The Rising Of The Shield Hero Review: The Return Of The Rage Shield

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WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Episode 37 of The Rising of the Shield Hero, «Reason to Fight,» now streaming on Funimation, Crunchyroll& Hulu.

The Rising of the Shield Hero II has been a mix of positive & negative occurrences, all inching closer to the final episode of the season. Episode 36 revealed a new character, Yomogi, and her overly trusting nature towards Kyo Ethnina, the Book Vassal Hero. Towards the end of the episode, Yomogi finally saw Kyo for the villain he truly is after witnessing the Waves he created to wreak havoc and spread panic.

Episode 37 stretched out the Waves saga, forcing the hero party to split. One party is tasked with the goal of defeating Kyo, while the other battles the monsters that appeared from the Waves. The episode was a heated one that ended on a happy note, which should leave Shield Hero fans feeling good going forward.

The Rising Of The Shield Hero Review: The Dark Waves Phenomenon Resurfaces

First and foremost, The Rising of the Shield Hero is an Isekai anime, and a major feature of most Isekai shows is that the protagonists are summoned to another world without their consent. At the start of episode 37, The Rising of the Shield Hero revealed Naofumi and Kyo’s brief flashback of how they lived their lives before being summoned as heroes. Ironically, despite their opposing nature as Heroes, before they were summoned, both of them were “Otakus,” shut-in gamers that used their hobbies as tools for escapism from reality. However, Kyo's fate was worse. He almost committed suicide before he was summoned to another world as the Book Hero. And for this reason, Kyo swore to make his new life count, even if it meant using the Waves of Calamity to do that.

After the brief flashback,