At the start of The Rising of The Shield Hero, when Naofumi Iwatani is summoned from his world to a place called Melromarc, he has several questions on his mind, questions that even viewers of the anime would share. These questions are immediately answered: he’s been summoned to be one of the four cardinal heroes, tasked with saving the world from the Waves of Catastrophe.
Although Naofumi’s roles and responsibilities become quite clear right then, as the story unfolds, several other questions arise, and sometimes the answers aren’t explained as clearly as in the beginning. Here are ten unsolved mysteries in The Rising Of The Shield Hero.
10 Who Raised Fitoria?
When Idol Rabier releases the Tyrant Dragon Rex as a way to kill Naofumi, his group, and other rioting demi-humans, Naofumi’s group battles the ancient beast, and they realize how powerless they are against it. Fortunately, the Filolial Queen, Fitoria, shows up and ends the fight.
Following this event, Naofumi and Fitoria have many illuminating conversations about Fitoria’s history. Fitoria reveals that Filo’s expedited growth is because of Naofumi, similar to hers when she was raised by a hero. But when Naofumi asks for the identity of that hero, Fitoria has no answer to give, because she can’t remember.
9 Why Did Naofumi Choose Raphtalia as His Slave?
After he’s wrongly accused, Naofumi begins getting colder by the minute and starts learning to be on his own and not trust anybody. Then he gets approached by a slave trader who gives him the option to buy a slave.
Of all the options the slave trader provides, Naofumi is drawn to Raphtalia for reasons not directly explained in the anime. Raphtalia was one of the cheapest options, and that could have been a reason, but it seemed like something else was behind his choice, especially with other cheap options available.
8 Naofumi’s Inability to Taste
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Even before Naofumi got Raphtalia as his slave, he lost his sense of taste. There are scenes of him eating food but the whole time, he can’t taste anything. When he gets Raphtalia and they begin to eat together, he notices it even more.
When they both eat Usapil, Naofumi describes it as tasteless rubber. Eventually, he regains his sense of taste when his life is a lot better. Though viewers may speculate that losing his sense of taste was connected to his sadness at the time, a physical manifestation of his feelings, it was never clearly explained in the anime.
7 The Significance of the Heroes' Weapons
The Legendary Weapons are center stage in the The Rising Of The Shield Hero. They are spirits manifested as the four weapons, each summoning a wielder to handle the Waves of Catastrophe.
Although the nature of the weapons is clear from the start: the spear, sword, bow, and shield, there’s no mention of what these weapons stand for or signify. There are also no answers in the anime as to how the wielders are set apart from others and what makes each of them suitable to wield a specific weapon.
6 Why Was the King's Hatred for Naofumi so Irrational?
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From the moment Naofumi was summoned, the king showed disregard for him because he was the Shield Hero. After Malty wrongly accused him, his animosity towards the Shield Hero understandably became stronger.
However, as the story continued, even though Naofumi continued to prove how noble he was, the King’s behavior didn’t change even a bit. It became clear that there was something else in his history that was driving his hatred. After Naofumi’s innocence is later proven and he saves the lives of Malty and the king, there are no answers for the King’s seemingly unjustified hatred.
5 The Filolials Hatred of Dragons
When Naofumi meets the Filolial Queen, Fitoria, and she takes down the Tyrant Dragon Rex, Naofumi tries to add the dragon material to his shield and improve his arsenal, but Fitoria tries to deter him. Even before she came out to end the dragon, she prohibited Naofumi from using his curse series weapon.
It became clear that there was a strong dislike between the Filolials and dragons, but viewers aren’t given a clear reason for it. There’s no certainty about the source of that dislike, whether it is only a result of Filolial nature or a development from something in the past.
4 Why Wasn’t Raphtalia Seasick?
Later in the first season, Naofumi travels with his group and the other cardinal heroes to Cal Mira Archipelago to gain experience points. On the boat ride, the spear, sword, and bow heroes all get seasick, and this makes Naofumi wonder why Raphtalia isn’t seasick.
During their road travels earlier in the season, the anime established Raphtalia’s motion sickness. Even though a lot had happened between those travels and the boat trip, it was still a mystery why Raphtalia wasn’t seasick. However, there was no answer given.
3 Why Is Naofumi Unaffected by Lucor Fruits?
The Lucor Fruit is sized like a grape but with enough alcohol in it to produce a whole barrel of alcoholic drink. It is even used as a weapon in the next wave. In Cal Mira Archipelago, Naofumi eats more than one Lucor Fruit and is completely fine.
When the spear hero, Motoyasu, eats a single grape, he’s so affected he collapses. L’Arc explains to Naofumi that it’s simply because he has a higher tolerance for alcohol, but Naofumi’s placid reaction to the Lucor Fruit compared to Motoyasu’s immediate sickness still seems somewhat strange.
2 Is Murder The Only Way To Save Both Naofumi's and L'arc's Worlds?
L’Arc and Therese initially seem extremely friendly to Naofumi and his group. Naofumi even crafts a jewel for Therese, and she pays him handsomely. But things change when they find out that Naofumi is really the Shield Hero. L'Arc announces that they must take Naofumi's life so that Naofumi’s world will be destroyed and theirs will make it.
Eventually, Glass resurfaces once again and joins them. The three are adamant about what must be done to save their world. But they don't clarify the relationship between the two worlds, and there’s no way to know if what they suggest is really the only available solution.
1 How Are The Waves Created?
The Waves have been quite prominent since the start of the show. They are the reason behind Naofumi’s summoning to Melromarc, and the element that holds the plot of The Rising Of The Shield Hero together.
The waves come along with monsters that the heroes must battle and protect the people from. This seems simple enough. But new information raises questions. For example, the absence of waves in L'Arc's world or the creation of artificial waves. The waves that initially seemed easy to understand have been made more complex.