The rising popularity of “Kicked out of party” series makes fans wonder if these are becoming the new mainstream trend.
This setup is appealing because it’s basically an underdog fantasy dealing with injustice.
This is essentially a new fantasy subgenre in anime.
“Kicked out of party” — more specifically, kicked out of hero’s party — seems to be a common trope in recent fantasy anime.
This season, we have a new one — The Strongest Tank's Labyrinth Raids -A Tank with a Rare 9999 Resistance Skill Got Kicked from the Hero's Party- (Saikyou Tank no Meikyuu Kouryaku: Tairyoku 9999 no Rare Skill-mochi Tank, Yuusha Party wo Tsuihou sareru).
And this is not even the only one. Banished From The Hero's Party, I Decided To Live A Quiet Life In The Countryside (Shin no Nakama ja Nai to Yuusha no Party wo Oidasareta node, Henkyou de Slow Life suru Koto ni Shimashita) has its second season airing right now.
Other examples include Beast Tamer (Yuusha Party wo Tsuihou sareta Beast Tamer, Saikyoushu no Nekomimi Shoujo to Deau) and Chillin' in My 30s after Getting Fired from the Demon King's Army (Kaiko sareta Ankoku Heishi (30-dai) no Slow na Second Life).
This setup seems incredibly specific to be a subgenre, but multiple anime featuring it can’t really be a coincidence. And, if you look at the light novels and web novels these series were adapted from, you’ll see more and more of it. Is it truly the next big thing in fantasy anime, or is it just a passing fad?
Why do people like it?
The popularity of this setup is actually easier to explain than you think. Many anime focus on underdog characters and/or fixing some sort of injustice. Usually, there’s no adequate reason provided for kicking someone out of the party, and the character is an underdog by definition, being considered worthless by many. No wonder the setup is popular.
“Kicked out of party” can also be considered a more nuanced take on revenge anime. After all, series focusing on revenge appeal to similar senses, but are usually more brutal — and controversial, so many people can’t really stomach them. “Kicked out of party” setup strikes the nice balance between interesting and sensible.
New mainstream?
Some fans have been wondering if this setup is going to replace isekai anime. Considering we still get way more isekai series, the answer is probably not — at least, not anytime soon. It will, probably, become a full-fledged subgenre — arguably, it already is in light novels and web novels.
It’s also wrong to think this setup is incompatible with isekai. If you really think about it, The Rising of the Shield Hero (Tate no Yuusha no Nariagari) functions in the same way, although there’s no party per se — just a group of Heroes, in which Naofumi is considered unwelcome.
There are two airing this season.
Summary:
The rising popularity of “Kicked out of party” series makes fans wonder if these are becoming the new mainstream trend.
This setup is appealing because it’s basically an underdog fantasy dealing with injustice.
This is essentially a new fantasy subgenre in anime.
“Kicked out of party” — more specifically, kicked out of hero’s party — seems to be a common trope in recent fantasy anime.
This season, we have a new one — The Strongest Tank's Labyrinth Raids -A Tank with a Rare 9999 Resistance Skill Got Kicked from the Hero's Party- (Saikyou Tank no Meikyuu Kouryaku: Tairyoku 9999 no Rare Skill-mochi Tank, Yuusha Party wo Tsuihou sareru).
And this is not even the only one. Banished From The Hero's Party, I Decided To Live A Quiet Life In The Countryside (Shin no Nakama ja Nai to Yuusha no Party wo Oidasareta node, Henkyou de Slow Life suru Koto ni Shimashita) has its second season airing right now.
Other examples include Beast Tamer (Yuusha Party wo Tsuihou sareta Beast Tamer, Saikyoushu no Nekomimi Shoujo to Deau) and Chillin' in My 30s after Getting Fired from the Demon King's Army (Kaiko sareta Ankoku Heishi (30-dai) no Slow na Second Life).
This setup seems incredibly specific to be a subgenre, but multiple anime featuring it can’t really be a coincidence. And, if you look at the light novels and web novels these series were adapted from, you’ll see more and more of it. Is it truly the next big thing in fantasy anime, or is it just a passing fad?
Why do people like it?
The popularity of this setup is actually easier to explain than you think. Many anime focus on underdog characters and/or fixing some sort of injustice. Usually, there’s no adequate reason provided for kicking someone out of the party, and the character is an underdog by definition, being considered worthless by many. No wonder the setup is popular.
“Kicked out of party” can also be considered a more nuanced take on revenge anime. After all, series focusing on revenge appeal to similar senses, but are usually more brutal — and controversial, so many people can’t really stomach them. “Kicked out of party” setup strikes the nice balance between interesting and sensible.
New mainstream?
Some fans have been wondering if this setup is going to replace isekai anime. Considering we still get way more isekai series, the answer is probably not — at least, not anytime soon. It will, probably, become a full-fledged subgenre — arguably, it already is in light novels and web novels.
It’s also wrong to think this setup is incompatible with isekai. If you really think about it, The Rising of the Shield Hero (Tate no Yuusha no Nariagari) functions in the same way, although there’s no party per se — just a group of Heroes, in which Naofumi is considered unwelcome.
