PART 6 of 52 ONESHOTS in 52 WEEKS
平野稜二の『勇者ご一行の帰り道』 “Yuusha Goikkou no Kaerimichi” by HIRANO Ryouji
Yuusha Goikkou no Kaerimichi (known in English as The Hero’s Party on Their Way Back Home) is a fantasy oneshot by author Ryouji Hirano, who is probably best known for penning two popular spin-off manga, one derived from Demon Slayer titled Kimetsu no Yaiba: Stories of Water and Flame, and the other adapted from TYPE-MOON’s Fate series titled Fate/type Redline.
Hirano found success in 2016 with his oneshot BOZE, which was about the escapades of a gun-wielding, demon-slaying priest. BOZE went on to become a serial manga in 2018, featuring in Weekly Shounen Jump under the re-worked title BOZEBEATS. However, following poor reception, it was cancelled after just three months. The author persevered and published The Hero’s Party in Shounen Jump Plus later that year which, contrary to his series, was met with great distinction.
The oneshot is set in a fantasy world ruled by an enigmatic Demon King. Many adventurers set out on expeditions with the goal of vanquishing the evil overlord, but none ever return. That is, until the titular party — a group of four who are on their journey home after their confrontation. As they venture back amidst joviality and camaraderie, it becomes apparent that not all is as composed as it seems.
The Hero’s Party opens on what is a very generic fantasy setting. What this does, however, is lull you into a spate of expectations which are promptly subverted. The Demon King, the D&D-esque abilities of the characters, and even the action itself, is all glossed over in favour of a moving and dramatic voyage often overlooked. The journey home is usually something which happens off-screen, but author Hirano fills this typically uneventful trek with a harrowing twist. It’s a refreshing scenario within a setting usually rife with repetition.
Although it is hammy at times with melodrama and dialogue that doesn’t always feel entirely organic, the oneshot is generally well plotted, with Ryouji Hirano laying early hints at the true nature of the journey in odd tense changes and vague details that only make sense come the end. The main focus is on the mage Nina, who is a bit of a grating presence at first, but makes strides to become an assured wayfarer later down the line. The other characters all lack a certain well-roundedness, with straightforward and one-dimensional dispositions, but come the end, these scant details become very revealing in a way unique to the plot.
Ryouji Hirano understands well the saturated setting of his chosen genre, and zips past all the copy-pasted aspects you’ve seen a million times before to deliver a well-packaged and refreshing tale. His artwork, too, is largely impressive, with two particularly ravishing full-colour spreads. However, some panels and occasional backgrounds do lack detail, coming across as flat or deficient. Consequently, The Hero’s Party manages to entice, surprise, and impress chiefly through its distinctive and novel storytelling. The finer details of the plot are difficult to expound sufficiently without dipping toes into spoiler territory, but fans of series such as Overlord, or games such as D&D and fantasy MMORPGs, should get a kick out of the way the author both utilises and disrupts familiar tropes.
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Morning, Roo 