Race: Human
Country: Japan (former), Melromarc, Lurolona Village
Occupation: University Student (former), Legendary Hero
Weapon: Legendary Shield
Naofumi Iwatani is the main protagonist of The Rising of the Shield Hero. He's a Japanese university student who gets summoned to a fantasy world alongside three other heroes to fight back against catastrophic waves of destruction. Unfortunately for him, he draws the short straw as the Shield Hero—a role that most people, especially in Melromarc, write off as the weakest of the four.
This reputation makes it nearly impossible to recruit followers. The only person willing to join him early on is Myne Sophia, but that changes when she falsely accuses him of sexual assault. The accusation destroys what's left of his reputation and wipes out his finances. It's a brutal turning point—the formerly upbeat Naofumi becomes deeply cynical and loses the ability to trust anyone.
Rather than give up entirely, Naofumi picks up two companions: Raphtalia, a slave he purchases, and Filo, a bird monster. Despite technically owning them, he raises them more like his daughters than servants. They become his core team as he fights his way through the waves of calamity, trying to prove that the Shield Hero isn't worthless after all.
Content compiled by AnimeList.moe from publicly available sources.
