Most isekai protagonists are given the red carpet treatment upon their arrival in the other world. Godly powers, unwarranted respect from everyone, a harem, etc. You know the drill by now.
Naofumi Iwatani was not given such treatment. Just the opposite, in fact.
‘Rising of the Shield Hero’ does something interesting with the isekai formula. Rather than one person being taken to another world, there are four (more than that, technically, but that’s going into season 2 spoilers) heroes selected. All of them renowned like religious figures.
If you can call the ‘Devil’ renowned. Unfortunately, that’s exactly how the Shield hero, and therefor Naofumi, is seen. Just about everyone hates him and actively works against him, sometimes in the pettiest ways possible. Even worse, the one ‘ally’ he had falsely accused him of some legitimately heinous shit.
Naturally, this soured his relationship with the other world and everyone in it. He only continued to serve as a hero in hopes of getting home. Beyond that, he more or less embraced his role as the ‘villain’. By which I mean he just started acting like an asshole to just about everyone that wasn’t nice to him.
Because of his less than favorable reputation, and his lackluster shield having little power on its own, Naofumi was forced to get creative to survive. Short on funds? Start a business. Dealing with a rude merchant? Bring monsters along to intimidate him. Need a weapon? Buy a slave, give her a sword, and raise her like a daughter. Need more firepower? Buy more slaves!
Thus began the pro-slavery era of isekai anime. Don’t try to deny it! Shield Hero did it, Mushoku Tensei did it, and I know for a fact there are more!
Despite his active participation in one of the most evil trades humans ever concocted, Naofumi isn’t a bad person. He defends his party with the ferocity of an angry lion and fights to protect the innocents that the other heroes neglect and ignore. When his tormentors are finally brought to justice, he steps in to show them mercy which they, quite frankly, don’t deserve.
All of this made Naofumi a surprisingly interesting protagonist. A morally gray isekai hero who had to make his own way in a world that hated him? It’s no wonder the show got so popular!
And it’s no wonder said popularity all but evaporated when season one ended.
Past season one, most of the story elements that made Naofumi so interesting all but vanished. The world was on his side now, and he had all the resources he needed. His once pitiful shield was now the most powerful weapon in the world. With his crimes absolved and his reputation repaired, he chilled out quite a bit. Even his desire to un-isekai himself was discarded!
His character arc is completed in just one season. Now he just kinda carries on as a generic morally correct hero for the seasons to come. What’s worse, they glorify his indulgence in slavery! Dude straight-up starts slave-marking all his party members!
No, I don’t care that they willingly became slaves! A slave is still a slave! Stop it!
Naofumi is better than the standard isekai protagonist. In season one, he was a very complex and memorable character. Much more than the standard power fantasy of the genre. It’s unfortunate that his growth has more or less stopped. Otherwise, he might’ve placed higher on the list.
- Rudeus Greyrat (Mushoku Tensei)
- Natsuki Subaru (Re:Zero)
- Kazuma Sato (Konosuba)
- Ainz Ooal Gown (Overlord)
- Naofumi Iwatani (Rising of the Shield Hero)
- Catarina Claes (My Next Life as a Villainess)
- Rimuru Tempest (Slime Reincarnation)
- Kirito (Sword Art Online)
- Yuto Suoh (The Master of Ragnarok & Blesser of Einherjar)
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