The following contains spoilers for Episode 1 of DanMachi IV, "Prelude (Night Before Departure)" now streaming on HIDIVE.
DanMachi IV begins with an orchestral swell over a light recap of the events from seasons 1 through 3, getting things off to an endearing start. While there might not be a ton of conflict in this first episode, it lays the foundation for an expedition that will test every member of the Familia.
Last season, the revelation that a sentient monster race existed called the Xenos drove Bell to almost destroy his career trying to defend them despite monsters being hated. After helping several Xenos get to safety, Bell managed to regain his honor by averting a crisis in the city and now prepares to re-commence adventuring to get stronger. This premiere doesn't feel like the calm before the storm, but rather the calm following one storm and leading into another just as quickly. For viewers, it's been a year, but for Bell, it's been days at most, and that pressure is immediately felt. Once again, the Hestia Familia has emerged from a crisis with more notoriety.
A New Adventure
They've weathered storm after storm only to amass a reputation for weathering the worst of them, and now are being requested for more and more dangerous work. At the end of season 3, the future was uncertain and while catastrophe was avoided, it felt like everything was returned to the status quo.
How would Bell go about helping the Xenos, including Wiene, whom he grew very close to? As it turns out, the best way to help the Xenos is to continue the path of an adventurer. If the dungeon is conquered, and the deadliest monsters are dealt with, there will be no more reason for the Xenos to remain secret.
It's a hopeful outlook, but at least Bell's dream of adventuring and his commitment to helping the Xenos can both be achieved through the same path. Were they not intertwined, it would have felt like the Xenos were being sidelined after just one season.
After that is cleared up, the rest of the episode follows the characters assembling allies for the next journey. It could easily have been an underwhelming premiere but even without a big event, it manages to build a lot of excitement through small gestures.
"A Strong Conviction"
A small scene between Mikoto and Takemikazuchi perfectly illustrated the precarious place the protagonists are in. After sparring, Take tells Mikoto that status isn't something that improves in one day. The Hestia Familia's renown may have grown, but that doesn't mean that the people within it have a strength matching those expectations.
Even Bell, who has grown so significantly over the three preceding seasons, carrying himself with far more confidence and no less kindness, isn't infallible or unbeatable. In a genre full of overpowered protagonists, Bell's power doesn't diminish the struggle he faces with each new season.
There is a lot of palpable anticipation in this episode; everyone is working to prepare for the unknown. The previously mentioned "small gestures" that make this episode so effective are the character moments.
Ouka visiting Welf to ask for a new weapon was a well-acted scene equal parts humorous and intense. Hopefully, receiving such a significant weapon means Ouka will have a more meaningful role to play, having been mostly a background character up to now.
Lili's conversation with Daphne and Cassandra hinted that she might go through her own evolution this season. In the past, her role as a supporter was clear, but it made her utility seem more like an inventory space than a fighter. Having her embrace a strategist position could be amazing for her character.
While the past two seasons opened strong with drama or the introductions of crucial characters like Wiene, this season begins slowly and methodically. It doesn't do so thoughtlessly, however, and it serves more to reflect on how far the characters have come. The score pronounces the first steps of this journey in such a way that it's hard not to smile.