The Rising of the Shield Hero's long-awaited second season will premiere on Crunchyroll at exactly 6:00 A.M. PST on April 6.
The simulcast of the series was previously confirmed for April 6, the same day that the show will be broadcast in Japan, but in a testament to just how anticipated the isekai series' new continuation is, Crunchyroll announced the specific time that the show will be available for streaming on its platform. The show will be available in the following territories: North America, Central America, South America, Europe, Africa, Oceania, the Middle East, and CIS.
The show will return roughly two years after the completion of the show's first, 25-episode long season. Upon its premiere in 2019, the series received some criticism for its use of a false sexual assault allegation as a plot point, but the show has since become a hit with both fans and many critics alike, with praise being directed towards its memorable cast of characters and its willingness to shake up well-worn isekai genre tropes. The first season was such a hit that the show's producers immediately announced that the series was being renewed for a second and third season, which is a rarity amongst anime productions. The second season was originally scheduled to premiere in the fall of 2021, but was delayed to its current release date.
The second season will see some notable changes to the series' crew: while the first season was helmed by director Takao Abo, who previously worked on the mecha anime Macross Frontier and Eureka Seven, the second season will instead be directed by Masato Jinbo, who directed both seasons of Restaurant to Another World. Production on the second season will be split between Kinema Citrus, which produced the anime's first season, and South Korean animation studio DR Movie. The voice cast from the original season will return to reprise their roles for Season 2, where they will be joined by Kana Hanazawa, who previously starred in Durarara!! and Cells at Work. Hanazawa will voice the mysterious Ost Horai, the latest addition to Naofumi's adventuring party.
The new season of the show sees Naofumi, the eponymous Shield Hero, and his two most trusted traveling companions, Raphtalia and Filo, setting out on a journey to stop the rampage of a massive legendary beast, the Spirit Tortoise.
The Shield Hero franchise originally began in 2012 as a web novel series by author Aneko Yusagi. Yusagi's original work has since been adapted into a manga and a light novel series, which are now available in English from One Peace Press.
Source: Crunchyroll
