# I Left My A-Rank Party to Help My Former Students Reach the Dungeon Depths!

I Left My A-Rank Party to Help My Former Students Reach the Dungeon Depths! is a Japanese light novel series written by Kōsuke Unagi and illustrated by Super Zombie. It was seralized online from October 2020 to August 2023 on the user-generated novel publishing website Shōsetsuka ni Narō. It was later acquired by Kodansha, who have published four volumes since June 2021 under their Kodansha Ranobe Books imprint. A manga adaptation with art by Yūri has been serialized online via Kodansha's Magazine Pocket website since June 2021 and has been collected in nine tankōbon volumes. The manga is licensed in North America by Kodansha USA. An anime television series adaptation produced by Bandai Namco Pictures premiered in January 2025.

## Premise

Yuke Feldio, a Red Mage, has left Thunder Pike, his adventurer party of 5 years; fed up with their stupidity and being ridiculed for his support skills. However, he is soon recruited by a party consisting of his former students; forming Clover.
While Clover begins successfully accomplishing missions, Thunder Pike begins to discover they aren't as strong as they thought without Yuke. Their A Rank status may not be as well-earned as they thought.

## Characters
### Clover
#### Yuke (ユーク, Yūku)

    Voiced by: Hiromu Mineta (Japanese); Drew Breedlove (English)
    The protagonist and leader of Clover. He is a support mage who can give multiple boosts at once. He stays well-equipped and studies enemies. He is a very serious person and always looks out for Clover.

#### Marina (マリナ)

    Voiced by: Hana Inami (Japanese); Lindsay Seidel (English)
    The sword mage of Clover. She was the most recent member before Yuke, so she is a bit clueless about social norms. She has feelings for Yuke.

#### Silk (シルク, Shiruku)

    Voiced by: Natsumi Kawaida (Japanese); Marisa Duran (English)
    A dark elf ranger with elemental powers. She was the de facto leader of Clover before Yuke was officially designated by her suggestion. Like Marina, she has feelings for him too.

#### Rain (レイン, Rein)

    Voiced by: Nene Hieda (Japanese); Bryn Apprill (English)
    Priest and mage of Clover. She tends to be shy and is a sleepyhead. Like Marina & Silk, she has feelings for Yuke as well.

#### Nene (ネネ, Nene)

    Voiced by: Maria Sashide (Japanese); Kelly Greenshield (English)
    A ninja cat girl who was forced to join Clover as a sentence for an as-yet unspecified crime.

### Thunder Pike
#### Simon (サイモン, Saimon)

    Voiced by: Yoshiki Nakajima (Japanese); Stephen E. Moellering (English)
    The main antagonist and the leader of Thunder Pike. Simon believes that he is a hero and tactical genius; he is actually a jerk who can only rush into a fight. Yuke constantly had to cover up his mistakes; Simon never accepts fallibility due to ego. He also forgets that his fame comes with surveillance at the dungeons and the support of the king; something that comes back to bite him.
    After realizing Thunder Pike can't do anything grandiose without Yuke, Simon attempts to force him into handing over Clover's accomplishments and supplies. This backfired as guild law states team leaders cannot be subordinate to one another; resulting in Simon throwing a public tantrum.

#### Jamie (ジェミー, Jemī)

    Voiced by: M.A.O (Japanese); Celeste Perez (English)
    Mage of Thunder Pike and the only member who has any morality. After Yuke left, the team began losing its sanity due to challenging dungeons they were woefully under-prepared for; resulting in them taking out their frustrations on Jamie in Yuke's place. Jamie attempted to nudge the group into rethinking their plans, but was ignored.
    Despite Simon, Barry and Camilla being at fault, Jamie was punished in their place as the only survivor of Thunder Pike. Yuke got her sentence reduced to short term imprisonment. Like Marina, Silk & Rain, she has feelings for Yuke, because Jamie is the only member in Thunder Pike who treats Yuke equally with kindness and grew close to him.

#### Barry (バリー, Barī)

    Voiced by: Sekai (Japanese); Marcus D. Stimac (English)
    The Warrior of Thunder Pike. Dumber than Simon, Barry is just as vile; unable to accept he is a bad guy. He is little more than a thug who thinks newer adventurers are weak. He attempted to help force Yuke sign a contact to enslave him by threatening to sexually violate his friends. However, he was injured in an accident and was killed by Orcs shortly after.

#### Camilla (カミラ, Kamira)

    Voiced by: Yoshino Nanjō (Japanese); Taylor Murphy (English)
    The Healer Priestess of Thunder Pike. Despite being raised by a church, she lacks compassion and is condescending to those she considers beneath her. Ironically, she stays back and relies on others in combat. She is even religiously intolerant, insulting Silk for her spiritual beliefs. Despite the fact she knows elves were rape victims of orcs, Camilla believes fairy tales that elves willingly mates with them.
    Her fate is just as cruel and ironic, being taken by Orcs for breeding and later killed off-panel.

### Adventurers Guild
#### Benwood (ベンウッド, Benuddo)

    Voiced by: Tsuyoshi Koyama (Japanese); Demetrious Murray (English)
    The guild master. He was disgusted with Simon for his behavior; the moron insulted the entirety of the dark elf race when trying to provoke Silk into attacking. Benwood couldn't punch any sense into Simon, no matter how many times he hit him; only managing to register that the king wants to exile Thunder Pike for risking an international incident.

#### Mamal (ママル, Mamaru)

    Voiced by: Hisako Kanemoto (Japanese); Brianna Roberts (English)
    An elf who is the guild's top receptionist; she was a legendary adventurer decades ago. These days, she uses her old combat skills to put rowdy adventurers in their place.

### Other characters
#### Saga (サーガ, Sāga)

    Voiced by: Satoshi Hino (Japanese); Ethan Gallardo (English)
    Yuke's uncle.

#### Camelat-kun (キャメラット君, Kyameratto-kun)

    Voiced by: Mayu Tamura (Japanese); Rebecca Chiara Marano (English)

#### Besio Salas (ベシオ, Beshio)

    Voiced by: Kentarou Itou (Japanese); Chris Long (English)
    A minor antagonist and a Noble man who is obsessed with Rain. At first, Besio tried to threaten Yuke to leave Clover but failed miserably. Then he tried to join forces with Simon to enslave Rain and subjugate Yuke. Luckily, thanks to Jamie's confession and evidence, Clover was able to thwart Besio's plans and had him arrested by the royal guard.

## Media
### Light novel

Written by Kōsuke Unagi, I Left My A-Rank Party to Help My Former Students Reach the Dungeon Depths! was serialized on the user-generated web novel publishing site Shōsetsuka ni Narō from October 2, 2020, to August 26, 2023. It was later acquired by Kodansha who began publishing it as a light novel with illustrations by Super Zombie under their Kodansha Ranobe Books light novel imprint on June 2, 2021. Four volumes have been released as of October 2024.
| No. | Release date | ISBN |
| 1 | June 2, 2021 | 978-4-06-523716-8 |
| 2 | October 1, 2021 | 978-4-06-524789-1 |
| 3 | July 1, 2022 | 978-4-06-527672-3 |
| 4 | October 2, 2024 | 978-4-06-536637-0 |

### Manga

A manga adaptation illustrated by Yūri began serialization on Kodansha's Magazine Pocket website and app on June 25, 2021. The first tankōbon volume was released on October 8, 2021. The manga's chapters have been compiled into nine tankōbon volumes as of January 2025.
On January 4, 2024, Kodansha USA announced that they licensed the series for English digital publication.
| No. | Original release date | Original ISBN | North American release date | North American ISBN |
| 1 | October 8, 2021 | 978-4-06-525695-4 | January 9, 2024 | 978-1-68-491383-1 |
| 2 | February 9, 2022 | 978-4-06-526887-2 | February 27, 2024 | 978-1-68-491437-1 |
| 3 | July 8, 2022 | 978-4-06-528176-5 | March 12, 2024 | 979-8-88-933254-1 |
| 4 | December 9, 2022 | 978-4-06-529639-4 | May 21, 2024 | 979-8-88-933255-8 |
| 5 | May 9, 2023 | 978-4-06-531565-1 | July 16, 2024 | 979-8-88-933455-2 |
| 6 | October 6, 2023 | 978-4-06-532886-6 | — | — |
| 7 | April 9, 2024 | 978-4-06-535168-0 | — | — |
| 8 | September 9, 2024 | 978-4-06-536775-9 | — | — |
| 9 | January 8, 2025 | 978-4-06-538050-5 | — | — |

### Anime

An anime television series adaptation was announced on September 4, 2024. It is produced by Bandai Namco Pictures and directed by Katsumi Ono, with Kazuyuki Fudeyasu writing the scripts, Masakazu Yamazaki designing the characters, and Go Sakabe composing the music. The series premiered on January 12, 2025, on Nippon TV and its affiliates, and will run for two consecutive cours. For the first cour, the opening theme song is "Enter" performed by Kazuma Kawamura of The Rampage from Exile Tribe under the solo name Rei, while the ending theme song is "Treasure Chest" performed by Yuki Tanaka. Crunchyroll streams the series. Muse Communication licensed the series in Southeast Asia.

#### Episodes

| No. | Title | Directed by | Storyboarded by | Chief animation directed by | Original release date |
| 1 | "Clover Is Born" Transliteration: "Kurōbā Tanjō" (Japanese: クローバー誕生) | Kōsuke Shimotori | Katsumi Ono | Masakazu Yamazaki | January 11, 2025 (2025-1-11) |
| Yuke Feldio, a Red Mage and Alchemist, is a member of the A-Rank Party Thunder Pike. However, after 5 years, he announces that he's leaving the party. He states that the reason is because the party doesn't treat him equally, despite him providing lots of support. They claim that he doesn't contribute enough, and that him leaving won't affect their party. Simon offers him a chance to change his mind, but he sticks to his decision and leaves. The next day, Yuke looks for new work and runs into Marina, a former student of his, and she invites him to join her D-Rank party. Together with Rain and Silk, the four of them set off to collect magic iron ore from the Paintal Abandoned Mine Dungeon. As they explore, Yuke impresses his team with his Red Mage Skills and Alchemist skills. After defeating a Rock Lizard on the fourth floor, they head to the fifth floor boss, a Steel Crab. Just before the battle, Yuke decides to record it, and Marina suggests they livestream the fight. She also suggests they form an official party named "Clover", and everyone agrees. Yuke faces the Steel Crab alone and easily defeats it. After storing it in his Magic Bag, they open a chest full of magic iron ore. ||||||
| 2 | "The Forest Where a Magic Beast Dwells" Transliteration: "Majū no Sumu Mori" (Japanese: 魔獣の棲む森) | Ryūta Yamamoto | Katsumi Ono | Yumiko Hara | January 18, 2025 (2025-1-18) |
| As Clover is heading back to the Guild from completing their quest, the girls praise Yuke for his abilities and guidance. They suggest he becomes their official party leader, though he is reluctant at first. After some encouragement, he accepts the position. Meanwhile, Thunder Pike is struggling to defeat Dile Wolves, and Jamie gets injured, forcing them to retreat. Back at the Guild, Clover celebrates their success while discussing their future plans. Thunder Pike blames their new recruit for failing to provide support and the new recruit quits in a fit of rage. Word gets around the Guild about Yuke's battle with the Steel Crab, drawing everyone's attention. 3 days later, Yuke accepts a C-Rank request to gather stones from a waterfall in Ordan Lakeside Forest for the party. As he's making preparations, he's harassed by a drunk man named Besio Salas who demands that he leaves Clover so he can join the girls. Yuke trips him with his magic and leaves him unconscious on the streets. When they arrive at the forest, just before they reach the waterfall, they encounter a Magic Beast known as a Zarnag. Yuke orders the girls to flee to safety, but they stay and fight alongside him. They buy him time to unleash his powerful move, Prismatic Missile. ||||||
| 3 | "Overflow" Transliteration: "Ōbāfurou" (Japanese: オーバーフロウ) | Ayaka Tsujihashi | Shin'ichi Watanabe | Ippei Ichii | January 25, 2025 (2025-1-25) |
| Clover is fighting the Magic Beast Zarnag, and Yuke unleashed his move Prismatic Missile. It weakens the beast along with Rain's spell Thunderbolt, and Marina cuts it's head off, killing it. The party camps out in the forest, near the waterfall and lake, and Yuke reminisces about his days teaching the girls. Several days later, Guild Master Benwood calls the party to discuss their encounter with the Zarnag and to apologize for putting them in danger. He also promotes the party to C-Rank and Yuke to A-Rank Adventurer. Everyone celebrates at the inn, having earned enough money to buy a base. The girls ask what Yuke wants to accomplish, and he says his goal is to venture to the deepest floor of Achromatic Darkness, like his uncle. As Clover completes more quests, their popularity skyrockets while Thunder Pike is frustrated over their increasing failures, with Jamie isolating herself from the remaining three members as they blame her for their troubles. They then decide to get Yuke back in their party. As Clover returns to the guild at night after a quest, Simon approaches Yuke and tries to persuade him to rejoin, but Yuke denies his offer. The girls, having eavesdropped on the conversation are worried Yuke may leave, but he assures them that he is not leaving them. ||||||
| 4 | "Shadow Stalker" Transliteration: "Shadō Sutōkā" (Japanese: 影の人（シャドウストーカー）) | Kento Nakagomi | Nagisa Miyazaki | Akira Takahashi | February 1, 2025 (2025-2-1) |
| At the Guild, Yuke tells the girls that Clover has been requested by Earthys, a workshop in Qualto. They were requested to wear new adventurer gear and complete a dungeon for promotion. The party accepts the quests, and head to Qualto where the girls receive new gear. They enter the Aion Ruins Dungeon and make their way to the deepest floor while recording everything. On the second floor, they encounter Orcs. Silk becomes enraged at the sight, due to the history between Orcs and Elves, but Yuke reminds her to remain calm. Yuke and Rain take out two orcs, allowing Marina and Silk to take out the remaining ones. They discover a Memorandum of Revelation scroll and a chest with a Magic Bag inside it. Once they reach the fourth floor, a Shadow Stalker attacks them. The monster overwhelms the party, until Yuke turns the tide with his magic. The girls then work together to finish the monster. Once they reach the door to the Abandoned City dungeon, their quest is complete. The party then decides to spend the next two days exploring Qualto. ||||||
| 5 | "Mission" Transliteration: "Misshon" (Japanese: 国選依頼（ミッション）) | Shigeki Awai | Akira Nishimori | Masakazu Yamazaki, Ippei Ichii | February 9, 2025 (2025-2-9) |
| Thunder Pike is on a quest to combat some Bogles, but the mission ends up a failure. Mamar explains that if they continue to fail, their party will be demoted from A-Rank. As they are discussing what to do, Simon proposes venturing into Achromatic Darkness, in the hopes of roping Yuke back into their party. Meanwhile, Clover is searching for a base and find a suitable 2-story house. When moving in, Yuke is hesitant on living with them, but they reassure him that they trust him. When having dinner together, a broadcast reveals that Achromatic Darkness is open for investigation. Yuke then receives a letter from the Guild saying Thunder Pike wants him to join, but he refuses. This leads to a heated argument between him and Simon in town. 2 weeks later, Guild Master Benwood invites Clover to join the investigation. Yuke discusses it with his party, and even though he's scared of losing the girls, they all agree to accept. Benwood then introduces them to a new party member, Nene. ||||||
| 6 | "Achromatic Darkness" Transliteration: "Mushoku no Yami" (Japanese: 無色の闇) | Yūdai Ishikawa | Akira Nishimori | Yumiko Hara | February 15, 2025 (2025-2-15) |
| Nene has joined the party Clover and they begin their mission. Benwood and Mamar lead the party to the entrance of Achromatic Darkness, which is underneath the Adventurer's Guild. They livestream their exploration as they explore the first floor, and encounter a shark-like monster. Yuke and Rain use their magic, while Marina uses a crossbow that Yuke gave her right before the fight, and Silk finishes off the monster. Afterwards, they find a chest in the safe area, rigged with a trap. Nene disables it and it's full of gems, gold, a ring, and a black cube artifact. After exploring the second floor, they discuss their adventure and decide to head back. Before they reach the exit, Thunder Pike suddenly shows and demands they hand over their rewards. Clover refuses, leading to a tense argument, all caught on livestream. 2 days later, Benwood summons Thunder Pike to his office to discuss allegations made against them. Simon tries to defend their actions, leading to Benwood punching him for his insolence. As punishment for their actions, they have to publicly apologize and forfeit their A-Rank status. At night, Simon is alone and blames Yuke for their situation when he is approached by Besio Salas. He offers him a plan to get revenge on Clover and Simon willingly agrees. ||||||
| 7 | "The Pale, Immortal Ruler" Transliteration: "Aojiroki Nō Raifu Kingu" (Japanese: 青白き不死者王（ノーライフキング）) | Shigeru Ueda | Moe Katō | Ippei Ichii, Sorato Shimizu | February 22, 2025 (2025-2-22) |
| At their base, Marina and Yuke examine the black box artifact and it turns into a sword that Marina can use. Later, Clover begins their next expedition into Achromatic Darkness. When they reach the second floor, it turns out to be an open grassy field, with blue skies. Rain uses her magic and spots a house far away. When they approach it, the woman inside invites them in, but Yuke is suspicious of her and rejects her offer. The woman then reveals herself as Persephone, the Pale, Immortal, Ruler. Yuke speaks a phrase that convinces her to spare the party, and before they leave, she leaves a brand on Yuke's face. When they reach the safe zone, they discuss their recent encounter and get some rest. However, Thunder Pike takes them hostage and tries to blackmail Yuke into signing a contract. But before he can sign it, everyone falls into an Orc Pit. Jamie helps free Clover, and they fend off the Orcs while Yuke tries to use a Scroll of Exit. Simon tries everything he can to escape with them, but Jamie stops him, and Clover leaves Thunder Pike behind. As the Orcs start approaching them, Simon injects himself with something before collapsing. ||||||
| 8 | "One Who Was Once a Friend" Transliteration: "Katsute Tomo de Atta Mono" (Japanese: かつて友であったもの) | Ayaka Tsujihashi | Ayaka Tsujihashi | Akira Takahashi | March 1, 2025 (2025-3-1) |
| Guild Master Benwood visits Clover at their base showing a recording Jamie left behind, revealing proof of Thunder Pike's illegal activities and a distress signal from Jamie. Yuke volunteers to go rescue her, but Benwood is against the idea. After he leaves, Yuke removes the Slave Collar off Rain using the dark magic Persephone gave him. Besio then shows up with two guards, but Clover subdues all three of them. Rain then places the Slave Collar, and Yuke places a curse on him that will kill him if he bothers Rain again. After he's taken away to the royal examiner, Benwood informs Clover that Achromatic Darkness will be sealed, but they go in regardless of the consequences. They manage to find Jamie, but she's badly wounded. Simon appears, revealing that he had used the item from before to become an undead, and tries to kill Yuke out of revenge for leaving him to die. Yuke uses Prismatic Missile infused with dark magic, which ends up turning Simon into a big immobile blob. After healing Jamie's wounds, Shadow Stalkers appear and relentlessly attack Simon, causing him endless pain while Clover leaves the dungeon. A week later, Benwood punishes Clover by forbidding them from party activity for one month, while his own pay is cut for three months for his lack of oversight. Jamie is suspended from being an Adventurer for one year, thanks to the evidence she provided and Yuke vouching for her. She and Yuke reconcile before heading to their respective homes. ||||||
| 9 | "A Six-Leaf Clover" Transliteration: "Mu-tsu Ba no Kurōbā" (Japanese: 六つ葉のクローバー) | Hiromasa Irieda | Takayuki Inagaki | Ippei Ichii, Sorato Shimizu | March 8, 2025 (2025-3-8) |
| 9.5 | "Special Party Feature: Clover!" Transliteration: "Pātī Tokushū! Kurōbā" (Japanese: パーティ特集！クローバー) | Fumitoshi Aigasa | Fumitoshi Aigasa | Akira Takahashi | March 15, 2025 (2025-3-15) |