Introduction
Eastern culture, and Japanese anime culture in particular, is well-known for its bold and unpredictable decisions when it comes to storytelling. For instance, “The Rising of the Shield Hero” is an animated TV series that depicts a hero’s story from an, in many ways, unusual angle. If one were to apply the framework of the basic steps of the Hero’s Journey to it, one would find the unique peculiarities in these steps’ manifestation.
Analysis
The story begins with Iwatani Naofumi, an ordinary Japanese student, finding a book in a library that drags him into another world, regardless of his opinion on the matter (“The Shield Hero,” 02:53). In this context, the hero’s ordinary world is the current human society on Earth. In turn, the call to adventure is the teleportation to a world of fantasy and magic, where Naofumi and three other summoned individuals must become heroes to save the world from destruction.
The following development is a curious merge of the next two steps: refusal of the call and meeting with the mentor. Although Naofumi is initially excited at the thought of becoming a hero, he falls victim to a cruel deception by the king’s daughter, Myne, that turns the whole kingdom he was summoned into against him (“The Shield Hero” 28:38–35:47). Since Naofumi can only return home once he finishes his heroic mission of defeating evil, he reluctantly decides to fight through everything, rejecting the “hero” title.
The peculiarity of the situation is that he cannot literally refuse the call; the refusal should be interpreted figuratively through Naofumi’s subjective perception of his role. Another peculiarity is that the “mentor” he met had an extremely negative betrayal experience: the reality of the new world taught Naofumi in the harshest way not to trust people, prompting him to cross the first threshold against his will. The unwillingness of Naofumi to lower his guard in front of anyone poses difficulties in finding allies. The new reality once again forces him to find companions because he is a shield hero, a hero that has high defensive but poor offensive capabilities (“The Shield Hero” 37:27). Thus, he decides to buy a half-beast, half-human girl, Raphtalia, that would be bound to him by magic, which renders her unable to intentionally hurt Naofumi or disobey his orders (“The Slave Girl” 04:04).
Together, they venture into the wild, fighting enemies and becoming stronger, approaching the inmost cave: the so-called waves. The first wave, an event that summons wild monsters across the country, becomes the pair’s supreme ordeal (“Wave of Catastrophe” 10:37–21:56). For the wave to end, heroes have to slay the wave’s boss, the biggest monster. However, Naofumi and Raphtalia decide to protect the commoners instead, leaving the boss to other heroes. Once they succeed, Naofumi receives his reward in the form of recognition. Civilians are grateful for his help, especially in light of other heroes’ neglect of the common people’s protection.
After the wave, the road back is illustrated through the invitation to an official victory celebration in the kingdom’s palace. Naofumi cannot disobey this call and braces himself against any potential mockery he might face there (“Lullaby at Dawn,” 00:22). Although Raphtalia deliberately wishes to fight alongside Naofumi, having developed a warm feeling toward the protagonist due to his kind and caring attitude, people in the castle believe she is being held by force.
Conclusion
Thus, the problem arises when the most arrogant of the three other heroes, Motoyasu, challenges Naofumi to a duel to set Raphtalia free from the binding spell. During the duel, Myne intervenes, helping Motoyasu overpower Naofumi, and the latter again experiences the rage and despair he felt at the beginning (“Lullaby at Dawn” 13:06). Nevertheless, Raphtalia rejects Motoyasu and comforts Naofumi, mending the scars caused by the world’s unfairness (“Lullaby at Dawn,” 20:00). With her help, Naofumi can “return with an elixir,” having regained the trust he thought he had completely lost.
Works Cited
“Lullaby at Dawn.” The Rising of the Shield Hero, season 1, episode 4, AT-X, 2019.
“The Shield Hero.” The Rising of the Shield Hero, season 1, episode 1, AT-X, 2019.
“The Slave Girl.” The Rising of the Shield Hero, season 1, episode 2, AT-X, 2019.
“Wave of Catastrophe.” The Rising of the Shield Hero, season 1, episode 3, AT-X, 2019.