Season 3 of "The Rising of the Shield Hero" is scheduled to air in October. Fans of this series, known for its diverse cast of characters, likely have a favorite. Many characters have appeared so far. This time, we'll present a popularity ranking based on our own unique perspective and research. While fans will likely have their own opinions, we hope you'll read this for reference. If you're not yet familiar with "The Rising of the Shield Hero," we hope you'll become interested.
5th Place: Melty Q Melromarc
At the beginning of the story, the second princess, Melty, was one of Naofumi's few allies. Because she initially approached Naofumi while concealing her identity, she lost his trust when he discovered she was the Second Princess. However, when Myne attempted to assassinate her, she began working with him. By working together, they built trust, even as they fought.
Even Though I Actually Like Naofumi
Melty was introduced as Naofumi's ally from the beginning, but unaware of the false accusation by King Orthoclay and Myne, when she fought with King Orthoclay, she told Naofumi to go and apologize. Because of this, her relationship with Naofumi was initially not good. This work tends to push Naofumi to the limit. Not only is he falsely accused, but even when Melty and Fitoria try to persuade him, they tell him to apologize, and Naofumi himself urges him to mend his relationships with the other heroes. The author's relentless bullying of Naofumi leads to the "relief" he feels when his false accusation is cleared.
4th Place: Filo
My fourth place pick is Filo. She is a philoreal that hatched from an egg that Naofumi bought from a slave trader in a monster egg lottery, and after being raised by Naofumi, one of the Four Holy Heroes, she became a superior species, the philoreal Queen, and was able to transform into an angelic girl with wings on her back. At first she was selfish and would not listen to what Naofumi said, but with Naofumi's discipline she began to protect him even though she complained. At first she thought of Naofumi as her parent, but after he rejected her she began to call him "master".
An Important Companion Like Raphtalia
Filo has a voracious appetite, loves pulling carriages, and can fight in both filolial and human form. Agile, powerful, and able to use wind magic, Filo has become an important companion to Naofumi, just like Raphtalia. While he doesn't say it out loud, Naofumi seems to regret his careless treatment of Filo, and Filo is an important companion to him.
Melty's Best Friend
Filo is considered a candidate for the next queen by Fitoria, the current Filolial queen, but she seems completely unaware of this and only thinks about eating and playing. She is best friends with Melty, the second princess, and is always quick to help her when she's in trouble. She grows stronger with each battle she experiences, so it will be interesting to see how she becomes stronger in Season 3.
3rd Place: Kitamura Motoyasu
Kitamura Motoyasu, summoned as the Spear Hero, was in a different world from Naofumi's, a Japan. He was summoned just as he was being stabbed by women for cheating. He's a reckless, impulsive type who doesn't think too deeply. He still loves girls, and even after being summoned, he continues to pick up girls and increase his female allies. A self-proclaimed feminist, he's fooled by Myne's lies and picks fights with Naofumi at every opportunity. He's all the more perverse because he believes he's right and that everything Myne says is true. Perhaps it's his naive, honest nature that led Myne to use him.
In the end...
Even after Naofumi's false accusation was cleared and Myne's evil deeds were condemned, Motoyasu remained on her side. After losing Motoyasu in the battle with the Spirit Turtle, Myne went to join Amaki Ren, the Forsaken Sword Hero. Her other companions also abandoned Motoyasu, leaving her in despair and apathy. With this explanation, you might be wondering why she's on the popularity rankings.
Motoyasu's Unexpected Popularity
It was Filo who saved the listless Motoyasu. On a whim, Filo encouraged Motoyasu, who seemed a bit strange. This sparked Motoyasu's unrivaled love for filolials, and he fell in love with Filo. He also came to adore Naofumi, Filo's foster father, calling him "father-in-law." He wasn't originally a villain; he was simply used by Myne. He was a kind-hearted young man who loved women. Also, after "The Rising of the Shield Hero" concluded, a spinoff called "The Spear Hero's Reincarnation" was created, which was also popular and likely contributed to Motoyasu's rise in popularity. Motoyasu was a hopeless character until he was betrayed by Myne, but considering his subsequent unhateable character and his popularity in the spinoff, I ranked him this way.
2nd Place: Naofumi Iwatani
Naofumi Iwatani, the protagonist of "The Rising of the Shield Hero," is ranked second. Naofumi was originally a bright and gentle young man, but due to Myne's schemes, he was branded a rapist and was stripped of his money, honor, and reputation as a hero. He was also betrayed by the country of Melromarc, where he was summoned, and this led him to lose faith in others and become distrustful of humanity. However, gradually, more and more of his allies, including Raphtalia, began to believe in Naofumi, and by facing challenges and hardships, he carved out his own future.
It can't be helped, but...
The reason I didn't rank him first is because of Naofumi's depressing personality. His betrayal has made him distrustful of people, and his hatred for Myne and his country is evident in his eyes and expressions. He's been through so much, so I understand his feelings, but he hates those he hates to the core, and he often shows signs of being overly vulgar, even taking pleasure in seeing them suffer. Perhaps this is why he ranked him second.
What about the real Naofumi?
He hates those he hates to the core, but his kindness remains. He doesn't treat his slaves cruelly; instead, he takes good care of them and avoids injury in battle, earning his comrades' trust. Perhaps because of her distrust of people, she tends to trust those who trust her and show kindness, and she even tries to repay them. New companions will be added in Season 3. It will be exciting to see how they build relationships and play an active role.
1st Place: Raphtalia
First place goes to Naofumi's first companion, the heroine who falls in love with him and continues to support him wholeheartedly as the Shield Hero's sword. Raphtalia was originally purchased by Naofumi from a slave trader as an offensive weapon for the Shield Hero, despite her lack of offensive power. She suffered deep emotional scars from the trauma of the waves, the death of her best friend, and the torture she endured during her time as a slave. Naofumi, whose clumsy kindness continued to heal her, eventually opened up to her, and they decided to fight together as the Shield Hero.
Raphtalia's Appearance and Personality
She's actually around 10 years old, but her body grew rapidly when she leveled up due to her demi-human abilities, making her appear to be a beautiful girl around 17 or 18 years old. However, Naofumi continues to treat her like a child, and she often gets angry when he calls her "my daughter." She has a very earnest personality and often serves as a straight man to Naofumi, who is often shady and underhanded. However, she has been so influenced by Naofumi that she has taken to using the same cunning bargaining tactics and intimidating Naofumi with a smile, leaving those around her dumbfounded.
Looking forward to her performance in Season 3!
It was Raphtalia who saved Naofumi, who had become distrustful of people due to Myne's evil schemes. Raphtalia, the beautiful swordswoman who fights as the Shield Hero while falling in love with Naofumi, has been ranked first. I'm looking forward to seeing the devoted Raphtalia in action in Season 3.
Popularity Ranking Summary
What did you think of the popularity rankings? There are many online popularity rankings, but apart from Naofumi and Raphtalia at the top, the popularity rankings are quite varied, which may be a characteristic of this series. New characters will be introduced in Season 3, and I'm looking forward to seeing if any of them will rise to the top of the rankings. Thank you for reading to the end.
