The following contains spoilers for Season 2, Episode 1 of The Rising of the Shield Hero, "A New Roar," now streaming on Crunchyroll.
The spring 2022 anime season returns to continue the isekai adventure of The Rising of the Shield Hero's unfortunate protagonist Iwatani Naofumi. By the end of Season 1, however, Naofumi's fortunes had reversed. Now as Season 2 begins, he takes another important step forward by adding a new member to his adventurer party, Rishia, who already has much-needed experience battling the deadly Waves.
However, Rishia comes with her own baggage. Her original party leader, the Bow Hero Itsuki, rejects her as a foolish weakling, so now she clings to Naofumi as her new leader and is desperate to prove herself. Naofumi welcomes Rishia to his party but it won't be easy, and she makes a difficult choice in order to attain more power.
Season 2, Episode 1 of Shield Hero finds Naofumi's party working hard to help prepare Lurolona village's defenses for the inevitable next Wave. The tanuki girl Raphtalia feels more prepared for action than ever, and the same is true for Filo. By contrast, the green-haired Rishia struggles to prove her worth, though she does have some talent with controlling her qi energy during a practice session. Suddenly a swarm of oversized bats attacks, and it's up to everyone except Rishia to fight them off.
Rishia feels inadequate compared to everyone around her, and her insecurities mount as she repeatedly fails to fight for Naofumi or impress any of the Cardinal Heroes. She is practically trapped in a vicious cycle of her weak performance undermining her confidence, which in turn destabilizes her performance as an adventurer. This might only get worse as Naofumi's adventure continues, but fortunately for Rishia, her new leader actually looks out for his companions.
Raphtalia shares Naofumi's generous spirit and offers to help Rishia power up in time for the next Wave -- but her chosen method may leave a bad taste in some people's mouths, including Naofumi. The party heads to the same well-dressed slave trader in the capital city who had sold Raphtalia to Naofumi months ago, and Raphtalia recommends that Rishia get a slave crest to become a formal -- and stronger -- member of the party. Naofumi objects at first but Rishia insists, so he and the slave trader follow through and add the crest. As hoped, Rishia's stats receive an immediate boost, and Naofumi's RPG-style HUD gets updates on her status. There's no going back now.
Rishia's decision to willingly get a slave crest placed on her says a few things about her and Naofumi alike. Her willingness to get this type of power-boost -- and Naofumi's hesitation to give her one -- shows that he has lost his taste for slave crests and slavery as a whole since Shield Hero started, which is a change for the better. Earlier on he was desperate for allies and resources, and at the time he had no qualms about buying Raphtalia and using her crest to discipline her.
Now Naofumi has more assets and allies than ever. That, combined with his better attitude after getting his name cleared of that false crime, means he has a new mindset. He is no longer a bitter pragmatist but a proper role model and father figure to his party, and he won't use slave crests unless the other person demands it.
In addition, Rishia's actions suggest she is the new Naofumi: an unfortunate and desperate adventurer who will pay any price to get what she needs to survive, even resorting to slavery and cruel magic. The main difference is that Rishia wanted the slave crest for herself instead of putting it on someone else. It shows remarkable resolve and commitment, but also a low sense of self-worth. For now, her desperation and low self-esteem define her character arc in Shield Hero, but if she can score some victories in upcoming Waves, that may soon change -- and she might even rethink her slave crest.
