Highlights
- The latest episode of “The Rising of the Shield Hero” features a thrilling boss raid that requires strategy and quick reactions.
- Naofumi’s role as a support and leader becomes crucial in the battle, showcasing his skills beyond being a hero.
- The intense fight against Gaelion serves as a preview of the upcoming battle against the powerful Phoenix, promising even more excitement in the future.
Warning: The following contains spoilers for The Rising of The Shield Hero Season 3, Episode 8, “Dragon’s Den”, now streaming on Crunchyroll.
The Rising of the Shield Hero has been quite chill recently. The series seems to focus on developing the minor characters, such as the rest of the legendary heroes and the demi-human children, through a slow-paced slice-of-life story. That’s why aside from several skirmishes here and there, things have been rather peaceful for Naofumi and the gang.
This episode also started as nothing more than a continuation of a little accident that happened in the previous episode. A little dragon ate something that he wasn’t supposed to. However, it soon turns into a major incident that leads our heroes and their companions to a battle. But this wasn’t any ordinary battle – it was a boss raid.
Rising of the Shield Hero Season 3: A Day in the Life of a Hero
The Rising of the Shield Hero gives fans a closer look at the simpler side of Naofumni’s everyday life.
A Boss Raid
So what is a boss raid? Boss Raid is a term used in Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games (MMORPG) for a battle against the strongest monster/enemy at any given level. What makes this battle different from any other battle is the sheer scale and difficulty of it. It usually takes numerous players, or in some cases several teams of players, to defeat the enemy. Think of the boss fight at the end of every level in Sword Art Online during the Aincrad Arc.
Similar things happen in episode 8 of Rising of the Shield Hero. Gaelion, the little red dragon introduced in episode 7, accidentally swallowed a Demon Dragon Emperor Core. The longer the core stays in his body, the stronger and more aggressive he becomes. As if that’s not bad enough, they soon find out that Gaelion is siphoning Filo’s power and EXP at a dangerously fast rate. Leave alone, Filo’s levels will keep on decreasing to the point of regressing to her infant form. So Naofumi has no choice but to track down Gaelion’s whereabouts and fight him. What ensues is one of the textbook definitions of an RPG Boss fight.
In most MMORPG games, or even RPG games in general, the key to fighting a colossal enemy is to find its weak point as quickly as possible, and then concentrate the team’s effort on attacking that point. The vanguards will usually release a barrage of attacks on the enemy, while the mages unleash their strongest offensive magic to wound the enemy. What makes a boss raid so dangerous, however, is the fact that most of the enemy will transform into a much stronger form as soon as their HP decreases to a certain level. That’s why information, strategy, and the ability to quickly react and adapt to the ever-changing situation are needed in a boss raid.
This is precisely what happens in this episode. Raphtalia, Ren, Sadeena, and Eclair are the vanguards who keep attacking Gaelion with their swords and spears, Melty is the one who blasts it with big offensive magic from afar, while Naofumi carefully directs the movements of the group while also providing buffs and supports from the back. What an electrifying battle!
From a Hero to a Leader
Thanks to Filo’s power and the fact that the Demon Dragon Emperor Core has assimilated into Gaelion’s body, he has now transformed into a massive dragon. Not only that, the personality of the original Dragon Emperor has also taken over his body completely. So in order to fight this raging dragon, Naofumi has to properly dish out commands to his party. Effectively turning him from a mere hero who dabbles as a tank into a proper support and leader of the group.
This is a role that can only be given to Naofumi. After all, out of the four legendary heroes, he is the only one who can act as the one who provides support and direction to the team while the attackers push forward and fight. Nobody can unleash barrages of sword slashes and properly analyze the state of the battlefield while also providing the right commands to the group at the same time. Only those who stay in the back can see the big picture and give the appropriate support and instruction to the team. Only Naofumi the Shield Hero can do that.
The idea of turning Naofumi from a regular hero into a proper leader, or even a King, has existed since the beginning of the series. After all, from his status as the Shield Hero that forces him to stay on the back and analyze the fights to his commitment to helping the demi-human children by building a safe haven in the form of a new Lurolona village, Naofumi has always found himself in a leadership position. As the series progresses, there will surely be more chances for him to prove himself as a bona fide leader until he eventually becomes a benevolent King for his people.
The Rising Of The Shield Hero: Strongest Guardian Beasts
These are the strongest guardian beasts in the world of the Rising of the Shield Hero.
A Taste of What’s to Come
The series has reminded us on numerous occasions that the main attraction of this third season is the upcoming battle against the second Guardian Beast, the Phoenix. Based on what happened in the previous season, we can expect the Phoenix to be a colossal monster who can annihilate cities with ease.
So in a way, this battle against the massive raging dragon, Gaelion, is sort of a taste of what’s to come. A preview of how the big fight that awaits us in the near future might look like. Seeing how epic this fight turns out to be, it’s safe to say that the battle against the Phoenix will be even more thrilling and mind-blowing.
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