Crunchyroll’s massive library generally tends to have a handful of smash hits across each quarterly rotation of new anime seasons, but many of its viewers, feeling a void left behind by Solo Leveling, are seeking a temporary replacement. While action-fantasy anime gems come and go on the platform, the latest catching audiences’ eyes is Jack-of-All-Trades, Party of None.
Jack-of-All-Trades, while technically releasing its debut on December 31, 2025, is a particularly popular new anime of the Winter 2026 lineup, but now nine episodes into its 12-episode season 1, it suffers from several key issues. While its overpowered protagonist initially deemed weak and dismissed by the Heroes Party hits similar notes as Solo Leveling’s Jinwoo, it doesn’t quite measure up.
Solo Leveling’s Would-Be Replacement Suffers From a Frustrating Anime Trope
Jack-of-All-Trades, Party of None is the story of Orhun Dura, an 18-year-old multidisciplinary adventurer who once aspired to be a Swordsman like his grandfather. While the anime’s most recent episodes hint at a far more mysterious origin story, it’s a legitimate enough premise, were it not for a classic trend straight out of TV Tropes rendering this anime painfully generic.
As detailed in episode #1, Orhun is wrongfully banished from the Heroes Party, after initially swapping specialties from Swordsman to Enchanter to fill a crucial party void. He is then deemed too weak compared to other Enchanters, and given the boot, with particular animus from Oliver and others, despite his value far exceeding their perception.
While this may potentially remind viewers of Sung Jinwoo’s early days as the weakest E-Rank Hunter, regarded as a burden on most expeditions, Orhun’s iteration is a far more predictable trope. Orhun feels more like an author self-insert, resembling a disgruntled former IT staffer, dismissed as “nonessential” exiting with all efficiency-boosting software, keys to the building, and everyone’s coffee orders.
In short, Jack-of-All-Trades, Party of None feels like wish-fulfillment, with Orhun quietly having enough buffs to turn even mediocre attacks into having dragon-slaying potential. By episode #4, the Heroes Party grapples with the truth that Orhun understood he was weaker, and thus developed better, original buff magic, subtly using it to support his comrades.
While Orhun’s moments outside the Heroes Party, namely in training junior adventurers in the Night Sky Silver Rabbits party, make him an endearing protagonist who is willing to build up new generations of fighters against various threats, these are undone by episode #6. Faced with the Black Dragon, a beast powerful enough to force the Heroes Party to retreat, Orhun solos it.
Orhun accomplishes this feat by combining his Enchanter buffs with his Swordsman abilities, obliterating the Black Dragon without much trouble. This feels particularly Solo Leveling-like, but its execution falls flat due to a flimsier production and weaker pacing. While other fantasy and isekai with shades of Solo Leveling’s production benefited accordingly, Jack-of-All-Trades is getting nowhere quickly.
Jack-of-All-Trades’ Generic Premise Is Joined with a Pacing Problem
While the story of Jack-of-All-Trades, Party of None has benefited well from Orhun’s smaller moments, it vaguely points to the bigger picture far too late into the season. After weeks of coaching party members and reminding them of the value of a proper balance of attackers, tanks, and supporters, Orhun’s backstory gets tiny glimpses, with Sion’s introduction being particularly juicy.
This moment comes in episode #8, in which she believed Orhun to be driven to his death, while simultaneously being ordered to track down and potentially kill a dragonslayer, while hinting he’s potentially sided with the Church, unaware it’s Orhun. It paints a darker image of the protagonist, but this is the only hint of a greater twist so far.
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Immediately after that episode, Orhun takes on another mission to train his new party, feeling at home as a leader and mentor. It’s sweet, and would almost work as a slice-of-life fantasy story where Orhun finds his calling as an overpowered Support/Offense specialist helping others shine, but it almost too easily forgets the bigger story it’s trying to tell.
Solo Leveling’s Animation Is a Tough Act to Follow
While Solo Leveling season 1 relatively came and went in the eyes of the fandom, the production really amped up the intricate animation quality under A-1 Pictures for season 2. Few fights in anime are as dynamic, flowy, or audiovisually impactful as Jinwoo vs. the Ant King (Beru) or even against Baruka. Orhun’s monster-slaying, however, is a poor substitute.
Jack-of-All-Trades, Party of None initially draws viewers in with impressive close combat animation in episode #1, but its overreliance on CGI is easily apparent by episodes #5 and #6, with its clunky rendition of the Black Dragon on full display. The generic animation from the aptly-named “animation studio42”, a very new team, doesn’t inspire much confidence.
Animation studio42 may not have the same fatal flaws as One-Punch Man season 3, but that doesn’t stop it from similarly prolific still shots, not unlike The Beginning After the End. While the anime never hoped to compete with Solo Leveling’s hype, its unfortunately similar (albeit more likeable) protagonist draws in that fandom all the same, only to be disappointed.
Jack-of-All-Trades may yet redeem itself by the end of season 1, but not before audiences lose interest. Vastly outnumbering the more fascinating lore reveals are instances of wish-fulfillment, namely female adventurers fawning over Orhun like a pseudo harem, sub-par fight scenes, despite having a genuinely interesting RPG-inspired power system at its core.
It’s a shame Jack-of-All-Trades is held back by its more generic qualities. But it’s also a shame to have expected better from a series so entrenched in overused light novel adaptation tropes at this point in 2026.
- Release Date
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2024 – 2025-00-00
- Network
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Tokyo MX, Gunma TV, BS11, Tochigi TV
- Directors
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Tatsuya Sasaki, Toru Hamasaki
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Genta Nakamura
Yoo Jin-ho
