Here’s my The Rising of the Shield Hero review. And to save you time I recommend this series especially if you’re a fan of isekai stuff.

Naofumi Iwatani is your average teenager who gets transported to a new world where he becomes the legendary Shield Hero who comprises the “four cardinal heroes” along with the spear hero, the sword hero and the bow hero. Things don’t look up for him and as early as episode 1, he’s already been branded as a menace.

And he’s forced to follow the rules and fight the invading hordes that regularly attack the world if he wants to return to his world.

As he levels up, he encounters new allies and enemies as he strives to become the ideal Shield Hero including a slave raccoon girl named Raphtalia and bird-like Filolial named Filo. He also gains new shields throughout his adventures including the curse shield and the rage shield.

Story

The story and the plot is very divisive. Some fans liked it, others dropped the series after a few episodes. I’m more towards enjoying the anime series for what it is.

And there’s a lot to unpack in terms of story. There’s the political intrigue and the humiliation that our shield hero had to endure the moment he got isekai’d into this world.

Naofumi also goes through an emotional rollercoaster through various arcs within the season especially when dealing with Melty and her father. But its all good because in the end our hero does find happiness is what he does even if the kingdom didn’t want him to begin with.

Characters

Again the characters are divisive with some viewers just generally hating every character. And I can see why. But then again, I thought they all had quirks. Like the devious Melty and Trash king. Naofumi had a lot of asshole moments too but he did get redemption by the end of the season. Pretty much every main character got to grow by the end of the season especially Raphtalia and Naofumi.

Visual Effects

I love the visuals for this. From the different types of shields to the enemies and even the designs for some of the season’s settings. And lets not even go and talk about Naofumi’s Rage Shield. Man that was awesome.

The dragons and the invading monsters are also pretty neat to look at. And hell yes, that final battle was also one for the books especially when Naofumi used that cursed shield to take down the main baddie.

The Rising of the Shield Hero Review – Verdict

9/10