The Rising of the Shield Hero

Last updated: 1 November 2026

About The Rising of the Shield Hero

Naofumi Iwatani is summoned to a fantasy kingdom as one of four legendary heroes, the Shield Hero, armed with a shield and nothing else. Betrayed and falsely accused within days, he loses his money, his name and his trust in people. With the demi-human Raphtalia at his side, he has to grow strong enough to stop the Waves of monsters threatening the world. A gritty underdog isekai about rebuilding from zero. Because his shield cannot attack, Naofumi wins differently: he cooks, crafts, trades, heals and builds a party and a village that fight for him, while the kingdom that framed him slowly learns it needs its most hated hero. The story keeps widening, from Waves and rival heroes to other worlds with their own heroes and rules. Animated by Kinema Citrus, it now runs four seasons (62 episodes), with a fifth season announced for 2027.

The Rising of the Shield Hero is a TV anime from 2019, first released in Winter 2019. It belongs to the Action and Adventure and Fantasy genres and is listed as a completed series. The summary above is written by the AnimeYug team in our own words.

Official Trailer

▶TVアニメ『盾の勇者の成り上がり Season4』PV第2弾｜2025年7月9日放送・配信開始 · KADOKAWAanime

Story & Plot

College student Naofumi Iwatani is pulled into the kingdom of Melromarc with three other young men to become the Cardinal Heroes who must repel the Waves of Calamity. The others receive a sword, spear and bow; Naofumi gets a shield that cannot attack, and the kingdom treats him as the weakest hero from the start. Days later his only companion, the princess Myne, robs him and frames him for a crime he did not commit, leaving him penniless, hated and alone.

Refusing to break, Naofumi buys the freedom of a sick demi-human slave girl, Raphtalia, raises her as his sword, and later hatches Filo, a bird monster with a queen's potential. Together they protect villages the other heroes neglect, expose the church and crown's corruption, and discover the Waves are connected to other worlds. Whose heroes, like Glass, see Naofumi's world as the enemy. His rise is built on the trust of the few who stood by him at zero.

Story Arcs & Episode Guide

The The Rising of the Shield Hero anime is split into story sagas. Here is every saga in order, with its episodes and years.

Why Watch The Rising of the Shield Hero

• A true from-zero rise: the hero starts hated, broke and unable to attack.
• Naofumi's party is his weapon, Raphtalia's sword, Filo's kicks and shields for every situation.
• The other heroes are flawed people, not rivals of the week, and their failures have real costs.
• The world keeps expanding: Waves, a corrupt church, and whole other worlds with their own heroes.
• Four seasons out and a fifth confirmed for 2027, so the journey is safely ongoing.

Who Is It For?

The Rising of the Shield Hero is rated TV-14 in the US, so it suits teens and adults. Expect bloody monster battles, slavery and false-accusation themes, political cruelty and dark turns, balanced by warm found-family moments in Naofumi's village.

Naofumi Iwatani

The Rising of the Shield Hero

Raphtalia

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Filo

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Melty Q Melromarc

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Rishia Ivyred

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Ren Amaki

The Rising of the Shield Hero

Itsuki Kawasumi

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Motoyasu Kitamura

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Myne Sophia

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Glass

The Rising of the Shield Hero

L'Arc Berg Sickle

The Rising of the Shield Hero

Therese Alexanderite

The Rising of the Shield Hero

Kizuna Kazayama

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Ost Horai

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Mirellia Q Melromarc

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Voice Actors

The Japanese voices behind the main characters of The Rising of the Shield Hero.

• Naofumi IwataniThe Shield Hero, betrayed and forced to start from zero
  Japanese voiceKaito Ishikawa
• RaphtaliaDemi-human swordsman and Naofumi's closest companion
  Japanese voiceAsami Seto
• FiloFilorial queen who fights with powerful kicks
  Japanese voiceRina Hidaka
• Melty Q MelromarcSecond princess of Melromarc who befriends Filo
  Japanese voiceMaaya Uchida
• Rishia IvyredTimid noblewoman who joins Naofumi's party
  Japanese voiceNatsuko Hara
• Ren AmakiThe Sword Hero, a teenager who treats the world like a game
  Japanese voiceYoshitsugu Matsuoka
• Itsuki KawasumiThe Bow Hero, driven by his own sense of justice
  Japanese voiceYoshitaka Yamaya
• Motoyasu KitamuraThe Spear Hero, easily swayed and hopeless with women
  Japanese voiceMakoto Takahashi
• Myne SophiaPrincess whose betrayal destroyed Naofumi's reputation
  Japanese voiceSarah Emi Bridcutt
• GlassFan Hero from another world, bound by strict honour
  Japanese voiceMegumi Han
• L'Arc Berg SickleScythe Hero from another world and Glass's partner
  Japanese voiceJun Fukuyama
• Therese AlexanderiteJewel-using mage and L'Arc's companion
  Japanese voiceSaori Hayami
• Kizuna KazayamaHunting Hero imprisoned in an endless labyrinth
  Japanese voiceMiyu Tomita
• Ost HoraiMysterious familiar of the Spirit Tortoise
  Japanese voiceKana Hanazawa
• Mirellia Q MelromarcQueen of Melromarc, the kingdom's true ruler
  Japanese voiceKikuko Inoue

Staff & Production

Original Creator

Aneko Yusagi

Animation Studio

Kinema Citrus (with DR Movie on Season 2)

Series Director

Takao Abo (Season 1); Masato Jinbo (Season 2); Hitoshi Haga (Seasons 3–5)

Series Composition

Keigo Koyanagi

Music

Kevin Penkin; Alfredo Sirica and Natalie Jeffreys (from Season 3)

Manga & Source Material

The Rising of the Shield Hero is a light novel series by Aneko Yusagi with illustrations by Seira Minami. Like many isekai hits, it began as a web novel on Shōsetsuka ni Narō before Kadokawa's MF Books picked it up.

• Written by Aneko Yusagi and illustrated by Seira Minami
• Began as a web novel on Shōsetsuka ni Narō in 2012
• Light novels published by Media Factory under the MF Books imprint from 22 August 2013
• 22 light novel volumes had been published as of June 2019, with the series still listed as ongoing
• Aiya Kyū's manga adaptation had reached 30 volumes by May 2026
• The novels and manga passed 6.2 million copies in Japan by April 2019

Music

One duo owns the sound of Shield Hero: MADKID performs every opening across all four seasons, and Chiai Fujikawa performs every ending, giving the series a consistent musical identity from 2019 to 2025.

Opening Themes

• “RISE”by MADKIDSeason 1, first opening (2019)
• “FAITH”by MADKIDSeason 1, second opening (2019)
• “Bring Back”by MADKIDSeason 2 opening (2022)
• “SIN”by MADKIDSeason 3 opening (2023)
• “Resolution”by MADKIDSeason 4 opening (2025)

Ending Themes

• “Kimi no Namae”by Chiai FujikawaSeason 1, first ending (2019)
• “Atashi ga Tonari ni Iru Uchi ni”by Chiai FujikawaSeason 1, second ending (2019)
• “Yuzurenai”by Chiai FujikawaSeason 2 ending (2022)
• “Suki ni Natte wa Ikenai Riyū”by Chiai FujikawaSeason 3 ending (2023)
• “Eien ni Ikkai no”by Chiai FujikawaSeason 4 ending (2025)

Series Timeline

1. 2012

   Aneko Yusagi begins the story as a web novel on Shōsetsuka ni Narō.

2. 2013

   MF Books publishes the first light novel volume on 22 August.

3. 2019

   The Kinema Citrus anime premieres in January; Season 1 runs for 25 episodes.

4. 2022

   Season 2 airs from April to June, co-produced with DR Movie.

5. 2023

   Season 3 airs from October to December under director Hitoshi Haga.

6. 2025

   Season 4 airs from July to September; a fifth season is announced at its finale.

7. 2027

   Season 5 is scheduled to premiere, continuing Naofumi's story.

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