So shit hit the fan in The Rising of the Shield Hero Episode 20. Last review I specifically mentioned how I wanted to see what the Queen was capable of doing, and now it looks like we may get to see that very soon.
You know, this episode highlighted something that I complete forgot or neglected, and that’s the fact that Naofumi is really under-leveled compared to the other heroes, yet he’s capable in keeping up with them. I mean, I assumed after Rapthalia joined the squad he caught up with the but they just confirmed that he’s still very much below them.
As it also turns out, the other heroes still don’t know how to efficiently use their weapons. I actually had a feeling that was the case. I mean, I can’t imagine the four weapon been imbalanced like that. That one weapon is superior than the other ones. Knowing this, you can appreciate Naofumi skill and intellect when it comes to making the best out of any situation. This something you can relate to games, especially MMO’s. Leveling up just ain’t enough to be strong. If you’ve got a good insight of your stats inside and out, and how items work, you can make a build that’s stronger than someone who is ten levels above you.
Anyways, that fight was pretty intense to say the least. Naofumi and gang stayed on the attack despite being trapped in the Pope’s Great Cathedral, but its sacred subspace nullifies his Curse Shield, leaving them one step short. Naofumi then turns to his newly unlocked Curse Shield for help, the one that unlocks the cool dragon armour.
It’s in that moment that the dragon’s wrath revealed to him that the hate that was the source of his powers wasn’t from the dragon, but from Naofumi himself. I wasn’t too surprised as that made a lot of sense given the nature of the anime, however we start to see him forgive and work with the heroes after been saved from his hate by his squad. When he bowed to the other heroes, I wan’t too keen on that but understood the significant of it. Hoping that the other heroes ask for forgiveness after this ordeal is over.
Everything was pretty cool after that, we didn’t get to see a unified skill combo from all four of the heroes like I wanted but we did see some pretty cool abilities from Naofumi. That blood sacrifice technique seemed way too over-powered, and caught me by surprise. I won’t lie the part where the Pope was trapped in the mouth of that thing and was swinging him around seemed comical, right up until he got crushed.
Overall, it wasn’t the greatest pre-final boss fight I’ve seen but the new skill that Naofumi demonstrated and finally seeing the Queen do something kinda made up for it to some extent.
