In The Rising of the Shield Hero, the story begins with the protagonist, Iwatani Naofumi, being summoned to this world as the Shield Hero, a character shunned by humans. The Shield Hero falls prey to Myne's schemes and becomes all alone. Early on, the lonely Shield Hero meets a girl named Raphtalia. She was originally a slave purchased from a slave trader, but she becomes the Shield Hero's right-hand man, a strong and devoted supporter. Today, we'd like to introduce you to Raphtalia.
Meeting Raphtalia
Source: The Rising of the Shield Hero © Aneko Yusagi/KADOKAWA/The Rising of the Shield Hero Production Committee
Falsely accused of rape by Myne, Iwatani is unable to reveal the truth to anyone. A slave trader spots Iwatani and calls out to him. Iwatani says he prefers a man. Then, he notices the smell of death coming from further inside. When he flipped the sheet over, he saw a demi-human girl said to be of the raccoon species. She was extremely skinny and seemed to suffer from panic disorder and a tracheal disorder. Iwatani purchased this demi-human girl, Raphtalia, and after buying her a slave crest, made her his servant.
What I Force Raphtalia to Do
Source: The Rising of the Shield Hero © Aneko Yusagi / KADOKAWA / The Rising of the Shield Hero Production Committee
After Iwatani purchased Raphtalia as a slave, he forced her to do one thing: fight monsters. Become Iwatani's blade. As the Shield Hero, Iwatani's offensive power was practically nonexistent. Raphtalia also gradually begins to understand Iwatani and decides to work for the Shield Hero. That's why she asks him not to abandon her, probably knowing that this will be a completely different world from her past life as a slave. In fact, Raphtalia's parents were killed by a monster that emerged from the waves. This is what causes her to panic, but when she hears Iwatani say that he will fight against the disasters of the world, she decides to fight alongside him. Incidentally, Raphtalia's magical aptitude is light and dark.
Raphtalia's Rapid Growth
Source: The Rising of the Shield Hero © Aneko Yusagi / KADOKAWA / The Rising of the Shield Hero Production Committee
This is the day several years after the Shield Hero and his servant Raphtalia have been together. Actually, that's not true. I don't know the exact time, but within about one to two weeks, Raphtalia suddenly experiences a growth spurt. By this time, her speech has become more mature and she has established proper table manners. It seems she has also acquired cunning. She has even come up with a way to get around the slave mark. In fact, demi-humans are creatures whose bodies grow rapidly in proportion to their level when they are young, in a way that is most efficient. So, while Raphtalia is still mentally a child, her body is fully grown into an adult. Iwatani, unaware of this, seems to have still treated her like a child until she confided in him.
Raphtalia: Stronger Than the Hero
Source: The Rising of the Shield Hero © Aneko Yusagi / KADOKAWA / The Shield Hero Production Committee
All the opponents from the world beyond the waves treat the spear, bow, and sword heroes as weak. In fact, they sometimes go easy on them to avoid killing them, but Raphtalia and Filo seem to have no problems with this. In other words, at this point, Raphtalia and her companions have become stronger than the hero. It is unclear how the hierarchical relationship will change from now on, but the other three heroes are gradually becoming known as losers. And Raphtalia continues to fight powerful foes as the Shield Hero's weapon. How will the balance of power between them change?
Raphtalia Loves the Shield Hero
Source: The Rising of the Shield Hero © Aneko Yusagi/KADOKAWA/The Shield Hero Production Committee
Raphtalia initially found the Shield Hero scary, but she also came to respect him. One reason for this was that, among the demi-humans, the Shield Hero was considered a hero. Later, she began to express her desire to share Iwatani's suffering, and her feelings for him gradually shifted to love. After Filo was born, they also fought over Iwatani. Iwatani seems to understand Raphtalia's feelings, but for one thing, after being betrayed by Myne in the past, he doesn't want to get too involved in relationships with women, so he thinks he'll put it off for the time being until the world is at peace. It will be interesting to see how their relationship will ultimately develop. Incidentally, the Shield Hero actually kissed her on the cheek once. She was embarrassed at the time, and above all, the Shield Hero spoke of it as if he were kissing a pet, but the true meaning of that kiss is also something to be curious about.
Raphtalia with Strong Muscles
Source: The Rising of the Shield Hero © Aneko Yusagi/KADOKAWA/The Rising of the Shield Hero Production Committee
This is the story of when Searett taught her swordsmanship. Raphtalia is well-built and absorbs things quickly. When asked the secret to her strength, Raphtalia replied, "I am Naofumi-sama's sword. From the day I swore that, I felt like I became a swordsman." That's the answer she gave. Indeed, since meeting Iwatani, Raphtalia has been fighting monsters almost every day, and when she class-ups her stats have nearly doubled, making her an extremely capable aide. It's no wonder she excels in swordsmanship! The fan-wielding enemy who came from across the waves referred to Raphtalia as a subordinate. It seems like there's more to this story as well.
Introducing Raphtalia: Conclusion
Source: The Rising of the Shield Hero © Aneko Yusagi / KADOKAWA / The Rising of the Shield Hero Production Committee
Raphtalia, who loves the Shield Hero, is surely working hard for Naofumi today as well. How will Raphtalia and Filo rise to the Shield Hero? It's getting more and more exciting!
