What to expect? contains minor spoilers At its core this story parodies power fantasy tropes offering a fresh take rather than just another MC solos everything narrative. The humor thrives on dramatic irony and situational absurdity with the foundation of its jokes built on the constant disconnect between reality Norus perception and how others interpret his actions. If you have ever enjoyed misunderstandings mixed with a powerhouse protagonist you might recognize a similar comedic structure in the most iconic character of the 2000sMr. Bean. Both characters unintentionally influence their surroundings in ways they do not comprehend making the analogy reasonable. Noru operates in much the same way. The key reason this humor works is the stark contrast between what the audience knows to be true and Norus own oblivious perspective creating an ongoing hook that keeps viewers engaged in how each misunderstanding will unfold. Now this style of comedy works brilliantly in the short term and can even hold up longterm with strong execution and evolution of the joke structure. However it does come with pitfallsthe biggest being repetitiveness. Since most of the supporting cast exists primarily to react to Noru they risk feeling flat lacking significant development or personal arcs. Additionally there is no big reveal where Noru is recognized on a grander scale which might leave some viewers craving a more traditional power fantasy payoff. However there are a few layers thrown in even if subtle. There is an emotional layer to Norus backstorysuch as a moment where his former teachers express concern for his wellbeing after their reunion. Despite failing to recognize his talent this suggests they did care about him hinting at lingering feelings over how things turned out. Its a small but meaningful touch that adds dimension to his journey. 300https://i.ur.com/W7h92Kz.jpeg That said these elementscharacter growth varied development or a climactic recognition momentare features of a different kind of story. Expecting them here would be misaligned with the actual theme and intent of I Will Parry Everything. This series doesnt push genre boundariesit thrives within its own comedic rhythm and judging it by the standards of a conventional adventure or power fantasy misses the point. Personally I love the setup to Norus character. Its one of those cases where the protagonist is absurdly overpowered yet the story doesnt go out of its way to glorify him. Instead it plays on dramatic irony where everyone but Noru himself realizes how strong he is. The man has spent 25+ years grinding fundamentalscaster strength healing resistance stealth swordsmanship and reflexesBut because he cant stack advanced skills under each category he assumes he is just mediocre. Thats righta guy who has essentially mastered the foundation of every combat technique thinks he is barely above useless. 330https://i.ur.com/rDyXQ1J.jpeg 330https://i.ur.com/DkuGY1x.jpeg But honestly its plausible in context. Norus grew up alone and ignorant after losing his parents early on in a world where the ranking system prioritizes adventurers with multiple advanced skills even if they lack true combat prowess unfairly dismissing specialists like Noru simply because it values breadth over depth. Despite training under six different teachers Noru was never recognized as a prodigy because he couldnt develop advanced skills. Each teacher assumed he might excel elsewhere passing him alonguntil the last one finally realized his potential. However by then Noru disheartened by his inability to meet the systems standards left without a word. He resigned himself to mastering what he had learned on his own never once considering that sheer mastery of fundamentals could make him exceptional. As a result he never experienced actual combat or witnessed adventurers in action leaving him completely unaware of the world around him. He doesnt even know what real threats look like. When he encounters monsters that could obliterate a town he just assumes they are mildly dangerous wild animals. A Goblin Emperor? Perhaps a very tall goblin. A Minotaur? A buff buffalo. A dragon? Must be large toad. And because he never had to measure his strength against anyone it never even occurs to him that he might be on a whole different level. Plus the guild master could have figured it out if Noru had provided evidence of his first kill. For example when he defeated the Goblin Emperor and described its appearance the guild master was skeptical suspecting it wasnt just a regular goblin. He asked for proof but since Noru had unknowingly obliterated the bodycompletely unaware that hunters are only fully paid when they bring back evidencehe only received the basic participation reward. The guild master lacking proof simply assumed Noru had taken down an exceptionally rare goblin. And since the princess was with him the guild master didnt press further assuming that as a Brank adventurer she had done most of the work. Besides the princess greatly admires Noru seeing him as her master. So when Noru casually called it just a goblin she simply nodded in agreement trusting his judgment without question. This kind of misunderstanding adds to the comedy but not in a forced overthetop way. Its not about exaggerated reactionsits about how the world perceives him vs how he sees himself. The higherups mistake his unawareness of threat for confidence and assume he is so overwhelmingly powerful that these deadly monsters dont even faze him. Its the kind of situational humor that works because its organic. You can picture him casually saying You are pretty shredded for a toddler to a dwarf. 330https://i.ur.com/gKw00Jn.png Is our guy stupid? You tell me The guy has spent his life being ranked as an Fclass adventurer and completely ignored by the system. He has no frame of reference for what a strong or weak person looks like. Even though he knows what he can do the systems rankingand his lack of comparisonprevents him from understanding what actually defines weakness. Plus the adventurers guild doesnt care about lower ranks so Noru never actively seeks out higherlevel knowledge. He doesnt even know what magic can truly do because as far as he is concerned his spells are just basic. Its not ignoranceits conditioning. 290https://i.ur.com/QsCiC7E.jpeg There is also the psychological aspect. Noru cant level up in the system meaning he never gets validation from it. Imagine training your whole life honing every skill to perfection but because there is no number increasing next to your name you assume you havent improved at all. Thats Norus mindset in a nutshell. And even when multiple people call him OP he brushes it off because he thinks he is just working extra hard to keep up with lowlevel threats. His character is both a parody of OP protagonists and a case of someone unknowingly becoming a leader and inspiration due to his own misunderstandings. The show is pure Norufun chaos yet never mindless. Would I recommend it? Absolutelyif you go in with the right expectations. Its not a grand adventure with epic character arcs or worldbuilding. Its a series of misunderstandings humor and a protagonist who unknowingly bends reality. Noru remains obliviously humble leading others to overanalyze his actions mistaking his cluelessness for supreme confidence or strategy. Meanwhile he misinterprets their admiration as them holding back since in his mind hes just an Frank. And honestly I doubt this dynamic will ever changebecause unraveling it would collapse the very humor that makes Noru such a fun and endearing character. If this brand of comedy clicks with you you are in for a good time. 360https://i.ur.com/V3aHSim.jpeg 300https://i.ur.com/1jJXvUU.jpeg 7/10 PS: The anime adapts up to chapter 21 the latest chapter as of February 2025. While mostly faithful it includes a few extra frames to enhance certain scenes. So you can check it out as well