KonoSuba happens to be one of the only Isekai anime out there that still feels fresh, even after all these years. And part of that is how the main protagonist really doesn’t get any OP powers. Kazuma may get a bit stronger, but it’s never at the same earth shattering levels we see other Isekai protagonists get to. And that just makes it even more funnier. 

Kazuma doesn’t get much stronger than your average party NPC (Non-Playable Character). Not in the traditional sense, at least. He doesn’t become the Chosen One™ by any regard, in terms of being a Hero. Like, he will remain a pretty weak warrior, all things considered. Instead, he ends up getting higher stats in Luck and Intelligence. He’s a much better con-man than he is an Adventurer, and pretty much everyone knows that.

And honestly? That’s part of the appeal of the series. KonoSuba: God’s Blessing On This Wonderful World is meant to be a satirical take on all the Isekai that the mid 2010s were hurling at us. With zero to hero protagonists, a harem of beautiful women and adventures galore, things got stale. But Kazuma Satou managed to bring something new, which we will discuss in another round of Character Analysis! 

Kazuma Satou: He’s Just Some Guy?

So, if you’ve been here a while, it’s no secret how tired the Isekai Genre got for me. I think we all went into a bit of a fatigue with anime that were the same format, over and over again. And ironically enough, Reverse-Isekai was supposed to break that monotony, but it just ended up being oversaturated as well. 

But not KonoSuba, which was one of the first entries of an Isekai that truly reinvented something, and actually kept going with it. The main part of that was Kazuma Satou, the main protagonist. If other Isekai protagonists are boy wonders, Kazuma is a boy average. And he knows it. Like, the boy gets his dreams of being this super cool guy dashed immediately.

But does that stop him from trying to survive in a fantastical new world, stuck to the person that landed him in this situation? No. If anything, his tenacity more than makes up for his lack of skill as a warrior or a magician. Like, the man was a hikikomori, a loner. Being social is the bravest thing he can do. 

Kazuma Doesn’t Get Stronger, And That’s For The Best

Look, I love hype characters, don’t get me wrong. I grew up in the era of the Big 3, so seeing my favorite characters eventually become the strongest? It’s part of being a Shounen fan. But at the same time, I feel like Isekai overdid it by making all the protagonists the same brand of stoic and unlikeable. 

And that’s the major thing here: Kazuma Satou makes for a likeable protagonist. He’s got great comedic timing, maxing out his Luck stat while being pitiful in an actual fight. It makes the series so much more enjoyable, because being flawed is a part of Kazuma’s narrative. He really is just some guy who got transported to a fantastical land with no instruction manual. 

So, he’s going to respond to it like any of us would: Thinking that we might be gaining some amazing power later on, but really, we’d probably get curb stomped. It’s hilarious, and it’s what makes Konosuba work. Would it have been fun to see him slowly get better? Maybe. But I really enjoy seeing how out-of-the-box he can be when faced with a villain that is more powerful.

The fact that Kazuma doesn’t get any stronger as a Hero, is what sells Konosuba as a great anime. You don’t always need a super OP main character. Sometimes, it’s ok to be an average dude trying to wing it.