The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 2 Episode 12

The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 2 Episode 12

Kyo, the Most Developed Villain

I’ve been saying that Kyo Ethnina was a boring, poorly-written villain from the start. The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 2 Episode 12 put the final nail in his character’s coffin. This was his last chance to redeem himself and be a decent character, at best.

Until now, I’m pretty sure it wasn’t confirmed that Kyo was an otherworlder. Up to this point, every otherworlder has appeared as one of the Cardinal Heroes. Kyo, meanwhile, was one of the Vassal Weapon Heroes. So, I was under the impression that he was a native of this world.

Anyway, with the small amount of backstory we got, there was a chance for characterization. Almost anything would have been an improvement. All we knew about Kyo up to this point was that he’s a bad guy.

Raphtalia fighting a homunculus using the Mirror Vassal Weapon from the anime series The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 2 Episode 12
Raphtalia fighting a homunculus using the Mirror Vassal Weapon

There are two huge issues I have with Kyo’s backstory. The first is that it doubled down on his entire character being that he’s evil. He was a loser in his old world, and this new world is his chance to get his revenge on everyone (who isn’t in this world). That doesn’t make him a compelling villain.

The second issue might not be as major. But, did you notice that Naofumi looks the same in his past world and this world? Well, Kyo doesn’t. He was an obese NEET and now he’s some bishounen scientist. You can’t keep the other characters’ appearances the same and only change his.

I get it; his incel appearance and personality in the past are there to explain why he wants revenge on the world. But, what if he had a real motivation instead? He could have been this world’s parallel of Naofumi. That would have been more interesting.

No Dragon Naofumi for Us

Was the last time Naofumi used his Wrath Shield at the very start of the season? I can’t think of another time he used it after that. He might have when they first went up against Kyo, though. But, regardless, he used it again in Episode 12.

Well, “used” is a strong word. He activated it, to be more precise. He never actually used any of its power. And at this point, I’m wondering if he’ll ever use it to its full extent. It’s his most powerful shield. But, it also causes him to lose control, so he doesn’t use it.

There’s also a fire dragon that resides within the Wrath Shield. I don’t remember how Naofumi got the shield, so I don’t know if the dragon was already explained. But, it could turn out to be to Naofumi what Kurama was to Naruto.

Naofumi using the Wrath Shield from the anime series The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 2 Episode 12
Naofumi using the Wrath Shield

At first, Naruto wasn’t supposed to use Kurama’s power sealed within him. He couldn’t control it and it would lead him to hurt those he wanted to protect. The Wrath Shield is the same for Naofumi at the moment. But, eventually, Naruto befriended Kurama and was able to control his power.

If you think about it, a dragon isn’t all that different from a tortoise (which is Naofumi’s spirit animal). They’re both reptiles. And the fire a dragon breathes is the same as the lasers the Spirit Tortoise could shoot from its mouth. It all makes sense now.

While I’m disappointed that we didn’t get to see Naofumi use the Wrath Shield, we did get to see something good. We got to see Naofumi finally put Rishia in her place. I’ve been saying how useless and disrespectful Rishia is for weeks. I’m glad Naofumi feels the same way.

Time to Go Home

After killing Kyo with the power of friendship, it’s time for Naofumi’s party to return home. Will they ever see their friends from the other world again? My money is on yes. At the very least, Kizuna has to visit Naofumi’s world at some point.

Until it came up in this episode, I never considered how they would return home. But, I guess they were under the impression that they had to use the Waves to do so. That’s what L’Arc’s party did, so it makes sense.

The Waves aren’t the only way to travel between worlds, though. Earlier this season, Kyo was able to create a portal between the worlds too. From what I remember, he did this by using the Spirit Tortoise’s power. So, Naofumi could have done the same after defeating Kyo and regaining that power.

Raphtalia, Naofumi, and Filo teaming up to defeat Kyo from the anime series The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 2 Episode 12
Raphtalia, Naofumi, and Filo teaming up to defeat Kyo

But, in the end, Naofumi’s party returned home via summoning. And by that, I mean that their world summoned them back to it after they defeated Kyo. They had a quest to regain the power of the Spirit Tortoise that Kyo stole. And so once it was back in their possession, their quest in the other world was over.

This seems like further proof that all the various worlds are part of the same system or game. There’s been a lot of proof of this throughout this season. For example, the Waves affect both worlds in the same way.

We also know that both worlds have Cardinal Heroes. And both the Cardinal and Vassal weapons can travel between and work the same way across worlds. When Raphtalia returns to her own world, I don’t think she’ll stop being the Katana Hero. It doesn’t matter that her Vassal Weapon is from another world.

Conclusion

What do you think of The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 2 Episode 12? Do you think Kyo’s backstory added anything of value? Will Naofumi ever use the full power of his Wrath Shield? And how long will it take for Kizuna to visit Naofumi’s world? Let me know in the comments.

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My review of Episode 13 is available now.

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