Review of The Rising of the Shield Hero

The Rising of the Shield Hero starts off promising with a premise reminiscent of the ancient Genesis story of Joseph: a hero who must prove himself worthy as the savior of a kingdom after being falsely accused of rape. It’s a powerful beginning that initially appears to understand the archetypes it tries to present. This dark beginning is saved from any sort of grimdark nihilism by the introduction of Raphtalia and her heartwarming father/daughter relationship with Naofumi. In the beginning of the show, Naofumi’s blatant affection for his daughter-figure Raphtalia provides an excellent contrast to the dysfunctional Melromarc royal family. The anime’s story unfortunately begins tofall apart after the introduction of Filo (a magical bird creature capable of transforming into a human form). Although such a character might have had the potential to introduce an element of sibling rivalry into Naofumi’s growing “family”, the writers saw it fit to introduce the disturbing idea of Raphtalia and Filo viewing each other as “love rivals” for their father-figure’s affection. This Freudian twist perverts any sense of familial warmth the series might have had before. It ironically makes Naofumi appear as a predatory figure though he seeks to prove otherwise.

Naofumi’s lack of genuine character development throughout the show is also frustrating. Rather than undergoing any genuine character development, Naofumi channels his anger through a “Rage Shield” which acts as little more than a video game powerup. Rather than show any real destructive nature that Naofumi has in his anger, personal responsibility is thrown out the window because he “can’t control his power”. This seriously hampers Naofumi’s growth as a character since he cannot truly express his negative emotions while taking responsibility. The anime had an opportunity to make a powerful analogy about abusive fathers and their regret over hurting their children but instead, Naofumi’s anger and stress are reduced to being fuel for a video game powerup.

Perhaps the most disturbing part of Shield Hero is the utter dehumanization of its villainess: Malty Melromarc. Malty is introduced as the seemingly-sweet girl who falsely accuses Naofumi of attempted rape. Unlike a more maturely-written female antagonist (such as Eva Heinemann), Malty remains a monster throughout the entire series. There were plenty of moments to show a more human side to Malty: her relationship with the Spear Hero, her relationship with her father, or her personal disgrace near the end of the series. It’s not completely wrong to have a villain who’s pure evil. Kayaba and Sugou served Sword Art Online perfectly as satanic, chaotic forces similar in nature to Johann Liebert or Anton Chigurh. Malty is nowhere near a villain of this scope and scale. After the introduction of a rather loathsome slaver, she loses the shock value of being the anime’s most heinous villain. Malty represents no ideals and has no character of her own.

The Rising of the Shield Hero had the opportunity to serve as an intelligent critique of feminism’s destructive effect on men and the family structure in the time of the Brett Kavannaugh case and the MeToo movement. Instead, Shield Hero opts to pander to an incel audience by providing its protagonist with a slave harem (which is never once questioned). Naofumi was close to being Japan’s answer to Tom Robinson and Joseph, but instead, he serves as just another isekai self-insert. On the surface level, Shield Hero is a darker spin on the isekai genre that covers more mature themes. But on closer analysis, it’s even more shallow than the insipid Konosuba.