Tate no Yuusha no Nariagari

The Four Cardinal Heroes are a group of ordinary men from modern-day Japan summoned to the kingdom of Melromarc to become its saviors. Melromarc is a country plagued by the Waves of Catastrophe that have repeatedly ravaged the land and brought disaster to its citizens for centuries. The four heroes are respectively bestowed a sword, spear, bow, and shield to vanquish these Waves. Naofumi Iwatani, an otaku, becomes cursed with the fate of being the "Shield Hero." Armed with only a measly shield, Naofumi is belittled and ridiculed by his fellow heroes and the kingdom's people due to his weak offensive capabilities and lackluster personality.

When the heroes are provided with resources and comrades to train with, Naofumi sets out with the only person willing to train alongside him, Malty Melromarc. He is soon betrayed by her, however, and becomes falsely accused of taking advantage of her. Naofumi then becomes heavily discriminated against and hated by the people of Melromarc for something he didn't do. With a raging storm of hurt and mistrust in his heart, Naofumi begins his journey of strengthening himself and his reputation. Further along however, the difficulty of being on his own sets in, so Naofumi buys a demi-human slave on the verge of death named Raphtalia to accompany him on his travels.

As the Waves approach the kingdom, Naofumi and Raphtalia must fight for the survival of the kingdom and protect the people of Melromarc from their ill-fated future.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Raphtalia Main

Seto, Asami Japanese

Iwatani, Naofumi Main

Ishikawa, Kaito Japanese

Filo Main

Hidaka, Rina Japanese

Melromarc, Melty Q Supporting

Uchida, Maaya Japanese

Glass Supporting

Han, Megumi Japanese

Melromarc, Mirelia Q Supporting

Inoue, Kikuko Japanese

Elhart Supporting

Yasumoto, Hiroki Japanese

Melromarc, Malty S Supporting

Bridcutt, Sarah Emi Japanese

Fitoria Supporting

Tange, Sakura Japanese

Amaki, Ren Supporting

Matsuoka, Yoshitsugu Japanese

Cook, Justin Producer

Tanaka, Shou Producer

Ogata, Mitsuhiro Producer

Tokumura, Kenichi Producer

Reviews

Nov 4, 2025

Maddtiltanime

Recommended

Shield hero sets the gold standard of a specific genre of isekai where main character gets betrayed and tries to find revenge in some way. This "betraykai" feels like a classic portrayal of a character who struggles to live in a unforgiving world. You can see Naofumi changing in the world he now resides in and it's amazing to see. He reacts in a believable way and you really feel the injustice he suffers when he does get betrayed by the people around him. The lore binds it's way through the plot in an interesting fashion and makes you question what the 4 heroes are ... really about and why they are so important to the world. And the real "villain" of the story is unique. Without spoilers let's just say, not many isekais make you hate a villain in their story so much. If you want to find a classic isekai with a compelling revenge story this is it!

Reviewer’s Rating: 8

What did you think of this review?

Nice 0

Love it 0

Funny 0

Confusing 0

Informative 0

Well-written 0

Creative 0

More reviews by Maddtiltanime (36)

Show all

Read more

Show less

Open

Gift

Report

Jan 18, 2026

bob-weebington

Mixed Feelings

The Rising of the Shield Hero is one of those shows that stands out for triggering my emotions. How? The characters are so overtly prejudiced against the shield hero that it made me angry. Really angry. And you won't like watching anime with me when I'm angry.

Kidding. Now, this plot feature of everyone hating the hero guy is actually fairly unique and refreshing in a sea of zero dimensional overpowered main character protagonists one-shotting everything. Or it would be refreshing if it didn't make me so darn angry.

Then the show turns back from the hero's bad relationship with the general public to his relationship with ... his slave half-raccoon girl. Coon girl might be the star of the show... or not.

Part of what I didn't like about this show, besides all the shield hero HATE, is how forgettable the plot is. I seriously can't remember a darn thing other than the makes-me-angry anti-shield racism scenes.

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

What did you think of this review?

Nice 0

Love it 0

Funny 0

Confusing 0

Informative 0

Well-written 0

Creative 0

More reviews by bob-weebington (60)

Show all

Read more

Show less

Open

Gift

Report

Mar 6, 2026

kamikoluna17

Not Recommended

A Frustrating Journey — 25 Episodes of High Blood Pressure

I usually write reviews for only two reasons. First, when an anime is so good that I genuinely want to share it with everyone—the kind of story that makes you say, “You have to watch this.”

Second, when it’s so disappointing that I feel the need to warn people not to waste their time.

Unfortunately, The Rising of the Shield Hero falls closer to the second category for me.

I started this anime right after finishing a really good one, so my expectations were pretty high. Considering how popular it is, I honestly thought I was about to watch ... something amazing. Instead, most of the season left me feeling more stressed and irritated than entertained.

Episode after episode, I kept getting frustrated. Many of the characters were so annoying that I genuinely felt like slapping half the cast. Even the main character, Naofumi Iwatani, didn’t fully work for me. I understand why he becomes bitter after what happens to him, but the constant negativity and the way the conflicts were handled started to feel exhausting.

And then there’s Malty S. Melromarc. Honestly, she might be one of the most infuriating characters I’ve seen in a while. Every time she appeared, my blood pressure probably went up a little more. 😤

For most of the season, I wasn’t enjoying myself much at all. I kept watching mainly out of curiosity and the hope that the story would eventually improve.

To be fair, the last few episodes were actually enjoyable. That part finally gave a bit of the payoff I had been waiting for. For a moment, it felt like the story was finally moving in a better direction. Unfortunately, it took almost the entire season to get there.

Because of those final episodes, I can’t say the experience was completely terrible. There were glimpses of potential. Still, overall, the journey felt far more frustrating than fun.

In the end, I’m giving it 2/5. The payoff simply wasn’t worth the long and irritating road to get there. And honestly, I don’t think I’ll be continuing the other seasons. 🤷‍♂️

Reviewer’s Rating: 4

What did you think of this review?

Nice 0

Love it 0

Funny 0

Confusing 0

Informative 0

Well-written 0

Creative 0

More reviews by kamikoluna17 (10)

Show all

Read more

Show less

Open

Gift

Report

Shousetsuka ni Narou anime adaptation, Part 1

by AkeZZZ

50 Entries · 213 Restacks

It could've been better

by xAutisticKidx

50 Entries · 2 Restacks

Kemonomimi

by CatEar

50 Entries · 117 Restacks

North American Anime & Manga Releases for November

Here are the North American anime, manga, and light novel releases for November. Week 1: November 2 - 8 Anime Releases Enen no Shouboutai (Fire Force) Complete Colle...read more

Nov 3, 2021 10:00 AM by Aiimee | Discuss (10 comments)

North American Anime & Manga Releases for May

Here are the North American anime & manga releases for May Week 1: May 5 - 11 Anime Releases After War Gundam X Collection 2 Blu-ray Aria the Natural Part 2 Blu-...read more

May 4, 2020 9:44 AM by ImperfectBlue | Discuss (0 comments)

	Poll: Tate no Yuusha no Nariagari Episode 25 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 5 ... Last Page ) Stark700 - Jun 26, 2019	563 replies	by Nanamiswife23 »» Feb 10, 7:50 AM
	Poll: Tate no Yuusha no Nariagari Episode 4 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 5 ... Last Page ) Stark700 - Jan 30, 2019	658 replies	by Sqpubbs »» Jan 26, 3:47 AM
	Poll: Tate no Yuusha no Nariagari Episode 2 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 5 ... Last Page ) Stark700 - Jan 16, 2019	409 replies	by ssvmdh »» Dec 24, 2025 12:18 PM
	Poll: Tate no Yuusha no Nariagari Episode 1 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 5 ... Last Page ) Stark700 - Dec 27, 2018	593 replies	by ssvmdh »» Dec 24, 2025 12:16 PM
	Is Rising Of The Shield Hero worth watching? ( 1 2 ) ATerX2 - Feb 17, 2025	71 replies	by ssvmdh »» Dec 24, 2025 12:12 PM

In Numbers: The Best Anime of the Decade

What's the #1 anime of the 2010s? Which year was the best? What studio had the most hits? We have the answers to all these questions and more!

by Shymander

691,047 views

Isekai Quartet: Filling in the Empty Seats

Isekai Quartet is the biggest crossover in anime history, but there's still plenty of room for even more popular isekai characters! Here's how that could play out.

by Shymander

89,491 views