I don’t normally give anime a second chance or a show in general. If it doesn’t catch my attention or I stop watching it for some reason, I don’t tend to go back. Rising of the Shield Hero, however, is an exception t the list. Mainly because it is a genre of anime, Isekai, that I really enjoy. And because I had a lot of people tell me it is really good. So now that I’ve watched the first season, where do my thoughts land.

The Plot – Rising of the Shield Hero

Naofumi is just a normal person, well, maybe not so normal in the real world, but a quiet and reserved person. He likes to spend his time reading manga and not doing really all that much. He is off to grab another book when he finds a light novel about four heroes, the sword, bow, spear, and shield hero. But the section on the shield hero is oddly blank. With that, he is transported into another world where he and three others from their own worlds have been transported in to be the heroes this new world needs.

However, Naofumi, is as the shield hero isn’t looked up to like the other heroes. His weapon, the shield can’t really be used on offense. And the people of that land and other heroes look down on him for that. But that isn’t it that is going to make his life hard.

General Thoughts

I always repeat myself with this, but this is mainly to cover some plot things. Or some choices that you need to consider with anime that aren’t really a good or bad thing, but more a personal choice.

Mainly, what is the fan service like in the show? The fan service is actually very tame for Rising of the Shield Hero. It doesn’t mean that they won’t stoop to immature jokes, those definitely exist, or “adult” situations. But it is not a show to lean into that too heavily.

I think the last thing I want to talk about is the tone of the show. Isekai can often deal with heavier things. I don’t know that I would call Rising of the Shield Hero a heavy show, but it does deal with some heavier topics. And because of how things unfold, the main character is often “edgy”. It reminds me a bit of Kirito from Sword Art Online, where he isn’t a bad guy, but puts on a front. However, the show starts out with the feeling that he’ll be an edge lord throughout.

An edge lord being the protagonist who mainly does dark and edgy things, often times bad, who is treated just like a normal protagonist, not an anti-hero. Or from other stuff that I’ve read, it’s a character living into and fulfilling those bad tendencies, like raising an army of the dead to overthrow a land. And the book still treats it like a good thing. It often feels like the writer trying to live out a fantasy.

What Doesn’t Work?

The opening act, I think doesn’t work that well. I’m sure a lot of people would disagree on that, but it feels out of place. And, having gotten past the first episode, 40 minutes whereas others are shorter, it sets a different tone. The show, as a whole, is one thing, but the first episode implies this darker more adult show. Once you get into the show, it’s fun, but the first episode tries way to hard to make it edgy.

I also think that the incompetence of other characters doesn’t work always. Yes, sometimes it makes sense, but often times characters are more blind than they should be. They play some of it off as plot, but a lot of it is just characters ignoring what is happening to further the plot when it doesn’t make as much sense.

What Works?

The situation is interesting that the main character, Naofumi, is brought into. It is different but the same as other Isekai. It’s the same that it’s another fantasy world, but unlike most, he is summoned into it. I feel like most of the time a character is just dropped into the world. Here, Naofumi is summoned by characters in the world. Rising of the Shield Hero is different from other Isekai because of that piece of the premise.

I also think that Naofumi’s character progression works. They lean into him being an edge lord too long at the beginning. But even with that, he progresses as a character more than many other protagonists. What he wants to start is very simple, but it grows as he finds out more about the world. If he just remains as an edge lord the whole time, it’d have felt like a waste and I would have stopped.

The world is also interesting as well. Mainly how it can explore some things because it is a fantasy world. I don’t think that Rising of the Shield Hero is a more mature anime in a lot of ways. But some of the topics it covers are most definitely more deep. It takes advantage of the fact it’s fantasy to touch on some historical issues without focusing on it. Whether intentional or not, it manages it quite well.

Who Is It For?

This falls into the category that I think is for fans of the genre. Rising of the Shield Hero is not going to work as an introductory isekai, in my opinion. You likely will feel like it is a bit much and the edge lord tendencies of Naofumi will be a turn off. The whole first episode might seem like a miss when starting.

But if you enjoy isekai, I think it’s one of those step up anime. It’s for the people who know a genre and then it tries to build upon that. This doesn’t mean better, it is just an anime that expects you to have previous knowledge on how a genre works.

Final Thoughts on Rising of the Shield Hero

I have mixed feelings about season one. Mainly, I think that it is very enjoyable in some ways. As the shield hero builds up his team, it’s fun. But then they try and pull heavy drama into it punctuated with dumb jokes. The combination of the two doesn’t land a lot of the time.

But when they allow it to be some fun battles, fun adventuring, or even more serious adventuring, it works. I even think the new plot hook, enemy, for the main character works. It is just that the first one, where Naofumi is an edge lord often, it doesn’t work for a main plot nearly as well. It’s more of a convoluted mess with childishness thrown in there.

That said, I do want to continue it and watch more. There are elements that definitely work. And finding good isekai is not always the easiest. So to find an enjoyable Isekai works juts fine for me. I would give Rising of the Shield Hero a solid B- grade. Good, not great, but one that I’d definitely come back for.

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