Progression is a driver of stories. Focus on progression online has resulted in the invention of the progression fantasy subgenre, as well as drawing Western audiences to read Chinese xianxia, and tricked people into thinking they like reading stat pages in LitRPGs (kidding!). Not all progression is as simple as numbers increasing or the main character learning new magic after new magic. In some ways, progression is what all stories are built on. Characters starting one way and undergoing changes are the basis of stories as ancient as Beowulf or Homer’s Odyssey.
I Left My A-Rank Party to Help My Former Students Reach the Dungeon Depths! isn’t Beowulf. I also wouldn’t call it progression fantasy. It is instead a great example that progression doesn’t only mean ‘get stronger’, or especially ‘become overpowered.’
Progression from Status Quo
A-Rank Party introduces us to Yuke Feldio, a Red Mage and a member of the A-Rank party, Thunder Pike. Yuke isn’t happy when we meet him. He’s been an adventurer for years, but all he has to show for it is debt and his party’s disrespect. Despite Thunder Pike being one of the most famous parties in their world. Yuke isn’t happy because he’s a heavyweight champion, carrying his idiot and complacent party members on his scrawny caster back. He buys their items, cooks their meals, accepts their quests at the guild, and even runs the magical live stream camera they’ve used to get famous. None of that matters though, because his party measures contributions and pays based on kills, not gofer work. So, Yuke quits Thunder Pike.
Okay, he does have something to show for years of work. He’s leveled up a bunch of skills, and he has some practical items that weren’t flashy enough for his teammates to desire them. He’s also gained worthwhile experience and is a strong Red Mage — possibly the strongest one. The show doesn’t hide that from viewers, though it does draw some of Yuke’s reveals out to make him seem more impressive. But for a fantasy anime, A-Rank Party doesn’t spend too much time on Yuke’s past achievements. It’s concerned with the future.
Forging New Bonds
After leaving his party Yuke lives his best protagonist life. A student of his, Marina, overhears him looking for simple quests and invites him to join hers. He joins Marina and his two other ex-students — Silk and Rain — and performs well. Before long they’re a united party called Clover, and there are some harem vibes for flavor. Yuke has progressed from being an underappreciated lackey to a respected party leader. All it took was his decision to change his circumstances.
Progressing a Plot
Not only does live streaming exist in this world, but it is the most popular form of entertainment in the setting. Adventurers are broadcast to magically projected screens in bars, town squares, and even the adventurer’s guild. A-Rank Party takes that idea and uses it to progress the plot against Yuke’s will. Clover ends up navigating fame, rare challenges, and a jealous Thunder Pike while, beneath it all, there is a foreboding sense of something dangerous just around the corner.
More importantly, as danger builds there are moments where the main cast seem in real danger of dying. Power fantasies seem allergic to that kind of risk nowadays, so that’s a plus all its own. However, because of those earlier moments, A-Rank Party‘s looming threat feels like it may kill someone in the cast — and that’s despite details through the first half of the show being sparse.
Progression For All
While Yuke is clearly the main character, getting hefty scenes to show off his debuff skills and adventuring experience, he doesn’t have much room to progress skill-wise. He’s already a talented guy when we meet him. So, A-Rank Party uses its supporting cast for yet another kind of progression beyond growing conflicts. People who like new powers and upgrades should be happy to hear that Clover’s members do get stronger.
More so, Clover grows as a party, and Marina, Silk, and Rain mature as people. Not having finished the show, I can’t say how far that goes, but this growth is evident in many little moments. Think being brave, making a clever deduction, or deciding on a new group goal. The cast of A-Rank Party have so many team objectives and instances of personal growth, that it seems written with the explicit goal of making sure someone is always learning, getting items, earning hard-won experience in a fight, or otherwise progressing. This progression isn’t for the sake of ticking off boxes, achieving tiers of power, or hitting stat milestones though. What A-Rank Party understands is that watching characters achieve things is fun. So, the cast achieves stuff. Simple right?
That’s not a lesson I’m A Noble on the Brink of Ruin understood, as you can read about here.
Ending Progression
Achievements can vary in difficulty, but they do have to involve struggles, effort, and come with complications. Otherwise they’re boring. Ideally, achievements lead somewhere. By the middle of A-Rank Party there’s no doubt the story is going to take Clover somewhere dark and dangerous where they will be in over their heads. I can’t tell you if A-Rank Party ends well, but I can say that I was surprised by how enjoyable the journey was through episode six. The show has generic vibes with its harem party, and the main character starting out unappreciated, but underneath its generic coating are a series of events that never stopped pushing me to watch another episode (at least until I caught up with the broadcast).
Incidentally, the OP (the song specifically) is a banger. You can listen to it on YouTube.
If you have a favorite fantasy anime with strong goal progression, we’d love to hear from you on social media, or in the comments.
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