Laios is similar to Frieren in many ways.
Delicious in Dungeon (Dungeon Meshi) spoilers ahead!
Summary:
- Despite the fact that Laios is the main character, he was barely given any time until Episode 3.
- The plot focuses not on the desire to save the girl, but on cooking monsters.
- In Episode 3, a little backstory revealed that Laios has a lot of experience.
Although Laios is the main character of Delicious in Dungeon, he was barely given any time until Episode 3. The focus was occasionally shifted to other members of the team, such as Marcille in Episode 1 or Chilchuck and Senshi in Episode 2, or to other elements of the plot.
In Episode 3, however, Laios finally got a chance to show himself and proved to be a good enough leader.
He's actually the main character
So far, Delicious in Dungeon hasn't had much of a plot. It began with a group of adventurers fighting a dragon in a dungeon, but they lost due to fatigue and poor nutrition.
The protagonist Laios lost his sister Falin in this battle — the girl sacrificed herself to transport the rest of the group to a safe zone. Now Laios must return to the dungeon and rescue his sister.
To avoid repeating the mistakes of the past, Laios, as the group leader, comes up with a rather workable plan. To maintain their strength and not to starve in the dungeon, the heroes will have to kill monsters and cook various dishes from them.
It may seem strange, but the focus of the plot is not the desire to save the girl, but rather cooking monsters. After the first episode, we were not even reminded of this goal of the heroes — all the attention was on the team members’ impressions of the next unusual dish.
First impressions are deceiving
Because of his excessive carelessness and non-serious approach to saving his sister, Laios doesn't seem like a good protagonist or reliable leader of the group. He also lacks outstanding character traits, so Marcille easily gets all the attention from Delicious in Dungeon viewers.
Also, until Episode 3, he is hardly shown as a leader, more like an enthusiastic kid who enjoys what he does. Many viewers even compare Laios to the melancholic Frieren.
However, Laios is a skilled fighter with the necessary leadership skills, including patience, observation, and situational awareness. His plans are well received by the rest of the team. In Episode 3, a little backstory revealed that Laios has a lot of experience serving in guilds.
Unlike the other members of the team, he didn't just accept the fact that the armor was magically controlled, but decided to check it out and make sure. In the end, Laios turned out to be right, and the party benefited.