Banished from the Hero’s Party S2 Spotlights Slow Life, Hot Wife

Support characters often find themselves on the receiving end of a raw deal from adventurers’ parties. Recently, we’ve seen shield users and healers take revenge on their circumstances in the isekai genre. The Rising of the Shield Hero receives rewards from cute waifu slaves and, eventually, recognition for his actions. Redo of Healer… what a satisfying hot mess for fans of “culture” and fetishized revenge fantasies. As usual in the anime industry, once a general premise becomes popular, production committees mine light novels and manga titles for adaptation opportunities. Since then, we’ve seen Banished from the Hero’s Party, Beast Tamer, and Chillin’ in My 30s after Getting Fired from the Demon King’s Army. While Beast Tamer follows a young man collecting a harem of monster girls as he continues his adventuring career, the other two emphasize retirement and how their past lives drag them back into dangerous situations.

Banished from the Hero’s Party announced a second season all the way back in October 2022. I enjoyed the fantasy series’ first season in 2021 and how the romance between Red, the capable logistician of his sister’s Hero Party, and Rit, a runaway princess, instantly shacked up in his apothecary house. Other hot girls appeared at Red’s front door as people realized he was the machine making the Hero’s Party successful. The Hero, Ruti, quit her job pursuing the Demon Lord to reunite with her big brother. By the end of Banished from the Hero’s Party’s run, Red and Rit had built a slow life of selling potions and helping the frontier village with threatening monsters. Rit was a fanservice factory, along with Yarandrala, Red’s elf friend, and Ruti. Will the second season continue putting these beautiful ladies in hot tubs, steam rooms, and moonlit rivers? I’m hopeful.

Banished from the Hero’s Party — The Slow Life Interruptions Continue

The production committee for Banished from the Hero’s Party released a promotional trailer in September focusing on Red and Rit’s carefree days in their village. But you know that can’t last. Recently, the anime program’s official website published information on four new characters coming to take Red and Ruti away from their slower-paced lives. They are the new Hero’s Party that will inevitably need Ruti and Red’s help.

• Van — Yumiri Hanamori (Nadeshiko Kagamihara from Yuru Camp∆ and Ai Hayasaka from Kaguya-sama: Love is War). He’s another “Hero,” the eighth prince of Flamberg. Left alone after his kingdom fell to the Demon Lord’s forces, he’s a pure, justice-loving character with deep faith. He sees all blessings and fate as the will of the supreme god, Demis.
• Lavender — Ai Kakuma (Fran from Reincarnated as a Sword and Eris Boreas Greyrat from Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation). She’s a fairy from the Hero Party, claiming to be Van’s partner. Despite her small size, she’s packed with potent magic. She dislikes humans, but Van is an exception — she’s fallen for him and joined the party. She supports everything Van does and shows no mercy to those who hinder him.
• Cardinal Lub — Satoshi Mikami (Byakuya Ishigami from Dr. STONE). He’s a top cardinal of the Holy See Church. As Van’s guardian, he helps the one whose blessing is “Hero” grow into a brave warrior. He’s ambitious and worldly despite being a clergyman.
• Esther — Aya Uchida (Theodora from Banished from the Hero’s Party S1 and Ran from Rail Romanesque). The Hero Party hired the masked knight (a.k.a. Escalarta) to support Van, the Hero, due to her victory over one of the Demon Lord’s Four Heavenly Kings. Van’s naive words and deeds often baffle her.

Quiet Living in the Country, Sometimes

The original cast returns with most of the directing and writing staff intact from Studio Flad.

• Rit — Kanon Takao (Yuna Goha from Yu☆Gi☆Oh! Go Rush!!). She’s a B-rank adventurer in Zoltan, a frontier town. Living with Red, she runs an herb store. She’s also the heroic Rizlet, the second princess of Loggervia. But she chose to stick with Gideon, her comrade from the battlefield.
• Red — Ryouta Suzuki (Yuu Ishigami from Kaguya-sama: Love is War). He’s a D-rank adventurer. He and his girlfriend, Rit, live a peaceful life running the Red & Rit Herb Shop. Blessed with the “Guiding Hand,” he used to be Gideon, the protector of heroes on their quests.
• Ruti — Naomi Oozora (Hana Uzaki from Uzaki-chan Wants to Hang Out! and Jahy from The Great Jahy Will Not Be Defeated!). Red’s little sister is an adventurer and herb farmer in Zoltan. Destined to defeat the Demon Lord with a “Hero” blessing, her humanity was limited in exchange for power. But her new “Shin” blessing has lifted those limits.
• Tisse — Rie Kugimiya (Formidable from Azur Lane: Bisoku Zenshin! and Happy from Fairy Tail). She’s a small girl with an “Assassin” blessing. She took Red’s spot in the Hero Party. She and Ruti, her friend, started an herb farm. Her sidekick is a tiny spider, Uge Uge. She’s crazy about baths.
• Yarandrala — Sora Amamiya (Aqua from Konosuba and Chizuru Mizuhara from Rent-A-Girlfriend). She’s a High Elf, Red’s best friend and fellow warrior. Blessed as a “Tree Singer,” she can tap into plant power. She supports Red’s happiness and nudges Rit but visits Zoltan due to her private discontent.

Grow Old Slowly Reading the Original Title Out Loud

Banished from the Hero’s Party started as a self-published web novel on Shosetsuka ni Naro by Zappon, which explains the ridiculously long original title, “Banished from the brave man’s group, I decided to lead a slow life in the backcountry.” Manga adaptations from Masahiro Ikeno began in May 2018 in Monthly Shonen Ace. And Kadokawa picked it up as a light novel series with Yasumo’s art the month after.

The first season of Banished from the Hero’s Party, I Decided to Live a Quiet Life in the Countryside (真の仲間じゃないと勇者のパーティーを追い出されたので、辺境でスローライフすることにしました, Shin no Nakama ja Nai to Yuusha no Party wo Oidasareta node, Henkyou de Slow Life suru Koto ni shimashita) streams on Crunchyroll in multiple languages and subtitles.

Are you looking forward to more slow life, hot wife action this January? My body is ready. Is yours? Let us know in the comments below or online on Facebook, Twitter, or Discord.

Naofumi is usually a stick-in-the-mud who can’t appreciate a slow moment when it arises. But who couldn’t enjoy a slow life with Raphtalia in a hot springs bath? She’s ready to relax with you with this beautiful figure in the J-List store. Pick up Raphtalia 1/7 Figure Hot Spring ver. — The Rising of the Shield Hero for Christmas because it is in stock now!