The Rising of the Shield Hero was originally a popular web novel published on the website Let's Become a Novelist. It was then adapted into a book and a manga, and is now scheduled to be made into a two-season anime series starting in January 2019. In this article, we'll be introducing the world beyond the waves.
The World Beyond the World of WavesWhat are waves, anyway?
Source: The Rising of the Shield Hero © Aneko Yusagi / KADOKAWA / The Rising of the Shield Hero Production Committee
The Four Holy Heroes were summoned to the country of Melromarc. Their mission was to defeat the threat known as waves. But what exactly are waves? Waves appear to be a collective term for the phenomenon of dimensional rifts emerging, releasing a horde of vicious monsters into the open. The Dragon's Hourglass indicates the time of the next wave. In fact, this wave phenomenon isn't limited to Melromarc; it's occurring in other regions as well.
The Shield Hero's First Wave Experience
Source: The Rising of the Shield Hero © Aneko Yusagi / KADOKAWA / The Shield Hero Production Committee
Actually, regarding the threat of the waves, it seems that a hero isn't absolutely necessary. They said that they managed to drive away the first wave with just the soldiers. However, the first wave that the Shield Hero and his friends experienced was a calamity that occurred near Lute Village. Once the boss was defeated, the dimensional rift would return to normal and the monsters would disappear. The Shield Hero and Raphtalia were desperate to protect Lute Village. It was the other three heroes who defeated the boss this time.
The first human they encountered from the world beyond the Wave World
Glass
Source: The Rising of the Shield Hero © Aneko Yusagi / KADOKAWA / The Rising of the Shield Hero Production Committee
The Shield Hero's first encounter with a human from the world beyond the Wave World comes after defeating a certain Soul Eater, the Wave boss. They come face to face with the black-haired Glass, wielding a fan. At this point, the Shield Hero doesn't seem to be completely certain that Glass is a resident of the world beyond the waves. Later, after his battle with the Dimensional Fish, he fights a resident of the world beyond the waves for the first time. This girl is treated like a spirit, but the details are still unknown. If she is a hero, perhaps she is the Hero of the Fan?
L'Arc
Source: The Rising of the Shield Hero © Aneko Yusagi / KADOKAWA / The Rising of the Shield Hero Production Committee
At first, L'Arc thought he was an adventurer, but in fact he is a resident of a world beyond the waves. He uses a scythe, and at this point, all we know is that he is probably the Scythe Hero. He likely has a mission to kill the Hero, and due to their different positions, he is at odds with the Shield Hero and his friends. However, there are still many unknowns about his story, so it will be exciting to see how he will become involved in the story going forward. He fights on equal terms with the Shield Hero and his party, but for some reason, it is also a mystery why he is holding back so as not to kill the Heroes.
Theres
Source: The Rising of the Shield Hero © Aneko Yusagi / KADOKAWA / The Rising of the Shield Hero Production Committee
Theres is a character who travels with L'Arc. She is able to use gemstones to cast magic. She is also from the same world as Glass and L'Arc, and is hostile to the Shield Hero. She was so touched by Naofumi's jewelry that she promised to pay him back in installments. Because of this, she was unable to use the gemstone during her first battle with the Shield Heroes. Their existence is also still a mystery.
The World Beyond the Waves: The World of Bonds
Source: The Rising of the Shield Hero © Aneko Yusagi / KADOKAWA / The Rising of the Shield Hero Production Committee
In fact, these people, who thought they came from the other side of the waves, are from a different world from Naofumi and his friends. In fact, heroes exist in their world as well. The Four Holy Heroes in their world are: hunting equipment, talismans, orbs, and blunt weapons. So who exactly are Glass and the others? They're the Heroes of the Familiar Vessels. It's a pretty complicated premise, but the concept of the Heroes of the Familiar Vessels will emerge in Naofumi's world as well.
Summoning Otherworlders
The Shield Hero, Spear Hero, Sword Hero, and Bow Hero are all summoned to Melromarc as the Four Holy Heroes, but they share no commonality other than being Japanese. This explanation may be a little confusing. In fact, each of them originally came from a different world. Perhaps that's why they each have different names in the game. Some characters even exist in Japan, where magic is a concept. It's unclear how far the story will go, so this premise may not be fully reflected in the anime.
The World Beyond the Waves: What are their fighting abilities?
Source: The Rising of the Shield Hero © Aneko Yusagi / KADOKAWA / The Rising of the Shield Hero Production Committee
The Shield Hero faced Glass for the first time. At the time, he believed that the other three heroes were so weak that they were lying about being heroes. The Shield Hero was on the defensive against Glass. He was no match for him. He eventually managed to escape, but at this point, Glass was a much more powerful opponent. After that, they fight L'Arc and the others. Glass also joins the battle. Last time, he looked down on the Shield Hero, who was inferior to him, but thanks to their growth, they're now almost evenly matched. With Rishia's help, this time it ended in a draw, but when will they fight next?
The World Beyond the Waves: Final Thoughts
These heroes are aliens from a world beyond the waves, and they're also heroes. It's interesting to see how their battle with them will unfold and what their relationships will be like. Another thing I'm curious about is whether the other heroes will actually get stronger. They're legendary heroes, so I can't help but feel like the story won't progress at all unless they get stronger. Right now, they're pretty much underdogs...
