The Rising of the Shield Hero (Episodes 21-25) – Heroes from Another World!

After defeating the Pope, Naofumi returned to the Capital where Myne and the King stood trial for their part in the uprising. It’s a lot to deal with, but luckily there’s an archipelago that offers beaches and bonus XP!

The Rising of the Shield Hero (Episodes 21-25)

Episode 21 – Naofumi’s Triumphant Return

Naofumi wakes in the castle three days after his battle with the Pope. He’s surprised by many things, but the Queen coming to his bedside is one of the biggest surprises. She offers to clear his name and make things right once more. While she was at a meeting of world leaders, her husband, the King summoned all four Cardinal Heroes without her approval as she had just agreed with the other leaders that each nation would summon one. The following morning the King and Myne were put on trial for their actions. Myne even received a slave crest to ensure she couldn’t lie, or at least, lie without anyone knowing. After the trial, the Shield Hero was cleared of all crimes and the King and Myne were sentenced to death. Somehow, they didn’t feel right to the Shield Hero.

Episode 22 – Four Heroes Council

Naofumi is summoned to the capital not long after leaving and is annoyed to find out that it’s for a party. Of course, there’s more to it as the Queen hopes to have the Four Cardinal Heroes discuss tactics and help them level up faster. She believes that they will die in the next wave if they don’t. Naofumi is resistant, but the other three are even worse. Eventually, they manage to discuss what they’ve learnt and for each hero, it’s slightly different. After getting nowhere fast, Naofumi storms out, but later that evening discovers that the shield has ungraded from the discussion they had. There’s no time to talk just yet though as they are headed to the Cal Mira Archipelago as a rare event is about to begin.

Episode 23 – Cal Mira Archipelago

It’s a long trip by boat to the Cal Mira Archipelago and the other three Cardinal Heroes are having a hard time with seasickness. They get little sympathy from Naofumi though as they took all the private rooms. It’s not all bad though as Naofumi met L’arc and Therese, a couple of adventurers who offered to party up once on the island. The archipelago is everything they’d imagined offering lots of monsters and an infinity respawn rate. Not only that, but the drops are great and everyone is levelling up fast. After a couple of days of grinding, Naofumi, Raphtalia, and Filo take a break at the beach, but Filo discovers an unwater island with a building. Naofumi and Raphtalia join her and find a Dragon Hour Glass warning that a wave will hit in forty-eight hours.

Episode 24 – Guardians of Another World

With the next Wave of Catastrophe imminent, the Queen puts together a navy to fight what will likely be a sea incursion. Naofumi is surprised to see that L’Arc and Therese are aboard one of the ships but is pleased to have them fighting alongside them again. The Wave begins and transports them to the open sea where various sea monsters attack. Then, the big one shows itself and it’s huge. Naofumi and Filo draw it out of the water, but the other Cardinal Heroes’ attacks don’t even scratch it. Finally, Naofumi gets L’Arc and Therese to try and they take it out in no time at all. That’s not the biggest surprise though as Naofumi is their real target. They’ve come from another world to stop the heroes of this one!

Episode 25 – The Rising of the Shield Hero

Naofumi struggles to hold back Glass and Therese as they hit him with several combo attacks. However, he defends with the Soul Eater shield and it causes Glass to retreat suddenly. It’s not much to go on, but it’s enough for now. Naofumi leads Glass away so he can fight one-on-one, leaving Raphtalia, Filo, and Melty to occupy L’Arc and Therese. Naofumi’s hunch was correct. The Soul Eater shield hurts Glass, draining her life force. He asks her if she is a hero from another world too, which she confirms. Naofumi tells her to go back and the wave will end. They don’t need to keep fighting, but Glass can’t give up on her world. That’s when the Queen has one of Itsuki’s party members launch barrels of luchol berries. They do not affect Naofumi, but the alcohol content is too much for Glass. L’Arc and Therese rescue her and return to their world. All that’s left is for Naofumi to collect his reward… and it’s a good one!

Heroes from Another World!

This was an amazing way to finish a series, and it was even more impressive given how great this series has been. Before I get into the actual topic I’ve selected to discuss, I think I need to mention the punishment handed out to Myne and the King… I mean Bitch and Trash! Seriously, are they fine with these two idiots wandering around freely, able to do whatever they please? I don’t believe in the death penalty, but they certainly should have been locked up or something similar. Maybe there’s a spell that can stop them from doing stuff like trying to poison the Shield Hero’s food. Just madness and can’t help but feel like it will come back to bite them at some point.

Anyhow, on to the topic of this post – Heroes from Another World. It’s such a great idea and partly because it seems so obvious after the fact. We know that Naofumi and the other Cardinal Heroes were all summoned from different versions of Japan. So, it goes without saying that we are dealing with a multiverse and parallel dimensions. Presumably, then there are many worlds experiencing the Waves of Catastrophe and some will be summoning heroes from yet more worlds and dimensions.

The sheer scale of this story has just exploded beyond belief. Does this mean the Waves of Catastrophe is an interdimensional event? It certainly looks that way as Glass, L’Arc, and Therese were able to move through the Wave to this world. We’re yet to learn the significance of this and how defeating the heroes here would save their world. Will the waves keep getting stronger until a world falls and if so how many are involved?

The more you consider the possibilities the bigger and more exciting it gets. There is literally no end to the possibilities. Earlier in the season, I was thinking it would be great to see some of the other countries, but now we’re dealing with multiple worlds, unknown numbers of heroes, and waves that get wilder and wilder. Of course, the real issue will be getting to the bottom of the Waves of Catastrophe and why they happen. Who built the Dragon Hour Glasses and where did they come from?

I have to wonder about the heroes of the past and what they faced. Did other heroes from yet more worlds come through to this one looking to end their own world’s plight? If that did happen and it would be crazy to assume it didn’t, why has none of this been documented? Surely leaving a century-old Filolial with a poor memory as the guide was a terrible idea. Not to mention the fact that she is far too simplistic in her approach.

The introduction of L’Arc and Therese was great and allowed us to see them as allies before they revealed who they really were. It was unfortunate for Naofumi that the time he thought he found people he could trust and rely on who then turned out to be on a mission to destroy him. It sadly says something of the other Cardinal Heroes that they aren’t even considered worth wasting their time with. Defeat Naofumi and this world will crumble.

It’s interesting too that their attempts to kill him have only made him stronger. Glass came alone the first time, but that was enough to push him harder and harder. Now that he’s faced three heroes, he’s determined to build an army and if he can get them anywhere near the level of Raphtalia and Filo, they will be unstoppable. After all this time, it would appear that things are starting to settle down for Naofumi.

I loved that he asked to become lord of Raphtalia’s old village and have no doubt he will make it prosper. His deeds throughout the series have caused people to gather around, regardless of the rumours. He won them all over with his actions. That’s why they all came to help him in his new home and quite frankly, it makes sense that they would relocate to live under a lord that they believe in. One that is strong and fair.

Here’s one final observation that refers to the thing Fitoria said to Naofumi about having to choose whether he wanted to save the world or the people. I think he made that choice when he decided to do everything he could to save the people that mattered the most to him. That would be Raphtalia, Filo, and Melty. He has no ties to this world beyond the family he’s made, but the thought of losing them was enough for him to sacrifice it all.

I’ve had a lot of fun looking at The Rising of the Shield Hero once more and it’s helped me to fully appreciate the storytelling. This is an epic story and I hope that we get many more seasons. It will be interesting to see if they can capture the raw emotion of this season without throwing Naofumi under the bus once more. There’s a lot to look forward to and thankfully, it’s not going to be for too much longer. Season two is scheduled for April 2022. Bring it on!

Other Posts in the Series

Series Information

English Title	The Rising of the Shield Hero
Japanese Title	Tate no Yuusha no Nariagari
Genres	Action, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, Isekai,

Anime

Season One

Season	Season One
Released	Winter 2019, Spring 2019
Animation Studios	Kinema Citrus
Episodes	25
1-4	The Fall of the Shield Hero!
5-8	It’s Definitely Not a Game!
9-12	The Making of a Hero!
13-16	Lies, Disinformation, and Deception!
17-20	Strategy and Tactics 101!
21-25	Heroes from Another World!

Season Two

Season	Season Two
Released	Spring 2022
Animation Studios	Kinema Citrus, DR Movie
Episodes	13

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