Laios: A Different Kind of Chosen One | Delicious In Dungeon Video Essay 

To be fair Falin is canonically the kind of teacher who goes "idk just do it when it feels right yknow" without actually being able to explain how they do it, so I don't blame Laios for not being able to learn from her

I want to clarify something about the griffin soup scene. A part of it was changed from the manga for runtime. Laios did not pick up on the cannibalism hint in Senshi’s story. Chilchuck had an aside with him to explain that and stop him from pushing to eat the griffin. That’s when Laios started to consider feathered monsters with blunt attacks. It worked out in the end but he still isn’t that savant.

He got that dawg in him

I love the characterization flips and deconstructions in Delicious in Dungeon. Laios being an actually good leader with intelligence and vast knowledge of monsters, Senshi being a ecosystem care-taking druidic dwarf, and talking of damage and fighting output, to me it seems that the actual cannon of the group is Marcille, hilariously pitting the explosion magic-ing scholarly wizard as the group's DPS and it works!

"Do you. Do Laios." Don't mind if I do!

I think a lot of characters, especially main characters, are less of a group of stereotypes, and more of the personification of a concept. I think the stereotypical part of a lot of characters comes from that concept, which 90% of the time can boil down to "work hard and don't give up." Luffy is the personification of freedom and liberation, Asta is never giving up, Gon is being a kid, Naruto in my eyes is forgiveness, and so on. I think the great thing about Laios is the uniqueness of that concept, as it isn't as explored nearly as well as others. I think that's what makes him feel like a breath of fresh air. I think it's much more valuable to judge a character by what they represent, rather than their goal.

"Laios has a real one track mind in a way that, if youre looking up delicious in dungeon video essays right now, you can probably relate to" calling all the neurodivergents out lol "Hes actually low-key maybe one of the more intelligent characters in the series" YES! I am literally always saying this! (I genuinely cant tell why so many people call him dumb, i think they should watch how theyre talking about autistic coded characters tbh) Also. Ryoko Kui agrees btw. She gave him 4/5 intelligence in the adventurers bible. Second highest in the party. (Although that stat may be referring to a more dnd-like knowledge type thing but-) I think laios does care about saving the citizens of the golden kingdom (but not really the king stuff, which does still fit your point about him not being a typical shounen protag), its just a lower priority than saving falin. Jury's out on where it ranks against learning about monsters, since that desire is more passive and can be achieved alongside both goals. And then more speculating about season 2, has me grinning again :DDD i cannot wait to see your reaction to everything that is to come :DDDD

As much as I thought I identified most with Chilchuck at the beginning of the show--which I mostly still do, especially as I get older--Laios is by far the one that I find is the most relatable. His personality and thoughts are laid bare to the viewers, so we are there to follow along with his processes and come to the same conclusions as him for a given situation. Or at the very least, understand his line of thinking.

laios is autsim written correctly imo

Ryoko is truly the goat

(correct me if I misunderstood you) but I do think laios does care about the people of the golden kingdom thus far in what you've seen. In episode 21 at the very end, laios looks/sounds sad while he laments that yaad's hands were "cold". He then slowly lifts his sword and grabs onto the hilt. He then makes a conflicted but maybe slightly determined facial expression? While I think it's obvious that laios would much rather just find his sister and talk about monsters he's a good person. He feels bad for the immortal people of the golden country but doesn't seem to want the position of king so he has conflict in his heart over it. especially when there's a prophecy saying he's the one to save them. That also puts pressure on him on top of the conflict in his heart lolll

what's also neat about laios as a ;chosen one' is that...he doesn't SEEM to be. Yes he seems the most likely to obtain the 'prize' and the one Yod (or however its spelled) seems to want to succeed because of a prophecy, but really that's about it. Laios doesn't seem to be a secret child of Delgal or something, nothing suggests god pointed at him and went "HIM", hell he doesn't even seem to have anything special about him beyond his ability to mimic a dog. It's mostly happenstance that he's essentially our hero. PLus there's nothing that REALLY makes him special. He's pretty strong but so's a lot of characters, he's not particularly skilled at much beyond weird shit like mimicing a dog, all that makes him stand out is his hyperfixation on monsters and his poor social skills.

They are all so simply... Flawed, but in a natural way. These are the people you would see in real life more than most of the fantasy or fantastical characters you normally see. They would not be the first patch of heroes you would pick... But they might be the first patch of people you would pick to travel with and get to know.

Brook is not one note, he has many notes and he played them in his ribs like a marimba

I love Falin that she's the only one who roots for him

Great analysis, but there is something about Laios' goals that must be mentioned: Laios does have a goal besides eating all the monsters and exploring his hyperfixation, and it's saving his sister. It's the actual impetus of the adventure. Other than that, excelent analysis! Can't wait to see you get to the end of the manga! There's a little slow patch around the 3/4 mark, but then it kicks up to 100 and absolutely nails the ending!!

"He sees freedom in Laios when he only sees imprisonment in himself" ✍️🔥🔥🔥

Nothing like High INT Fighter getting some love.

Laois got that high INT, low CHA build

I LITERALLY LOVE THIS MAN. I WANT- NO. I NEED LAIOS SO BAD BRO. HE'S AUTISM WAS WRITTEN COMPLETELY RIGHT HE'S LITERALLY UNIQUE AS A MAIN CHARACTER. HE'S SO ADORABLE RJGKDKAGFJGM AND SILLY. He's so goddamned fascinating, he says the wrong stuff and isn't able to read the room it causes some dumb misunderstanding ITS SO SILLY BRO. AND WHEN HE SAID HE WAS GLAD FALIN GOT EATEN OTHERWISE HE WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO EAT MONSTERS AAAAAAAAAA HIS HAIR IS SO CUTE SHSHJDHAHEJFN BAKR ABKR ABKR ABK Ahem. His hyperfixation on monsters as a kid, he doesn't want to kill them. He wants to EAT THEM. *DO YOU PEOPLE SEE THE VISION.* HE'S A LITTLE UNHINGED. ITS ADORABLE. HE'S THE MAN BRO. HE'S A LITTLE SILLY BUT HE'S GOOD DEEP DOWN. He does care for the people of the golden castle, he does care for people. It's the fact that he was willing to just defeat Thistle, but not KILL Thistle. He even draws or imagines Falin as an adorable person, kind even as a Chimera. BRO I LOVE THIS MANA GODK GODDAMN IT I LOVE HIM. I'LL BREAK DOWN THE WORLD AND REBUILD IT IF HE TELLS ME TO. HE'S THE ONLY KING I'LL KNEEL TO. AND IT'S THE FACT HE'S SO SMART??? HELLO?? LIKE HIS KNOWLEDGE ON MONSTERS LITERALLY SAVES THEIR LIVES (except when he ate the tentacle raw..) ANYWAYS- He's so funny. AND HE LEARNED FAST IN MAGIC?? LIKE FALIN. HE DEFINITELY HAS MAGIC TALENT LIKE FALIN. IF HE WAS A MAGE HE'D BE AS STRONG AS FALIN. I LOVE HIM BRORBABSJMA AAAAAAAAAA UHUHUH I WANT HIM BRO SERIOUSLY WHO WOULDN'T WANT A MAN WHOS HUNGRY AND IS SILLY AND IS SO HONEST AND IS WILLING TO HELP EVERYONEBEKSJAHSJJS I WANT HIM Anyways. Marcille is a walking spoiler, to those who read this please don't search anything about her you'll just get spoiled somehow. 😭🤚

Another great essay! Laios my beloved...

The reason why he's my fav MC because he's literally me. Like I'd act and react in the same as him if I were to be in his place.

i love laios so bad. i cannot WAIT for the laios video essays we are going to get from you after season 2 lol

5:26 Hey, don’t sell yourself short. Shonen is targeted towards adolescents, so you do deep dives on teen television shows. And Dungeon Meshi and Witch Hat Atelier are Seinen, so really, you do deep dives on adult television shows.

Wonderful essay! As someone who read the manga since before the anime was even announced, you're in for a real treat! Laios' character goes down a super interesting path. Also that callout about the viewer having an hyperfixation on dungeon meshi itself was fucking savage

6:18 I don’t think it’s anything major but just wanted to point out, I think that the game in “Perfect Communication” is not a fighting game but a Rhythm game (like Guitar Hero) where you have to push correct buttons on the right time

First of all, LOVE your deep dives! I've read the manga when it came out, been watching the anime, but your keen eyes and how you notice things and how you can coherenty speak what you think has been very fascinating, thank you. This is just my rant and I am no means saying you or anybody else is wrong but... I keep seeing how people think Shuro was an asshole or how people talk about how Shuro hated Laios but I don't think that is true. I don't know if it's my Japaneseness giving me a different perspective then most but... I totally relate with being scared someone I like doesn't really like me back and I didn't know. That is a fear I always have. But in this case, and in reality too, I feel like friendship doesn't need to be black and white, like it' has to be either hate or like. Yes, Shuro obviously had a hard time with Laios. This is especially because he was a young lord where many (if not everyone) always did what he want's them to do even if he doesn't say it, but also because Japanese culture heavily emphasizes people to notice and do things without being told, just do things by social cues given. This is a terrible match with Laios since he can't get social cues, so much so that I'm sure Shuro had times where he even wondered Laios was doing something on purpose, like trying to go out to eat with Shuro and Falin because he doesn't want them to be togther (which obviously isn't the case). Laios would have him very confused from the beginning, perhaps even wondering if all western tall man where like Laios (probably gradually realizing this is not the case after he meets the party),and I think after a while Shuro did notice he actually envies him (even before the fight). It's tiring to be around him, but he probably also enjoyed his company to an extent. He might have not like Laios back as much as Laios liked him, but I think he still liked Laios. I mean, doesn't every body know somebody who you are like, "They are nice people and fun to be around, but can't imagine being roommates" kind of person? It's obvious he did have pent up frustrations, and it came out that way like that at that time but that is probably due to the combination of being tired, worrying about Falin, etc. I appreciated your thoughts on how Shuro and Laios was a same coin and they have a further understanding now after the fight but I just wish more people can, maybe just consider that Shuro didn't hate Laios. I feel like many see him in a unfair light.

I promise the dream of having just the right weird bounty of information for the situation and making people see how much work you've put into said weird stuff is not just a guy thing, we're with you on that one

Something I found really interesting about Laios being the "Chosen One" isn't discussed until later. Spoiler so don't read if you don't want to be spoiled: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Laios isn't actually a "Chosen One" in the conventional sense, and is just someone being used by the Winged Lion to achieve his goal. All the 'signs' that Laios gets about becoming lord of the dungeon and ruling over the kingdom are just manipulations of the Winged Lion to make it seem like he has been the chosen one. The Mad King was also manipulated in a similar manner. The Winged Lion is quiet manipulative.

Reminds me of myself having a rock slinging hobby. He would be best friends with Mao mao in Apothecary diaries, goobers having fixiated in on one niece hobby. Him(exotics culinary arts, poison/medicine) her.

as a manga reader 12:26 made me screech

Nice vid. I finally finished the anime from a friends suggestion. Something I mentioned to my friend once about most western animation and “adult” shows is that characters fell ironic or weird to their characters and they don’t feel genuine. That was something I really enjoyed seeing in Delicious in Dungeon. Laois is definitely the one where hyperfixation shows the most, but all 4 members of the main party and many other members of the cast feel really genuine. They don’t just do this cause the plot needs them to, but because the characters love the things they do and the people they do it with. Also I feel wildly called out about the fighting game/flirting manga panel. Read me like a book and landed a reversal super.

I think Laios and this series as a whole become an instant comfort when I started it. It felt like watching a slight dysfunctional group of friends with all unique and different yet very human traits who didn’t look down on each other despite their differences. Even though I’m not on the spectrum and I doubt that has any relevance, seeing Laios be so unapologetically himself made me feel less self conscious and less ashamed of my own hobbies and interests others might deem unconventional.

Y'all ain't ready for Season 2 😂

sorry I had to take a break at 0:39 and watch One Piece again

"do you, do Laios" IDK BUT THAT HITS HARD.

This was such a gem of a character analysis. I'm subscribing. I hope to see more dives into characters and what makes them tick.

resisting the urge to comment "banger banger banger banger" until i finish the video

I find it so entertaining seeing what solutions this man comes up with every time a new monster/ obstacle is introduced, I swear it never gets old!

I really like Dungeon Meshi "chosen one" trope its actually just a product of "winged lion" manipulativeness, its very good

I love this manga, and i love the author's work and the way she just loves art. She's aggressively unsocial in the community and honestly, its great. She loves creating, she has a blog thats only dedicated to her pieces and doodles and thats all it is. Her love of her art is so clear when you read the manga and her blog posts, i hope this isnt the only anime she makes because i would love another one selfishly

It's kinda funny how whenever we the the character's perception of each other laois's perceptions seem to be "usually" way more spot on a very accurate of other people, however other people's perception of him always tend to be the absolute most extreme exaggerations and full of misconceptions even with people that can usually get a good read on others. It's kinda disheartening how commonly this is brought up

The Persona 5 Café LeBlanc song in the background is so random lmaooooo

"Knowing the difference between the game of thrones books and tv show" well the books are actually called "a song of ice and fire".......well shit

Honestly, Laos is one of my favorite character right now. He is not an idiot, but rather competent in fighting and monsters, but also not a hypercompetent superhuman. We need more characters like this!

I honestly appreciate how frustrating Laios is to people sometimes, because he feels so much like me. When he was comforting and helping Senshi during the griffin situation, at first it kinda feels like he’s a bit insensitive to some people, but it’s just how he helps people. Sometimes I feel like he doesn’t even realize he’s helping people. I’m someone who in all honesty, sometimes is insensitive to the people around me. My resting face is also very flat and I’ve actually had people walk up to me and ask if I’m ok. Or my family constantly asking me why I’m so mad when it’s just my resting face. When I’m helping someone I do it quietly so sometimes it seems like I’m ignoring it entirely, and I felt that kinda feeling in Laios. Not to mention as a writer/artist he’s arguably one of my favorite characters in recent years. Idk, it just feels like a little fresh air to me and I appreciate it.

The best thing about this video is the no spoiler beyond the animes first season and the manga

Laios would be the type of kid to play with rollie pollies during recess.

Laios is one of the best anime protag's I have ever seen.

"Will Laious's desires' play some kind of pivotal role in the end game of the series?" *Cackles in manga reader*

Truly beautiful video. I definitely got a lot of inspiration for my Dungeon Meshi essays

I binged the whole manga before I was even halfway through the anime and when I got to the part where shuro and laios have their confrontation I literally cried because of how similar it was to parts of my own life. Also, to anyone only watching the anime; the story starts off great and it gets even better I swear, dungeon meshi is amazing.

A bunch of good songs back to back. All the ones I heard: My Hero Academia - Hero A Persona 5 - Beneath the Mask Fire Emblem Fates - Road Taken (this was my favorite ost for a long time) Fire Emblem Awakening - And what if I can't Fire Emblem Awakening - Conquest ???

I just love the fact that Laios, technically speaking, isn’t canonically diagnosed to be autistic. Which I suppose makes sense for the series since its timeline doesn’t seem to deem or have any sources on the spectrums, but it’s just perfect how anybody who’s seen the show full-heartedly agrees that he is.😀

The thing I like about Delicious in Dungeon is that the Main Character's are just normal people compared to other Character's of different animes but still considered to be weird in their world

I haven’t had this strong of a “he’s literally me” reaction since I watched H:TP and saw Door

The thumbnail sold me, he is indeed literally me

I love the persona music in the background

now i’ve only ever seen think-pieces of laios & kabru being the character foils but never considered shuro! now that’s interesting bcs they are similar to Laios in ways too. kabru also has a hyperfixation which is people & Shuro also missed some social cues (the immediate marriage proposal)

me knowing what happens later on: 🙃

...Who accepts a promotion at work without a payraise? I don't want that additional responsibility without cash in hand?

I ♥️ Laios Touden.

The Fire Emblem music playing in the back was perfect

It always amused me but confused me how inept and competent the party seemed at the same time and how it all seemed so right. But then I realized that this works so well because it's so true to life. It's not that they are stupid or geniuses, it's just that these are people who are really good at what they do. I work in tech support and rather than thinking the people I work with are dumb, I have come up with a saying. "People know what they know, and don't what the don't." That's true of everyone and it's just as obvious as it is easy to forget. I work with a lot of doctors who take 5 minutes to navigate to their downloads folder on their computer even with a step by step verbal walk through. That doesn't mean they're stupid(though I do tend to think how well someone is able to take instructions speaks more to intelligence than the things they know.), they just aren't familiar with it. Spectrum aside, Laios is a monster/spelunking specialist. This was made most clear to me when you look at Kabru. Kabru could probably dismantle Laios in a fight with one arm and leg tied behind his back, but he is the far inferior dungeoner. And that may be just as applicable when considering both entire parties.

HES MY FAVORITE PERSON EVER

As a long-winded, fellow neurodivergent individual: This video is such an extended way of saying, "I like Laios as a character specifically because he's autistic." (I really love his doofy self too, don't worry.)

I'm being called out mid hyperfixation.

Great vide essay!

refreshing to see someone see the shuro laios fight without completely bashing the other character

I think the character that helps emphasize your point about Laios is Kabru, cuz he is intoduced to us as an typical anime protagonist with him and his group determined to crown him the new lord of the dungeon, except they fail a lot because Kabru doesn't have the knowledge thag Laios has.

it feels kinda silly, but hearing you say that i don't need to worry about being "the chosen one" helps. i didn't realize how much stress my mother's hopes were until this comment. ... not that i ever believed i was a "chosen one"... for clarification, before my mother died, she bought for me a plaque. she went to a merchant who sold them, but they did something interestingly different than others of a similar sort. you see, you would buy a plaque, but you couldn't choose what the plaque would say. you just say who it's for, the name of the recipient essentially. then the merchant would pick and apply a quote and mail the finished plaque to you. the finished plaque was made, and sent, and i ended up receiving it for my birthday. it had a bible quote on it, along with my name. it read "i will make thy name to be remembered, therefore shall the people love thee forever and ever" or something those lines... i don't remember exactly, it's been awhile since i both read the bible itself, and read the plaque, as i have it stowed away as a memento of my mother and how she felt about me. she gave me that plaque, convinced i would be great one day. i knew her hopes would only come true by chance, but, she believed it... wholesale. it's that belief in me that i cherished the most about the plaque. she didn't have to give it to me. she didn't have to believe what it said. but she did both. i, didn't realise appreciating her appreciation could stress me out as much as it did. as it must have, because you telling me not to worry about it was such a relief. i didn't believe that i was a chosen one, but her believing in it was somehow enough for me to feel the stress over it. even long after she died... i can just be me now. whatever life has in store for me, I'll learn of it eventually, but not until then.

I love Laios so much 😭

i wouldn't be surprised if the the winged lion (somehow watched all of season 1 and this video and cant remember its name) was dead, or ended up ding, and Laios decided that eating it would be a way to respect its death, and whilst saying this everyone else is fully a aware that he just wants to eat it, or even the mad mage joined in on eating it, something weird like that.

Let's also not forget Senchi is responsible for 100% pantyshots of the show. If that's not S-Tier level deconstruction, I don't know what is.

The only time I wholeheartedly could say "he's like me fr fr" 😂

I am rooting for you broski

The network dwindled so I take a moment to type the comment so here we go. Laios relationship with the whole story kinda reminds me of... Shinosuke Nohara from Crayon Shin-chan. Shinosuke in movies for a lot of time takes on the role of the chosen one for probably his weirdness. Even in main storyline what is so enjoyable in solving dramas and problem is how weird Shin-chan handles it and it works out in the end. Two of these cases are not only "you're not like other heroes" but even "you're not even like other people why do we even get here" I suppose weird chosen one is indeed a trope. Oh to take interest in something questionable and actually answer world's important questions...

Author confirmed Laois isn't autistic

"flashes of brilliance sandwitched between two slices of WTF IS THIS GUY DOING" YESSSSS YESSS THISSSS

I assume this video is coming from someone who hasnt read past where the anime ends via reading the manga? Buckle up. It gets better.

I know this is off topic, but Luffy is a good example of the opposite. He is not meant to be someone you can project onto; we literally don’t hear his inner monologue 99.999999% of the time (I’m sure there’s some random counter example, I’m but I haven’t seen it). (Spoiler Warning) We are meant to see ourselves in the characters around him: a responsible but money hungry navigator, a scared but courageous sniper who lies, an archeologist who once believed your life was a sin, a cook who’s running from his past, and even chopper can mean something for those who have felt dehumanized. Not to mention the everyday citizens the Straw hats run into. Luffy is a character, but he’s not us. We are meant to feel that we are on this journey with him, witnessing his inspirational goofiness. It’s the polar opposite of Laios, but it loops back around to having a similar inspirational effect (mainly because Oda is a master of character writing)

Laios is just a dude with healthy/unhealthy addiction with monster and how they taste he is does what he can

I havce seen people and videos go as far as calling Laios autistic. A little background why some people think that since I have some knowledge on that being a psychology student dropout. What autism is or, autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is a complicated, lifelong condition that includes problems with communication and behavior and people sometimes have a abnormal focus on certain things. Males are diagnosed magnitudes more of than females as developing autism. Personally I think people are diagnosed more with autism is their behaviors are deemed and demonstrated useful to society and people around. Why I left my grad program is I got onto an electrical apprenticeship, think construction worker, and saw I would get paid well and during my time I have seen and met a lot of people with autistic like tendencies. People are very detail oriented, know a lot, hold precision and standards to high degrees, focus on problem solving, acting like a know it all, and love organization and building. A lot of people on construction sites do display a fixation on things that some would see as abnormal or too focused or into it. For this job, you kinda have to be to be a good learner and good worker. No one calls them autistic even though they do display behaviors, but they are electrician, their behavior is related to them being a good worker. A lot of men display this focus on things they love on hobbies like gaming building/making something, and anime. I flipped around on my thoughts while writing this but I guess what I am trying to say is, yes, I agree Laios is a more grounded and related male character because he does display atypical fixation and behaviors one could call autism, like ehat many males display, but I wouldnt go as far as call him autistic. Wow, it did come out messy, sorry but I wrote this on my lunch break.

I watched the serie just thinking "haha he's just like me" Just to see everyone saying how weird he is 🤡

Laios: Humanoid Labrador Retriever

I've completed the story, so I can't speak to interpretation and secrets to know, but as far as Laios is concerned, I've seen his personality largely influenced by his upbringing. His father was the town honcho, and his mother was a little detached at times, but the two prizes he had to fall back on were is Dungeon Exploration Guide, and his sister Falin. I took the lack of friends to mostly be from the villagers fearing the Toudens property since that's their village leader, and the guy was a houndmaster and hunter; not a house easily walked up to sometimes, eh? So Laios and Falin might've only ever had each other, but when she displayed magic talents and the villagers did as villagers do, Mr. Touden was having none of it and shipped her out to a Gnome Academy, mostly to quell the problem. Laios took it personally, as any of us would, and decided to ditch the place and find his own life. Initially, military service proved to be busto since his kind and simple youth wasn't conducive to being a good soldier, but he trained enough to get skilled as a fighter, and put that and his solid build to work as an armed escort for a long while. During this time, and before as well, he was in correspondence with Falin, and when he was in the area at last, he went to visit her, only to find out she'd meant to leave with him. After that, they began to get work with dungeon peelers, and the rest is history. I imagine other folks training in the military and furtive, worried merchants don't make for great conversation, so Laios is really eager to make up for lost time, but socializing's been a dump stat for so long, it took some doing, like with the duplicitous people that preyed on his good nature when they first arrived. As far as Toshiro is concerned, he's kinda in the same boat. His dad's a hot mess (who was secretly nailing Maizuru on the side, which is *great..)* who decided to pit him and his two younger brothers against one another in a weird and shapeless 'bring back something of worth' quest they were all shipped out on. I'm no expert on Japan, but since it can have its own set of social conventions and reservations about 'how to talk about things' it could be from these as well. Again, like Laios said, it _can_ be as easy as just speaking ones' mind, but some of us are just raised to think otherwise, whether we like it or not.

And I really enjoyed the commentary you had on shuro and laios, if a psychologist did a video essay

Omg have you seen the daydream hour dm art books? Theres a ton of lore there

I really enjoyed this essay. Thank you 🥰

He is just king material.

Too be fair, Laios goal is basically Catch em All from pokemon, he just wants to eat what he catches.

Laios appreciation AND persona music 🗣‼️‼️ /posi

Ayyy congrats on 2k!

Road taken. 😂a song I listen to whenever I study.

Laios isn't literally me... but Kabru is

Hes the hero For now

holy shit i have the screenshots to prove it i was your 2kth sub after watching this video

World trigger is great in that regard, not into the same details as DM but considering its massive cast its suprising how much every single charackter is fleshed out.

I feel oddly weird to be here this early

Really great video!