Tate no Yuusha/Shield Hero Season 3 Anime Episode Discussion

[Frontier]

Motoyasu might be Naofumi's least favorite of the Three Stooges, but at least they've found him. No surprise his entire party abandoned him though. Dang, I didn't expect Ren's to straight up be dead .

I know Bitch deserves it, but I do feel kind of bad for the queen who still has to get used to calling her own daughter a Bitch all the time. I mean, she does it, but you can tell it still makes her a little uncomfortable .

Nice to see granny and Eclaire teaching the kids swordfighting. Including Rishia, despite being older. Is this supposed to be some kind of Rishia training arc ?

Oh hey, it's the clown girl! Now without her mask! What's up with that voice, though? She looked too fancy to be one of the kids, but Naofumi doesn't want her anywhere near the village even though she doesn't seem to mean any harm and could've helped with their money problems. I kind of felt bad for her. I mean, she looked back three times !

The days have not been kind to Motoyasu. He finds one of his old party members but Elena wants nothing to do with him and makes it clear that she was only ever after his clout and fame. In fact all the girls in his party straight up abandoned him when he was fruitlessly attacking the Spirit Tortoise. He really thought he could outshine Naofumi .

Oh hey, they found Ren! That happened faster than I expected. I guess I shouldn't be surprised that he'd internalize his parties death as not his fault, just a consequence of him not being strong enough, but at least he's always been the more reasonable of the Three Stooges and is willing to go along with Naofumi...until Bitch shows up !

I can't believe it. Bitch is pulling the same stunts she did the first time, buttering up Ren and making him double down on his negative thoughts to turn him loyal to her and against Naofumi. She even claims Motoyasu raped her this time! And somehow her slave crest isn't calling her out on her bold-faced lies. And she manages to turn Ren into Motoyasu and Motoyasu into Naofumi, all the while Naofumi has to listen to this drivel and nonsense .

I can't believe Ren attacked Naofumi where people could have been hurt. And he's surprised Naofumi could so easily deflect his attack? Come off it Ren .

What's a guy to do when he's abandoned all hope in women? Well, go back to simping for Filo, of course! And who can blame him after that fun and impromptu idol sequence ?

Okay, so it seems like Motoyasu is actually going to go along with Naofumi's plan and train for the Phoenix fight...but he's also gone kind of nuts and is trying to win Filo's hand in marriage from "father" Naofumi. He's still the same old Motoyasu though, calling Raphtalia a "Pig." I wish they'd beat him up more. Can't completely change a guy I guess .

[Dengar]

Another day, another repeat of the same old discussion. People apparently never get tired of saying the same things over and over. Like we're three seasons in, is there a reason people just haven't dropped this show yet? (I'm legit curious, what force is drawing people back to the episode every week, is there still something you enjoy about it? Is it sunk cost? Is it boredom?)

I wasn't fond of how they handled the scene with Bitch and Ren. Bitch was so mustache twirlingly evil it made Ren look like a buffoon for falling for it. Would've preferred if she came across as more competent so that it seemed more that Ren was just not thinking straight, rather than being a complete idiot.

And then the Spear Hero arc... I do not dislike it, I think it is amusing. I just don't think I'm ready to see this roller coaster ride animated.

[BWTraveller]

They cut down Motoyasu's end moments there: he didn't just call Raphtalia a pig, he went on about her oinking away. If I understand right, he sees all females as pigs now, aside from his little angel.

Either way, I hope I'm not the only one who cringed at Filo suddenly turning into an idol. That really just felt ridiculous to me. Her singing would be one thing, but her doing a beautifully choreographed number with an inexplicable spotlight above her? I kind of prefer to think at least some of that was merely Motoyasu's imagination.

On a different note, I've brought it up before, but I'm 100% sure a certain scene with Keel should've happened by now. Makes me wonder whether they're going to try and cut it, or they're just pushing it back.

[Twi]

Originally Posted by Dengar

Another day, another repeat of the same old discussion. People apparently never get tired of saying the same things over and over. Like we're three seasons in, is there a reason people just haven't dropped this show yet? (I'm legit curious, what force is drawing people back to the episode every week, is there still something you enjoy about it? Is it sunk cost? Is it boredom?)

I wasn't fond of how they handled the scene with Bitch and Ren. Bitch was so mustache twirlingly evil it made Ren look like a buffoon for falling for it. Would've preferred if she came across as more competent so that it seemed more that Ren was just not thinking straight, rather than being a complete idiot.

And then the Spear Hero arc... I do not dislike it, I think it is amusing. I just don't think I'm ready to see this roller coaster ride animated.

Missing potential. You see nuggets of greatness buried beneath the slag. Just enough to keep you invested.

And honestly, I'm more amazed you're expecting subtlety from antagonists here. Even the ones who are supposed to be smart come off as mustache-twirlingly evil. She dropped all hints of competency after the first episode, and its only the fact that everyone who isn't on Naofumi's side seems to have been written to ignore it and no one who can see past it bothered to lock her up (or seems willing to kill her like they should) that she's even capable of causing them problems to the point.

[Frontier]

Originally Posted by BWTraveller

They cut down Motoyasu's end moments there: he didn't just call Raphtalia a pig, he went on about her oinking away. If I understand right, he sees all females as pigs now, aside from his little angel.

Either way, I hope I'm not the only one who cringed at Filo suddenly turning into an idol. That really just felt ridiculous to me. Her singing would be one thing, but her doing a beautifully choreographed number with an inexplicable spotlight above her? I kind of prefer to think at least some of that was merely Motoyasu's imagination.

On a different note, I've brought it up before, but I'm 100% sure a certain scene with Keel should've happened by now. Makes me wonder whether they're going to try and cut it, or they're just pushing it back.

I just appreciated the Rina Hidaka singing and good animation .

[grecefar]

what a headache was that ren and myne scene...

[cyberdemon]

Originally Posted by BWTraveller

They cut down Motoyasu's end moments there: he didn't just call Raphtalia a pig, he went on about her oinking away. If I understand right, he sees all females as pigs now, aside from his little angel

Just like Naofumi being unable to see how Raphtalia aged up originally. Really shows how broken he’s become

Originally Posted by grecefar

what a headache was that ren and myne scene...

He’s a loner but at least the most sensible of the stooges. He’s looking for an escape right now though. We’ve seen what Bitch does to men though. He won’t last a week

[magnuskn]

Wow, both their mental state went down fast. One wonders how blondy-boy is doing.

Also, boo for sending away cute killer clown girl! Boo!

[FlareKnight]

I suppose the show can't continue if everyone isn't as broken as the main character in one way or another. I suppose Motoyasu could have broken down in a worse way. At least he's well apart from Myne, has a path to get stronger, and...at least Filo is cute. Not...sure how that will all turn out, but I guess he'll be ok.

Was the idol sequence a bit random? Absolutely. Was it cute? Yeah, absolutely. I'm good with it.

Originally Posted by magnuskn

Wow, both their mental state went down fast. One wonders how blondy-boy is doing.

Also, boo for sending away cute killer clown girl! Boo!

I second that. Boo!

[Lukes YGO & WS on YT]

Naofumi really should have let the murder clown girl in the village, someone that strong can protect all the children that couldn't fight when the bandits attack, it was stupid for him to turn her way.

Bitch is such a cruel manipulative witch, she can get almost anyone to take her side with her lies and deception.

[BWTraveller]

Originally Posted by cyberdemon

Just like Naofumi being unable to see how Raphtalia aged up originally. Really shows how broken he’s become



He’s a loner but at least the most sensible of the stooges. He’s looking for an escape right now though. We’ve seen what Bitch does to men though. He won’t last a week

Yeah, that's basically the point: you need to break hard before you can put yourself back together into something great. Naofumi managed to do it first, Motoyasu has and just reached a low point comparable to Naofumi's, and Ren looks like he's on the way. No telling where Itsuki is. Saddest part is that in a sense B***h might be able to claim some credit for the heroes in this sense: if a hard crash is a crucial part of heroic growth, then she's kind of performing a crucial duty. Just make sure no one tells her.

[Frontier]

Originally Posted by cyberdemon

He’s a loner but at least the most sensible of the stooges. He’s looking for an escape right now though. We’ve seen what Bitch does to men though. He won’t last a week

I think the thing is he was literally there when Bitch pulled this stunt the first time and saw her get exposed and yet he's falling for it so easily .

Judging by the OP, I'm guessing Itsuki is next.

[relentlessflame]

Originally Posted by BWTraveller

The author himself apparently described Naofumi as a "mirror", returning treatments as they're given.

You know, this actually is an interesting way of looking at Naofumi, including his character flaws. With this in mind, it can answer why he isn't willing to take a firm "stance" on certain problematic issues and doesn't want to be a leader of societal change -- because, at a symbolic level, he's just a "shield" and not a sword. That said, if that's really the intention, it's difficult to have that come across properly and not have the protagonist seem morally questionable -- I guess the argument, as you said, is that this just reflects the ugliness of the world around them. The final turning point, then, would be when he finally realizes that (with the help of his friends) he's not "just" a metaphorical shield anymore and can do more than just reflect (hence "The Rising of the Shield Hero," I suppose). At least it's certainly an interesting way of framing things.

Originally Posted by Dengar

Another day, another repeat of the same old discussion. People apparently never get tired of saying the same things over and over. Like we're three seasons in, is there a reason people just haven't dropped this show yet?

I mean, things can be overall worth watching but still have weaknesses, and its bound to come up again when those issues recur in the story itself. And, like, it's not like the discussion in this thread was so fast-paced that it's bogging anything down between episodes. If you find it tedious, you may just ignore it without comment.

[Twi]

Originally Posted by Lukes YGO & WS on YT

Bitch is such a cruel manipulative witch, she can get almost anyone to take her side with her lies and deception.

At least when she did it with Naofumi she spent a day playing the role flawlessly enough that you'd believe it.

Since then she's basically been a cartoon villain who hasn't even hidden it. I still don't understand why they didn't lock her up after the trial, but they didn't and now she's basically turning all three of them into Naofumi post-accusation.

The only feasible reason that Ren would buy this is that he was actually close enough to his party members to mourn their deaths and would be willing to listen just to escape the pain.

[SuitUp]

She really is out there scheming and people fall for it like she wasnt publicly tried and exiled lol wheres the punishment in that?
I will however admit that the spear moron's breakdown was mad funny, I wonder how long hes gonna stay like that, hes way more tolerable as a character this way

[BWTraveller]

She might not be great at lying, but she's quite skilled at identifying when someone is gullible or vulnerable enough to buy her BS long enough for her to get what she wants.

Ren saw things entirely in terms of personal strength: all that matters is making himself stronger, levelling up and strengthening his own build, and as long as his stats are high enough everything will turn out fine. Then, after working so hard to grow strong, he faced an enemy completely beyond him and people died as a direct result of his inability to protect them or defeat the enemy before they took too much damage. His policy of focusing entirely on himself, combined with his own failure to grow strong enough, resulted in immediate tragedy. He couldn't forgive himself. The most he could do was constantly deny the obvious truth and hope he could convince himself.

And that's when she showed up, telling him exactly what he wanted to hear, reassuring him that he's not at fault, and even convincing him to shift the blame, so that if he defeated the one really responsible, he'd be able to vindicate himself. True, her lies were blatantly obvious, even with the Slave Crest not activating. However, these were lies Ren couldn't deny, as recognizing that she's wrong would be tantamount to recognizing that he'd failed and gotten his party killed. Even if the Crest went off at her every word and he saw proof that it was because she lied, he'd probably still desperately choose to believe in her for his own sake. She knows this, and that's why she chose him. She doesn't need skill at lying if she knows how to spot a man that'll believe anything. You don't need to sell diamonds if you can recognize someone who'll by a polished turd.

[Frontier]

And to think I thought Ren was the smart one of the Three Stooges...

[Guido]

I raged when those slavers had their way with the rebuilt Lurolona village that Naofumi put so much effort, time, and money to reconstruct in order to shelter the slaves he purchased back.

An idiotic bunch whom thought that their nobility backup would spare them warranted execution, however, they did seriously underestimated the Shield Hero's shrewd tactics. Hence, Naofumi circumnavigated the restriction by selling them to Siltvelt where humans are just much hated as demi-humans are much despised in Melromarc; an ironic twist of fate and fitting for those bozos.

Lastly, Trash Boat mellowed out when he took a close look at Atla and judging from the Queen's expression she knows something deeper on Trash Boat besides he was once the fame Vassal Hero of the Staff which Naofumi absolutely laughed it off as a joke.

And, yes, as an anime-only watcher it has to take to turn off my suspension of disbelief to process that Trash Boat was actually someone remotely important and let alone remotely decent human being in the past.

I mean given his track record on the messes he did way back in season one including supressing the Shield Hero for starters.

[Dengar]

Originally Posted by Twi

Missing potential. You see nuggets of greatness buried beneath the slag. Just enough to keep you invested.

And honestly, I'm more amazed you're expecting subtlety from antagonists here. Even the ones who are supposed to be smart come off as mustache-twirlingly evil. She dropped all hints of competency after the first episode, and its only the fact that everyone who isn't on Naofumi's side seems to have been written to ignore it and no one who can see past it bothered to lock her up (or seems willing to kill her like they should) that she's even capable of causing them problems to the point.

When I read the scene in the LN it came across as a bit more nuanced. It's really a lot about both line delivery and body language. The lines themselves aren't the absolute worst.

Incidentally, the other thing is also a bit of a fuck up from the anime. In the LN, Naofumi was the one who wanted to go through with the execution, but it was the queen who begged him to consider an alternative punishment.

The slave seal was supposed to keep her in check, but apparently it has been removed somehow.

Originally Posted by Frontier

And to think I thought Ren was the smart one of the Three Stooges...

Trust me, even with what's happening here, he still is.

[Frontier]

Motoyasu is so obsessed with Filo they straight up have to ditch the carriage just to lose him...and he somehow keeps following them anyways! Nothing will keep him from his Filo-tan, I guess .

I didn't expect a random encounter with some bandits to go so badly for Naofumi and co. They seem way stronger than normal bandits, and that's before they drop a frickin' meteor on top of them. Like, jeez. Good thing Naofumi's Shield Prison is sturdy !

Although they do get some luck when S'yne shows up with her scissor blade and backs them up, on-top of that one dude's attempt to de-buff Raphtalia also weakening Kyo's curse! Though it seems like they didn't kill them, merely destroyed whatever bodies they were using to project themselves into this world .

(Watch the hands around Naofumi, S'yne! Raphtalia has enough to worry about from Sadeena )

Naofumi still doesn't trust S'yne, but the least he can do now is feed her and hear her out...and it turns out she's a Vassal Weapon wielder from another world, one that was destroyed by a group of Heroes. Does that mean her world lost during their Wave battle? And now these Heroes are turning their attention to this world? Is this some kind of multiversal war going on ?

Eclair's enthusiasm for Hogen Muso is great, but she shouldn't just foist her job on Melty in the process. Then again, Melty probably does her job better than she does .

The kids have really upped their levels and it's time for class upgrades! Naofumi feels like a proud papa helping his kids pick their career path !

Blacksmith may not be able to do much with the Spirit Tortoise ore, but it's nice to see Naofumi reunite him with an old buddy .

Poor Fohl. Not only does he get beat by granny, but even his own sister takes him out with just a figner poke. And now Atla's becoming a blind martial arts master .

Time to take the gang and hunt some bandits! And Naofumi has the "adults" team-up with the kids, which is smart. And he gets Raph-chan. Hope Raphtalia isn't jealous of that .

So...Atla and Fohl are definitely the kids of Trash's sister huh ?

Wait, is the bandit leader...Ren!? And he's dressing like the most Edgy Chuuni dude of all time? I just can't take this seriously at all. Oh and Motoyasu found him, somehow. That was a quick reunion .