Jack of All Trades, Party of None 1×01 Review: “The Jack of All Trades Becomes a Swordsman Once More”

With the January 2026 Winter Anime Season in full swing, another new anime that caught my attention was Jack of All Trades, Party of None (JoaTPoN). The premiere episode was enjoyable. But let’s see if it can keep me invested in the long run.

I don’t know if it’s because I have grown older or if I have consumed a specific kind of content way too much, but I have found myself gravitating toward narratives with mature characters as leads instead of younglings. The older characters still go on their own version of a Hero’s Journey, but they are more experienced and find themselves taking on the role of being a guardian or mentor to a younger group. It’s one of the reasons I enjoyed watching Frieren season one. And Jack of All Trades, Party of None seems to be similar.

The lead character is named Orun Dula. A member of the famous S-Rank Hero Party, which was founded with his childhood friend Hero Oliver, Orun started as a swordsman. But due to how heroic parties operated in this particular fictional world, he found himself filling the role of an enchanter instead, essentially providing support to his team, which, to me, came across as Oliver being an Attacker, Anneli serving as a Supporter Mage, and Derrick being a Defender. However, a recent mission made the teammates realize they can’t reach greater heights due to Orun holding them back. Apparently, Orun’s great as an A-Rank enchanter. But the Hero Party was looking for an S-Rank enchanter, or someone they deemed capable of achieving S-Rank.

I liked the scene where Orun was asked to leave the party. Oliver, being a childhood friend, handled the situation (kind of) respectfully, even when Orun brought up the fact that he decided to change his role from swordman to enchanter to help Oliver. Not only did he switch roles, but Orun created his unique brand of magic that allowed him to combine his swordman skills with those of an echanter, akin to being a Battle Mage. I felt bad for Orun, but as Anneli put it, yes, Orun’s great at what he does. However, focusing on two skills instead of mastering a single one (as expected from heroes), Orun can’t reach S-Rank in any of his abilities. So, yeah, he had to go. Also, Anneli wasn’t a fan of Orun ordering them around, even though he was just an A-Rank enchanter and not the leader of the Hero Party.

I mean, it’s clear that the Hero Party is going to regret kicking out Orun after hiring another enchanter in his place. Effectively working together during intense situations requires years of teamwork. Swapping a veteran party member with a newbie is sure to cause trouble. The Hero Party is likely going to show up apologizing to Orun and asking him to return soon.

However, before that happens, Orun’s got a point to prove to himself and others. Without a party, Orun’s free to do whatever he likes. Becoming solo made him want to operate as a swordsman again. He’s capable enough to clear dungeon levels on his own. I liked Orun as the MC because, unlike certain other such shows, he’s skilled yet not OP. There’s still a lot for him to learn and improve upon.

The Magic System involved enchanters casting spells to boost a person’s or a weapon’s strength, speed, sharpness, etc. But there was a time limit depending on the caster’s ability. Orun was shown casting support spells to increase his stats, with the downside being that his spells only lasted 3 minutes.

While we got some action during the premiere episode, I can’t say I’m a big fan of how the magic was visualized. It was giving me video game vibes. I was half expecting Orun’s spell slot to appear at the bottom of the screen. I haven’t read the source material, so I’m not sure if there’s a major twist in JoaTPoN about how Orun’s in some kind of fantastical virtual reality. I have my fingers crossed that it won’t be the case. None of the characters talked about respawning. Death sounded permanent for heroes.

Heroes clearing dungeons appeared to be a major part of the world’s economy. Parties had sponsors, with the heroes using their fame to advertise certain businesses. Also, I’m assuming that some percentage (if not all) of the loot acquired by heroes clearing dungeons would go to the sponsors. The final moments of the episode had Orun apologize to a storekeeper, named Old Man (for now), about how he’s unable to promote the store in the manner he used to because he wasn’t a member of the Hero Party anymore.

The Old Man appeared to be a nice person. He’s the one who encouraged Orun to take on a gig that involved keeping an eye on inexperienced heroes-to-be entering dungeons.

Orun’s new job is going to act as the narrative’s major driving force. After saving a girl named Sophia Claudel from a dungeon level, after she was abandoned by her so-called party, Orun got to meet Sophia’s older sister, Selma Claudel.

I liked Orun’s interactions with Selma. It’s revealed that Selma was the S-Rank enchanter who made Oliver and the rest realize they needed someone more powerful than Orun in their party. What’s funny (and kind of sad) is that while Oliver and his teammates thought Orun to be weak, Selma admired Orun for his skills after working together during a raid last month. She realized his genius as an echanter. Again, Orun created a new type of magic to bridge the gap between being a swordsman and an enchanter. Sigh! If only Oliver had realized what Selma thought of Orun. But then again, I’m glad Orun got the chance to venture out on his own. It might not be ideal, but sometimes it’s best to step away from a job or even a friend group in real life to recalibrate.

Selma’s also the one who introduced the way parties operated during dungeon raids. She’s the one who had heroes take on specific roles (Attacker, Defender, and Supporter) in a single party. Orun didn’t blame Selma for his current predicament, but it was kind of funny how he found himself taking on a job by the person who (in a way) was responsible for him switching to enchanter from swordsman and then ultimately getting kicked out.

From what I could understand, Selma and Sophia were members of the Night Sky Silver Rabbits, the biggest clan in the Nohitant Kingdom. Due to having a bunch of sponsors, the Night Sky Silver Rabbits apparently had a raid quota to meet. Presently, fulfilling the quota meant sending inexperienced heroes into a dangerous dungeon to clear Boss Fights, which appeared every 10 levels. To increase the rate of survival, Selma planned to send a powerful hero as a mentor instead of an official member with each newbie party. Orun was quick to realize how Selma was hoping for the powerful individual to kill the Bosses, with the newbies offering aid where possible.

With Orun wanting to only serve as a mentor while being a swordsman and Selma thinking he would have no choice but to fall back into being an enchanter when things got tough, I’m looking forward to seeing Orun trying to keep a party of fresh heroes alive while exploring the depths of a dangerous dungeon.

My only gripe would be that Orun went back to having people around him just a day after getting kicked out. I would have liked to have seen more of his solo adventure.

Did you watch the first episode of Jack of All Trades, Party of None? What did you think of it?

Let us know.

Author: Farid-ul-Haq

Farid has a Double Masters in Psychology and Biotechnology as well as an M.Phil in Molecular Genetics. He is the author of numerous books including Missing in Somerville, and The Game Master of Somerville. He gives us insight into comics, books, TV shows, anime/manga, video games, and movies.

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