The Rising of the Shield Hero

The White Tiger Siblings of Fate!

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The Rising of the Shield Hero S3 Ep 3 Review

Are some things fated to happen, or does everything in life happen because of coincidence? The idea of fate crops up a lot in fiction, with many people offering different takes on it. Some believe fate to be immovable. Others think that things happen by chance. In many stories though, things happen with such perfect timing that it can only be described as the work of fate. In this case, Naofumi’s party met a little white tiger and his sister. Not only do they become powerful allies, but have a surprising connection the man formerly known as King Aultcray Melromarc. 

Atla and Fohl, the White Tiger Siblings

After the battle with the white tiger boy in the arena, Naofumi and the others finally have enough money to free all the people from Raphtalia’s village. It’s unfortunate that the anime was unable to spend more time focusing on this moment beyond them returning to the village. However, the episode more than makes up for it by formally introducing us to the boy that Naofumi and his party fought. His name is Fohl, and he might be the strongest kid in the world.

As Naofumi discovers for himself, Fohl’s not a normal Demi-Human. He and his sister, Atla, are White Tiger, or Hakuko, Demi-Humans. They can level up faster than even other Demi-Humans can, and despite being a kid, Fohl’s stats are ridiculously high. Naofumi doesn’t hesitate to buy them both.

Those who know Naofumi know that he’s capable of great kindness, despite his demeanor saying otherwise. In this case, he earns the sibling’s eternal loyalty by giving the blind and sickly Atla a rare medicine that cures her debilitating illness. After that’s done, they both vow to help Naofumi no matter what.

It’s not until the end of the episode where the idea of fate comes into play. As the closing moments of the episode reveal, Atla and Fohl have a surprising connection to the ex-King of Melromarc, Trash. Naofumi’s one-time enemy is pratically in hysterics when he sees Fohl, and more importantly, Atla. As the Queen of Melromarc reveals, there’s a good reason.

For the sake of viewer’s suspense, it will not be revealed here. However, what the Queen tells Naofumi starts to put into perspective the reason why he hated Naofumi so much when he hadn’t done anything wrong. It doesn’t excuse his actions, but makes him feel a little more sympathetic. 

Lulorona Village is Growing Stronger

The other big highlight of the episode is getting to see how Lulorona Village is now coming together under Naofumi. All the remaining Demi-Human’s from the village are home, with Naofumi and his party keeping them safe. Much to Naofumi (and Raphtalia’s) dismay, though, Sadeena’s decided she’s fallen for Naofumi.

It’s not explained in the anime, but in the light novels, Sadeena or Raphtalia reveal that the former would only marry someone who can out-drink her. Since Naofumi shares another shield hero’s inability to get drunk, she thinks he’s perfect for her. Since Raphtalia already has her own feelings for Naofumi, it’s amusing seeing her get irritated with her big sister figure as she does. 

Naofumi is the Master of Karmic Clapbacks!

More importantly, though, the parts in Lulorona village show yet another example of fate in action. While Naofumi and the others are away, the village gets attacked by slavers. Thankfully, due to Fohl’s quick thinking, the heroes return and wipe the floor with all of them. It’s then that Raphtalia reveals that these are the very same soldiers that had abducted her and her friends the first time around. It seems they were foolish enough to try a second time.

Once again showing his ability to exercise the ultimate form of karma, Naofumi decides not to kill them. Instead, he sells them into slavery in Siltvelt, AKA the country that considers the Shield Hero a God. Pure. Karma. Never mess with the Shield Hero.

This episode wasn’t anywhere near as filled with action as the previous one. However, it makes up for it with the introduction of Atla and Fohl and the impact they have on the story. Both of them are going to become powerful allies to Naofumi as time goes on. In addition, knowing that Raphtalia was able to bring the ones who enslaved her to justice is a nice sense of closure. However, the next episode will raise the stakes with the attempts to capture the wayward Spear Hero, Motoyasu. Naofumi’s going to need all the luck he can get.

I Give “The White Tiger Siblings” a 4/5

Sadeena, the Killer Whale Waifu, Joins the Battle

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The Rising of the Shield Hero S3 Ep 2 Review

Following a lackluster second outing, The Rising of the Shield Hero managed to regain some of it with last week’s start to its third season. From the getgo, it seemed apparent that the people making the anime listened to the fans complaints and got their act together. The animation’s returned to it’s former glory, and more importantly, the pacing of the story’s improved. Naofumi’s mission to free the rest of Raphtalia’s people has led his party to an underground fighting ring, and let the animation truly shine. More than that, though, it’s led us to another contender for the best waifu list of 2023. Sadeena enters the story in full, and she’s a killer!

Sadeena, the Whale Waifu!

After playing the underground fighting ring’s rules against it to win a ton of money, Naofumi’s party is sitting pretty. Either groups refuse to fight them and forfeit, or they win and increase their reputation. Either way, they’re well on their way to earning enough money to free Raphtalia’s people. That’s when they run into the woman they spoke to at the colosseum.

She goes by the alias of Nadia, but her true name is Sadeena, a killer whale Demi-human. Powerful and playful, she bonds with Naofumi over drinks, and when she sees how well he holds his liquor, throws some signs that she’s into him. Despite this episode marking her second appearance though, she’s got a bit of depth to her. 

It’s soon revealed that Sadeena hails from Lulorona Village like Raphtalia and her friends. Raphtalia even looked up to Sadeena as a cool big sister. However, she had been away from the village when the Wave of Catastrophe destroyed it and its people enslaved. Thus, she feels a great deal of remorse over being unable to stop the destruction that she hides behind her confident exterior. That is, until she learns Naofumi’s true identity in the ring.

The Animation Kicked Up a Notch

The fight between the Shield Hero party and Sadeena is a visually spectacular battle. The animation has not only returned to what it was in the first season, but surpassed it, with all parties showing what they can do. More than that, it’s an emotional fight, with Raphtalia getting to show her beloved big sister how strong she’s grown. The relief on Sadeena’s face at Raphtalia’s, and their villages, survival is made apparent by her decision to forfeit. The Shield Hero looks set to free all the villagers!

That’s when the fates decide to throw another curveball.

Not wanting to lose all that money, the people running the arena demand Naofumi’s group fight a surprise challenger. Despite being young and hidden behind a mask, their power is evident. They battle all four people (Rishia and Raph-Chan don’t fight) to a standstill. That’s in spite of the fact that Naofumi’s a Cardinal Hero and Raphtalia a Vassal Hero. Thankfully, Naofumi still manages to get the money, despite the slavers trying to cheat him out of it.

Fohl is the one of the bottom left

That child they fought, though, isn’t a one-off character. As the end of the episode reveals, his name is Fohl and the reason he’s fighting is to pay for medicine for his sick sister. Much like Sadeena, both of them are going to become important to the story going forward. 

This episode was another banger. From the happy reunion of Raphtalia and Sadeena to the exciting fights, it looks like Shield Hero is back in business. Sadeena might be a contender for one of the top waifu’s for 2023, much like Raphtalia before her in 2020. And, two more important characters have joined the cast. If all goes well, then Shield Hero is on track to regaining its top spot in the Isekai world.

That’s assuming it manages to overcome the pacing problems from last season. Given how the third season will only have twelve episodes, though, it will be a test. Fingers crossed!

I Give “Nadia” a 4/5

Return of the Shield Hero is Upon Us!

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The Rising of the Shield Hero S3 Ep. 1 Review

When it first came out, I thought that The Rising of the Shield Hero was one of the best Isekai I’d ever seen. A story about a man summoned to another world as one of its four heroes, only to a.) get the one weapon that can’t attack, and b.) get framed for a crime he didn’t commit? A premise like that is why I would consider Shield Hero one of the Seven Holy Summits of Isekai. However, then came the second season and I was so…disappointed in it. It was too short, the Spirit Tortoise was nowhere near as scary as it should’ve been, and it skipped over a lot of details.

Yet, despite myself, I couldn’t help but step my toes back into the anime when the new season came out. Thus, here we are, back on that Shield Hero fix as Naofumi faces problems new and old.

Please let this be better than last time.

What’s Happened With Naofumi

At the end of the last season, Naofumi, Raphtalia, Filo, and Rishia returned from defeating Kyo in Glass’ world. They recovered the energy from the Spirit Tortoise and using it to protect Raphtalia’s world. Thus, they have a few months before the next Wave of Catastrophe. In addition, Naofumi’s efforts at rebuilding Lurolona Village (Raphtalia’s Hometown) are bearing fruit.

That’s the good news. There’s a lot of bad news, though, that the series spends plenty of time catching us up on.

Firstly, in the battle against Kyo, most of Naofumi’s party took a curse to them that lowered their stats for some time. That’s the least problematic issue, though. The second problem is that the other Cardinal heroes are missing. In the anime, it was stated at the end of the last season that they held off another Wave of Catastrophe, but that was an anime-only development and doesn’t line up with their character well. In the light novels and manga, they ran away after Naofumi left for Glass’ world. In addition, the Bitch formerly known as Princess Malty Melromarc (AKA the worst girl in anime history) is also missing. Considering the pain and chaos Bitch can cause, that’s not good.

In the more immediate future, though, there’s one concern of Naofumi’s that trumps all others. He made it his mission to find all the survivors from Raphtalia’s village and bring them home. The bad news is that every slave owner in Melromarc bought them all and took them abroad to be sold. Not wanting to let Raphtalia’s people to suffer any further, Naofumi and his party all set out abroad. Their destination: the merchant kingdom of Zeltrobe. 

The Shield Hero is Good Again!

I will be upfront: I didn’t watch much of Season Two of Shield Hero, if at all. My disappointment in how bad the pacing and story-telling was too great. I had read ahead on the trip to Glass’ world and it was something that I’d been looking forward to seeing. What little I did see, though, disappointed me. There wasn’t nearly enough time to cover the world in the shortened season. In addition, the Spirit Tortoise in the anime felt like a massive disappointment. Allen Blaster’s writings had made it seem like it was terrifying. The one in the anime felt like a joke. All this was why I was so reluctant to get back into the anime. 

I’m glad that I did, though. This first episode of this new season feels like a return to form for Shield Hero. The pacing alone is already better than what we got in the second season, and the fact that it’s putting more focus on the established cast is a massive blessing. I already knew from reading the manga that it would happen, but it was still a letdown seeing the lack of focus on the supporting cast in the first half of that season. It wasn’t fun to watch, and I’m glad that season three emphasizes how this is going to change. 

Those looking forward to seeing the other Cardinal heroes, though, will have to wait a while. For now, the story’s focused on Naofumi finding Raphtalia’s people. Which brings us to the best part of the episode: the Coliseum. Naofumi, Filo, and Raphtalia all join in disguise to earn enough money to free everyone in one fell swoop. Getting to see the original trio fight in top form is a visual feast for the eyes. Not to mention that Naofumi rigs the fight to make them the underdogs and earn more money is classic Naofumi. That guy has the makings of a capitalist. 

Welcome Back, Naofumi.

Besides marking a return to form, the episode also introduces us to two new characters that will become important in Naofumi’s story in the near future. Who they are I will not say, though. 

If this is what we have to look forward to in the new season, then I think it’s safe to say that Shield Hero is back in full force. With Mushoku Tensei on vacation until the spring, I’ll need a good isekai to watch in the cold months to come. Welcome back, Shield Hero.

I Give “The Dark Coliseum” a 4/5

By the way, Allen Blaster has started up his Shield Hero fanfiction again after an extended hiatus! If you love Shield Hero, then you’re going to love Allen Blaster’s fanfic, Diligence of the Shield Hero. It’s extremely faithful to the characters and story while also adding a ton of new and interesting things. Go check out my interview with him if you have the time!

Why You Need to Read Diligence of the Shield Hero!

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RJ Writing Ink Interviews Allen Blaster, author of the Shield Hero fanfic, Diligence of the Shield Hero.

In 2019, The Rising of the Shield Hero made waves in the anime community. It was a different kind of Isekai, one where the hero wasn’t an ace that succeeded at everything but one that struggled in a world out to get him. It proved very popular. Then we got the second season earlier this year, and it felt like all that potential went down the drain. 

I would’ve been very disappointed in how the second season turned out…if I had watched it more. However, I have already found something else to love. A fanfiction for Shield Hero that’s so good that it surpasses the official series: The Diligence of the Shield Hero. For the last year, I’ve known the fanfic’s author, Allen Blaster, fairly well on Discord. Thus, when I wanted to interview him for D&A Anime, I was delighted to hear him say yes. I hope you enjoy this interview about one of the best fanfic one could expect to find and the one behind it. 

Interview

RJ: Thank you again for doing this interview, Allen.

Allen: Alright.

RJ: First thing’s first, though: what made you want to get into writing fanfiction in the first place?

Allen:

This pretty much sums up why I got into fanfiction in the first place. I am a sucker for teenage romance. And after reading a lot of it, I decided that I wanted to try my hand at writing my own.

RJ: You really are a fan of Ren and Wyndia, huh?

Allen:

RJ: So, Allen, when did you discover The Rising of the Shield Hero? Were you a fan of it before the anime came out or did that lead you to become a fan?

Allen: I discovered it in June of 2019 thanks to the recommendation of a good friend. I only recently watched anime with some roommates like Code Geass and Attack on Titan, and decided to give it a shot. I binged the entire first season throughout one night, and the rest was history.

RJ: Nice. So, why don’t you tell us a little about your series, Diligence of the Shield Hero? For the readers that haven’t read it yet. Like, what’s it about and what sets it apart from the official series.

Allen: It starts with Naofumi learning of the rape accusation before he was accused and what happens to him after that because he ran away. Then it evolves by kickstarting character growth for the other Heroes earlier on due to how events go down well, focusing not only on Naofumi but on the other Heroes and their parties too.

RJ: And it’s all the better for it. Now the series has an ensemble cast that can carry their own weight.

Allen: I feel that is one issue the anime had regarding its second season. Ironically enough, I’m staying more true to the characters and events from the light novels than they were. There was so much content they cut from the Spirit Tortoise Arc that further established Eclair, Granny, and even the other Heroes like Ren.

RJ: What was your inspiration for writing this fanfic?

Allen: Obviously not the entire thing. It started out with me just wanting to write a start that’d allow for Raphumi to develop because I loved them so much in the anime. I ended up loving them even more after reading the LN’s and seeing how much Raphtalia meant to Naofumi there. Then, after the first arc, I ended up writing more and more, continuing down the rabbit hole to see where the path would go

RJ: Plenty of people would think shipping Naofumi with Raphtalia Is weird due to her technically being ten. Do you think it is?

Allen: I have a whole freaking thing on my fanfiction profile explaining why this is stupid. I sum it up as “if you want to argue another race’s age instead of how quickly or slowly they mature being the primary thing that makes them legal, you are advocating for Baby Yoda to be made legal.” In short, I don’t find it weird at all, and what I find weird is people trying to inflict human standards on a race that isn’t human, to begin with.

RJ: Fair enough. Btw, did you know that your fic’s tv tropes page says it’s better than canon?

Allen: Yes, I do know that. And it is fine for people to have their opinions. But I don’t prefer people using that message to spread word of my fic around. Despite its shortcomings, I love the anime, and I love the light novels it’s based off of even more. I cannot put into words how much the original story means to me.

RJ: How were you able to make Bitch even worse than she was in canon?

Allen: I didn’t. I simply allowed her more opportunities to be herself. 

RJ: With more screentime?

Allen: And the version of events that played out. The first real big change up was nothing stopping Motoyasu from being made the Lord of Lute (Riyute) Village. So there was nothing to stop Malty from doing what she was going to do there.

RJ: Where do you get inspiration for all your original characters? Because there are quite a number of them.

Allen: The inspiration sometimes comes from them getting introduced into the story for an event and me thinking about them in general. That was how my Hakuko OC Dou-Lon ended up getting added to it. Other times, I start with a concept for a character like Altara, and then, later on, I had thoughts that led to a parallel with Darth Vader’s transformation. And I look at what I wrote and realize I can fit it in easily.

RJ: Alright, last question: Who’s cuter, Raphtalia, Filo, or Raph-Chan?

Allen: Wyndia, Lol.

He really likes Wyndia, a dog demihuman that the anime has yet to introduce. 

Click here to read the fanfic for yourself. Updates Every Monday