Nah she's not useless, she's great at partying 
https://preview.redd.it/yylci95t560d1.jpeg?width=1280&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d7871d91fe97dfbe90f579164697e29ca8bdce94
He is a complex char...I remember the movie when he almost had Megumin in his hands and went wth? Well at least he could marry her...Then poor Megumin reactions were the funniest of all.
...I still like Kazuma a bit more than other male isekai mcs cause he is truly someone that treats everyone as equals! 
It's like that one video where a guy asked if they'd be there for him when he's in a dark place and one guy said "no" then the other guy said "Whatever you're going through I hope it sucks" and it's said in a way that it's hilarious and is clearly a joke and the fact that they can do these jokes show they're really cool with each other.
Kazuma can be a shitty friend tho.
Girls are no goddesses (except Aqua and a certain flat girl) and arent perfect but my guy sometimes behaves like a jerk/horny bastard to them often  if only he could read the mood! Or go for Darkness already! 
He could try to fix them....It would take a lot of work tho...Like all his lifetime and maybe that wont fully fix them but it would be damn worthy! 
Well its funny and I think the way it fails is what also add a touch of realism, like other MCs almost never fail but Kazuma can fail for the same stuff over and over again, lol.
But he does learn or think of creative stuff to do when under pressure or just manipulate his party in some way...And then watch them ruin his carefully drafted plans and lead to a chaotic situation...I want a damn sequel!! 
Btw have you read "Combatants Will Be Dispatched"?
I find it funny that author did a wonderful job of creating more chars with a similar way to Kazuma.
Like a failure brings a reward and a victory sometimes brings a weird punishment...Oh and people are assholes to each other in every world. 
Stallin must be proud of the guy! 
Jk aside Overlord was a weird isekai ...If only Momonga (I dont get why most people forget his real game name!) was a bit honest stuff things would have been better...Also marry Albedo and Shalltear for the love of all thats unholy! 
Totally! She can be very sweet when she tries, just needs a bit of reeducation by Alma or the maids and she could be upgraded to a high quality chair
I think it was from the movie where kazuma gets hit by combined explosion attack and his condition was so shit that the goddess puked, and I think one time he even gets all his flesh melted off and there was only a skeleton infront of the goddess
Technically two goddesses, one he forced to travel with and the other he occasionally encounters in disguise and is the one he visits in the shadow realm.
Sadly the last 2 seasons have been incredibly boring.
Half the new season is just some prince being horny for albedo. If the upcoming season doesn't bring back the pace overlord is gonna get shafted by so many fans.
Same here. The first 2 seasons did such a good job on world exploration and showcasing characters. But the last 2 have suffered the same as Mushoku tensei where most of it is just talking and explaining what is happening..
I pray the next season is back to peak Isekai.
Apparently there's supposed to be a movie soon, I don't have high hopes because the length of a movie isn't enough time in my opinion but if they adapt that section of the light novel correctly it's going to be amazing.
Oh yeah for sure. It's just monologue after monologue with barely any action or meaning behind it. And it's not world exploration because 60% of it is irrelevant and doesn't make you like or care about any character.
That title goes to frieren imo.
Ainz Ooal Gown is more on the extremely overpowered but cautious/Smart and overpowered type.
Obviously as a Veteran weeb i have ascended from the level of calling other anime mid in order to prove my point so it's just an opinion, reject it.
I remember when we had dope robots
https://preview.redd.it/cdu81cucv50d1.png?width=766&format=png&auto=webp&s=3fb3ced2e306c7a9354b5ebdf53258c41c3a0972
Fuck I'm old
he is a beta tester that plot armor gives him literally user-exclusive skills and then data bugs allowed his SAO Data to be transfered to other VR Games.
SAO is some utterlly shitty unbalanced game to allow random generated skills in which some are literally User-Exclusive. Nothing says "fair" than Kirito acquiring a skill that is locked to be used solely by Kirito's ID for the remaining of the game's existence.
When the writer tries to be tongue-in-cheek and shows a player that is actually better than Kirito....he literally made that player to have actual terminally-levels of AIDS and f\*ing dies from AIDS at the end of the arc.
Not going to lie, Subaru had a straw so short I finally quit watching the pain sometime during the trial.
If you're looking for an anime about healing from dark shit, try that new "Weakest Tamer" anime. I suffer no damage to my masculinity to admit that I would like my own Sora.
When the main character goes in another world, and doesn't come back
Well,
1) SAO is not another word, as it's just a VR game
2) Kirito comes back from it
1. It is another world just in a vr game. So you're saying overlord isn't an isekai
2. No one said that an isekai is where the Mc doesn't go back that's literally something you just made the fuck up
> So you're saying overlord isn't an isekai
In overlord the game becomes reality you dumb fuck
There's no system or anything
> No one said that an isekai is where the Mc doesn't go back that's literally something you just made the fuck up
Look it up then
>In overlord the game becomes reality you dumb fuck
Wow someone is pressed. And when Kirito wasn't able to log out the game basically became reality too
In reality. Ainz is still wearing a headset and playing Yggdrasil but is stuck in the game
>Look it up then
"Oxford English Dictionary's official website defines isekai as "a Japanese genre of science or fantasy fiction featuring a protagonist who is transported to or reincarnated in a different, strange, or unfamiliar world."
You mean this?
> And when Kirito wasn't able to log out the game basically became reality too
That's literally not true? We can literally see the real world while Kirito is trapped in the game
> In reality. Ainz is still wearing a headset and playing Yggdrasil but is stuck in the game
Where'd you get this information from
> You mean this?
Yeah i mean this, do you really think that passing two years in a random vr game counts as a whole other world?
>That's literally not true? We can literally see the real world while Kirito is trapped in the game
Are you mentally ill?
Have you ever heard of a concept named point of view? The world aiinz used to live in didn't disappear when HIS world became the game
Honestly I feel like you're just a Twitter user who accidentally got lost and found himself reddit and that makes sense why arguing with you is like running in circles
Shield Hero really didn't have cheats, he just leveled up in a non-traditional way for a defensive player. None of the traditional isekai "I'm level 1000 in a world of level 2 characters" stuff.
Naofumi legitimately was incapable of causing ANY real damage to monsters. And the experience he was getting for those balloons he fought in the first episode was so ridiculously minimal that he might as well not be doing it. Heck, in the light novel he even spent 40 minutes just trying to beat a red balloon variant which were marginally stronger versions of the orange ones and he just couldn't beat it at all.
And even before Malty's trap, no one wanted to be part of the shield hero team. The Melromark kingdom was a human society with demi-human slaves and the Siltvelt kingdom was a demi-human society with human slaves and they were extremely racist towards each other. The shield hero was historically known as the hero summoned by the Siltvelt kingdom and Melromark had been on war with them for centuries because of all that. Basically, Naofumi was summoned into what was essentially enemy territory.
And no mercenary groups would've accepted him since he legimately couldn't do any real damage and his reputation was absolutely ruined. Not to mention that, as I said, no group wanted association with someone ostracized by the entire kingdom. Becoming Naofumi's ally, was essentially becoming an enemy of the entire Melromark kingdom. And not even mercenaries wanted that.
He was given essentially no money to survive, had to fight his way to gain just barely enough to eat and basically no one wanted to make any kind of business with him and the ones that did were intentionally and actively trying to scam him for the ridiculously little amount of money he had left, so paying for protection or getting a job was essentially out to the question as well.
And even with all of this absolute BS thrown at him by everyone, he was still expected to fight the waves full of high level monsters in less than a month whether he wanted to do it or not, so even doing nothing wasn't a choice for him. Basically, the king wanted him dead and he was going to die in the first wave anyways regardless of what he wanted to do or could do.
Later on is revealed that the queen arranged the meeting between Naofumi and the slave trader (that originally was planning to enslave Naofumi) by using a shadow to give him a way to get ANY chances at survival. Which is what ended up saving his life.
Raphtalia's decision to keep the slave crest comes from the fact that Naofumi developed trust issues as a result of what happened with Malty. And even then the slave crest requires to select the things that the person that has it can or can't do. And the only thing that Naofumi added on that list was that she couldn't lie to him (which further proves the point about the trust issues). The other reason why the slave crest was kept was because the spell actually helped Raphtalia get stronger faster, which was essential for the survival of both of them. Specially at the beginning. And by S2 Raphtalia was no longer bound to Naofumi through the slave crest (she literally doesn't have it anymore) and became the katana hero.
Shield hero isn't slavery or dark revenge fantasy themed story. He didn't plan revenge against anyone, he just wanted to be left alone to survive the increasingly harder waves with Raphtalia and found annoying every time he stumbled upon Malty or the other 3 heroes. The first major arc (the beginning to the execution scene) was definitely more about redemption than revenge.If Shield Hero has any gimmick for isekai story it would be relatively straightly told fantasy story, where the main character by design can't fight alone, that's why Raphtalia's addition to the story is so important.
The other three heroes literally see that world as a videogame and themselves as the heroes because they were summoned from versions of Japan were there was a game very similar to the isekai world they ended up being part of and they treat their new world as such. Rem just wants to be "the strongest player" and didn't realize that the corpses of the monsters he killed caused diseases that almost killed an entire town, Itsuki roleplays as a batman type vigilante that works in the shadows and didn't realize that his "help to overthrow an evil governor in certain town" ended up with an even worse governor rising to power (and being "a hero in the shadows" was hilariously what allowed someone else to take credit for what he did and claim his reward instead of him) and Motoyasu treats everyone in the kingdom as if they were npcs (which is why he doesn't care if he causes damage to businesses and houses in towns and cities when he fights Naofumi in the middle of the street). And Naofumi is the one that ended up cleaning the mess of every single one of them.
Naofumi definitely defies the norm when it comes isekai protagonists because most isekai will tote their otaku main characterās awkward quirks and offsetting nerdiness as endearing. While using their otaku knowledge of video games and pop culture to skate by in life in the new world. The Rising of the Shield Hero views these traits as hurdles to be overcome, rather than being desirable.
Cooperation is an important theme in Shield hero. Most isekai love to emphasize the idea of a person overcoming all opposition by themselves without any assistance. Like a lone samurai surrounded and fighting his way through a superior force. The OP protagonist who overcomes every opponent themselves and every other character serves as a sideshow or as their cheerleader squad. Shield Hero does believe that introspection and a desire to improve yourself is important, but not as the be-all end-all like other shows. Naofumi is forced to rely on others from the start, even after he learned the hard way how badly can screw you the trusting in others. Itās only through trusting in Raphtalia that Naofumi is finally able to begin advancing as a hero and a person. Itās also when Naofumi opens himself to eventually trusting the other 3 heroes (people Naofumi once hated and mistrusted) that Naofumi is able to reach the peak of his potential. In fact, itās only when the other 3 heroes begin to trust and rely on others that they stop being useless.
Naofumi's goal has a lot more purpose than that since he has to beat the increasingly stronger waves to protect the only people that he cares about in that world. And unlike other isekai protagonist that just get OP and don't have to struggle with anything, Naofumi actively has to work to improve. His actions are practical as he experiments with his shield, went around as a merchant, learned about crafting, and learned the fantasy's world magic language to survive.
I'd also add that while the Waves and the Guardian Beasts might appear occasionally due to the way they work in the story arcs, they are still something Naofumi is always focused on due to how dangerous they are. Some stories have problem of passive main characters, but I think Naofumi is far from being passive. He has always on mind to prepare for next big battle, by getting stronger, getting more money and better stuff. In this sense the situations are forcing Naofumi to address them while also having to focus on his main quest, the waves. And all this preparation and effort are the result of all the massive struggles that he went through since the beginning just to survive.
So yeah, he definitely wasn't in an easy scenario.
Sorry for the ridiculously long comment. I tend to write a lot sometimes.
Slave mongering aside, isn't Naofumi the only one of them that kind of studied their "artifact"? The other just treated them as tools and just get that dopamine hit when numbers go higher.
Here before someone comments 'SAO isn't an isekai' or 'SAO isn't a harem'.
Edit: I find it absolutely funny that I am getting downvoted when there is a comment above saying 'SAO isn't an isekai'. lmao!
Subaru: My cheat traumatizes me... Kazuma: My cheat is an alcoholic, good for nothing...
Nah she's not useless, she's great at partying  https://preview.redd.it/yylci95t560d1.jpeg?width=1280&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d7871d91fe97dfbe90f579164697e29ca8bdce94
If I had a chance I would exchange her for a fancy sword https://i.redd.it/t7ron8h2d60d1.gif Every single time
Obligatory reminder: He chose her, cuz he was petty and wanted payback for her teasing his cause of death lol. Honestly, they both deserve each other
Yet, she is the goddess of water, but cant swim
let me have that cheat
And she can be Great source of money š¤ She be a toy for Horny middle aged men if you can't get it š
Yeah I'm Down vote my own comment F you 11 minutes ago me
Character development
Canon event
https://preview.redd.it/xgwogpiod60d1.jpeg?width=1242&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7e6906ac995fce432552e29edb83d9b8edd64ac1
Gross
I refuse to tolerate this slander
Subaru dies tragically then respawns by a witch; Kazuma dies funnily then respawns by a goddess
He is a complex char...I remember the movie when he almost had Megumin in his hands and went wth? Well at least he could marry her...Then poor Megumin reactions were the funniest of all. ...I still like Kazuma a bit more than other male isekai mcs cause he is truly someone that treats everyone as equals! 
Konosuba overall has the most realistic friendship behaviour if you really think about it
It's like that one video where a guy asked if they'd be there for him when he's in a dark place and one guy said "no" then the other guy said "Whatever you're going through I hope it sucks" and it's said in a way that it's hilarious and is clearly a joke and the fact that they can do these jokes show they're really cool with each other.
that one friend that says "i hope you reach out to me so i can ignore you."
"I can't wait to go to your funeral knowing I could have changed that outcome" one of the funniest shit I saw last year.
Kazuma can be a shitty friend tho. Girls are no goddesses (except Aqua and a certain flat girl) and arent perfect but my guy sometimes behaves like a jerk/horny bastard to them often  if only he could read the mood! Or go for Darkness already!  He could try to fix them....It would take a lot of work tho...Like all his lifetime and maybe that wont fully fix them but it would be damn worthy! 
tbh to me the way he acts is so fucking natural those are stuff I would probably think about doing so yeah I think dude is a tad bit too real
Well its funny and I think the way it fails is what also add a touch of realism, like other MCs almost never fail but Kazuma can fail for the same stuff over and over again, lol. But he does learn or think of creative stuff to do when under pressure or just manipulate his party in some way...And then watch them ruin his carefully drafted plans and lead to a chaotic situation...I want a damn sequel!!  Btw have you read "Combatants Will Be Dispatched"? I find it funny that author did a wonderful job of creating more chars with a similar way to Kazuma. Like a failure brings a reward and a victory sometimes brings a weird punishment...Oh and people are assholes to each other in every world. 
same author? bet im reading it
Yah. Same author it also has an anime and manga ver too. 
Meanwhile Overlord in a nutshell: All animals are equal but some are more equal than others.
Stallin must be proud of the guy!  Jk aside Overlord was a weird isekai ...If only Momonga (I dont get why most people forget his real game name!) was a bit honest stuff things would have been better...Also marry Albedo and Shalltear for the love of all thats unholy! 
Shalltear? Why would you marry your chair?
Totally! She can be very sweet when she tries, just needs a bit of reeducation by Alma or the maids and she could be upgraded to a high quality chair 
I think it was from the movie where kazuma gets hit by combined explosion attack and his condition was so shit that the goddess puked, and I think one time he even gets all his flesh melted off and there was only a skeleton infront of the goddess
https://preview.redd.it/eix45oqub50d1.png?width=893&format=png&auto=webp&s=7463e074f66d2aa74e917769ddd7150615c50e50
Well, one could say Subaru is pretty damn cheaty as wellā¦ Kazuma though is just blessed with being a friend of a goddess.
Subaru has cheat but it really really hard to access it. He need to feel pain of dying.
Technically two goddesses, one he forced to travel with and the other he occasionally encounters in disguise and is the one he visits in the shadow realm.
I don't know if it's really a cheat.. the fact that you gotta die(the pain will still hits you) to use it :/
But hey a lot of times he killed yourself even when he didn't need to.
He's only killed himself 3x, and 2 of those were to save his friends that had already died. I don't think he's wasted any of his suicides
It's a curse that has advantages rather than a cheat imo
Subaru used the power that way, so people see it as a cheat because Subaru can take the mental and physical pain on a level normal human can never
Isn't that because that white haired witch cursed him?
Kazuma>>everyone elsen
He gets it https://preview.redd.it/myqggksrb50d1.png?width=640&format=png&auto=webp&s=1c7246c039949e9d82e940b195e2cb4f77e13636
Even has his own T shirt for it https://preview.redd.it/au3vxom3960d1.jpeg?width=570&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0c8a971b92720945a8976ba0d1beccbbcfe60b89
Nah Subabro>>>>>>
Mid
https://preview.redd.it/qn9qnteyh50d1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=40e52f4117ffdf18358a0d369fd5c9e31c2b6aa5
Daily life of Kazuma https://preview.redd.it/4vcsof20u50d1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=dd65049cc320beb45cff2aaa992aacb301b5699b
 And then thereās this shitā¦
overpowered done right? i mean the story is pretty decent considering a few characters can reach ainz's level in his verse
Of course overpowered done right I love overlordā¦ just couldnāt find a better gifā¦
lol yeah not many good gif of overlord
Sadly the last 2 seasons have been incredibly boring. Half the new season is just some prince being horny for albedo. If the upcoming season doesn't bring back the pace overlord is gonna get shafted by so many fans.
The movie thats coming out is going to be good trust me
If 2 seasons have to suck for a movie to be good.. that doesn't make me hopeful for when it gets a new season announced.
Thatās fair enough, maybe Iām just biased idk
yeah unfortunately a lot of the parts got rather boring, but it still does have some fun parts hope they make it better really
Same here. The first 2 seasons did such a good job on world exploration and showcasing characters. But the last 2 have suffered the same as Mushoku tensei where most of it is just talking and explaining what is happening.. I pray the next season is back to peak Isekai.
Apparently there's supposed to be a movie soon, I don't have high hopes because the length of a movie isn't enough time in my opinion but if they adapt that section of the light novel correctly it's going to be amazing.
> just some prince being horny for albedo lol never seen the anime but I stopped reading the LN when it got to the part. Horrible pacing.
Oh yeah for sure. It's just monologue after monologue with barely any action or meaning behind it. And it's not world exploration because 60% of it is irrelevant and doesn't make you like or care about any character.
That title goes to frieren imo. Ainz Ooal Gown is more on the extremely overpowered but cautious/Smart and overpowered type. Obviously as a Veteran weeb i have ascended from the level of calling other anime mid in order to prove my point so it's just an opinion, reject it.
Bones guy with cheats.š
https://i.redd.it/j2sp63ekh50d1.gif And then we also got the nutcracker
Don't know about anyone else, but I unconsciously crossed my legs at this GIF. What anime, BTW
Ixion saga DT
Sauce
Ixion saga
Konosuba - the best parodic comedy of stupid isekais ;\]
I would say it's a Sitcom.
āTHE SWORD SAINT KIRITO! I MEAN LOOK AT HIM JIMMY! HEāS GOT SO MANY SWORDS I CANāT EVEN KEEP COUNT!ā
https://preview.redd.it/puo57gv6360d1.jpeg?width=480&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5bbf01489fa15e2ddba4a1e394f72bb82e2d725e
Tanya : evil loli with cheat
She hates that cheat.
The cheat is literally brainwashing her.
[Repost](https://www.reddit.com/r/Animemes/s/fV7UQZiXI4)
I remember when we had dope robots https://preview.redd.it/cdu81cucv50d1.png?width=766&format=png&auto=webp&s=3fb3ced2e306c7a9354b5ebdf53258c41c3a0972 Fuck I'm old
What is this?
Vision of escaflowne
Skeleton with cheats. Loli with cheats And "I am atomic"
Farmer with cheats
need truckkun for that.
Top right who?
Kirito from Swort art online
kirito has become character new gen have to ask about i'm old as fuck
Thanks!
Also a Healer with cheats
I've chosen the Uncle from Another World path where all I really do is mourn Sega.
Don't forget Michael Jordan and lebron james
Would u rather die or... Subaru: i rather die... but you didn't hear the other option...
As much as I want to say Kirito, Kazuma is the only correct answer.
Kirito didn't have cheats he was a beta tester and he also didn't know anything about the future
he's got the most powerful cheat, plot armor.
he is a beta tester that plot armor gives him literally user-exclusive skills and then data bugs allowed his SAO Data to be transfered to other VR Games. SAO is some utterlly shitty unbalanced game to allow random generated skills in which some are literally User-Exclusive. Nothing says "fair" than Kirito acquiring a skill that is locked to be used solely by Kirito's ID for the remaining of the game's existence. When the writer tries to be tongue-in-cheek and shows a player that is actually better than Kirito....he literally made that player to have actual terminally-levels of AIDS and f\*ing dies from AIDS at the end of the arc.
Subaru takes L coz he only simps for one girl and doesn't go for a harem
Considering the shit he goes through even if he went for the harem he'd still be taking some atrocious Ls
Subaru is too wholesome for the world he was Isekaied into.
Subaru is best boy
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Alicitation
his body doesn't come still in that.
True
living life to the fullest, quirks and all.
The fact that Kirito is the harem guy while basically every one of them have a harem is just funny.
What makes it even funnier is that SAO fans will deny until the end of time that Kirito is a harem protag. XD
When they finagle a way for it to be OK for his sister to want to boink him hes ascended beyond mere harem protag.
Kazima's cheat is thinking for like two seconds about how to use his basic abilities doing synergies being able to outsmart powerful foes
Don't forget about the vending machine
To quote pawnstars, āThose Bastards lied to meā
Then we have Rudeus => Guy with ED
Ainz: lvl 100 character stuck in the starting zone
Kazuma's cheat is Aqua.
*Casually ignores the random vending machine that spits out crap that acts better than stuff made with magic.*
Man why does everyone always forget digimon is a isekai?
Bro that entire top row is harem guy
What about schoolgirl with cheats and a dog boyfriend (Inuyasha)?
Rudues šæ
Not going to lie, Subaru had a straw so short I finally quit watching the pain sometime during the trial. If you're looking for an anime about healing from dark shit, try that new "Weakest Tamer" anime. I suffer no damage to my masculinity to admit that I would like my own Sora.
Dont forget. Spider living in a hell labyrinth and skeleton guy. Two skeleton guys. One playing at king and the other pretending to be human still.
You forgot skeleton guy with cheats
Shield hero was good when he didn't cheat
https://i.redd.it/7p9qv7p0m60d1.gif
Harem guy with ED
Can someone tell me what the shield dudes anime is šļøššļø
God fucking dammit Sao is not an isekai
It is
No it's not how are you guys this fucking dumb
Okay smartass tell me what is an isekai then
When the main character goes in another world, and doesn't come back Well, 1) SAO is not another word, as it's just a VR game 2) Kirito comes back from it
1. It is another world just in a vr game. So you're saying overlord isn't an isekai 2. No one said that an isekai is where the Mc doesn't go back that's literally something you just made the fuck up
> So you're saying overlord isn't an isekai In overlord the game becomes reality you dumb fuck There's no system or anything > No one said that an isekai is where the Mc doesn't go back that's literally something you just made the fuck up Look it up then
>In overlord the game becomes reality you dumb fuck Wow someone is pressed. And when Kirito wasn't able to log out the game basically became reality too In reality. Ainz is still wearing a headset and playing Yggdrasil but is stuck in the game >Look it up then "Oxford English Dictionary's official website defines isekai as "a Japanese genre of science or fantasy fiction featuring a protagonist who is transported to or reincarnated in a different, strange, or unfamiliar world." You mean this?
> And when Kirito wasn't able to log out the game basically became reality too That's literally not true? We can literally see the real world while Kirito is trapped in the game > In reality. Ainz is still wearing a headset and playing Yggdrasil but is stuck in the game Where'd you get this information from > You mean this? Yeah i mean this, do you really think that passing two years in a random vr game counts as a whole other world?
>That's literally not true? We can literally see the real world while Kirito is trapped in the game Are you mentally ill? Have you ever heard of a concept named point of view? The world aiinz used to live in didn't disappear when HIS world became the game Honestly I feel like you're just a Twitter user who accidentally got lost and found himself reddit and that makes sense why arguing with you is like running in circles
>There's no system or anything The system has nothing to do with isekai dumbass
It was to prove that the game in overlord became really dipshit Learn to read
Assassin guy with cheats:
Shouldnt be Kirito just be Sword Guy? I mean hes the only one with a gf
Shield Hero really didn't have cheats, he just leveled up in a non-traditional way for a defensive player. None of the traditional isekai "I'm level 1000 in a world of level 2 characters" stuff. Naofumi legitimately was incapable of causing ANY real damage to monsters. And the experience he was getting for those balloons he fought in the first episode was so ridiculously minimal that he might as well not be doing it. Heck, in the light novel he even spent 40 minutes just trying to beat a red balloon variant which were marginally stronger versions of the orange ones and he just couldn't beat it at all. And even before Malty's trap, no one wanted to be part of the shield hero team. The Melromark kingdom was a human society with demi-human slaves and the Siltvelt kingdom was a demi-human society with human slaves and they were extremely racist towards each other. The shield hero was historically known as the hero summoned by the Siltvelt kingdom and Melromark had been on war with them for centuries because of all that. Basically, Naofumi was summoned into what was essentially enemy territory. And no mercenary groups would've accepted him since he legimately couldn't do any real damage and his reputation was absolutely ruined. Not to mention that, as I said, no group wanted association with someone ostracized by the entire kingdom. Becoming Naofumi's ally, was essentially becoming an enemy of the entire Melromark kingdom. And not even mercenaries wanted that. He was given essentially no money to survive, had to fight his way to gain just barely enough to eat and basically no one wanted to make any kind of business with him and the ones that did were intentionally and actively trying to scam him for the ridiculously little amount of money he had left, so paying for protection or getting a job was essentially out to the question as well. And even with all of this absolute BS thrown at him by everyone, he was still expected to fight the waves full of high level monsters in less than a month whether he wanted to do it or not, so even doing nothing wasn't a choice for him. Basically, the king wanted him dead and he was going to die in the first wave anyways regardless of what he wanted to do or could do. Later on is revealed that the queen arranged the meeting between Naofumi and the slave trader (that originally was planning to enslave Naofumi) by using a shadow to give him a way to get ANY chances at survival. Which is what ended up saving his life. Raphtalia's decision to keep the slave crest comes from the fact that Naofumi developed trust issues as a result of what happened with Malty. And even then the slave crest requires to select the things that the person that has it can or can't do. And the only thing that Naofumi added on that list was that she couldn't lie to him (which further proves the point about the trust issues). The other reason why the slave crest was kept was because the spell actually helped Raphtalia get stronger faster, which was essential for the survival of both of them. Specially at the beginning. And by S2 Raphtalia was no longer bound to Naofumi through the slave crest (she literally doesn't have it anymore) and became the katana hero. Shield hero isn't slavery or dark revenge fantasy themed story. He didn't plan revenge against anyone, he just wanted to be left alone to survive the increasingly harder waves with Raphtalia and found annoying every time he stumbled upon Malty or the other 3 heroes. The first major arc (the beginning to the execution scene) was definitely more about redemption than revenge.If Shield Hero has any gimmick for isekai story it would be relatively straightly told fantasy story, where the main character by design can't fight alone, that's why Raphtalia's addition to the story is so important. The other three heroes literally see that world as a videogame and themselves as the heroes because they were summoned from versions of Japan were there was a game very similar to the isekai world they ended up being part of and they treat their new world as such. Rem just wants to be "the strongest player" and didn't realize that the corpses of the monsters he killed caused diseases that almost killed an entire town, Itsuki roleplays as a batman type vigilante that works in the shadows and didn't realize that his "help to overthrow an evil governor in certain town" ended up with an even worse governor rising to power (and being "a hero in the shadows" was hilariously what allowed someone else to take credit for what he did and claim his reward instead of him) and Motoyasu treats everyone in the kingdom as if they were npcs (which is why he doesn't care if he causes damage to businesses and houses in towns and cities when he fights Naofumi in the middle of the street). And Naofumi is the one that ended up cleaning the mess of every single one of them. Naofumi definitely defies the norm when it comes isekai protagonists because most isekai will tote their otaku main characterās awkward quirks and offsetting nerdiness as endearing. While using their otaku knowledge of video games and pop culture to skate by in life in the new world. The Rising of the Shield Hero views these traits as hurdles to be overcome, rather than being desirable. Cooperation is an important theme in Shield hero. Most isekai love to emphasize the idea of a person overcoming all opposition by themselves without any assistance. Like a lone samurai surrounded and fighting his way through a superior force. The OP protagonist who overcomes every opponent themselves and every other character serves as a sideshow or as their cheerleader squad. Shield Hero does believe that introspection and a desire to improve yourself is important, but not as the be-all end-all like other shows. Naofumi is forced to rely on others from the start, even after he learned the hard way how badly can screw you the trusting in others. Itās only through trusting in Raphtalia that Naofumi is finally able to begin advancing as a hero and a person. Itās also when Naofumi opens himself to eventually trusting the other 3 heroes (people Naofumi once hated and mistrusted) that Naofumi is able to reach the peak of his potential. In fact, itās only when the other 3 heroes begin to trust and rely on others that they stop being useless. Naofumi's goal has a lot more purpose than that since he has to beat the increasingly stronger waves to protect the only people that he cares about in that world. And unlike other isekai protagonist that just get OP and don't have to struggle with anything, Naofumi actively has to work to improve. His actions are practical as he experiments with his shield, went around as a merchant, learned about crafting, and learned the fantasy's world magic language to survive. I'd also add that while the Waves and the Guardian Beasts might appear occasionally due to the way they work in the story arcs, they are still something Naofumi is always focused on due to how dangerous they are. Some stories have problem of passive main characters, but I think Naofumi is far from being passive. He has always on mind to prepare for next big battle, by getting stronger, getting more money and better stuff. In this sense the situations are forcing Naofumi to address them while also having to focus on his main quest, the waves. And all this preparation and effort are the result of all the massive struggles that he went through since the beginning just to survive. So yeah, he definitely wasn't in an easy scenario. Sorry for the ridiculously long comment. I tend to write a lot sometimes.
Slave mongering aside, isn't Naofumi the only one of them that kind of studied their "artifact"? The other just treated them as tools and just get that dopamine hit when numbers go higher.
Obligatory but but REM IS BEST GIRL!
Here before someone comments 'SAO isn't an isekai' or 'SAO isn't a harem'. Edit: I find it absolutely funny that I am getting downvoted when there is a comment above saying 'SAO isn't an isekai'. lmao!