It’s time for a mini series that I didn’t really know much about. Hero Tales plays out as a very classic 7 Samurai kind of adventure as the chosen warriors must destroy an evil ruler. There is a bunch of action and world building but the series is a bit too short to really make the most of it. The series does start to feel a bit rushed by the end. Ultimately I did think this was a pretty good title but it’s not very memorable for good reason. It just doesn’t stand out all that much.

The series starts by introducing us to Taitou who isn’t too happy with the current emperor of his kingdom. He feels like the guy is just a child who doesn’t have the first clue on how to rule. Taitou may have a good point as the kingdom has been going downhill but there just doesn’t seem to be much to do about it. Well, Taitou finally completes his coming of age ceremony but is then attacked by a mysterious man named Shimei who says that he is one of the legendary warriors reincarnated from heroes of old.

Taitou is your classic hyper main character. He believes in swinging his fists first and asking questions later. Since he has a problem with the empire, he decides to just head on over there while most characters would think that is an absolutely crazy plan. He’s not a bad lead character but there just isn’t a whole lot to Taitou. He ends up being a bit more on the forgettable side compared to others. He has a big rage mode but it tends to lose more often than not. One thing that would have really helped him in a major way would have been to win more fights. I dare say that he should have just been more impressive in general.

He does take a lot of the plot twists in stride like being one of the legendary warriors. I suppose it’s because in a way he just doesn’t care. It doesn’t change any of his goals and motivations. The only twist that gives him any impact is one about his sister Laila since that does change the dynamic quite a bit. You can always count on Taitou to have your back though. So he’s a good hero even if the character is a bit simple.

I give Laila a lot of props for continuing to be a fighter even up to the end of the series. Often times the heroine tends to fall by the wayside as the series goes on. I suppose that is a benefit of a series being fairly short. She even gets her own fight near the very end of the series. I’d say Laila can just be a bit too nice at some points though like in how she just absorbs Housei’s nonstop flirting instead of shutting the guy down.

I put that mostly on Housei though. To her credit, Laila does make it clear that she’s not interested and just isn’t trying to make things awkward. Housei’s such a desperate character that he never ends up being all that likable. The guy is super durable with how many attacks he takes by the end but his personality could use some work. What I can say in his defense is that he’s good with a bow and arrow but that’s about it. Housei does have a serious self that pops out once in a while but usually doesn’t last for very long. I didn’t think that the group really needed him around. He just doesn’t add much to the dynamic.

I suppose there is something to be said for starting near the bottom instead of starting there though. The main rival in the series is Ryuukou and he starts out well but drops hard as the series goes on. This guy was initially cool, calm and collected. He really practiced all of his skills thoroughly until he could dispatch just about every opponent. Unfortunately he isn’t able to handle the stress of the moment as well as Taitou and goes completely insane in the middle. He joins up with the wrong folks and does things he can’t take back like murdering someone in cold blood.

Yes, Taitou and friends are quick to forgive him later on but it all just felt so senseless. The series did not do a good job of making me feel bad for Ryuukou so I just couldn’t identify with the character. He was directly responsible for all of the issues that came up and that hurt the MC/Rival duo that the series was going for. Ryuukou was still a capable fighter but yeah I did not like him at all by the end.

Then for the villains I would say we had two main ones. The first is Shimei who shows up constantly to rage bait all of the characters. I feel like the chaos was really his big incentive more so than any actual goal. He would constantly stir the pot and pit everyone against each other. To his credit, the guy is super good at this. He’s also very powerful as he’s shown to be able to put up a fight against anyone. He’s slippery and barely human.

Shimei’s not a good character but any means but he is definitely an intimidating presence. Whenever he showed up, the characters really had to respect his abilities. I always like having a third party show up and Seimei worked for that role since he wasn’t exactly 1-1 with Keirou. He would also not be able to stand up to Keirou in a fight and was wise to keep his distance.

Keirou is the main villain here and definitely makes for a great end boss. Now this is a fun character who has really tangible goals. He is incredibly powerful and managed to get the highest rank in the land even after starting out with nothing. His end goal may feel a little nonsensical but in a way it is the ultimate strike against the system. Keirou spends years moving up the system until he is the ruler, only to turn around and try to destroy everyone. It’s absolute madness and only something you can do if you are truly the strongest in the land.

There is no doubt that Keirou is the strongest character in the series by the end. Nobody is even close and I’d say that we can declare this without any strings attached. It takes multiple characters fighting as one and surpassing their limits to really put up a fight and even then it could have gone either way. That always makes for a very satisfying final boss.

You’re almost tempted to root for him over the actual emperor because at least Keirou would be effective. Taitou meets up with the emperor and works to make him someone who is more worthy of his title. It’s a difficult challenge though because that guy is just too oblivious and too young. I always found it rough to see an emperor who has no idea what is going on. It’s a surprisingly popular plot point but it’s not like that ever makes it much better.

The artwork is pretty good here. It has a very simple style which works really well for the fight scenes. This is a title that is clear and easy to read at all times. The character designs are distinct so you won’t be mixing them up and so I definitely have no issues on that end. When a title is easy to read, it ends up making the whole product better so that’s a big win for this one. It may not have been enough to make this a great title but it’s part of why I could recommend this to anyone. This is a good popcorn fun manga. You can pick it up and read at anytime. With only 5 volumes, it is easy to marathon.

There may not be time to look at the after effects of how the kingdom will fare but I suppose you have to assume that everything will work out now. Without Keirou around and with the emperor being a bit smarter, perhaps the world will be at peace. At least Taitou has finally mastered his true self because the guy gave into the rage way too often. That’s not always a bad thing but in this case it was annoying since he would always go after his allies. In particular someone prophesized that he would murder Laila which is the worst look because she’s the one that he should be protecting above all else. Her yell is able to snap him out of it sometimes but it’s still not a good look for him.

Overall, Hero Tales may not be able to top the author’s other titles but it is still a good manga. You could see how it may have needed another 2-3 volumes to really go into everything but the story that we got is still complete. The setup is perfect for one of those long running anime back in the day that could have thrown in a bunch of filler episodes. The longer we see the team together, the more impact the final story beats would have had. There is a whole lot of action and the character cast is big enough so ultimately you’re still having fun here. The series may be a little underdeveloped, but what we have is still good and that is absolutely the most important thing in the end.

Overall 7/10