For better or worse depending on who's asked, The Rising of the Shield Hero is one of the biggest isekai anime and manga franchises. It's also one of the most controversial for a variety of reasons. Earning an equal level of adoring fans and scornful detractors, Shield Hero is one anime that's sure to elicit all manner of reactions, and not just because it's part of the ubiquitous isekai genre.
Thankfully for those who can't get enough of the fantasy series, its popularity has seen most of its adaptations and spinoffs make their way over to the West. This of course includes the anime, which is finally set to receive new episodes later this year. Here's a closer look at the popular Shield Hero series, where to read it and when the anime is going to continue.
The Plot of The Rising of the Shield Hero
The eponymous Shield Hero is a formerly everyday Japanese teenager named Naofumi who, like most heroes in an isekai story, is summoned to another world full of medieval-esque fantasy. The three other young men who are brought along with him are given particular offensive weapons, with Naofumi being the only one with a defensive weapon (a shield). He also lacks the support that they have from their respective kingdoms, as the princess of his quickly betrays him for no other reason than just to do so.
Left destitute and hated by society at large, Naofumi's luck begins to change when he takes tanuki girl Raphtalia and Filo the bird-creature under his proverbial wing. Training together and becoming incredibly powerful, the unlikely trio of heroes fight desperately for respect in a world in which nothing seems to go right for them.
Where to Read the Rising of the Shield Hero Light Novels/Manga
The Rising of the Shield Hero was created by Aneko Yusagi, with the initial web novels being converted into light novels. The original series lasted from 2012 to 2015, but the light novels, which started in 2013, are ongoing. The manga adaptation began in 2014 and has so far amassed 19 volumes. There are also three manga spinoffs, although only one of them, The Reprise of the Spear Hero, has so far been brought to the West.
Typical bookstores like Barnes & Noble and Books-a-Million sell both the light novels and the manga, with Amazon also selling them online. Digital versions are available through Kindle, while Audible now has an Audiobook adaptation of the light novel series. This follows a growing trend of light novels, namely those of the isekai variety, getting the "read out loud" treatment.
Where to Watch the Rising of the Shield Hero Anime
Kinema Citrus is the production studio behind the anime for The Rising of the Shield Hero, and it's this version of the story that's really made a successful (if also notorious) splash. By bringing a closer eye to the series than ever before, it also brought with it more scrutiny to certain elements, especially among Western audiences. The series' first season lasted for 25 episodes, and there are planned to be many more to come.
Back at the Crunchyroll Expo in 2019, a second and third season were announced to be in the works. Anime streaming company Crunchyroll had handled the English dub of the series, which began airing that same year online. Sadly, it would take a lot longer to get to these continuations than fans expected. Although Season 2 was planned to come out in October 2021, it was later delayed to its current scheduled airing of April 2022. When Season 3 will begin its run remains a mystery.
Along with the aforementioned Crunchyroll, The Rising of the Shield Hero can also be streamed through the Funimation streaming service as well as VRV. The DVD/Blu-ray collections for the first season are available for purchase through Walmart, Right Stuf Anime and Amazon.
