The Rising of the Shield Hero

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Best offense is a legendary defense.

Naofumi Iwatani was an easygoing Japanese college student until he reads a book and gets summoned to another world. He is summoned with three other young men from alternate Japans to become the Cardinal Heroes. Each one is equipped with a Legendary Weapon that comes in the form of a sword, spear, bow, and shield. Naofumi has gifted with the Legendary Shield that's looked down upon by the kingdom and the other heroes. One person allies herself with him named Malty, but then his luck turns for the worse. She then turns out to be the Princess and falsely accuses him of an act most foul. His name tarnished and treated like a felon; he becomes incapable of trusting anyone but gains companions nonetheless. Naofumi learns how to survive in this new world while gaining allies and strength on his journey.

The Rising of the Shield Hero started as a web novel by Aneko Yusagi on Shōsetsuka ni Narō from 2012 to 2015. The light novel was illustrated by Minami Seira and began publishing on August 22, 2013, by Media Factory. The manga is published by the same company one February 5, 2014. A 25 episode anime has been produced by the studio Kinema Citrus and the first season premiered on January 9, 2019.

Tropes used in The Rising of the Shield Hero include:

• Actor Allusion: Ren's voice actor played a sword-wielding black-haired man who plays VRMMOS.
• Alternate Universe: The Cardinal Heroes each comes from an alternate version of Japan.
• Anti Christ: The Church portrays the Shield Hero this way, which is in fact a Malicious Slander with the intent to discredit him.
• Aristocrats Are Evil: Let's see, where to start here...
  • While it would be easy to assume King Aultcray Melromarc XXXII and his daughter Princess Malty were Unwitting Pawns of the Church, they were both willing accomplices for selfish reasons, mostly for political power and wealth.
  • Lesser nobility was no better, using false justifications for higher taxes simply to fund the Church.
  • While Queen Mirellia is on the protagonist's side, even she is Not So Above It All. In the original Light Novel, she was rather vindictive towards Aultcray and Malty, her recommendations their punishments very harsh, suggesting having them crucified in public or worked to death via slave labor.
• Blind Idiot Translation: Erst Shield, one of Naofumi's skills, got turned into Air Strike Shield instead of First Shield as the actual translation.
• The Chosen Many: The Cardinal Heroes are the only ones who can wield the Legendary Weapons when they have been summoned. There are also the Seven Star Heroes that use the Seven Star Weapons or Vassal Weapons. The Seven Star Weapons have less power compared to the Legendary Weapons but have fewer restrictions.
• Clingy MacGuffin: The Legendary Weapons have to be on their hero's person while they also can't wield any other weapons.
• Combination Attack: Skills and magic can be used in combination of two or more people to create more potent attacks.
• Corrupt Church: The Church of the Three Heroes, the national religion of Melromarc (well, former national religion now); technically an offshoot of the far more benign (but mostly forgotten) Four Saint's Faith, the church has degenerated into a politically motivated and corrupt cult intent on demonizing the Shield Hero and normalizing discrimination against Demi-Humans; and speaking of the Church:
  • Sinister Minister: Biscas T. Balmus, High Priest and current leader of the Church is a guy who seems about as threatening as a kindly old grandfather, but underneath, he's the mastermind behind all of the Cult's atrocious actions, using both Aultcray and Malty as willing pawns.
• Evolving Weapon: The Legendary Weapons level up with their hero while also being able to absorb material from monsters and other objects. The absorption method unlocks new forms that come with new stats and skills.
• Hate Sink: Malty, who not only ruins Naofumi's life, but schemes to murder her own sister. Even when she's in court, she shows no remorse for any of her actions, and she continues to lie while under oath. It's a small wonder she was sentenced to execution. Fortunately for her, Naofumi shows her mercy...but not for her sake, but rather for her sister's sake.
• Hoist by His Own Petard: The loathsome and cruel slaver Idol Rabier; after being humiliated, he decides to break the seal holding Tyrant Dragon Rex (an unholy combination of demon, dragon, and dinosaur) so it can crush the heroes. But in the middle of Rabier's villainous ranting, Tyrant Dragon Rex decides to crush him first.
• Kori Kombat: In The Rising of the Shield Hero, there is a race called Demi-Humans, humans with bestial traits. The two races of Demi-Humans of the Kitsune and the Tanuki both specialize in illusion magic. In the past, the Tanuki managed to seal the Kitsune's great Yokai through deception and sorcery.
• RPG Mechanics Verse: Everyone in the world of the Rising of the Shield Hero works quite similar to an RPG. Everyone has MP, which represents their mana, are used for magic and skills. The Cardinal Heroes have SP, which is used for skills from the different forms of their weapons. There is also once a person's level is max out at 40; they can use the Dragon Hourglass to get a class up, which means better stats, skills, and magic. The heroes do not have to worry about such limitations due to how their weapon allows them to level up without restriction.