Ningen Fushin: Adventurers Who Don't Believe In Humanity Will Save The World - Everything You Need To Know

One common misconception when it comes to anime is that it's either made for kids or it's extremely violent, with nothing in between. In truth, there's an offering for every taste, from sports shows and romantic comedies to science fiction and horror tales so terrifying that they'll keep you up at night. One of the most dazzling anime genres is fantasy, and in this field alone a number of subgenres exist. There's dark fantasy, like the hit show "Attack on Titan," and then there's the ever-popular isekai, in which the protagonist is a regular person who gets transported to a fantasy world and must figure out how to survive and escape.

Debuting in January 2023, "Ningen Fushin: Adventurers Who Don't Believe in Humanity Will Save the World" is a classic sword and sorcery fantasy story. It combines elements of comedy, drama, and magic, offering something for every anime fan. Here's everything you need to know about it. But be warned, adventurers: Spoilers lie ahead.

"Ningen Fushin: Adventurers Who Don't Believe in Humanity Will Save the World" takes place in the Holy Kingdom of Dinez and follows four down-and-out residents of the city of Terene, nicknamed Labyrinth Town because of its maze-like layout. Despite being very different on the surface, these four individuals are united by a common cause. Protagonist Nick, a Light Warrior, has fallen on hard times after being expelled from his adventuring party for supposed embezzlement. On the very same day he gets dumped by his girlfriend, which leads him to a local tavern where he intends to drown his sorrows. By chance, he meets three other people looking to do the same thing.

When Nick takes up a seat at the same table as a cleric named Zem, a mage named Tiana, and a half-dragon named Curren, he unknowingly sets himself on a path to glory. As the day goes on, the four world-weary adventurers share their stories with one another, and it turns out they've all been betrayed or hurt in some way. Nick ultimately realizes that, if they band together, they can form a new party and show the world what they're really made of.

If Nick and his new teammates sound familiar to you, that's because they are voiced by actors with plenty of experience in the world of anime. Nick is played by Yusuke Kobayashi, a Tokyo-born actor who lived in England for a number of years as a child. He's best known for voicing Natsuki Subaru, the lead character in the hit isekai anime "Re:Zero − Starting Life in Another World." Kobayashi won the award for best Japanese VA performance at the 2021 Crunchyroll Anime Awards for his standout work as Natsuki. It was his second time competing in this category — he was nominated the previous year for his performance as Senku in the post-apocalyptic sci-fi series "Dr. Stone." Other notable roles include Kazuya Souma in "How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom," Zenji Marui in "Food Wars: Shokugeki no Soma," and Ren Homura in "Monster Strike."

Nick's sword-wielding, half-dragon comrade Curran is brought to life by Sayaka Kikuchi, who has only been active as an anime voice actor since 2018. She's performed in over a dozen shows since then, most notably "Warlords of Sigrdrifa," "Combatants Will Be Dispatched!," and the Okinawa-set slice-of-life series "The Aquatope on White Sand." The mage character Tiana is voiced by Sayumi Watabe, who, like Kikuchi, is known for her work on "Combatants Will Be Dispatched!," in which she plays the villainous Astaroth. She's perhaps best known for playing Shiki Mori in the beautifully animated sports drama "Minami Kamakura High School Girls Cycling Club." Zem, the last member of the quartet, is voiced by Shunichi Toki. He played a minor role in the award-winning drama anime "Fruits Basket" in 2020 but is best known for his work in the raunchy firefighter romance "Fire in His Fingertips."

There's an English language dub of "Ningen Fushin: Adventurers Who Don't Believe in Humanity Will Save the World?" courtesy of Crunchyroll, though the recording process didn't go as smoothly as the streaming service would have liked. Things got off to a strong start, with the opening episode of the dub dropping to positive reviews. However, on February 3, 2023, Crunchyroll revealed that the third dubbed episode had been delayed because of "inclement weather delays in the Dallas area," which is where the recording takes place. The delays are unlikely to dampen the spirits of the English voice cast, who have waxed lyrical about the show on Twitter.

The part of Nick is played by Kieran Flitton in the dub, and winning the part was clearly a huge moment for the voice actor. "An impossible, tender dream that started in a tiny village in England so many years ago comes true," Flitton tweeted. "Nick is my first lead character in an anime. I am humbled." His co-star Landon McDonald, who plays Zem, said that he is "so grateful to be a part of the 'Ningen Fushin' dub" in a tweet of his own. McDonald is best known for voicing Henry VI in the Wars of the Roses-inspired series "Requiem of the Rose King" as well as Enmu in the box office smash "Demon Slayer the Movie: Mugen Train," one of the best anime films of all time.

"This show is SO much fun," said veteran voice actor Brittney Karbowski, who plays Cullen. She's plied her trade on everything from "Fairy Tail" to the hit anime movie "Summer Wars." And, last but by no means least, Christina Marie Kelly (who gave a BTVA-nominated performance as Sylphynford Tachibana in the "Himouto! Umaru-chan" dub) said that was "so happy to share that I voice Tiana" when the dub was first announced.

While many classic anime series are based on manga, studios and producers are just as likely to adapt light novels for the screen nowadays. Such was the case with "Ningen Fushin: Adventurers Who Don't Believe in Humanity Will Save the World," which is based on Shinta Fuji's "Apparently, Disillusioned Adventurers Will Save the World." Fuji debuted his story on the self-publishing website Shōsetsuka ni Narō (meaning "Let's Become a Novelist") and it became a hit with readers and was quickly picked up by Media Factory, which published it under its MF Books imprint in Japan (an English language version was later put out by Yen Press).

With its crisp writing and stunning illustrations by Susumu Kuroi, "Apparently, Disillusioned Adventurers Will Save the World" was well received warmly by critics. "It's got all of the elements of an old D&D novelization without a lot of the baggage that weighs down light novels," Anime News Network said in a review. "There are no lists of stats, no excruciating scenes of powerups, and the characters, while all belonging to recognizable classes, feel more like people than archetypes." It's clear that Fuji knows his fantasy, and that's part of why his light novel became a success. "I think it is very important for a writer to know what they are good at," he said in a tweet. "I feel that there are quite a few people who confuse what they are not good at or what they are good at."

"Ningen Fushin: Adventurers Who Don't Believe in Humanity Will Save the World" is directed by Itsuki Imazaki, who is best known for his work as an animator. He's been active in the industry since 1991, when he joined the animation team of the mecha anime "Getter Robo Go" (known as "Venger Robo" in the U.S.) for a single episode. His debut as a director came in 1997 when he helmed an installment of "Hareluya II Boy," an adaptation of Haruto Umezawa's manga of the same name. In 2001, he worked as a key animator on "One Piece: Clockwork Island Adventure," which looked great but lacked in the story department. He flitted between animator and director work in the years that followed, taking charge of odd episodes on shows such as "Divergence Eve" and "Kuroko's Basketball."

Imazaki landed his biggest directing gig to date in 2019 when he took charge of "Hensuki: Are You Willing to Fall in Love with a Pervert, as Long as She's a Cutie?," directing all 12 episodes. This ecchi anime came from the same studio that would later make "Ningen Fushin: Adventurers Who Don't Believe in Humanity Will Save the World?," and, clearly happy with Imazaki's work on the previous show, they brought him back to direct. He apparently enjoyed the experience, as he regularly tweets about the show — and he's happy with how it turned out. After retweeting a clip from the English dub of "Ningen Fushin: Adventurers Who Don't Believe in Humanity Will Save the World," he wrote: "Dubbing, I'm not directing here, but I'm doing a good job."

The anime studio that brought director Itsuki Imazaki back to helm "Ningen Fushin: Adventurers Who Don't Believe in Humanity Will Save the World" after his work on "Hensuki: Are You Willing to Fall in Love with a Pervert, as Long as She's a Cutie?" is Geek Toys. If you're an anime fan, then the chances are you've seen (or at least heard of) some of their other shows.

Outside of the aforementioned shows, Geek Toys is perhaps best known for producing the fourth season of the romantic sci-fi comedy anime "Date A Live," which has a solid score of 7.80 on My Anime List and was released on Blu-ray in 2022. The studio is also behind the military-themed shonen series "Plunderer," which — like "Hensuki: Are You Willing to Fall in Love with a Pervert, as Long as She's a Cutie?" — gets pretty saucy at times.

In terms of films, Geek Toys has two titles under its belt: "Date A Bullet: Dead or Bullet" and the sequel "Date A Bullet: Nightmare or Queen," released a few months apart in 2020. Both are based on the light novel series "Date A Live Fragment: Date A Bullet," a spin-off of Koushi Tachibana's "Date A Bullet."

According to My Anime List, "Ningen Fushin: Adventurers Who Don't Believe in Humanity Will Save the World" is rated PG-13. Per the Motion Picture Association, this means that some content may not be appropriate for those aged 13 and under. "Parents are urged to be cautious," the MPA's website advises. "Some material may be inappropriate for pre-teenagers." Does this mean that mom and dad shouldn't be too concerned about the little ones sitting down to watch "Ningen Fushin: Adventurers Who Don't Believe in Humanity Will Save the World?" Not necessarily.

It's worth mentioning that Geek Toys' raunchy harem anime "Hensuki: Are You Willing to Fall in Love with a Pervert, as Long as She's a Cutie?" also scored a PG-13 rating, so it's wise to approach with caution. It's highly unlikely that "Ningen Fushin: Adventurers Who Don't Believe in Humanity Will Save the World" will get anywhere near as steamy, but there are still plenty of topics here that push the boundaries of what falls under the PG-13 rating in the United States.

The show deals with sexual assault narratives within the very first episode. As Zem opens up to the others about his backstory, we learn that the former priest was excommunicated from his church after failing to accept the confession of a young girl named Miril, who gets back at him by falsely accusing him of rape. "Everything about Zem and Miril is awful, because every time anyone brings up 'some folks lie about rape,' it usually leads to bad faith arguments," ThatNerdyBoliviane said in a review. "Frankly, it's a dark shadow to an otherwise decent premiere."

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).

In the world of anime, a show's OP (the opening song/credits) is just as important as the content that follows. A good OP can elevate a show, and, by the same token, a forgettable one can turn viewers away. It's common for well-known bands and artists to perform the music, and sometimes the voice actors even get in on the act, which is the case for "Ningen Fushin: Adventurers Who Don't Believe in Humanity Will Save the World." The OP song is called "Glorious World," and it's performed by Shunichi Toki, who plays the healer Zem in the show.

It's not the first time Toki has recorded a song for a show he's working on — he sings the ending theme of "Fire in His Fingertips." He's also an established recording artist in his own right, having dropped an album as recently as 2022. Released by Pony Canyon (which is also listed as one of the producers of "Ningen Fushin: Adventurers Who Don't Believe in Humanity Will Save the World"), "Good For" mixes funk and jazz with elements of ska and the resurgent city pop genre. "Shunichi Toki goes all out, delivering a perfect collection of throwback tunes in what is a highlight reel of an album," The Hand That Feeds HQ said in a glowing review of the record.

The ending theme of "Ningen Fushin: Adventurers Who Don't Believe in Humanity Will Save the World" is performed by Mao Abe, whose songs have been featured in shows such as "Afterlost" and "Baby Steps." The catchy track is called "Never Fear" and is accompanied by versions of the main characters reimagined as a band.

At the time of this writing, "Ningen Fushin: Adventurers Who Don't Believe in Humanity Will Save the World" has a rating of 6.85 on My Anime List, with 92,583 members. This represents the number of people who have placed the show on their personal list, meaning they have finished it, started it, or intend to watch it. Of the people who have watched it, the feedback is mixed so far.

"There isn't necessarily anything special about this anime but it focuses on certain things and does them well," Bubble Blabber said of the first episode, while The Anime Feminist was "surprised by how competent [the] premiere turned out to be." Things got better from there, with CBR calling the show "one of the most promising fantasy anime of the winter 2023 season" after viewing the second episode. "'Ningen Fushin' is a different kind of power fantasy: the realistic fantasy of overcoming the past with the help of a few good friends."

As more episodes dropped, the more positive reviews rolled in — by the time the first season reached its halfway point, the Crunchyroll rating was sitting at 4.7 stars out of 5. "This anime is basically people in their 30s," said Crunchyroll user Phillip Lamos. "From back to back obstacles and heartbreaks, each character faces the extent of their will and spirit. What makes this show compelling is its ability to show you why you must always make the best of your circumstances and be resourceful if you want the path forward to stay open."

"Ningen Fushin: Adventurers Who Don't Believe in Humanity Will Save the World" is shown on a number of stations in Japan, including TOKYO MX, KBS Kyoto, and BS11 (the latter helped produce the show). Crunchyroll licensed the show for streaming and released it as a simulcast, and that's also your best bet if you want to watch an English language dub. There are plenty of other places to stream the show, however.

According to Anime News Network, Muse Asia has also licenced the show, which means anime fans in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, the Philippines, Pakistan and Singapore can all stream "Ningen Fushin: Adventurers Who Don't Believe in Humanity Will Save the World." Fans based in the Republic of Korea can access the show via Aniplus TV, per My Anime List.