How Many Manga Volumes Does Banished from the Hero’s Party Have?
Banished from the Hero’s Party, I Decided to Live a Quiet Life in the Countryside is a manga adaptation of Zappon’s light novel series. A light novel is a Japanese novel format — shorter chapters, often illustrated — that frequently serves as the source material for manga and anime. The manga version is illustrated by Masahiro Ikeno and published in English by Yen Press.
The complete English edition consists of 12 volumes, all available now. The manga adaptation finished its run in 2024, and Yen Press has published the full series in English.
The story follows Red (also known as Gideon) as he builds a new life after being pushed out of the hero’s party — that is, the group of adventurers traveling together on a quest to defeat the demon lord. The manga brings that journey to life with strong artwork and pacing that rewards reading at your own speed.
Complete English Volume List
Below is the complete list of all 12 English volumes. Each volume builds on Red’s quiet new life while layering in tension from his past.
| Volume | English Release Year | Story Focus |
|---|---|---|
| Vol. 1 | 2022 | Red arrives in the remote frontier town of Zoltan and opens his apothecary — a small shop selling herbal medicines and remedies. We learn why he was pushed out of the hero’s party, and Rit makes her entrance. The foundation of the “slow life” premise (a story focused on peaceful, everyday living rather than constant combat) gets established here. |
| Vol. 2 | 2022 | Red and Rit’s relationship deepens as they settle into life together running the apothecary. Meanwhile, trouble brews in Zoltan as outside forces start taking notice of the town. |
| Vol. 3 | 2022 | The story shifts between Red’s peaceful daily routine and flashbacks to his time with the hero’s party. Conflicts in Zoltan escalate, and Red has to decide how involved he’s willing to get. |
| Vol. 4 | 2022 | Tensions reach a boiling point as members connected to the hero’s party appear in Zoltan. Red’s past catches up with him, and the quiet life becomes harder to maintain. |
| Vol. 5 | 2023 | The fallout from the previous storyline reshapes Red and Rit’s situation. New characters enter the picture, and the ongoing war against the demon lord — the powerful antagonist threatening the world — casts a longer shadow over the frontier. |
| Vol. 6 | 2023 | The story continues to expand its scope, balancing the cozy apothecary life with the larger fantasy-world stakes. Red’s bond with Rit remains the emotional anchor. |
| Vol. 7 | 2023 | Further developments push Red closer to confronting the consequences of his past and the divine blessing system that shaped his life. |
| Vol. 8 | 2024 | The story deepens its exploration of what happens when the roles assigned to people by their blessings conflict with the lives they want to lead. |
| Vol. 9 | 2024 | Red and Rit face new challenges as Zoltan’s relative peace is tested by escalating outside pressures. |
| Vol. 10 | 2025 | The stakes continue to rise as the wider conflict draws closer to Zoltan, and Red must weigh his quiet life against the people who need his help. |
| Vol. 11 | 2025 | The story continues its balancing act between everyday warmth and the fantasy-scale threats closing in. |
| Vol. 12 | 2026 | The final English volume, bringing the manga adaptation to its conclusion. |
Each volume is a solid mix of slice-of-life warmth and fantasy-adventure tension — which is exactly what makes this series stand out among isekai manga (stories where characters are transported to or reborn in a fantasy world, though in this case the characters are native to their world and the “isekai” label reflects the genre’s broader community).
Banished from the Hero's Party, I Decided to Live a Quiet Life in the Countryside, Vol. 12 (final volume)
What Is Banished from the Hero’s Party About?
The premise hooks you right away. If you’ve already watched the anime and know the basics, feel free to skip ahead to the buying section — but for newcomers, here’s the setup.
In this fantasy world, every person is born with a divine blessing — a God-given role that determines their abilities and, in many ways, their entire life path. Some people get blessings suited for combat. Others get blessings for crafting, healing, or leadership.
Red (whose real name is Gideon) was born with the Guide blessing. It made him useful early on — he could support and mentor others, and he was strong enough to travel with the hero’s party in its early days. The hero? That’s his younger sister, Ruti, who carries the incredibly powerful Hero blessing.
But here’s the problem: the Guide blessing has a ceiling. As the hero’s party grew stronger and faced tougher enemies, Red’s abilities plateaued. He couldn’t keep up. And rather than being allowed to stay in a support role, he was essentially told he was dead weight and pushed out.
So Red does something unexpected — he doesn’t rage, he doesn’t plot revenge, and he doesn’t secretly train to become overpowered. He moves to the quiet frontier town of Zoltan, opens an apothecary, and decides to live a peaceful life.
Then Rit shows up. She’s a former adventurer and princess who traveled with Red in the past, and she’s clearly been carrying a torch for him. She moves in, helps run the shop, and the two of them build a genuinely sweet relationship together.
This is where the series earns its “slow life” label — and earns it honestly. The romance between Red and Rit is one of the best parts of the entire manga. They’re adults. They communicate. They actually like each other. It’s refreshing.
But the story isn’t purely cozy. The hero’s party is struggling without Red, and the demon lord conflict — the overarching war between humanity and the forces of evil — continues in the background. Characters from Red’s past find their way to Zoltan, and some of them bring serious trouble. The divine blessing system itself becomes a source of tension — what happens when your God-given role doesn’t match the life you actually want to live?
That philosophical thread runs through the whole series and gives it more depth than the title might suggest. It’s an isekai that asks a real question: if your destiny was chosen for you before you were born, is it still your destiny?
Is the Manga Still Ongoing?
The manga adaptation is a completed series. It ran in Monthly Shōnen Ace, a Japanese manga magazine, with individual chapters collected into the tankōbon (compiled book) volumes listed above. The final chapter was published in July 2024, and the last Japanese volume (Vol. 14) was released on August 6, 2024. All 12 English volumes from Yen Press are now available, meaning you can read the entire story from start to finish.
The manga was adapted from the light novel series, which ran for 15 volumes in Japan. While the light novel covers some additional material, the manga tells a complete story with a proper conclusion.
For readers who discovered this series through the anime adaptation, the manga is a great companion. The anime covered the early storylines and brought a lot of new fans to the franchise. The manga offers a different experience — you can linger on panels, appreciate Ikeno’s artwork, and absorb the story at your own pace. Some scenes hit harder on the page than they do in animation, especially the quieter character moments between Red and Rit.
Since the manga is complete, you can read the entire series without waiting for new volumes — a real advantage if you prefer to binge a story from beginning to end.
Where to Buy the English Manga Volumes
The English edition is published by Yen Press in standard paperback format, and the volumes are widely available.
Physical copies can be found at major book retailers. Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, and local bookstores that carry manga should all stock them or be able to order them for you. Your local library system may carry copies too — worth checking if you want to sample before buying.
Digital editions are available on multiple platforms including Kindle, Kobo, and BookWalker (a digital storefront that specializes in manga and light novels). Digital is a great option if you’re short on shelf space or want to start reading immediately.
If you’re looking to pick up the series, grabbing the first volume is the easiest way to see if it clicks for you. The opening volume does a strong job setting up Red’s new life and introducing the world without burying you in background information all at once.
A quick note on pricing: Yen Press manga volumes carry a standard list price that’s in line with other manga publishers. If you’re building a collection, keeping an eye out during major seasonal sales at your preferred retailer can help you pick up multiple volumes at a better price.
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Banished from the Hero’s Party, I Decided to Live a Quiet Life in the Countryside is one of those manga that rewards you the more you read. The title is a mouthful, but the story delivers genuine warmth, a great central romance, and a surprisingly thoughtful take on destiny and free will. Whether you’re coming from the anime or picking this up fresh, the manga volumes are well worth your time.