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The following contains minor spoilers from the manhwa
In the newest anime adaptation of an isekai story,The Beginning After The End,we are graced with the character of King Grey, aka Arthur. While there have beenmany adaptations of the isekai idea, Arthur stands out as a particularly compelling protagonist who resonates with fans in a way that many of these stories’ protagonists fail. But why is that the case?
Arthur’s character strikes a delicate balancebetween having enough depth not to be boring while also not being too far gone that the viewers cannot project themselves into his decision-making. This dynamic is supported by the narrative leaning on the consequences of his past life instead of completely forgetting it, and how we, as the audience, also get access to the special information Arthur does to solve problems inThe Beginning After The End.
Arthur’s Push and Pull
How Arthur Doesn’t Always Give Audiences What They Want
One of the keys to Arthur’s success as a protagonist is that he acts how the audience sees themselves acting, but doesn’t always make decisions the way they would like. This makes Arthur a protagonist who doesn’t feel enslaved to the wish-fulfillment part of Isekai. He has both his own identity as a character but also gets to have all the powers and be part ofall the situations isekai enjoyers fantasize about.
“A king never betrays the people who trust him. And… I promised someone very important to become a better person and to cherish the people around me.” -Arthur Leywin.
One way the story does this is to set up a compelling dynamic between Arthur and a character and then change the direction of the story completely to set up another scenario for Arthur to fall into. This allows the audience to feel the pain of the separation each time, appreciate the standard isekai dynamics, and not take them for granted.
For example, Arthur saves Tess from slave traders, and they spend years together growing their relationship. A whole isekai story could have been made just about Tess and Arthur’s time together. However, the plot requires the two to be separated. This makes the audience sad and makes them wish to see each other again. The story does this trick multiple times, allowing Arthur toexperience each of the popular isekai scenarioswhile the story still feels fresh. Arthur gets to be both a gifted student of a magical academy and an adventurer climbing through the ranks exploring dungeons.
“Killing you here would be showing mercy. Instead, I’ll let you stew in the consequences of your actions here by taking what you value most.” -Arthur Leywin.
Arthur works as an anime isekai protagonistbecause he doesn’t bend to our whims. He refuses to be pigeonholed into a formulaic story and inserts himself in the myriad of fantasy scenarios isekai fantasy readers crave while he continues his journey in his new life.
The Appeal of Transcendent Knowledge
Feeling Special in a World of Magic
Another reason why Arthur is a captivating main character is how he can pull on knowledge from his past life and use it to solve problems in his new one. While this is a common isekai trope for characters to use their past knowledge in interesting ways, Arthur’s past life with ki translates 1-to-1 with magic in a way that makes problem-solving more involved. This allows the viewer, projecting through Arthur, to always feel a step ahead of other characters despite how strong they can be.
Unlike a lot of isekai protagonists who start as regular people and have to learn the rules of this new world, Arthur’s abilities seem made for the challenge. In particular, his ability to use a sword efficiently gives him a one-up in many situations he would otherwise have no business in. Many isekai protagonists grant us the fantasy of using impressive magical abilities or skills, but Arthur inThe Beginning After The Endmakes us feel like we deserve them and know how to use them.
