A look at THE best beast girl in The Rising of the Shield Hero!
Wow, the world of The Rising of the Shield Hero sure is something.
On the surface, it looks like your typical fantasy setting with dungeons, dragons, demons, magic etc., but it is all built on a bedrock of cynicism, and cruelty.
Have you noticed how the legendary Shield Hero Naofumi was disliked from the get-go because his weapon is not an offensive one? His shield can do a lot, but it cannot hurt anyone (at least in the beginning) and that somehow felt… I don’t know, offensive to everyone around him. That’s because in Melromarc, might makes right. If you cannot protect yourself from your enemies’ attacks, you are not considered worthy of being part of society.
The reason why Myne keeps trying to make Naofumi’s life a living hell is simply because she thinks she can get away with it. She thinks he deserves it because he has no real means to defend himself. It’s the same reason why demi-humans are treated so poorly. If they were strong (and therefore “just”), then things would be more to their favor. In short, in Melromarc, being weak isn’t just a flaw. It’s a sin.
But in this cesspool of darkness and malice, one star continues to shine bright. A star named Raphtalia.
In short time, the raccoon demi-human Raphtalia became the best character in the last and current season of The Rising of the Shield Hero thanks to her kindness, bravery, and fortitude in the face of adversity. Once she was a scared, sick child but she quickly became Naofumi’s sword that has taken the lives of countless monsters across Melromarc. But she didn’t accomplish it all on her own. As all great secondary characters, she is actually a variation on a theme represented by the main protagonist.
There are actually a lot of similarities between Raphtalia and Naofumi, mainly how they are both hated throughout the kingdom for really messed up reasons when all they want to do is to survive. But the difference between them is that this has turned Naofumi into a cold, bitter person with the occasional pang of kindness and decency. Raphtalia, on the other hand, remains warm and caring despite her own personal background being 100 times worse than Naofumi’s. But rather than focusing on her trauma and letting it make her cruel, Raphtalia rises above the muck of the world and in the end becomes a shining example for us to follow.
Raphtalia's a part of a new generation of kind anime characters who are the hearts of their shows but who can also kick some serious butt. In many ways, she reminds me of Tsuyu from
My Hero Academia—a brave moral center of the series that can also hold her own in a fight. That is what makes Raphtalia so great; she’s strong both mentally and physically. She brings light to the world while also spilling gallons of monster blood along the way. You have to admire that!
And best of all, she brings out the old Naofumi. Before being transported to Melromarc, Naofumi was a bit of a slacker but he was a mostly-decent person. Now, though, all he cares about is himself and money. Which, you know, is not the worst thing to care about in a place as messed up as Melromarc, but if you take it too far, you risk becoming just like the natives. That’s where Raphtalia comes in. Since they first met, Naofumi has cared for her, fed her, clothed her, bought her gifts, and now thinks of her as his family. She brought back his humanity a tiny piece at a time, and is now a living, walking, cheerful reminder that your bad experiences don’t have to make you bitter. You still need to be strong and decisive, sure, but you can allow yourself to care every once in a while.
The really beautiful thing about the Raphtalia-Naofumi relationship, though, is that they continue to make each other better. In the two episodes, "Everlasting Memory" and "Raphtalia," we learn a little bit more about our favorite racoon girl's past, though in the end it just confirms what we already knew—that the world of Rising of the Shield Hero is super dark. Take Blackbeard's Dark-Dark Fruit, paint it with some Vantablack, and it still wouldn't be as dark as this anime. Raphtalia knows all about it after being held prisoner with other demi-humans by Idol Rabier and seeing the results of severe abuse. So when she finally got a chance to get revenge on Rabier, she had every right in the world to decapitate him and turn his mop top into an actual mop.
But then Naofumi stopped her, which wouldn't have happened if it was anywhere early in the series. The only reason he advocated mercy was because Raphtalia got to him. She showed him a better way and ultimately saved not only him but also herself. Her desire to kill the person who tortured her doesn't diminish her goodness. If anything, that little bit of momentary darkness inside her makes her inner light seem just a little brighter. Because goodness is ultimately more beautiful when it is challenged and still succeeds. It’s what makes Raphtalia much more relatable. We can see parts of ourselves in her and, most importantly, what we COULD be. What we can aspire to be. That’s what makes her such an endearing character.
The anime will premiere in July, delayed from its original April premiere. The series will air on Tokyo MX, MBS, TV Aichi, BS11, and AT-X.
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