The Strongest Tank's Labyrinth Raids is Yet Another "Kicked from Hero's Party" Anime: Is This the New Go-To Fantasy Subgenre?

Summary:

• The Strongest Tank's Labyrinth Raids is a new fantasy anime, Episode 1 of which was compared to some of the recently aired series.
• “Protagonist gets kicked out of hero’s party” is a new trend in fantasy anime, with many examples like Beast Tamer and Ningen Fushin.
• While it won’t become mainstream, it’s basically a fully formed subgenre already.

The Strongest Tank's Labyrinth Raids (Saikyou Tank no Meikyuu Kouryaku: Tairyoku 9999 no Rare Skill-mochi Tank, Yuusha Party wo Tsuihou sareru) is a fantasy anime airing this season. It follows the classic LN trend of having the synopsis in the title — the Japanese name is absolutely monstrous — and that title is self-explanatory.

Despite what it might look like, it’s not really an isekai, although it might as well be one. Nowadays, the line between isekais and ordinary fantasy anime with game mechanics is pretty thin.

With only one episode out, The Strongest Tank's Labyrinth Raids already attracted the attention of some fans — although not for anything great in particular.

Common consensus on the first episode

While the premiere wasn’t bad, it certainly didn’t convince many otaku that the anime has anything unique to offer. The reason behind that is that it feels too similar to other fantasy anime that came out recently.

Aside from obvious comparisons to The Rising of the Shield Hero (Tate no Yuusha no Nariagari), it seems that The Strongest Tank's Labyrinth Raids is yet another example in a new fantasy anime subgenre.

Many similar anime

Over the past few years, there has been a rise in “the protagonist got kicked out of hero’s party” anime. Banished From The Hero's Party, I Decided To Live A Quiet Life In The Countryside is one anime that comes to mind immediately — the second season is actually airing right now.

Other examples include Beast Tamer and Ningen Fushin: Adventurers Who Don't Believe in Humanity Will Save the World. Even things like Chillin' in My 30s after Getting Fired from the Demon King's Army somewhat qualify.

The Strongest Tank's Labyrinth Raids was compared to some of the aforementioned anime, with fans noting how many plot points were similar. Just like in Beast Tamer and Ningen Fushin, the protagonist’s first instinct was to go to the fountain — which many fans found funny, sure, but not really interesting per se. With only one episode out, it’s hard to predict where the anime will go, however.

A new subgenre

Are “kicked from hero’s party” anime a new mainstream fantasy trend? Probably not — despite there being multiple examples in the past few years, they’re still a minority.

They are, however, a fully formed subgenre by now (just like villainess anime) with a certain amount of dedicated fans. Those fans are the ones who will watch The Strongest Tank's Labyrinth Raids, and they certainly won’t care about the general opinion.