The Rising of the Shield Hero is, as the name suggests, a story about the rise of the Shield Hero. However, even within the story, there are many despicable people who try to frame the Shield Hero or act on their own desires. In this article, we will introduce the despicable characters that appear in the work, ranked.
Sleazy Ranking: 10th Place: Queen Mirellia
Source: The Rising of the Shield Hero © Aneko Yusagi / KADOKAWA / The Rising of the Shield Hero Production Committee
No matter what, this queen has a devious side. There's a fine line between being devious and being a strategist, but he wants the heroes to somehow repel the threat of the waves and protect their country, so he keeps an eye on them. He's not a scumbag, but he is an ally of the Shield Hero in the early stages, so we've introduced him here as well, which also serves as a character introduction.
Sleazy Ranking: 9th Place: Naofumi Iwatani
Source: The Rising of the Shield Hero © Aneko Yusagi / KADOKAWA / The Shield Hero Production Committee
The protagonist, Naofumi Iwatani, was originally a very kind person, but after falling into Myne's trap and being falsely framed, he loses trust in others. He is particularly cold towards the royal family, and initially treated Melty coldly as well. Despite all that, he is kind and caring towards his friends, but does not easily trust people who are not his allies. He often does some shady things, such as selling the accessories of lords who hide demi-humans for five times the market price.
Sleazy Ranking #8: Slave Trader
Source: The Rising of the Shield Hero © Aneko Yusagi/KADOKAWA/The Shield Hero Production Committee
No matter what, the slave trader who works in the underworld in this world is also a despicable character. It's thanks to him that we were able to meet Raphtalia and Filo, but given his shady business, he might not be such a good person. But perhaps the Shield Hero is a regular customer. He is also depicted talking to Ren about how to level up and introducing him to gacha eggs and other under-the-table business.
Sleaziness Ranking #7: Ren Amaki
Source: The Rising of the Shield Hero © Aneko Yusagi / KADOKAWA / The Shield Hero Production Committee
Amaki, the Sword Hero. It's difficult to judge him as sleazy, but he is arrogant. He is someone who has yet to come to terms with his own powerlessness and ignorance, and is a nuisance to those around him. However, in reality, he does have an honest side, as seen in his apologies to the Shield Hero and his honest admission of defeat. However, he still has a strong belief that he is number one, and does not easily trust the Shield Hero, so he is still a despicable person.
Sleazy Ranking: 6th Place: Motoyasu Kitamura
Source: The Rising of the Shield Hero © Aneko Yusagi / KADOKAWA / The Shield Hero Production Committee
This is one of the heroes whose sleazy nature is still questionable. He often picks on the Shield Hero and is often the villain, but in reality, his involvement is almost exclusively with girls. She had always made fun of the Shield Hero, trusted Myne, and couldn't forgive him for attacking her. Seeing as they were still together after Myne changed her name, it seems like she's the type who is extremely kind to girls. It seems that the cause of her death in her original world was also related to women.
Sleazy Ranking: 5th Place: Kawasumi Itsuki
Source: The Rising of the Shield Hero © Aneko Yusagi / KADOKAWA / The Shield Hero Production Committee
The Bow Hero would also be ranked in the same category. His lack of common sense is noticeable, which can sometimes make him seem like a sleazy character to the general public. However, if we're being honest, he gives off the impression of being just a child who hides his true identity and defeats bad guys, but also desires fame. However, I can't help but get the impression that he has less consideration for his comrades than the Spear Hero.
Sleazy Ranking: 4th Place: Mardo
Source: The Rising of the Shield Hero © Aneko Yusagi / KADOKAWA / The Shield Hero Production Committee
A nobleman and a companion of the Bow Hero. Although covered in armor, he gives off a vile impression. He bullies Rishia at every opportunity. He's also someone who played a part in denigrating Rishia. There is a hierarchy among the Bow Hero's companions, and Mardo is ranked high among them, but he actually later betrays the Bow Hero. The way he easily betrays a hero to whom he had sworn such loyalty makes him seem like a pretty devious person.
Sleaziness Ranking: 3rd Place: Acting King Orthoclay
Source: The Rising of the Shield Hero © Aneko Yusagi/KADOKAWA/The Rising of the Shield Hero Production Committee
In the early part of the series, he plays a very good villain. Until the queen's arrival, he dominated the country and caused chaos by colluding with the Church of the Three Heroes. However, after the name change incident, he seems to have repented. The cold attitude he showed towards the Shield Hero when he was summoned was quite impressive. I think he's ranked this high in tribute to his hard work as the main villain in the early stages.
Sleazy Ranking: 2nd Place: The Pope of the Church of the Three Heroes
Source: The Rising of the Shield Hero © Aneko Yusagi/KADOKAWA/The Rising of the Shield Hero Production Committee
Despite being the leader of the organization that summoned the Four Holy Heroes, he was also the one who tried to eliminate them, along with the royal family. Unfortunately, he was killed, but his deviousness was truly exquisite. In the first place, by summoning the hero, he was ignoring agreements with other countries, so he's a scumbag after all. That's why the queen had to conduct diplomacy to avoid war with other countries. I wish the Pope had been a bit more of a villain, dragging at least one of the main characters down with him, to give him more of a final-boss feel early on.
Sleazy Ranking: 1st Place: Myne-Sphere
Source: The Rising of the Shield Hero © Aneko Yusagi/KADOKAWA/The Shield Hero Production Committee
The reason I created this sleazy ranking is, in a sense, because I wanted to make a ranking where I wanted her to be number one. Despite being the first princess, Myne is second in line to the throne. Perhaps the people are also aware of her past misdeeds. Is she still plotting something evil even after the name change incident? It's definitely worth keeping an eye on her future misdeeds.
Sleazy Ranking: Conclusion
I've created this ranking, but there are still characters I want to introduce, and I'm sure new characters will continue to appear. It would also be fun to create a new ranking as the story progresses. Also, after making this ranking, I realized I forgot to include Raphtalia's former owner. If he were included in this ranking, he would be second...
