Before You Watch The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 3
Hey Anime Lovers,
If you have been constantly watching anime for the past 3 years, you must be familiar with the anime The Rising of the Shield Hero, or Tate no Yuusha no Nariagari. This anime tells the story of Naofumi Iwatani, a college student who is summoned to another world as one of the four Legendary Cardinal Heroes, each wielding a different weapon: sword, spear, bow, and shield.
However, Naofumi soon finds out that he is the most hated and mistrusted hero, as he is framed for a crime he did not commit and betrayed by his companions. Despite his hardships, he does not give up and decides to become stronger with the help of his loyal allies, such as Raphtalia, a demi-human slave girl who becomes his sword, and Filo, a bird-like creature who can transform into a human girl.
The Rising of Shield Hero has been praised for its dark and realistic portrayal of the isekai genre, as well as its compelling characters and story arcs. The first two seasons have been a huge success, both in Japan and internationally, and fans are eagerly waiting for the third season, which is airing now this fall 2023 (at the time this post is made).
But before you dive into the new season, you might want to refresh your memory on some of the important details that happened in the past seasons. Here are some of the things you need to know before you watch The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 3:
1. Main Characters
Naofumi Iwatani is the protagonist and the shield hero, who has grown from a cynical and bitter person to a more compassionate and confident leader. He has learned to trust and care for his friends, especially Raphtalia and Filo, who are like his family.
Raphtalia is the raccoon-like demi-human who was rescued by Naofumi from slavery and became his first companion. She is loyal, brave, and kind, and has developed romantic feelings for Naofumi. Filo is the filolial queen successor, a rare species of bird-like creatures who can also take human form. She is cheerful, energetic, and loves to eat. She sees Naofumi as her father and Raphtalia as her rival for his affection.
The first female character to join Naofumi’s party is Raphtalia, a raccoon-like demi-human girl who was sold as a slave after her village was destroyed by the first Wave. Naofumi buys her and trains her as his swordswoman and partner. She is loyal, brave, and kind, and has developed romantic feelings with Naofumi, and becomes devoted companion. She also matures from a timid and traumatized child to a confident and beautiful young woman.
The second female character to join Naofumi’s party is Filo, a Filolial race (as well as Filolial Queen successor) who hatched from an egg that Naofumi bought from a merchant. Filolials are bird-like creatures that can transform into humanoids and have a high affinity for magic. Filo is an energetic and cheerful girl who loves to eat and play. She also has a fierce rivalry with Motoyasu, who is obsessed with filolials. Filo considers Naofumi as her father figure and often calls him “Master”. She also sees Raphtalia as her rival for his affection toward Naofumi.
The third female character to join Naofumi’s party is Melty Q Melromarc, the second princess of Melromarc and the younger sister of Malty S Melromarc (also known as Myne), who is the main antagonist of the series (and the one who framed Naofumi for rape).
Melty is a kind-hearted and diplomatic girl who has inherited her mother’s magic talent and her father’s sense of justice. She becomes friends with Naofumi after he saves her from an assassination attempt orchestrated by Malty. She also acts as his mediator with the other heroes and the kingdom.
However, Melty in Season 2 is no longer join and fights together with Naofumi because she has become the supervisor and head of development in a region inhabited by a race of demi-humans, which is owned and ruled by Naofumi (this region was obtained as a gift from Queen Melromarc at the end of Season 1).
The fourth female character to join Naofumi’s party is Rishia Ivyred, a former member of Itsuki’s party who was bullied and discarded by him. She joins Naofumi’s party after he rescues her from suicide. She is a timid and clumsy girl who has hidden potential as a keen Hengen Muso sword style user.
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2. Other Three Summoned Heroes Beside Naofumi
The other three summoned heroes along with Naofumi are Ren Amaki, the sword hero; Motoyasu Kitamura, the spear hero; and Itsuki Kawasumi, the bow hero. They were initially hostile and arrogant towards Naofumi, believing the false accusations against him and looking down on him for being weak.
However, they gradually realized their mistakes and became allies with Naofumi, after facing various trials and challenges in their own ways. Ren is a calm and rational gamer who values justice and honor. Motoyasu is a naive and flirtatious playboy who is easily manipulated by women. Itsuki is a rebellious and idealistic vigilante who fights for the oppressed.
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3. Other Important Characters
Besides Raphtalia, Filo, Melty Q Melromarc, and Rishia, there are several other important characters who play significant roles in the story. One of them is Glass, a mysterious woman who appears as an enemy during the second wave. She claims to be a hero from another world who fights against Naofumi’s world in order to save her own. She wields a fan as her weapon and has immense power and speed. She respects Naofumi as a worthy opponent and seeks to defeat him in battle.
Second important character is Queen Mirellia Q Melromarc. She is a wise and compassionate queen who always lends a hand when someone is in need. She loves her family dearly, even her wicked daughter Malty, and treats them more like her subjects than her relatives. She is also one of the few people in Melromarc who does not look down on demi-humans and works hard to improve their situation in the kingdom. Naofumi noticed that she was the only person in the castle who respected Demi-Humans as equals.
The third important character is L’Arc Berg, a friendly adventurer who befriends Naofumi’s party during their journey to Cal Mira Island. She reveals herself to be another hero from Glass’s world who also fights against Naofumi’s world. She uses a scythe as her weapon and has the ability to manipulate blood. She has a close relationship with Glass and considers her as her sister.
The fourth important character is Fitoria, the Queen of the Filolials race and has lived for so long. Fitoria grew up under the guidance of a former Legendary Hero who lived centuries ago. Before he passed away, he entrusted Fitoria with a mission: to stop the future heroes from waging war against each other, and to eliminate those who failed to work together so that new heroes could be summoned in their place.
Fitoria is deeply concerned about the fate of the world, so she will not hesitate to kill the uncooperative Legendary Heroes if they choose to fight among themselves instead of protecting the world.
The fifth one is Kizuna Kazayama. Kizuna is the Hunting Hero, one of the Four Legendary Heroes who came from another world to save Glass’ World. She was originally from a different Japan, where she played a VR Healing MMO called Second Life with her sister. One day, she found herself in a new world that resembled the game.
She initially thought that everything was part of the game, but she soon realized that it was a real world with real people and real dangers. She made friends with L’Arc, Therese, and others along the way.
At some point, she was captured and trapped in a Labyrinth dimension which she could not escape. She spent years trying to find a way out, until Naofumi Iwatani and Rishia Ivyred arrived there by following Kyo Ethnina, who had set a trap for them.
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4. Waves of Catastrophe & Difficult Enemies
The main enemies that Naofumi and his allies have faced are the Waves of Catastrophe, which are periodic invasions of monsters from other worlds that threaten to destroy everything in their path. But soon, there are many powerful (and annoying) enemies that they must defeat in order to protect people and save the world. Here are some of them :
- The Waves of Catastrophe, which are the main threat of the series. They consist of different types of monsters that emerge from portals in the sky and attack the world. They also have a boss monster that is usually stronger and more intelligent than the rest. Some examples of boss monsters are the Soul Eater and the Zombie Dragon.
- The Guardian Beasts, are a special mechanism that some worlds have to deal with the waves. They are supposed to be the ultimate backup plan in case the Legendary Heroes fail or refuse to fight the waves. But the guardian beasts have a terrible price. To fully shield a world from the waves, the guardian beasts have to slaughter and harvest the souls of about two-thirds of all living things in their world. They then use these souls to create a barrier that blocks other worlds from invading.
Because of their horrific cost and devastating power, the Heroes from both Worlds will have to choose either seal up or destroy them. The more life that a guardian beast takes, the longer that world is safe from future waves. One of them is the Spirit Tortoise, who have been defeated by Naofumi’s party. - The Church of the Three Heroes, which is a religious organization that worships the Sword, Spear, and Bow Heroes, but despises the Shield Hero. They are led by a High Priest who is fanatical and corrupt. They try to kill Naofumi and his party several times, using their influence, followers, and magic weapons.
- Pope Balmus, who is the leader of the Church of the Three Heroes. He is a powerful magic user who can wield a replica of the legendary weapons called the Cathedral. He attempts to assassinate Naofumi and the other heroes during a Wave, claiming that they are impostors and heretics.
- Kyo Ethnina, who is a rogue hero from another world who has stolen several vassal weapons, which are similar to the legendary weapons but with different forms and abilities. He is a sadistic and arrogant person who enjoys torturing and experimenting on people and monsters. He kidnaps Raphtalia and several other demi-humans from her village, and plans to use them as sacrifices for his ritual.
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5. The Current Situation and What to Expect in The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 3.
The second season ends with Naofumi and his party returning to Melromarc after stopping and defeat Kyo Ethnina (for good) from another world. Naofumi and the team now have 3 main missions in the season 3:
- Finding (and save?) 3 cardinal heroes who suddenly disappeared without a trace.
- Preparing for a big colossal battle with Phoenix, the Guardian Beast which will wake up from its sleep in about 3 months, along with the attack of large-scale monsters from Waves of Catastrophe.
- Save & Rescue a number of kidnapped demi-human people from Lurolona Village who were placed as prizes at the Underground Colloseum.
You can watch the anime The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 3 on a number of anime streaming platforms such as Netflix and Crunchyroll.
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Conclusion
We hope you enjoyed our must know list before you watch anime The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 3. This outstanding anime is sure to keep you entertained and satisfied throughout the season. Share your thoughts and opinions with us in the comments section below.
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