The Rising of the Shield Hero was originally a web novel. It gained popularity and was made into a book, then a manga. It is now a hugely popular work that will be adapted into a two-season anime series starting in January 2019. In The Rising of the Shield Hero, the relationships with slaves are a little unique. The work is so unique that it even incorporates RPG elements, and there is a concept known as a slave crest that physically connects the slave and master. In this article, we will briefly introduce slave crests.
What are the slave crests that slaves wear?
Source: The Rising of the Shield Hero © Aneko Yusagi / KADOKAWA / The Rising of the Shield Hero Production Committee
Simply put, a slave crest is a crest that restricts a slave, preventing them from disobeying their master's orders. The Shield Hero first learned of the slave crest when he purchased Raphtalia as a slave. If a slave disobeys orders, they will feel pain, and it is possible to change their owner. Incidentally, when the protagonist and Raphtalia made a contract to possess the slave crest, they also set up a companion, and the experience points of the monsters Raphtalia defeats also go to the Shield Hero. As the Shield Hero continues his adventures, he gains growth-adjusting abilities that are effective for the slaves and monster companions he owns. For this reason, Keel and Rishia also became slaves. It seems that this slave crest also serves as proof that they have become slaves.
The Slave Crest is Proof of Slavery
Source: The Rising of the Shield Hero © Aneko Yusagi / KADOKAWA / The Rising of the Shield Hero Production Committee
Let me briefly explain the slaves in this world. It seems there are both demi-humans and humans. Since humans and demi-humans are at odds in this world, there are many human slaves who can serve demi-humans, and many demi-human slaves who can serve humans. Some are used for combat, while others are kept as pets, and the environment in which slaves live seems to be up to the master's discretion. Originally, both Raphtalia and Keel were not allowed to live a decent life unless they were under the Shield Hero, so slaves were of a fairly low status, not dissimilar to our idea of what a slave is. When we say pets, there are also sex slaves, and it seems there are also terrible masters who simply torture slaves. This slave trade does not seem to be widely publicized, but the widespread use of slave crests suggests that owning slaves is accepted.
High-Quality Slave Crest
Source: The Rising of the Shield Hero © Aneko Yusagi / KADOKAWA / The Rising of the Shield Hero Production Committee
It appears that there are cheap and expensive slave crests. These are slave crests that normally disappear and do not show up on the body's surface. They appear when a command is broken and accompanied by pain. Slave traders do not seem to deal in high-level slave crests, and the slave crests are always visible on the body. Perhaps they do carry it, but just didn't recommend it because it was expensive. When Raphtalia became a slave, and when she became a slave again after the duel between the Spear Hero and the Shield Hero, the slave mark she had was visible along with her cleavage. Bitch's slave mark, on the other hand, was of a higher rank, and was only visible when activated. The Shield Hero and his companions found out that there were higher ranks of slave markings when they drew one on Filo.
What does the general public think about slaves with slave marks?
Source: The Rising of the Shield Hero © Aneko Yusagi / KADOKAWA / The Shield Hero Production Committee
After purchasing Raphtalia, the Shield Hero heads to the weapons shop. Upon seeing them finished, the shop owner mutters, "Is it the country's system that's at fault, or has Ann-chan become corrupted?" In other words, it seems that owning slaves is legal in this world. However, as the Queen describes the slave trade as dark, it seems that human trafficking does not have a good image in society. So, how does society view people who have slaves with them? The Shield Hero enters a restaurant with Raphtalia. One customer asks, "What's that? A demi-human? A slave?" It seems that demi-humans themselves are discriminated against, and when people see someone with a slave, they are often perceived as a slave master. Perhaps the same thing is happening in demi-human countries, with the positions of humans and demi-humans reversed?
Slaves with Slave Crests in the Shield Hero's Party
Source: The Rising of the Shield Hero © Aneko Yusagi / KADOKAWA / The Shield Hero Production Committee
As mentioned earlier, the Shield Hero has the ability to increase the growth of his slaves and monster companions. Currently, every member of the Shield Hero actually owns a slave. Raphtalia goes without saying. There's a history of her being purchased as a slave to begin with, and also a history of her asking to have the slave crest re-tied on her herself. And then there's Filo. In fact, Filo also has a slave crest, but a normal slave crest doesn't work on her; she has a high-ranking slave crest. However, even with the slave crest, it wasn't possible to prevent her from transforming. As for Filo, she is set up so that she can never disobey her master. And then there's Rishia and Kiel. They agreed to become slaves because it was the quickest way for them to grow and become fighting forces.
Slave Crests and Slaves: Final Thoughts
Source: The Rising of the Shield Hero © Aneko Yusagi / KADOKAWA / The Rising of the Shield Hero Production Committee
Since slavery is common in this world, it's hard to generalize that people who own slaves are evil. Perhaps other heroes also own slaves, but they're not even mentioned. However, since possessing a slave crest means becoming a slave, it seems unlikely that someone would willingly get one tattooed. In fact, all of your friends are slaves, which is something new in itself.
