The Rising of the Shield Hero Director Explains What Makes the Anime so Popular

The Rising of the Shield Hero was one of the most popular Isekai anime offerings in recent years, and the fervor of support from fans have not only cemented its spot as a popular series but helped to cement its existence for years to come as it has already been confirmed for two more seasons in the future. Its popularity has been something fans have been trying to pinpoint for the last few months, and the director behind the series has offered a pretty convincing argument for the matter.

Speaking with Crunchyroll, director for the anime adaptation Takao Abo dove into why The Rising of the Shield Hero has managed to stick itself out amongst the bevy of other Isekai anime offerings in recent years.

Abo believes that Naofumi's fight to become powerful, rather than be thrust into this new world as an already established powerhouse, is what drew fans into the series so much, "...it seems like there are many fantasy novels in Japan that are being turned into anime, but I don't think there are that many where the protagonists–the main characters–really make their own path through finding their own power. There's not many such works."

Elaborating further, Abo reveals why he feels that fans connected so well to Naofumi's troubling journey over the course of the first season, "I think that's something that resonates with the viewers, as well as the way the two characters have their own dark sides or painful feelings, but they suppress and overcome them, and they are able to go out into the world and go on adventures. I think that's the strong feeling of the two characters–they leave a strong impression on the viewers."

With the series continuing on for two more seasons, and the end of the first season promising a new and more confident direction for Naofumi, there's a good chance the anime will get even bigger from here on out. If you wanted to check it out for yourself, you can currently find The Rising of the Shield Hero's first season streaming on Crunchyroll and VRV in both its original Japanese language release and with an English dub.

Originally conceived as a series of light novels written by Aneko Yusagi in 2013, The Rising of the Shield Hero's anime adaptation is produced by Kinema Citrus and directed by Takao Abo. The series is described as such, "Iwatani Naofumi, a run-of-the-mill otaku, finds a book in the library that summons him to another world. He is tasked with joining the sword, spear, and bow as one of the Four Cardinal Heroes and fighting the Waves of Catastrophe as the Shield Hero. Excited by the prospect of a grand adventure, Naofumi sets off with his party. However, merely a few days later, he is betrayed and loses all his money, dignity, and respect. Unable to trust anyone anymore, he employs a slave named Raphtalia and takes on the Waves and the world. But will he really find a way to overturn this desperate situation?"

via Crunchyroll