The Rising of the Shield Hero finished its second season this past June, after debuting in January 2019 and completing its first season a few months later. The second season was a poor follow-up to the first, but the first season brought its own admirable flair to the Isekai genre. Unlike many series of the genre, the protagonist in this one is far from overpowering. Naofumi Iwatani, finds himself summoned to a different world to protect it from devastating waves of monsters as one of its four cardinal heroes. While the other heroes get to be either the bow hero, sword hero, or spear hero, Naofumi has to be the shield hero. It may not sound too bad, but the heroes can’t equip any weapon other than the cardinal weapon they were granted, meaning Naofumi can only use his shield and has no weapon to use offensively.
In addition to the world’s close adherence to video game mechanics, the series also tackles complex exploration of themes like brainwashing and willful ignorance. It does this primarily by pitting most of the world against Naofumi after a trusted member of a royal family frames him for a crime. It takes a long time for him to clear his name and even once he does, much of the damage is already done.
What Does It Want To Say?
The series makes some subtle, yet potent statements about brainwashing and willful ignorance. Both of these are not only wrong but also severely damaging to individuals and society as a whole. Brainwashing an individual removes their individuality and corrupts their ability to think for themselves. This doesn’t just cheat them out of controlling their own happiness. It also lessens their value as contributing members of society. Brainwashing also leaves emotional and mental scars that are challenging to heal. Oftentimes, the scars go unnoticed, causing even more damage to the individual or others around them.
Willful ignorance is just as damaging, although it’s a different side of the same coin. When people avoid pursuing knowledge or seeking truth, it leads to a weak society. Corrupt rulers stand to benefit from this sort of system because they wield power more easily while facing less resistance and fewer consequences for their actions. Even if rulers don’t seek to abuse misinformation or mislead uninformed masses, willful ignorance still keeps society from efficiently addressing the pressing issues.
How Does It Say It?
The series really puts Naofumi through the wringer. When he first makes it to this new world, he’s an optimistic and relatively bright-eyed newcomer who’s poised to really make the most of his time on this adventure. It doesn’t even take a full episode for others to plot against him by accusing him of a horrifying act and turning the kingdom against him. Without investigating or giving it much thought, everyone believes the claim. Even the other cardinal heroes who are just as new to this world take the kingdom’s side against him.
The King and his supporters then spend most of the first season trying to brainwash the rest of the world into believing that he’s a horrible person and that one can only expect that from a shield hero. Most of the world believes them, which makes adventuring and living honestly more difficult for Naofumi.
The series shows the dangers of brainwashing in how the King and his scheming partners fool most of the world into believing one of their four cardinal heroes is awful, cruel, and downright evil. Ironically, they even convince others that Naofumi is the one doing the brainwashing. The series shows the drawbacks that come from willful ignorance in how most people choose to ignore clear indicators that lies are afoot.
It’s easy to blame the world’s citizens for quickly believing all the lies directed at Naofumi, but are they really to blame? They’re only believing the royals who have been leading them for ages over a newcomer they know nothing about, so it’s understandable. It’s hard to say the same for the other cardinal heroes. They have no stronger allegiance to this world than Naofumi does and, unlike the citizens, they haven’t lived under the king’s reign. At several points throughout the series, the cardinal heroes choose not to question some shady claims. They even see the King’s daughter, Malty S. Melromarc, use magic to assist Naofumi’s opponent during a one-on-one duel and choose not to say anything at first. Eventually, the cardinal heroes come around to believing Naofumi may have been wronged and misrepresented, but it takes the whole season.
Along the way, Naofumi just has to put up with the blind hatred from most of the world and the unfair prejudice he faces. He goes from being open and optimistic to a callous, mistrustful person. He learns to trust his party members and lean on them for support, but he’s never really the same. Furthermore, Naofumi’s purpose in this world is to protect it from the waves, which he needs to become stronger in order to do. Naofumi isn’t able to train and progress levels as easily as the other cardinal heroes, which puts the world at risk. The cardinal heroes are all also stronger fighting as a unit instead of individually. It’s a miracle the world of The Rising of the Shield Hero has even survived to this point with how much damage the brainwashing and willful ignorance have done.