Warning: Spoilers forThe Healer Who Was Banished From His Party, Is, in Fact, the Strongest episode #4Critics and even fans of the anime genres where weak healers turn out to be strong or where protagonists are unfairly kicked out of their party understandably approachedCrunchyroll’sThe Healer Who Was Banished From His Party, Is, in Fact, the Strongestwith skepticism. However, the first few episodes of this ostensible generic anime began hinting at the fact thatit was probably much more than just another facsimile of not one but two subgenres, and the fourth episode seems to have cemented its status as an original series.
Much like isekai, even the more innovative anime of the “weak healer” o “kicked from the party” subgenres still heavily rely on certain tropes, andThe Healer Who Was Banished From His Party, Is, in Fact, the Strongestis definitely no exception. However, there are more than a handful of series that don’t even attempt to deviate at least a little bit from their genre’s derivative formulas. Luckily,The Healer Who Was Banished From His Party, Is, in Fact, the Strongestis, in fact, making numerous strides to stand out.
The Weak Power Is Not Actually What Makes The Hero Strong
Adapted from the Light Novel by Writer Kagekinoko and Illustrator Kakao Lanthanum
Without fail, every hero who gets kicked out of their respective party is banished because their power is useless, but once they’re on their own, the protagonist comes to realize that it was just greatly misunderstood to the point where they’re actually godly. The more recent examples of this includeBeast Tamerand evenThe Strongest Tank’s Labyrinth Raids - A Tank with a Rare 9999 Resistance Skill Got Kicked from the Hero’s Party, the latter of which just focused onrejecting other party tropes.
And although this new anime’s protagonist, Laust, turns out to be the strongest, it’s for a completely different reason. In episode #4, Laust is knocked out before getting engulfed in some supernatural aura and completely obliterating his foe while still unconscious. Incredibly, there isno direct correlation from this new awakening to his weak healing ability, as is always the case. In fact, a horn of energy that appears on his forehead creates the impression that these powers are demonic.
Although an unexpected development and the most shocking one overall, it’s relevant to note that the first three episodes of the anime had already taken strides to deviate from the underrated power trope in a completely different way. It was strongly implied thatLaust’s healing powers were indeed weakand that he had just put in the effort to beef up his other abilities tomake him more well-rounded and useful. It’s for that reason that viewers were most likely scratching their heads at the end of every episode, wondering if the anime should have been calledThe Healer Who Was Banished From His Party, Is, in Fact, Quite Useful.
A Special Relationship That’s Enough To Differentiate This “Generic” Anime
Anime Produced by Studio Elle
Other fun innovations abound in this series, like choosing to have an anime about a hero who gets kicked out of their party star the stereotypical protagonist who’s ridiculed for their healing magic. Usually, they’re separate, like inThe Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic.However,The Healer Who Was Banished From His Party, Is, in Fact, the Strongestalso introduced another fun dynamic that made a well-known formula more direct and consequential. A common backstory in this subgenre involves the protagonist being inspired to become an adventurer after one saves them. However, in this anime,the secondary character has been inspired by the protagonist, Laust,and has joined his party without him realizing that she’s the one he rescued.
This has created fun, layered dynamics in the process. Sometimes he’s driven to help her in the present day because he doesn’t want to let down that little girl he saved so long ago, all while failing to realize that she’s the same person. In essence, this results in her inspiring him on multiple levels without his knowledge. It’s for these reasons thatThe Healer Who Was Banished From His Party, Is, in Fact, the Strongestis proving to be a lot more than a generic isekai with a stereotypical premise and a long title.
