The Rising of the Shield Hero, Season 2: Ep. 4-6 Impressions

Co-published on Publish0x.

*Will contain spoilers, so read at your own risk.*

When the second season of The Rising of the Shield Hero started, I said that the first few episodes were not bad, but not great. The biggest issues I had were how the story was initially rushed and undersold Rishia's character. Some of these problems are not Season 2's fault. The first season spedrun Rishia's introduction to Naofumi's team and did not do much beyond that which effectively dealt Season 2 a bad hand. That said, the excuses will eventually run out and Season 2 needed to close out the Spirit Tortoise arc strongly.

With episodes 4 through 6 having aired, has the quality improved?

Episode 4: Rishia Gets Much Needed Development

I thought this episode is extremely well-constructed. I like how it starts off with Rishia's flashback and explains why she highly respects Itsuki, the Bow Hero. The watercolor-like palette and white borders in the flashback are a very nice touch. The episode does a nice job embellishing her personality. Compared to previous episodes where Rishia was shy and glum, she is more energetic and assertive. When the party explores the Spirit Tortoise Kingdom, Rishia is pretty enthusiastic about studying the Spirit Tortoise's history. She also speaks up when Naofumi tells her to watch the Spirit Tortoise from outside, preferring to explore the insides with the party.

But Rishia's changes would not have happened if not for Ost, who also received some good development. The dynamics between these two characters complement each other really well. The campfire scene where Rishia opens up to Ost about her self-doubts is impactful. Not only Ost gives her compelling advice, but this is the moment where Rishia begins to be more confident in herself.

Need to mention that the soundtrack in this scene was great, too.

This episode also provides a sense of exploration that the previous episodes lacked. The part where Naofumi and his party try to uncover the mysteries behind the Spirit Tortoise feels engaging. It is particularly interesting when Naofumi finds Japanese text left behind one of the previous heroes who got isekai'ed.

Episode 5: Building Up to the Climax

Where Episode 4 greatly develops Rishia's character, Episode 5 does the same for Ost. The way the anime depicts Ost's internal conflict between her Spirit Tortoise's duty of collecting souls and compassion for her world's people reminds me a lot of the black mages' existential conflict in Final Fantasy IX. Both exist to kill people (though more indirectly for Ost), but they begin to question their purpose the more they interact with others. And like how Ost helped Rishia in Episode 4, Rishia returns the favor to help her friend handle her burden together.

While there is not much action in this episode, the little action that does have is animated rather well. The segment where Filo and Raphtalia attack the Spirit Tortoise's heart only lasts about a minute, but it uses a handful of good animation techniques. The part where everything goes slow-mo when Raphtalia glances over at Ost feels very bittersweet. On top of that, I like how when Raphtalia slashes the heart, the camera follows her sword the entire way.

Not to mention, Ost's scream was extremely visceral.

Another big highlight of this episode is the proper introduction of Kyo, the antagonist of this season. I have to hand it to Ryohei Kimura, the voice actor who plays Kyo. He really nails the asshole, heckling tone. The way he condescends Naofumi and his party with his sarcastic quips are pretty funny, especially since it directly clashes with Naofumi's no-nonsense personality.

The Episode 6: Ending the Arc with a Bang

If Season 2 started off iffy, then Episode 6 ended the Spirit Tortoise arc in the exact opposite way. I can tell that Kinema Citrus really went all hands on deck. The animation is impressive and Kevin Penkin really went all out with the music. There is a lot going on from Fitoria fighting the Spirit Tortoise outside to L'Arc's party destroying the heart (for the second time), and Naofumi's party fighting Kyo. However, the episode does a good job making sure there is not such a whiplash between the A, B, and C plots.

If you think Ryo is an asshole in Episode 5, then he takes it up several notches in this one. In a way, he's sort of a cross between The Joker and Xehanort of the Kingdom Hearts series. He has that psychopathic, maniacal personality like the Joker as well as the mad scientist "doing whatever it takes" quality like Xehanort. The way he heckles Naofumi and his companions while they are pinned down by his super-gravity attack almost puts him in the same league as Princess Malty.

However, the biggest highlight is when Rishia steps up and manages to take on Kyo herself. The way she emerges from her kirigumi (the filolial suit) is very badass. Her training on Hengen Muso finally bears fruit after Master Elrasla (the granny) has hinted at her near-mastery a few times in previous episodes. Not to mention, the musical score makes a really good use of the saxophones in the build up to Rishia's moment and subsequent fight.

Something worth mentioning is that I think the anime adapts Rishia vs. Kyo much better than the manga. In the manga, Rishia was all about "justice" which fell flat and unconvincing. The anime takes a different approach by flipping the "You and I are no different" trope on its head. Rishia points out at her and Kyo's similarities of their reliance on other people's strength. However, while Kyo uses it as a crutch, Rishia has put in the work to grow independently stronger.

The one thing I really wished the anime did is allocate more screentime to Rishia's training. The first episode does show Elrasla giving her advice on how to manipulate her ki and the old lady has emphasized to Naofumi a few times that Rishia is at the cusp of mastering Hengen Muso. We do see Rishia use a ki technique in Episode 3 when she powers up Filo and Raphtalia before they chop the Spirit Tortoise's head off, too. However, I feel that the anime could have done more to show Rishia's combat growth leading up to Episode 6. Otherwise, I would have no complaints.

Lastly, the scene where Naofumi cannot use Blood Sacrifice to destroy the core because he has no hatred against Ost is very bittersweet. It shows how much he has grown since he got falsely accused by Malty. He went from someone who resented the world that summoned him to deeply caring about his comrades. I was pretty surprised at the sudden development and the part where Naofumi begs the Spirit Tortoise shield to not destroy the core hit hard emotionally.

Closing Thoughts

While I was whelmed by Episodes 1-3, I came away very impressed with Episodes 4-6. A lot of the complaints I had at the beginning, such as Rishia's development, were addressed and handled strongly. The anime leverages its musical score extremely well, the voice acting is top notch, and the animation in Episode 6 is very strong. Light novel readers (including me) generally did not like the Spirit Tortoise arc that much, but the anime manages to pull off a solid job. I can say with confidence Episodes 4-6 stand up to the quality that Season 1 offered and I hope Season 2 carries that momentum the rest of the way.