[stray]

Originally Posted by Twi

Of the MobuSeka Five, Julius is the only one who really has the potential to really be fleshed out but that's a topic for another thread.

On the topic of the four heroes, in a spoiler tag because I want to try not to have a wall of text.

Spoiler:

The thing is, they do have greater relevance by the sheer fact that they have three of the most powerful weapons in the setting. Like Ren, Itsuki, and Motoyatsu were personally summoned from their own world under circumstances that are spoilers, but the fact is they are meant to be special by the sheer virtue of them having those weapons. But they feel like they exist to basically make life harder for the protagonist.

Think about it: You get summoned to a world that has mechanics just like the game you played, including status screens and power-up methods, and yet basically all that knowledge you had from that reference material just makes you weaker in contrast to the guy who had no knowledge at all coming in. Why did three individuals, who came from different worlds with different Japans, but played a game that had similar enough mechanics and plotlines, end up here if all of that worked against them? If someone who had no previous knowledge was better suited for the role, then why weren't all four candidates summoned without that knowledge?

We just got introduced to (or reminded of? I forget) vassal weapons.

Mind you, I'm fairly sure that I'm giving it more weight than it needs to have. What happened was I saw an Isekai that had a decent premise with an interesting gimmick with the shield aspect, and I got invested. But when I get invested, I start to actually think in-depth about the other characters and their place in the narrative since the world doesn't revolve around the Main Character in a setting this big. There's too much happening off-screen for that.

They are flawed individuals for certain, but it legitimately feels like the author worked against them to an unnatural degree so that Naofumi basically gets to be a step above them by being the only one constantly doing the right thing in order to move the plot along. The seal served a purpose at the beginning of the show to get him his first party member and to show his desperation, but after it was removed they went out of their way to give it back to her and then justified it with the growth rate bonuses.

I dunno man I just feel like you're asking this to be something its not, which is why I brought up MobuSeka, which I think is actually really comparable in its parody aspects. Personally I like the three stooges for what they are, and don't really see the need for them to really take up more of the story than they do, especially when the series is able to introduce characters that are more interesting anyway like Ost, L'arc, hell even Rishia. They need a massive amount of development (and soul searching) before they're ready to be actual heroes, the bulk of which should probably take place off screen.

As far as the slavery thing Raphtalia specifically wanted the seal back, but I don't want to get into the slavery thing further because I'd very quickly end up in spoiler territory. I still have much less problem with it here than in a lot of other isekai, probably in no small part because it isn't a harem. It doesn't candy coat it either, the slave trader's place looks shady as fuck.