If The Rising Of The Shield Hero is on your go-to anime list and you are looking for the latest season, your patience will be rewarded. That’s right. Crunchyroll has just dropped pleasant news regarding The Rising Of The Shield Hero Season 4 release date . There’s no denying that the anime won many hearts with its intense action scenes and extraordinary storyline. However, it’s been a year since fans last saw the third season. But you don’t have to wait for anymore. So, without further ado, let’s head to see what the Crunchyroll has in store for us.
Based on the Light Novel series, The Rising Of The Shield Hero follows Naofumi Iwatani, who was summoned into a parallel world. Like his fellow companions, Naofumi had a great start, but his life worsened when his only ally betrayed him. Not only this, but she falsely accused the protagonist of sexually assaulting her, creating trouble for him. Since things turned dark, Naofumi was forced to train hard to be a hero and make ends meet. But can he get back his reputation? Let’s see!
The Rising Of The Shield Hero Season 4 Is Officially Renewed!
Rejoice fans! Since the marvelous third season concluded, fans have been waiting for the renewal news. But the wait is over now. That’s because Naofumi’s voice actor, Kaito Ishikawa, has something pleasant to say to the audience. On January 22, during a radio program, Kaito surprised everyone by doing the honors of conforming that The Rising Of The Shield Hero Season 4 has already been renewed. That’s right, the anime will soon return with its never-seen-before animation and narration.
Well, there’s no denying that the first three seasons were a blast. The series performed absolutely well, and fans liked it. The Rising Of The Shield Hero received a positive response from the audience and the critics. It garnered 7.8 out of 10 on IMDb, 4.7/5 on Crunchyroll, and 8/10 on MyAnimeList. At the 4th Crunchyroll Anime Awards in 2020, Naofumi Iwatani’s voice artist, Billy Kametz, was awarded Best Voice Artist Performance (English). Also, the character Raphtalia was honored as Best Girl, and Kevin Penkin was nominated in the Best Score category. Thus, there’s no brainer as to why the anime has been renewed for the fourth run.
Key Visual Is Out!
Along with the fourth season announcement, the anime’s streaming platform has confirmed that The Rising Of The Shield Hero Season 4 will be available to watch on Crunchyroll. So far, the series is also available on Funimation and Hulu. But it isn’t the only exciting news! Accompanying the fourth season’s renewal announcement is a breathtaking teaser visual. The first official poster of the series showcases a desolate landscape with a stormy background. It also features a distant dragon soaring in the sky. The caption reads, “The Heroes will rise again- Season 4 confirmed.”
After months of this confirmation, The Rising Of The Shield Hero surprised its fans with another teaser visual. It features Naofumi, Filo, Raphtalia, Fohl, and Atla staring off a mysterious town into the distance. As Naofumi’s party looks over the town, the atmosphere smells of trouble. Besides this, Crunchyroll also dropped a twenty-second teaser video that suggested “The return of the exiled.” While the network has more information yet to drop, we expect the series to return soon.
The Rising Of The Shield Hero Season 4: Production Status
Not only did Kaito Ishikawa announce that the fourth season was happening, but he also revealed that the series had already undergone production. That’s right! The Rising Of The Shield Hero Season 4’s production started in January 2024. Since six months have passed, if you expect that the anime might have reached its halfway point, then you’re absolutely wrong. The Rising Of The Shield Hero generally takes two years to wrap up production. So, considering the timeframe, it doesn’t seem like the anime will enter its halfway sooner.
But it’s the beauty of this anime. Such a type of Isekai anime takes longer to finish production because of its detail-oriented animation, stellar visuals, and larger-than-life action scenes. Thus, there’s no debate on why the series will take lengthy production. Another reason is the studio house behind the series. Kinema Citrus is the production house behind The Rising Of The Shield Hero, and it’s likely to return to animate in the fourth season. However, an official announcement has yet to be made. It’s a Japanese animation studio founded by former Bones and Production I.G members in March 2008.
The studio house is famous for producing several notable works, such as Tokyo Magnitude 8.0, Barakamon, and Made in Abyss. One thing to note is that Kinema Citrus is known for producing one to two animes yearly. It’s currently working on Cardfight!! Vanguard Divine Z. It has already announced that it has started producing The Rising Of The Shield Hero Season 4. That means it will take a longer time to wrap up the production.
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What Will Happen Next In The Rising Of The Shield Hero Season 4?
The third season’s final episode was a rollercoaster ride. As the episode progressed, Raphtalia’s background was revealed. It was later revealed that she was the heiress of Q’ten Lo royalty. However, things weren’t great when she was young. So, to save her life, Sadeena fled with Raphtalia and helped her parents raise her. After Raphtalia accidently declared war against Q’ten Lo, Naofumi decided to visit Siltvelt to chat with Q’ten. His intention was clear. He only wanted to speak with the queen. However, if things didn’t go his way, then the situation could change.
Although the finale ends with Naofumi learning about Raphtalia’s history, his intention is clear. He wants to make Raphtalia sit on the throne. So, The Rising Of The Shield Hero Season 4 will undoubtedly pick up from there. Naofumi and his team will head to Siltvelt to help Raphtalia take what belongs to her. Meanwhile, Atla and Fohl will be busy training when Aultcray approaches them. He is curious to see Naofumi’s next move, perhaps stopping him from catching a ferry to Q’ten Lo.
Further, the first three seasons have adapted up to volume 12. That means The Rising Of The Shield Hero Season 4 will pick up the pace from Volume 13. The anime is an adaptation of the Light Novel series by Aneko Yusagi and illustrated by Seira Minami. The light novel series has a total of 22 volumes so far. Since the anime covers two volumes each season, there’s enough source material to be covered in the fourth season. If you are willing to read the chapters ahead of the following season, you can start reading from Volume 13.
The Rising Of The Shield Hero Season 4 Cast Details
There’s no denying that the anime will be baseless without Naofumi and his team. So, the series’ core characters will definitely return. These include:
- Naofumi Iwatani – Kaito Ishikawa (Japanese), Stephen Fu (English)
- Raphtalia – Asami Seto (Japanese), Erica Mendez (English)
- Filo – Rina Hidaka (Japanese), Brianna Knickerbocker (English)
- Motoyasu Kitamura – Makoto Takahashi (Japanese), Xander Mobus (English)
- Ren Amaki – Youshitsugu Matsuoka (Japanese), Alan Lee (English)
- Itsuki Kawasumi – Yoshitaka Yamaya (Japanese), Erik Scott Kimerer (English)
- Rishia Ivyred – Natsuko Hara (Japanese), Kira Buckland (English)
- Fitoria – Sakura Tange (Japanese), Cristina Vee (English)
- Fohl – Kohei Amasaki (Japanese), Kieran Regan (English)
- Sadeena – Ami Koshimizu (Japanese), Alice Himora (English)
- Aultcray Melromarc – Yutaka Nakano (Japanese), Jamieson Price (English)
In addition to them, the prominent staff members will also return. Hitoshi Haga is expected to return to direct The Rising Of The Shield Hero Season 4. Natalie Jeffreys and Alfredo Sirica will join as the composers. Keigo Koyanagi will handle the series composition, with Kevin Penkin composing the music. Masahiro Suwa will return as the character designer.
The Rising Of The Shield Hero Has Always Been Controversial
Despite receiving praise for its stellar visuals, the anime has a notorious reputation among Western anime fans. Some found the false rape allegation was too much of its initial storyline, calling it disturbing and inappropriate. Meanwhile, others weren’t happy with the heated political issues. Although such criticism didn’t make it to the main subject in Japan, the Western audience was taken aback by the theme of The Rising Of The Shield Hero. It doesn’t end here.
The anime also received similar criticism for its storyline and sexualizing of Filo despite her being a young girl. Thus, anime has remained controversial due to several reasons. But it’s quite common in the Isekai genre. The Rising Of The Shield Hero did perfectly well in blending with the series’ theme. Despite such notorious fame, the anime has won many awards. It has also won fans’ hearts for its incredible storyline and visuals. Thus, there’s no doubt that the show will return despite being highly controversial.
The Rising Of The Shield Hero Season 4 Release Date
As of now, nothing is known about The Rising Of The Shield Hero Season 4 release date. However, you don’t need to fret. This is because the series is currently in production status. That means it will take a couple of years to conclude the production. In addition, Crunchyroll has announced that it will stream Season 4 of The Rising Of The Shield Hero in selective countries. These include North America, South America, Central America, Europe, the Middle East, Oceania, Africa, and CIS. There’s no official date announced yet. However, fans can expect that the fourth season will air sometime in 2026. The Anime Daily will update you. Stay tuned, and keep coming back for more anime-related news.
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