Highlights

  • The Shield Hero's defensive capabilities limit his offensive potential, hindering his ability to achieve his goals and fight against interdimensional creatures.
  • Naofumi's trust is shattered when he is betrayed by the princess, leading him to isolate himself and struggle to form new relationships.
  • The weight of his shield slows down Naofumi during battles, making it difficult for him to properly utilize the shield and dodge attacks.

The Rising of The Shield Hero is undeniably a popular isekai anime that follows the life of Naofumi Iwatoni as he transports to the world of Melromac. In this fantastical world, Naofumi and three others make up the Four Legendary Heroes, but Naofumi gets the short end of the straw as he becomes the Shield Hero.

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Being the Shield Hero is not bad, but compared to the other heroes, it is not the best position. Naofumi’s primary weapon is the Legendary Shield, which acts as a defense against his opponents. The other heroes receive a sword, spear, and arrow. Naofumi, however, is determined to become stronger and fight against Waves, the interdimensional creatures that attack Melromac. As an otaku (someone who loves anime, manga, video games, and much more), this is his dream come true. In the anime, fans can see that Naofumi has some weaknesses caused by the actions of others, circumstances, and himself. But as The Rising of The Shield Hero progresses, he strives to overcome these weaknesses to achieve his goal.

1 Default Offensive Capabilities

The Shield Hero

Naofumi Iwatani

The Shield Hero, just like the name implies, carries a shield. Being the Shield Hero, Naofumi can do one thing: shield or defend himself from attacks. Defending is good but not necessarily sufficient for him to realize his goals. To become stronger, Naofumi has to have defensive and offensive capabilities.

The Shield, being Naofumi’s primary weapon, limits him as he can only be defensive; however, later in The Rising of the Shield Hero, he tries to be resourceful as he creates ways to use his shield for offensive purposes, but ultimately, there is little Naofumi can do to make it offensive. There would be so much potential for Naofumi if he had offensive capabilities like the other heroes.

2 Trust Issues

Malty Melromac

Shield Hero Episode 1

Before his summoning to Melromac, Naofumi had always been very trusting and friendly, and that did not change when he found himself in this new world. Unluckily for Naofumi, he encounters the princess of Melromac, Malty Melromac. Naofumi needed help settling in and getting familiar with this world as a newbie. Malty acted as a good friend and was there for him until she betrayed him. He did not expect Malty to falsely accuse him of trying to force himself on her. Not only that, she stole his valuables (money and equipment) that were supposed to help him properly kick off his journey as the Shield Hero.

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This incident with the Princess greatly affects Naofumi, as he becomes shielded and alone since everyone hates his guts. After this incident, Naofumi finds it difficult to get close to people or let people get close to him. Since he cannot get close to others, he cannot work with them, which is detrimental to his journey as the Shield Hero because he needs people to help him. As the anime progresses, it gladdens the hearts of fans to see him gradually let go of his mental trauma as he lets Raphtalia and Filo get close to him.

3 Slow Movement During Battle

Speed Is Not Synonymous With His Class

naofumi using his shield

As the Shield Hero, Naofumi carries a shield, which is quite heavy for him. The weight of this shield limits him from using the shield properly and dodging attacks. Naofumi is quite good in battle, but sometimes, the shield gets in his way.

The fact that the shield is primarily defensive is bad enough, but the weight pulls Naofumi down and puts him at a disadvantage because he is currently trying to find ways to make the shield offensive but is still getting overwhelmed by its weight.

4 Limited Resources

Forced To Become An Outcast

Rising of the shield hero Naofumi and his companions

Naofumi’s encounter with Princess Malty still affects him, especially financially, as she steals the money he is supposed to use to buy equipment and supplies. Naofumi struggles to make ends meet and has to find ways to get money and other resources.

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Since the princess accused him of assaulting her, Naofumi became an outcast, and he lost support from the kingdom and the individuals living in the kingdom. This limitation affects his goal of becoming stronger because he cannot buy what he needs to help him improve his abilities.

5 Emotional Scars

Burdened By The Past

Naofumi betrayed in The Rising of the Shield Hero

As a result of Princess Malty's betrayal, Naofumi still bears emotional scars that have yet to fully heal. Even though he is starting to open up and connect with other people like Raphtalia and Filo, it is still not the same. His emotional scars affect his decisions, consciously or unconsciously, as he still tries to protect himself from hurt or betrayal.

This incident with Princess Malty has undeniably changed and shaped Naofumi’s behavior. He is not the same person he was when he arrived, and the hurt added more fuel and energy to his goal of wanting to become stronger. But instead of being a strong Shield Hero, he wants to seek vengeance on those who turned their backs on him at his lowest.

6 Depends On His Allies For Offensive Capabilities

Stronger In A Group

Noafunmi and his team

Because Naofumi does not have all that many offensive abilities, he depends so much on Raphtalia and Filo. Raphtalia is a highly skilled swordswoman, and Filo is a Filolial with great speed and claws. Naofumi, without these two, would be an easier target for his opponents.

While this is a flaw in the sense that Naofumi cannot rely solely on his own prowess to win most encounters, the fact that he has been able to circumvent his weaknesses by relying on others is also a positive. He is also a fairly decent leader.