Image via Yen Press
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The goal of a group of heroes is to save the day. That’s the situation in the light novel Who Killed the Hero by Daken. A group of individuals, who trained together and were called upon by the country’s royal family to face the Demon Lord, did manage to save the day. However, in so doing they also lost the hero. The one person everyone rallied around is gone. Now, years after he’s gone, the kingdom is compiling a history and investigation into what happened, with interviews with his three allies, and the mystery of what really happened to the prophesied hero finally comes to light.
Editor’s Note: There will be spoilers for the first volume of the Who Killed the Hero light novel below.
For those unfamiliar with Who Killed the Hero, the structure is akin to Oshi no Ko. In that series, we are learning about what happened to Ai Hoshino and her children Aqua and Ruby, with the main “story” set up as a flashback while people talk about the production of a documentary about her. (If you’re unfamiliar with Oshi no Ko, World War Z is another work it feels similar in structure to.) In Who Killed the Hero, the story is both about the hero Ares Schmidt and what happened to him after he defeated the Demon Lord, as well as insight into his three allies the Sword Saint, the Great Sage mage Solon Barclay, and the Holy Maiden priestess Maria Lauren. It’s as much their story as it is his, since they’re the survivors and all four attended Falm Academy as potential hero candidates in training.
The difference here is that, unlike Oshi no Ko, Who Killed the Hero is more akin to World War Z and enforces the interview structure. So we’ll read through the interviews with characters like Leon, Maria, and Solon, then we’ll go through “fragment” chapters that offer a more firsthand look at a direct memory and experience involving that character and Ares to help further establish their relationship, their past, and their motive.
Yes, motive, as Daken frames Who Killed the Hero as the sort of story in which maybe Ares, the prophesied hero, didn’t die in the line of duty when facing the Demon Lord. That maybe something else, or someone else, resulted in him meeting his untimely demise. This means, as we read through the interviews, we end up perhaps taking a bit more of a critical look at what people are saying, how they say it, and what the interactions between each of them and Ares were really like.
For the sake of avoiding spoilers, I won’t get too into it. However, as an example, the interview with Leon regarding Ares the Hero begins with a simple statement from him. “He was my friend.” We then learn this wasn’t always so, due to pride and preconceived prejudices Leon, as a noble, had against Ares, a young man who was a commoner from a normal village. Especially since Leon was also considered a prime hero candidate with the skills necessary to save the day and was both naturally talented and invested in by his family.
Who Killed the Hero is absolutely fascinating. Going through the story in this way, and the execution of Ares’ story, is fantastic. The pacing is perfect. Also, the direction Daken takes means that in volume 1, we’re learning Ares’ story. Volume 2 will follow a whole new hero and their death. So we get the satisfaction of everything being wrapped up and perhaps only continuing with certain volumes if we really connect with those characters and mysteries.
The first volume of Who Killed the Hero is available now, and Yen Press will release volume 2 on November 11, 2025.
