I find it odd that people keep saying the friend needs to go. I think it makes the story more novel for an isekai. One of most common problems in isekai stories is that they obsess over a simple mc and making sure he has everything for himself. That threw me off of Arifureta pretty quick once he was out of the dungeon. Everyone either wanted the mc's dick or were chaotic stupid. On the other hand, Shield hero's light novel was way better then the webnovel for have Kizuna to challenge Nao's point of view and make him grow into a better mc. Then the existance of L'arc as a friendly big brother that was genuinely competent helped a lot to balance out the interactions he had with other characters.
In short, I honestly wish more isekai had capable male friends or female friends who aren't romantically interested for their mcs. It would make for more interesting interactions and allow relationships to develop more. More so, having more characters for the readers to relate to, and not just trying to insert yourself into the mc solely, gives the mc room to have a personality of their own.