On the journey to figure out the answer to one of life's longest-asked questions, I found myself on a different journey all together. A journey following the hero Leo, not on a quest to find out how long it takes for a hero to become a villain, but instead, the villain becoming the hero.

Obviously, this isn't completely true. I'm Quitting Heroing, translated from the Japanese title "Yuusha, Yamemasu", is, in fact, a story about learning how long it takes for a hero to become the villain, there's no way around that. However, the reason I say what I say is because that's not the only story being told. The hero, Leo, isn't our only protagonist after all, and it's here we find a different story - the story of the villain becoming the hero.

Before I get too far in to this review, I'm going to warn you all now, I'm going to ask a lot of rhetorical questions and say things that are meant to make you think about themes, rather than speaking clearly about the series, so I hope you get where I'm coming from. I'm writing this review like this, because as I watched this series, that's simply how I was thinking. I would ask myself questions like the ones I'm about to ask you, trying to decipher what the answer may be to a riddle with no solution. This review also might not be reminiscent of my others, as unlike those shows that made me emotionally-driven to write about them, this series simply made me think. Now, about those questions, allow me to hand out the forms.

In a story like this, there's so many questions that float around where the answers are so paper thin and loose that it's as if they don't exist in the first place. Morals, religion, etc. It's questions that can be influenced by things like this that never seem to find an objective answer. For example, if I asked "Is a hero good?", do you believe there to be an answer? How about this - "If a human hero fights back a demon army, are they a savior?" The easy answer is just to say yes. If they saved the world, then they must be a savior after all... but, what if the hero invaded the demon realm to do it? A demon realm full of creatures that had their own lives, just like us, suddenly taken away by a "hero" who wanted to protect humanity. If these demons step up to try to stop the hero, are they the heroes now, or are they still monsters?

This question seems as easily answered as saying “well, that depends if you’re a human or a demon”, but why is that? Can’t a human feel remorse for the demons who are getting killed by this hero? Can’t a demon feel guilt for whatever reason it may be that a hero is trying to kill them? It’s never a matter of which side you’re on, nor what specie you are, but simply what you think. Humanity and demon kind don’t matter in the slightest, since this answer comes down to you, as a single person, deciding what you think is the morally correct truth. "If demons invade the human world and kill them, they’re monsters, but if a human invaded the demon world and kills them, are they a hero?" Questions like these can only be answered by one person. You.

I'm Quitting Heroing doesn't constantly explore these themes, of course. Earlier on in the series, it's a more episodic tale of the hero choosing against humanity and going to help the demon army. He helps the remaining subjects of the demon kingdom with their menial tasks and works to gain favor towards the demon queen. It's a simple, but charming premise, at the very least, so I never disliked watching this series even if it was nothing special. However, the show really took a turn atop a peak.

If you were born for just one purpose, one purpose that defined your whole existence, and suddenly, after living your life for that one reason, you're told that you don't have to do it anymore, what would you do? Could you live a new life without being relied on for that one reason, or would you make sure you always have a purpose? Well, late on in the series, Leo decides to become the villain. That's his answer to this question. If the humans don't need him anymore, he will make them need him. He will save the world, even if it means destroying it first - and the only ones able to stop this "hero" who has protected humanity for thousands of years is... the demon queen and her generals. Suddenly, the demon army is fighting to save the humans while the human hero is fighting to destroy them all. Suddenly, that question I came in to this series searching for an answer to was right in front of me... and suddenly I realized... Heroes don't become villains. They don't become villains because they've always been the villain. It's the only choice they ever had.

It's... depressing. The last few episodes of this series show a hero who defended humans for thousands of years suddenly try to destroy them, while these "monsters" to the human race break down, cry, and fall apart while trying to stop him. It's like everything you've ever known got turned upside down and suddenly you have no idea what to think or who you're supposed to side with.

The series does end on a lighter note atleast. Leo is defeated, but isn't killed, because in the end, he only did any of this to prove to himself that the world truly didn't need him anymore... and it doesn't. Not his world anyway. Spared by the demon lord and her generals, he joins them in trying to not only protect the human world now but also the demon world - to create a world where they can both live in harmony so another hero is never needed.

While I'm happy with this ending, I haven't stopped thinking about the questions I asked myself through the series though. I could've focused this review more on the characters like Lily, the cute wolf girl who adores Leo and is the first one to really break down when Leo decides on dying, Melnes, the assassin who truly wanted to destroy humanity for what they did to him, or even Echidna, the demon queen who only wanted to make a better world for the demons without ever harming the human world. I could talk more about Leo and his journey, how he's lived and grown for 3,000 years, only knowing one thing the entire time he's ever existed - protecting humanity. I'm sure I could talk about more and give a well and honest review about this series. However, I chose not to.

I believe this to be the real review I wanted to write after all. A review where I simply put these thoughts down on a page and asked them to others who will take the time to think on them. If you want to know about the characters or the story, the show is available to you, but I wanted to get these questions out there even to those who choose not to watch it. Why? I guess I just think they're fun to think about. Important? Maybe not. But definitely fun. Just like this series.