NOGI WAKABA IS A HERO - THE FABRIC OF LEGENDS

FELIX L. - Writer, 3rd Year, Environmental Engineering

The Yuushaverse, spearheaded by Takahiro for its writing, often accompanied by Aoi Akashiro namely on several of its LN titles, is an interesting case of a highly recent ambitious universe that spans many different mediums with an impressive amount of titles despite knowing only niche success. And this success is primarily contained in its first and most notorious opus, Yuuki Yuuna is a Hero which started in 2014 and had its final season very recently in 2021.

All of these works form a single timeline and story, one in which humanity, with only Shikoku Island of Japan, left inhabitable, fights in a battle that has been ongoing for 300 years by the time of the Yuki Yuna is a Hero show against the Vertexes, strange otherworldly creatures that constantly come to threaten this final bastion of humanity. As the story unfolds, we learn that this conflict is tied to a dispute between gods, with the dominant side wishing for the annihilation of humanity, and they are the ones responsible for the Vertexes’ attacks on humans. The gods who have allied themselves with humans confer powers to a few select individuals to protect their world, powers that would go on to be controlled by an organization named Taisha through what is known as the Hero System.

The different opuses of the Yuushaverse, as the name suggests, focus on tales of heroism all throughout the different eras of this war between humans and the Vertexes, with many meeting a tragic end often by pushing their powers too far for the sake of that which they wished to protect, and many others fighting in dreadful situations as humanity lingers on a single thread to avoid its looming fate.

The one I wish to focus on is the light novel Nogi Wakaba is a Hero. This is a prequel that tells the tale of the first Hero team, those who witnessed the destruction of their world with the arrival of the Vertexes. The systems and organizations found in other stories in this timeline are not present here, and the five main characters of this story - Nogi Wakaba, Takashima Yuuna, Koori Chikage, Doi Tamako Iyojima Anzu, and Uesato Hinata - need to scramble and take on the responsibilities of preventing the accelerated apocalypse that they are experiencing.

This is a short story, but one that manages to execute its points well, and therefore goes straight to the core of what it has to tell. Its main strengths lie in its exploration of the psyche of its characters that are thrown into this heroic role, and their relationship with the world that they live in, as well as each other. Whatever is left in the world at every point of the story, as well as the efforts made for humanity to live on are explained in beautiful detail to show what there is to protect. The dynamics between the heroes are compelling, and viscerally human, which makes them function greatly. There is jealousy when heroic deeds are attributed unequally and accomplishments make one more praised than others, there is manipulation for the sake of fighting on and leading the team to victory, and there is responsibility, at the cost of oneself or others for the sake of something greater, or to satisfy selfish desires when some of the characters are pushed so far that they would choose this course of action. The line between good and bad essentially becomes that between continuing to live on or abandoning this quest which seems like the easy choice in many cases. And beyond the fighting, everything that happens around these heroes, like the general population that sings their praises or mounts the pressure on top of them, as well as the Taisha in which Uesato Hinata, one of the members of the Hero Team, plays a major role to shape humanity’s future, which is explored quite well and adds an extra layer of complexity to this war against greater antagonistic forces. And most notable is the protagonist, Nogi Wakaba, one who is made a leader to fill a gap in humanity, and to lead a last stand in the face of decay and annihilation. Her role as a leader creates many conflicts, within her and the team in general, and her quest to strive for absolute and transcendent heroism makes for a compelling story that tackles themes fundamental to the value of human existence, and that which is ultimately worth fighting for.

But what brings Nogi Wakaba as a Hero further is its role in the Yuushaverse in general. It is an intimate look at the events that shaped the mythos and history of the rest of the timeline. The first hero team is a legend known by all who would set foot on the earth in the centuries to come, and that is what truly brings value to this story. Their heroism does transcend time. One example is Yuuna Takashima, one of the members of the first hero team, whose name would be passed down over many generations, up to the main character of the main opus of this universe, Yuuki Yuuna. And many records of history mention the names of these characters, but in ways that make the relationship between these records and the true story quite interesting. Some events, as well as some major individuals, have been entirely censored by the Taisha for going against their responsibilities, and the perception of these heroes has become legend rather than fact, but what remains of their legacy is a wish to fight for the sake of humanity.

Nogi Wakaba is a Hero is a legend in the making. It tells the deeds of individuals who would shape history to the point that their determination would be passed down through many generations among the different works of the timeline. It shows what lies beyond the glorifications and the stories, and describes the truly human aspects of these characters, who experienced the same things as all others at every time and every place. All of this is there to show that there was value in pursuing life above all else, which was the choice that they made, even if it would take centuries for them to push back against the will of the gods who opposed humanity. Its role as a prequel is essential to what it has to tell, for their fight would be incomprehensible and futile without their legacy. It is simply the tale of a few girls, who decided to trust humanity and showed to the world and all the generations that followed that they made a bet on humanity’s existence, despite the hardships and conflicts that they may have gone through.