SPOILER WARNING: I’m writing this on the assumption you’ve watched at least the first six episodes of Cautious Hero. You can take this as a review of sorts, and an analysis of maybe a more hidden, overlooked side of the show. The rest is under the cut. If you haven’t seen it but are looking for a reason to watch it and don’t mind some spoilers, then read on. This’ll be the LAST WARNING FOR SPOILERS. So let’s get started.
It may be easy to write Cautious Hero off as just another fun isekai comedy. Every episode seems to have the following formula: the hero Seiya being cautious, the goddess Rista freaking out or getting frustrated at him, some innocent gets in trouble, Seiya finishes his preparations and goes to save the person in an OP fashion, repeat.
However, I think the show has heart. It’s worth watching.
Rista is More Than Just the Memes
She’s loud and crazy and all over the place, and the source of many jokes, especially involving Seiya. She reminds me of Aqua from Konosuba, in that she’s quick to kick up a fuss when things don’t go her way. However, in a way much more obvious than Aqua is, she is a compassionate goddess who cares for her people. This shows in how pressured she feels to raise Seiya as a hero, and in her efforts to push him to save others.
For example:
Almost the entirety of episode 1 is Rista adapting to Seiya’s needs so he can train as he likes. She makes furniture for his room, she cooks for him, she gives him whatever he needs to train. I think what’s important here is that every time she enters his room while he’s training, you see her nose bleeds just at the sight of him from where she’s standing at the door, like this:
She went to him with the goal of getting him to go down to the human world, but she was instantly distracted when she saw him. However, it’s different in episode 2. When the townspeople are seriously in danger, she barges into his room without batting an eyelid at him, and even walks right up to him and grabs his arm (pictures below). The show knows when to joke, but when they’re serious, they’re serious. Human life means a lot to Rista, and the anime makes sure we know it. This is just one example of many where she displays compassion toward humans.
And we know this isn’t just a fluke, because immediately after Seiya defeats Chaos Machina— as soon as the threat is gone and the town is safe— she hugs and clings to him like this:
The Little Things Behind Seiya’s Actions Matter
Even if he is extremely cautious, he isn’t just an unemotional robot. You could say that caution and wanting to be prepared for anything could stem from some sort of fear, even if it hasn’t been addressed in detail in the anime yet, as of episode 6. It could be fear of death, of pain, of the unknown, etc. It’s treated like a running gag, but Seiya’s cautious nature is proof of his humanity. He just wants to survive. And in episode 2, Rista even questions him about this when he refuses to save the town right away. And guess what? He can’t answer her.
But. He still accepts the good luck charm from the child. He still accepts the two dragon kids, Mash and Elulu, into his party, even if he says they’re just baggage carriers to him. Both of which he does under Rista’s encouragement. By episode 6, he eats Rista’s cooking now, assured and confident that it’s safe— that she wouldn’t poison him:
In other words, he trusts Rista. And it shows. In episode 6, he makes a fake Igzasion. He used his pre-made sword to trick everyone into thinking the lizard leader Leviae became the sword, that the problem was solved.
Why would he do this? Let’s take a closer look at this conversation that occurs after the battle ended, when Rista and Seiya are on their own, talking about the sword.
Rista: “And you used that to hoodwink everyone, huh? To put their minds at ease.”
Seiya: “Look, you can’t tell anyone.”
Rista: “I know. But if, like Leviae said, Igzasion is the only weapon that can beat the Demon Lord…”
Seiya: “We’ll just have to find another way. You said so yourself, didn’t you?”
Rista: “I-I was caught up in the moment when I said that.”
Seiya: “Gonna be okay. Something will work out.”
Rista: “Huh?”
Seiya: “Let’s go. They’re waiting for us.”
(emphasis added)
Now wait. Take a look at Seiya’s line here: “We’ll just have to find another way. You said so yourself, didn’t you?”
When did Rista say this? Let’s go back a few minutes, earlier in the same episode. Elulu is being pushed to the edge of the abyss by the big guards. Mash is being restrained from saving her. Rista has no offensive magic, and can’t do anything. But Seiya shows up behind the guards, and says that they can’t kill her, because she’s his baggage carrier. Rista then breaks into laughter, to which Leviae questions if she, like the hero, has no intention of defeating the demon lord or saving the world. And here’s her answer:
Rista: “I swear to you, we will still save this world. But we can’t sacrifice the life of one of our friends to do so! We will find some other way that does not require Igzasion and defeat the Demon Lord!”
Leviae: “Really… like hero, like goddess.”
(emphasis added)
First, remember what Leviae says right here, I’ll come back to that. Second, Seiya, in his own fashion, saves Elulu after the whole episode dragged on about her being sacrificed, and no one truly tried to stop her yet. Rista was inspired by him, and she’s genuinely happy that Seiya for once is saving someone of his own accord, for his own interests— that she didn’t have to force him or push him to do it. And not only that, she gets the implication. She gets it.
He’s willing to give up a weapon that may be key to defeating the Demon Lord, the biggest threat in the world, the biggest danger, the one existence he should be the most cautious of. He’s giving up a weapon that may be able to get rid of that danger, and why? Because he doesn’t want Elulu to die.
He’d rather give up this ultimate weapon than give up one of his party members. Even if he says she’s just a baggage carrier, there’s no reasonable way Seiya would value a baggage carrier over an ultimate weapon. In the end, he’s choosing her because he has no way of knowing for sure the weapon would even work, so he’d rather choose for Elulu to live. He might be wrong. Maybe it would’ve been better if he had killed her for the sword. But he values her life more than the possible risk that he may be wrong.
And we know how cautious he is. We know how well he thinks through everything. We know every decision he makes is one that he knows for sure is the best one. So for him to save Elulu and give up the sword, means a lot.
And Rista knows it. That’s why she makes this face at him.
That’s why she’s able to laugh so happily, then so determinedly and confidently and assuredly says that they’ll “find some other way.”
But then for Seiya to say her words back to her?
He was listening to her. He remembered what she said. All this time, she’s been nagging him and harping on him, and he only ever does what he wants. He trains by himself, he doesn’t let her see his stats, he acts on his own without listening to her requests. He constantly and consistently acts without any regard for her. He always put his safety and caution as his top priority.
But just this once, he did listen. And not only that, he accepted it. He’s willing to say something so unlike himself, something so unplanned as “something will work out.”
Because he got it from her.
That’s why Rista gets so flustered, and stutters when she says she got caught up in the moment. That’s why she confusedly goes, “Huh?” when he says that. She’s surprised that he heard her. He heard her.
He influenced her, and she influenced him.
Like hero, like goddess.
This is what Cautious Hero is about. It’s not the running gag of Seiya’s extreme caution, or Rista’s antics, though the comedy is entertaining. These two people are forced into this situation they don’t want to be in. But they’re in the same boat. This world is just as dangerous and unfamiliar to them both.
In episode 1, Rista reveals she has saved five worlds before, but the average is ten, and some veterans have saved even hundreds. When it’s announced (with much ceremony and shiny fireworks and a large audience) that she’ll be in charge of saving Gaeabrande, an S-level difficulty world, a god in the background says, “Once you overcome this, you’ll be a full-fledged goddess!”
She isn’t one yet.
Rista responds that she’ll “do [her] best to gain as much experience as [she] can” from saving this S-level world. A world that is “dreadful enough to give even veterans pause.” It’s her assignment. Her mission, and everyone knows it. She has a lot to prove, and a lot to lose.
She’s out of her league. She isn’t as experienced as her talented senior goddess friend, Aria, who she asks for advice many times. She summons Seiya in hopes that he’ll be able to help her. She asks other gods to train Seiya for her in episodes 3 and 5. In other words, she isn’t all that confident in herself and seeks outside help often.
Seiya on the other hand, just wants to live his life safely. This dangerous, new, unfamiliar world is the last place he’d want to be in. But unlike Rista, he is confident in his ability to do what it takes to become perfectly ready. But he lacks compassion and care for others, often hurting them without remorse because of his need for caution. And as we know, Rista has compassion in spades.
Rista and Seiya complement each other, and they cover the other’s weaknesses. They’re slowly changing, because of the other.
This is where the heart of Cautious Hero is. And in my opinion, that’s a good enough reason to watch it to me.
