The questions that need answers are...

[Impossible]

We don't know for sure that anything changed after Jopaga's lab. At the start of E3, Rhue is swordless and doesn't seem to be different at all. So what's going on pre-Jopaga?

[Lord_Ehrgeiz]

well maby lun just havent figure out those things with Rhue without his sword, but you can clearly see, that he (Rhue) was very agresive at that time. so Slade had to give up and they went for the sword at first.

[Impossible]

Lun has EVERYTHING figured out. I wouldn't be surprised if those times Rhue became swordless were relevant later.

[Lord_Ehrgeiz]

are you shure, that Lun already knew, what'll be at the end of a game, when he created ep. 1? i'm doubt in it...

[Impossible]

Lun was working on E4 when E1 was released, and he's always making future episodes as well as the next one. He has the story planned out pretty damn well from beginning to end even before he makes anything.

[DSOK]

are you shure, that Lun already knew, what'll be at the end of a game, when he created ep. 1? i'm doubt in it...

There were a number of things that were present in the first episode that have subsequently been dropped. None of them were really crucial to the plot though. I have no doubt that Lun had it worked out from the very beginning what was wrong with Rhue. However, I'm equally certain that much of the plot development he invents as he goes.

[Amgard]

I think Rhue has been dependant on his sword for completeness, but after the Jopaga incident, his body has been open to any sorts of auras, maybe auras in his blade, or the sword's personality itself.

Notice that after that incident, he becomes increasingly sociopathic? I mean From Ep1-Ep4.5, he's just aloof, a jackass and other things. But by the end of Ep5, he's losing his grip on reality and barely distinguishes events from people's deaths.

[Impossible]

That's true, but it might just be Rhue getting desperate or related to his sword - what happened in Jopaga's lab was certainly important, but we don't know if it changed anything or not.

Lun may have the story worked out mostly, but he is always looking for new ideas - what's kind of scary is that according to fwacho, if he sees something on the forums he likes, he might incorporate it into the plot.

[Berserker]

Maybe the sword and the auras are loosing Rhue's mind, but it's not so strange he's becoming more and more insensitive, sadistic, etc., seeing what he's been through.
He's been betrayed a dozen of times, he killed Lexus, he's been defeated by strata 3 or 4 times(at least, morally defeated), he was on the edge of death like 10 times and he found a track to follow (which he did for 2 episodes and an half) just to find it was useless; all of this in a couple of weeks, and I'm certain I'm forgetting something.
I think it's more than enough to make someone go mad.

[Lord_Ehrgeiz]

he must get back to normal state! how can we play with crazy main character?