Rising of the Shield Hero Season 2 Episode 1: A new threat looms, previous questions answered, and more

The highly anticipated Rising of the Shield Hero season 2 episode 1 has arrived, marking the debut of the series’ second season. The occasion is incredibly momentous, as it’s the first new TV anime episode of the series in roughly three years.

As many suspected, Rising of the Shield Hero season 2 episode 1 began by showcasing the Waves of Calamity and how the series’ core protagonists are preparing for it. However, Rising of the Shield Hero season 2 episode 1 also introduced a new, more immediate threat to the world, which protagonist Naofumi Iwatani inhabits.

Follow along as this article breaks down Rising of the Shield Hero season 2 episode 1 in its entirety.

Note: This article contains spoilers.

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Rising of the Shield Hero Season 2 Episode 1 sets up primary conflict of second season

Rising of the Shield Hero Season 2 Episode 1: Protagonists reintroduced

Rising of the Shield Hero season 2 episode 1 begins with the central protagonist Naofumi Iwatani walking along a dock in Lurolona Village. His voiceover explains that he was awarded the village and became its ruler for his help in stopping the Waves of Calamity, as seen towards the end of season one.

Shots of the village and its people can be seen, and Naofumi says that the people are rebuilding their homes alongside making new allies. He reaffirms his desire to protect the people he’s met in this world, though he is interrupted before saying it out loud.

The interruption comes in the form of two villagers who bump into him, after which Naofumi warns them to be careful. The villagers apologize, showing both respect and affection for their village ruler. He then makes his way towards Rishia Ivyred and Keel’s training group, where Rishia trains in a penguin suit.

The suit apparently increases her base stats overall, as Naofumi comments on how well it works, but is unreliable. Rishia explains that she enjoys the suit as it allows her to work harder, since no one can see how down she is while she wears it.

Elrasla Grilaroc, who was leading the training session, chimes in to say how her Ki manipulation is masterful, even if nothing else is.

Naofumi interjects, saying that Grilaroc’s martial arts technique and its concepts don’t really exist in the world they’re in. Keel chimes in, asking to fight when the next Waves of Calamity arrive, where it’s revealed the next set is less than a week away.

Suddenly, bat familiars arrive and begin attacking some of the townsfolk. Filo and Raphtalia arrive just in time and eliminate the familiars with ease, preventing any townspeople from getting hurt. There’s speculation that they're dimensional monsters, but Naofumi reiterates that there’s still a week until the next wave.

However, he then realizes that the countdown to the next wave has stopped completely. The group then experiences some sort of energy pressure, all clearly affected by it. The perspective then shifts to a seemingly nearby cave, where the silhouette of a turtle is seen.

With this, the title card for Rising of the Shield Hero season 2 episode 1 appears on screen.

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Rising of the Shield Hero Season 2 Episode 1: A new threat

Formally titled “A New Roar,” Rising of the Shield Hero season 2 episode 1 changes perspective to a castle. The parties of the Sword, Shield, Spear, and Bow Heroes are all seen waiting in a hallway by a door. The perspective then cuts to Queen Mirellia’s throne room, where the four Heroes have gathered before her.

After some talk about the bat familiars, Queen Mirellia reveals that the Spirit Tortoise has been revived within the eponymous Spirit Tortoise Kingdom. She explains it’s said to bring disaster to the world once every few centuries, with the bat familiars being an effect of its revival.

At this point, the Spear, Sword, and Bow Heroes all pretend they have something to do so they can get out of the situation. The three walk out, leaving Naofumi and Mirellia at the table together.

The parties then interact with each other, with Rishia talkin to Itsuki, the Bow Hero, and her former party members. Itsuki calls her too weak to contribute to his party, with other party members echoing the sentiment. Rishia begins crying, clearly affected by the harsh words.

Back in their meeting, Naofumi and Mirellia complete the former’s assignment to handle the Spirit Tortoise. He accepts, while she reveals that the Spirit Tortoise has already destroyed several territories and checkpoints of the eponymous kingdom.

She emphasizes it won’t be long before it arrives in their kingdom of Melromarc. She also explains how it’ll likely pass through Naofumi’s own lands upon its arrival. The two then discuss Melty, the Queen’s second daughter, who is revealed to be doing well in Lurolona village.

Their discussion ends with them expressing their concerns about the Wave countdown stopping.

Naofumi’s group visits Erhard, their Blacksmith friend from the first season. It’s revealed that Melromarc Kingdom is sending soldiers and joining up with other kingdoms to fight the Spirit Tortoise.

An interesting scene occurs here where Naofumi seems to rag on Rishia a bit, which is certainly out of character for him.

Erhard points this out, saying the group seems somewhat gloomy today. Raphtalia then says she has a great idea, taking her to where she was once held captive. She then suggests becoming Naofumi’s slave, so his power can force her to become instantly stronger.

Raphtalia attempts to begin the process by exposing Rishia’s chest, but Naofumi stops her, saying he won’t force anyone else to be his slave. She apologizes, while the slavemaster asks what he can do for them.

Rishia interjects here, volunteering to be Naofumi’s slave. Thus, the process occurs, and she officially and voluntarily becomes his slave.

She reaffirms that this is out of a desire to earn Itsuki’s respect, which prompts Naofumi to say that there will certainly be harsh training. The group then returns to Luroluna Village and leaves for the Spirit Tortoise Kingdom the next morning.

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Rising of the Shield Hero Season 2 Episode 1: A new adventure begins

The group travels to the Tortoise Spirit Kingdom in a montage that features some cute bonding moments. The group is seen fishing, cooking, and eating together in quick succession. They’re also seen exploring various villages before the montage ends as they travel on a road.

Night falls, and the group discusses how the people they passed were fleeing the Spirit Tortoise Kingdom. Filo says that Fitoria wants to know if the group will fight the Spirit Tortoise, which the former confirms.

The latter says that this is the choice she warned Naofumi of earlier, alluding to how the world demands sacrifices from all life.

Unfortunately, this is all the information Fitoria gives the group. Naofumi explains to Rishia that if the Four Heroes can’t get along and work together, they’ll all be killed by Fitoria herself. The scene ends with the group once more reaffirming their intent to head to the Kingdom.

Upon arriving at the Kingdom, it’s revealed that the capital is already under attack by the Spirit Tortoise. Apparently, there’s a rumor that three of the Four Heroes died fighting the Tortoise. This leads to Rishia running off in search of Itsuki, causing Naofumi’s group to give chase as a black cloaked individual is highlighted.

Naofumi stops Rishia and reminds her that there’s no point in running off to where she’s going. He asks Filo to ask Fitoria if any of the current Four Heroes have been killed, to which she says no. This calms Rishia down and visibly relieves her when the group is suddenly attacked by more of the Spirit Tortoise’s familiars.

The familiars attack local civilians as Naofumi and his group prepare themselves for battle. Rishia, meanwhile, handles the evacuation of civilians. Raphtalia and Filo go to help the other civilians while Naofumi handles the rest of the familiars.

Naofumi is forced to use the Wrath Shield, one of his most dangerous weapons, on both himself and those around him. However, it successfully eliminates the seemingly endless horde of familiars, despite visibly draining Naofumi of his energy. He reassures his companions that he’s just fine, while Raphtalia emphasizes how this is clearly a lie.

The cloaked individual from before reappears, asking to confirm if he is the Shield Hero. She asks him to kill her as Rising of the Shield Hero season 2 episode 1 comes to a close and plays its new opening theme. As with the first season, only the next episode’s name is revealed, which is entitled “Footprints of the Spirit Tortoise.”

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Rising of the Shield Hero Season 2 Episode 1: In summation

Rising of the Shield Hero season 2 episode 1 is, overall, an incredibly well done episode. From world-building to plot setup to even decent action, Rising of the Shield Hero season 2 episode 1 is exceptional, both as an episode and as a season premiere.

Rising of the Shield Hero season 2 episode 1’s primary goal is to set up the rest of the season, which it certainly excels at. Rising of the Shield Hero season 2 episode 1 also does a great job of squeezing in action via the Spirit Tortoise familiar combat scenes.

The return of the Wrath Shield, which proved key in the final fight of the first season, is also incredibly welcome.

Overall, Rising of the Shield Hero season 2 episode 1 delivered in all aspects. While it likely would have benefited from having an hour-long time slot episode as the first season debut did, Rising of the Shield Hero season 2 episode 1 makes the most of the time it has.

Be sure to keep up with all Rising of the Shield Hero season 2 episode 1 news, as well as general anime and manga news, as 2022 progresses.