The 25-episode first season of “The Rising of the Shield Hero” received a lot of attention. In fact, the anime series is so popular that it’s already been renewed for two more seasons — with season two premiering in April 2022 and season three being confirmed and probably premiering sometime in the spring of 2023.
“The Rising of the Shield Hero” is based on a series of dark fantasy light novels (books written for young adults) created by Aneko Yusagi. The 22-volume light novels were later adapted into a 19-volume manga (Japanese graphic novel) and published by Media Factory.
In June 2017, it was reported that an anime series based on the story was in production. The first season of the show was directed by Takao Abo, who’s worked as an animator on projects like “Cowboy Bebop: The Movie” and “Eureka Seven.” Kinema Citrus, the media company behind “Star Wars: Visions” produces the show. Kevin Penkin, who’s scored shows like “Made in Abyss,” writes the music for the show, and the band MADKID performs both of the anime’s theme songs, “RISE” and “FAITH.” The voice actor for Raphtalia, Asami Seto, also sings an insert song in episode four called “Falling Through Starlight.”
In this article, we’ll let you know what the anime is all about. We’ll also tell you where you can watch the show yourself and what you can expect from the highly anticipated “The Rising of the Shield Hero” season two.
The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 2 Release Date
The first season of “The Rising of the Shield Hero” aired at the beginning of 2019. The show found a large audience and was promptly renewed for a second and a third season — with an announcement made at the 2019 Crunchyroll Expo. Fans at the Kadokawa Light Novel Expo 2020 were excited when it was announced that the second season of the anime series would air in October 2021.
However, like many other shows in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, “The Rising of the Shield Hero” experienced production delays, and the release date for season two was pushed back. The show is now expected to be released in April 2022. So far, the third season of the show doesn’t have a specific release date, but it’s expected to launch sometime in the middle of 2023.
About The Rising of the Shield Hero
In “The Rising of the Shield Hero,” Naofumi Iwatani (voiced by Kaito Ishikawa), a 20-year-old college student, picks up a library book called “The Four Heroes” and is transported to a fantasy realm to fight evil creatures called Waves alongside three other cardinal heroes. Each of the four heroes summoned to the Kingdom of Melromarc is from a different version of Japan and has a different weapon.
Motoyasu Kitamura is the Spear Hero, Ren Amaki is the Sword Hero, Itsuki Kawasumi (voiced by Yoshitaka Yamaya) is the Bow Hero, and Iwatani is the Shield Hero. However, as the Shield Hero, Iwatani is looked down upon by the rest of the group and the kingdom because his is the only defensive equipment.
Initially, Iwatani was unable to gain the support of any allies in the kingdom, so he’s surprised when a beautiful young woman volunteers to join him on his quest. Unfortunately, his new companion, Princess Malty, betrays him, steals his equipment, and accuses him of assaulting her. As a result, Naofumi becomes very cynical and is forced to train alone and work to make ends meet.
Finally, with nowhere else to turn, he’s forced to do business with a sketchy slave trader. Iwatani buys a demi-human girl, Raphtalia, to help him fight the Waves. He also gets an egg that eventually becomes Filo (voiced by Rina Kidaka), a powerful bird creature with the ability to shapeshift into a human girl with wings. The three companions work together to fight Waves and perform heroic deeds across Melromarc.
Where Can You Watch The Rising of the Shield Hero?
You can catch the first season of “The Rising of the Shield Hero” on the anime streaming networks Crunchyroll and Funimation. Amazon also features the show in Japanese with subtitles or dubbed into English. Netflix only offers the series in select areas but is expected to offer the show to more viewers after season two premieres.
The second season will likely be available on Crunchyroll and Funimation at the same time that it’s being released on networks in Japan, like AT-X. Other streaming networks will likely offer the show sometime after its initial run.
What Can We Expect in The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 2?
So far, not much has been divulged about what will happen in season two of “The Rising of the Shield Hero,” but a few teaser trailers have been released featuring the show’s three main protagonists, Iwatani, Raphtalia, and Filo.
Season two will have a new director, Masato Jinbo. Jinbo is known for his work on other animations like “Restaurant to Another World” and “A Certain Scientific Railgun.” The South Korean animation company DR Movie will join Kinema Citrus in producing the new season. DR Movie has helped create shows like “Avatar: The Last Airbender” and “The Batman.”
Jinbo has given some clues as to the direction he’ll be taking the story. The new season will see two new companions joining Iwatani and his friends, Rishia Ivyred and Kizuna Kazayama. Rishia is the Projectile Hero and former ally to the Bow Hero, Itsuki Kawasumi. Kizuna is the Hunting Hero from Glass’ World.
Jinbo also mentioned that the new season will have an assortment of new villains for the team to fight, including a massive Spirit Turtle. We could also see the heroes transported to new and exciting worlds to fight enemies with more power than the first season’s bad guys.
Get the Latest News About Upcoming Anime Shows and Movies on BuddyTV
It’s been a long wait since the first season of “The Rising of the Shield Hero,” which premiered in 2019, but the good news is that season two is just around the corner. While you wait, though, check out BuddyTV for information and updates about all of your favorite existing and upcoming anime shows and movies streaming on networks like Netflix, CrunchyRoll, Prime Video, and everywhere else.
Be the first to know about new developments in the most exciting animated shows. We’ll give you synopsis breakdowns and spoilers regarding great anime like “My Hero Academia” and “Attack on Titan.”
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
