Banished from the Hero's Party

Episode 10

At long last, it has arrived: the Ruti episode.

Ruti is by far the most tragic character in Banished from the Hero's Party. And while we have seen bits and pieces of what her life is like, this episode brings everything into perfect clarity. Through Rit, we know what happens to a normal person actively fighting her own Blessing: occasional discontent, wild mood swings, and an ever-growing urge to do what her Blessing demands. But for Ruti, things are on a whole different level. Even downing huge amounts of the Demon Blessing drug, Ruti's Blessing still has a ton of power over her.

Now, she can BS it to some extent by doing some serious mental gymnastics to make her current actions not be in total conflict with her Blessing. However, we see that by even saying she'll do something that contradicts her mission, her Blessing puts her in crippling pain—even if what she said is her heart's true desire. Even more terrifying is the fact that, in general, Ruti cannot feel pain at all—meaning that what her Blessing hits her with may be the first actual pain she's felt in years. Since her Blessing is no longer capable of controlling her every action, it flagellates her when she steps out of line. It's no wonder she is trying so hard to escape it through the drug.

But more than just showing her physical situation, this episode is keen on delving into the mental side of things. On her hero's journey, Ruti has gotten stronger—and by this, I mean she has leveled up her Blessing. With it, it's control has grown ever tighter. This is why she is no longer able to feel pleasure or pain—i.e., things that might distract “the Hero” from her mission.

Rather than simply being a prisoner in her own body, Ruti is a prisoner in her own mind as well. With her Blessing at full strength, She is all but incapable of feeling any emotion but the strongest of them—like the murderous rage she felt when Ares tricked her brother into leaving the party. Thus, the only emotional stimulus she has is the memories she has of back when her Blessing was weaker—be that the simple joy of holding her brother's hand in a storm or the love she felt for him when he came to rescue her.

Even in this episode, when we see her spending the day with Red—wishing that this simple-yet-enjoyable day would never end—she is not feeling new emotions. She isn't loving the taste of her favorite drink or enjoying a relaxing time in the sauna. What she feels is nostalgia—remembering similar times when her Blessing was even weaker than it is now in its artificially weakened state.

With all this, it's no surprise that Ruti is severely stunted emotionally. Yet, with the weakening of her Blessing, she is suddenly able to both express and perceive more subtle feelings. However, being able to express them doesn't mean she knows how to—or what certain feelings even are. Even harder than understanding herself is understanding others. Ruti lacks empathy. She is unable to put herself in another person's shoes. She has never had the years of growth it takes to develop this skill. When she does something wrong, she knows that she has messed up but is incapable of understanding how. She needs a teacher—an ally who can help her understand not only her own feelings but those of others—which brings us to Tisse.

In this episode, Tisse comes to truly understand Ruti in a way that even her brother does not. She can see the traumatized little girl beneath the imposing Blessing—the lonely girl who is straining to make an emotional connection but doesn't know how to. And, after the bath scene where Ruti is able to tearfully explain the hell that is her existence, Tisse has an epiphany that will change the course of her life: The Hero may be the only person who can save this world but Tisse might just be the only one able to save the Hero.

Rating:

Random Thoughts:

• I am 100% down for having Tisse become our new protagonist and have the series focus on her adventures trying to save the hero's soul from the hell that is her Blessing.

• Before this episode, Red understood his sister better than anyone else. He could see that she was a normal girl underneath her Blessing. However, this episode also makes it clear he never understood what it is like for her mentally or emotionally—to have both her thoughts and actions actively controlled by her Blessing.

• Oh! Albert's alive. I guess that means he's free of his deal with the devil at least?

• It was interesting to see Theodora's thoughts on Blessings and free will as a member of the church. But with Blessings, it's like being enslaved more than anything. You have free will but that in no way means you have personal freedom or self-determination.

• Remember, the name is “Mr. Crawley Wawly.” Mister is part of the name. If you want to be polite, you must address the spider as “Mr. Mr. Crawley Wawly.”

Banished from the Hero's Party is currently streaming on Funimation.

Richard is an anime and video game journalist with over a decade of experience living and working in Japan. For more of his writings, check out his Twitter and blog.