Summary
Warning: The following contains spoilers forThe Rising of The Shield HeroSeason 3, Episode 5, “Each of Their Paths”, now streaming onCrunchyroll.
Episode 5 introduces a new character tothe cast ofRising of the Shield Hero.Her name is S’yne Lokk, and as it turns out, she is also a hero like Naofumi. Not only that, she actually comes from a world that has already fallen, and her mission is to help Naofumi prevent the same thing from happening to his world.
So does it mean there is a multiverse in this series? If there is, what is the role of this overwhelming concept in the future ofRising of the Shield Hero?
Related:Rising of the Shield Hero Season 3: From Hero to Zero
The Multiverse in the Rising of the Shield Hero
The existence of another world/dimension was already confirmed in the previous seasons. Not only that, Naofumi and his companion actually spent the majority of season 2 fighting and traveling in another world. In theRising of the Shield Herouniverse, the current world is known as Raphtalia’s World, while the one that was visited by our heroes in the previous season is known as the Glass’s World. Named after one of the major characters from that world.
According to what happened in the previous seasons, Glass’s World exists in a different realm than Raphtalia’s World. Normally, these two worlds exist independently of each other and nobody can travel from and to both worlds. However, these two worlds are currently colliding, which is one of the reasons behindthe frequent occurrence of the Waves of Calamity.This is also the reason why Glass and her companions can visit Raphtalia’s World.
Based on this information, it’s clear thatanother world exists outside of the current world.However, S’yne’s arrival in this episode confirmed that Glass’s World is not the only different world that exists outside of Raphtalia’s World. There are actually numerous worlds out there. A Multiverse, if you will. This revelation just opens up brand-new possibilities for so many different storylines that can be explored inRising of the Shield Hero.
Different World, Similar Heroes
S’yne’s information not only confirmed the existence of numerous worlds out there but also the fact that every world seems to have its own version of legendary heroes as well. After all, S’yne herself is actually a hero from one of those worlds. This means despite these worlds being relatively independent of each other, certain systems, rules, or principles seem to exist in all of them. One of those systems is the existence of Legendary Heroes and Vassal Holders.
This brings us back to Glass’ World,the only other world that has been quite thoroughly explored in this series. In that world, four legendary heroes were summoned from another world, presumably Japan, just like in Raphtalia’s World. Other than the legendary heroes, there are also several vassal holders that either help or hinder the heroes. The type of weapons that they use may be different from the ones used in Raphtalia’s World, but their main objective remains the same. To help the people of their world fight against the waves of calamity.
Based on this information, we can assume that S’yne’s World also works under a similar system. Four legendary heroes with severalvassal holders fighting against waves of calamity.Not only that but since the vassal weapons don’t seem to be bound to any particular world, which is why Raphtalia can become the Katana Hero despite it being a vassal weapon from Glass’ World, this means some of the characters from Raphtalia’s World may also be blessed with a vassal weapon from another world in the future.
Related:The Rising Of The Shield Hero: 8 Most Powerful Vassal Weapons, Ranked
Multiverse and the Future of Rising of the Shield Hero
Another crucial piece of information from S’yne is the fact that she comes from a fallen world. Not only that, it seems to be purposely destroyed by a mysterious group of people, rather than naturally fallen by the waves of calamity. Some of those people appear in this episode, and they are clearly on par with a legendary hero like Naofumi, and quite possiblystronger than the other three heroes.If these people indeed are the ones who destroyed S’yne’s World, that means they have set their eyes on Raphtalia’s World now.
Rising of the Shield Herois currently in a major storyline, which is the inevitable fight againstthe next Guardian beast,the Phoenix. From training the new batch of demi-humans to gathering the other legendary heroes, the story seems to be focused on this storyline now. However, this episode clearly alludes to something bigger beyond the upcoming battle against Phoenix. The threat from the Multiverse.
Perhaps our heroes will have to fight against an enemy from another world in the future. Perhaps Naofumi and his companions will travel and explore another world, just like in the previous season. Perhaps there will be one massive war between the multiverse. One thing’s for sure,Rising of the Shield Heroseems to be heading into a much more complex and expansive future.
More:Rising of the Shield Hero: Understanding Naofumi and Raphtalia’s Complex Relationship
