The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 4

Episode 12

Man… did anyone actually feel anything from that ending? They say the third time's the charm, but this is genuinely the third time in a row that this franchise has ended a season in a way that has left me feeling nothing but annoyance, exasperation and a strong wonder why it keeps going. I kinda just want to sit here and talk about the intricacies of the action choreography because most of the episode was just one big action sequence. It looked good and was probably one of the best fights the franchise has ever seen. I could just turn my brain off and watch that fight half a dozen times and not get bored with it. The particle effects were astounding, the elemental magic was creative and there was a good amount of fight choreography established. The fight had absolutely no tension whatsoever, but I hope the animators got paid because I really want to give them their flowers. They are the reason why this episode was somewhat bearable because everything else about it just left me wondering what I was still doing here.

So not only did our heroes take down the villain of this arc in one of the most unceremonious ways possible, but the person who orchestrated that takedown wasn't our heroes, but rather the soul of the previous Heavenly Emperor. Then the rest of this episode was just the Heavenly Emperor testing Raphtalia's resolve to be the next emperor because in order to be the Heavenly Emperor, you also need to be strong enough in order to match the powers of the cardinal heroes. Now that makes sense, considering the fact that a lot of the techniques and rituals that came from this land can nullify the powers of the cardinal heroes. The idea that the Heavenly Emperor was also supposed to act as a deterrent is interesting. I also think it would have worked thematically to have Naofumi's right hand person being somebody that could potentially stop him if he ever got mad with power but the show doesn't do anything with that. In fact, even if the show wanted to do anything with that, it wouldn't make sense because Naofumi has already gone through his character arc where he has resolved the darkness in his heart. That's why the show can't seem to figure out what it wants to do with its own main character.

Yes, this is still called Shield Hero, but Naofumi barely had any actual agency or drive in this entire season. He was basically a supporting role that either acted as the reason for why things happened or he was the one actively driving the plot around even when the plot arguably had nothing to do with him. All of the politics between the beastman, the ideas of tradition, the connection with nature and the way that the heavenly techniques manifest, none of that has anything to do with Naofumi if you really sit down and think about it. I could sit here and get angry at the marketing team for the Shield Hero because if I'm being honest, this season was all about the beastman's place in this world, but I also understand why it would be incredibly difficult to advertise this season with them at the center because there really isn't anything here when you look at the show from that lens either.

The relationship between Sadeena and her now newly discovered sister? Quickly resolved in an episode. The idea of corrupt politics and the issues with tradition amongst the clans? Quickly handled by divine intervention with a villain that has no presence. What does Raphtalia being emperor now means regarding her relationship with Naofumi and the rest of the cast? I don't know, because it seems like she was able to go back to the village just fine despite arguably being in charge of an entire nation now. There is so much importance placed on this ending during that fight like Raphtalia needs to prove herself and come to terms with how strong her resolve is. But I felt absolutely nothing from any of this dialogue because the show just didn't earn it.

Is anyone falling for this? It feels like this show is desperately trying to do what it thinks an important fantasy story is supposed to do, and despite having a substantial budget, a large cast of characters, and established notoriety, it fails on every level in order to capitalize on the things that I think other franchises would kill to have at this point. And we're supposed to get another season of this? When Naofumi and Raphtalia are staring at the horizon and Raphtalia is wondering if her parents wanted to enjoy that view one day, Naofumi has no right to say that he thinks they would. Now it's time to think about the Phoenix and the other heavenly bodies that they need to take down and then our heroes can finally get to the waves. Remember the waves? Neither do I.

Oh, and Bitch is here…just kidding now she's dead…maybe? I think it says a lot when the thing that got the most reaction out of me was seeing a crazed pedophile drive his spear into the heart of the horrible woman from season one before getting on top of his little bird harem and gallivanting away. That whole scene lasted ten seconds and it was the best thing that this season had delivered despite having absolutely nothing to do with anything. I think that sums up my feelings on the season as a whole, even when there are things that I enjoy, they arguably don't have anything to do with anything. I was desperately trying to find something to emotionally grasp and get me invested, but every time I tried, it's like the show slapped me in the face for giving it that chance. I get attached to a character, they get shoved into the background. The show presents a moral dilemma and immediately resolves it within the span of five minutes. The show tries to set up stakes with a solid build up and moral conundrum, let's just have a completely new character take care of the whole situation for us. I am happy to wipe my hands of this franchise until the next season comes out next year but I genuinely have no hope in my soul that things will get any better from here.

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The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 4 is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.