldn't that mean Okabe sent a d-mail and then nothing happened?
The future is constructed out of observed events, the entire timeline that has already happened is by observed convergence. The timeline doesn't change until the D-Mail is sent, which is a matter that is unobserved and therefore undecided until it happens. Sending mails is an unconverged result. The future where a time machine is made and used, is.
>2. What bothers me more is when he gets to the Beta Attractor Field. How can there possibly be a world line in the Beta Attractor Field where he fails and then creates a time machine? In all of the world lines, he would receive the memories of previous Okabes, fail to affect the world line, and then open the message from his future self. Even if he were to then not use the time machine at this point, or the world line doesn't account for the time machine use, the message from his future self is part of the world line. So there is no reason it would take him 15 years to develop a theory and a time machine that already exists in the present. What is the series of events that causes him to mull over it for 15 years if the solution is right in front of him via text in what I assume is every world line?
If he hasn't failed at saving Kurisu and therefore gained the resolve to train himself for 15 years, the data sent is corrupt junk that does not help, because those Okabes haven't figured out the way to solve the problem. They just sent some useless data.

>. Finally, how come he doesn't switch world lines when his past self sends a text?
Because it gets deleted from ECHELON a few days later before anybody in SERN sees it (as an observed, convergent result), therefore that butterfly got crushed before it could flap its wings.

To just clarify: every single okabe in every single world line in the Beta Attractor Field receives this text message from his future self with the video. The only solution I can possibly think of is that world lines don't account for time travel interference, just the state of okabe being desperate after failing to save kurisu is there, but the text message from his future self isn't calculated in the world line.

>To just clarify: every single okabe in every single world line in the Beta Attractor Field receives this text message from his future self with the video
Actually most of them receive complete junk data that doesn't resolve into a video at all. Those Okabes just send the videos because he knows he received it, but he doesn't know what to put in them.

Why would they have sent useless data?

But even if he does have the resolve, every Okabe after getting the resolve then gets to view the video. So again unless the world lines don't account for time interference it's nonsense. If they don't and just account for certain states (like Suzuha existing) then I wish they had fucking stated that.

No. They are in the Beta Attractor Field. Huh?

Wait. It being deleted from the database isn't a converged result, or the future where SERN controls the world would be impossible.

Why do they leave important shit like this out of the anime

>Why would they have sent useless data?
It's an observed result. He had already received the D-Mails so he had to send them.
>But even if he does have the resolve, every Okabe after getting the resolve then gets to view the video. So again unless the world lines don't account for time interference it's nonsense
They don't account for unobserved results. That's the entire point of "Deceive yourself, deceive the world". It's not observed whether the world line is shifted.
>No. They are in the Beta Attractor Field. Huh?
>Wait. It being deleted from the database isn't a converged result, or the future where SERN controls the world would be impossible.
Well, it becomes impossible. It's only possible to past Okabe's subjectivity. When Present Okabe does it later on, in the Beta attractor field (he gets the IBN5100 and hacks SERN there too, remember he just disposes of it immediately upon arriving in the beta attractor field), it ceases to be possible. But that's in the future, so past Okabe who has not observed this would still go on his three weeks in Alpha until he becomes present Okabe who has observed it. Thus the entire observed timeline remains an unbroken chain.

Oh I didn't think about how he erases it in the Beta timeline. That makes sense. But what is "observed" and "unobserved". How come the video he sees is considered unobserved but the fact that he receives something is observed? Why is it observed that Okabe gains this resolve but it's unobserved that the resolve is cancelled out by the fact that the video gives him his solution?

>How come the video he sees is considered unobserved but the fact that he receives something is observed?
Because it's a minor detail that doesn't change the future until it actually changes Okabe's behavior. Minor details can change, their result just converges.
>Why is it observed that Okabe gains this resolve but it's unobserved that the resolve is cancelled out by the fact that the video gives him his solution?
Because it is unobserved that the Okabe who receives the video will actually deceive the world until Operation Skuld completes.
It is, however, a minor plot hole as to why the world line does not restructure instantly once the circumstances are complete. Time politely waits for Okabe to return to the time machine and jump forward, for no discernible reason.

So essentially, had he NOT used the time machine even after receiving the video he would have still.ended up creating one in the future and sending back that same video? Do I have that right?

I feel like they really don't explain this nearly well enough in the anime.

>So essentially, had he NOT used the time machine even after receiving the video he would have still.ended up creating one in the future and sending back that same video? Do I have that right?
Strictly speaking, yes, but it wouldn't make sense for him to not use the time machine again as that's out of his mentality. More like, if he went back and failed a second time.
>I feel like they really don't explain this nearly well enough in the anime.
That's because it's an adaptation. Read the VN.

By the way thank you to the anons who are helping me. I'll probably play the visual novel eventually but my backlog is so long and I'm already playing 2 long games right now so I don't know when I'll get around to it.

Okay, thanks. I find it interesting how the world line, or fate, isn't perfect and specifically how it doesn't account for things like how Okabe will respond to the d-mails from his future self. I'm not sure I'm totally happy with their explanations but it's a lot better than most time travel shows and books.

I thought the show was just okay. I was surprised to see it rated so highly when it had so many flimsy characters, was heavily otakus pandering and steals it's ending from back to the future.

Higurashi and Tatami galaxy already exist why do people like this.

1. There is only one active timeline at one time, as stated in the VN. The moment he sent that D-Mail, the world changed and the timeline he was in before stop existing.
2. When he got to the Beta worldline, in reality Okabe failed which led us to 0. The Okabe we saw in the true end of the anime is not actually the Okabe we've followed through the whole anime but he's a past that's about to be changed by the future. Time in Steins;Gate go from the past to the future but whenever time machine is involved, the futute can become the past and past can become the future, thus, the event goes like this: Okabe failed -> fast forward to 2025 when he has came up with a plan -> sent that D-Mail back to himself -> his past self received the mail and change the future. The time machine isn't used because one year later it would either disappeared or destroyed, this is an absolute. He has to create a time machine from scratch.
3. He doesn't switch worldline

3. He doesn't switch worldline because either the slight change in Upa has caused a butterfly effect which led to Okabe not sending the mail at the exact moment Daru operates the PhoneWave or because he got back to the present time before that Okabe sends the mail.