I've seen a few different takes on this setup across various series, and while the specifics change, the banished healer tends to fulfill a really interesting narrative role that goes way beyond just being a victim. First off, they're almost always a catalyst for massive change, both in their own life and for the party that discarded them. Their expulsion forces them to shed that passive, supportive identity they've been locked into, revealing hidden depths—maybe they have latent offensive magic, an unexpected talent for strategy, or just a sheer, stubborn will to survive that everyone had underestimated. That journey from a defined, almost invisible role to a self-determined powerhouse is the core of the appeal.
From a party dynamics perspective, the healer's absence becomes a glaring, often fatal flaw for the original group. It's a brutal lesson in taking someone for granted. Suddenly, the frontline fighters have to ration potions, retreat from battles they would've won, and confront their own fragility. Meanwhile, the banished healer often forms a new, more balanced party where their skills are genuinely valued, highlighting how the old group's toxic hierarchy or shortsightedness was the real weakness, not the healer's abilities. It's a satisfying reversal of power.
Ultimately, these characters serve as a critique of rigid RPG-style party roles. They explore what happens when the person everyone considers a non-combatant stops playing by the established rules. The story becomes about redefining strength, challenging assumptions about utility, and finding a new kind of team where cooperation isn't transactional. Watching them build that new respect from the ground up, with allies who actually have their back, is where the real emotional payoff lies, far from the initial bitterness of the banishment.