History Fridge / TheRisingOfTheShieldHero

* In the subsequent adaptations of the web novel Medea is absent. This means Aultcray is ''solely responsible'' for Malty's personality and behavior.

** He could also point out that if he has a brainwashing shield, the other heroes should have a brainwashing weapon, since their Legendary Weapons have almost the same skills. Though it turns out that Itsuki ''does'' have a brainwashing bow.

* The fact that the other heroes aren't really much more knowledgeable or better than Naofumi and don't really know what they are talking about is foreshadowed in a really subtle way. When they first meet the king and Motoyasu suggests they "wield other weapons until they are strong enough" if they really were so knowledgeable about the game world they would have known the basic fact that you can't wield any other weapons but instead they all just assume they can. it shows that they were likely those power gamers who don't actually enjoy playing the game so much as they enjoy being the Best. the ones who go to the best grind spots to get the most EXP but skip all the 'boring side quests' aka other people and their issues. so Naofumi is the kind of player who actually immerses himself in the game reads the basic description and then discover more as he goes. sure he may not get all the power and high levels right away but those side quest items skills and benefits build up meaning that even if he didn't level as fast all those unique skills and abilities that are only unlockable at certain points in the story mode.

*** Potentially veering off into Fridge Horror. How much free will does Malty/Myne even have? Is she fully distinct from Medea, a being created in her likeness and sadistic selfishness but capable of her own independent choices or is she less autonomous? Is she some kind of programed being, a simulacrum like pawn, more than a flesh based robot but less than a full independent consciousness? Being what she is, is Malty even capable of good actions were she to desire to do them? Or are they and that desire simply beyond her? Can she physically not help being what she is? Are her actions really all her own or does Medea command at least some of her behavior even while she is totally unaware of it? Does she have freedom to do and choose what she wants or most horrifyingly is she a being incapable of her own independent and moral actions, but otherwise still conscious and capable of suffering? In which case she'd simply be another one of Medea's playthings, something to be tortured for amusement and then abandoned.

* Glass tanking all of the attacks in the middle of Season 1 makes sense, once you find out that she's a spirit person and her magic energy reserves are essentially her hit points, as the attacks she's faced with would be targeted at reducing traditional hit points, not magic energy so have limited effect on someone who may or may not even have or need traditional hit points.

** And finally, there's Naofumi who unlike the first three got forcibly teleported via a book and didn't have to die to do so. Thus, he's equipped with the non-offensive Legendary Shield and is forced into a position where everbody despises him but still is expected to save their world from monsters and the waves, making him the hero that he is today.

* In hindsight it makes sense for Melty to have water magic when her mother has ice magic since to get water from ice you melt it.

*** And it needs to be stated that every time Naofumi asked for proof of their allegations, for anything, Malty, Aultcray, or even Motoyasu would simply make something up, with the rest smirking, nodding, and shouting "that's right!" So it shouldn't be a surprise that he got pretty damn tired of arguing his case.

* Itsuki's attempts to stand out also extend to his legendary weapon which is the only one that doesn't start with an "S" (Sheild, Sword, Spear, '''B'''ow) and how he's the only hero who can only fight long distance as opposed to both close combat and long-range. Additionally, he's associated with a brownish yellow-green as opposed to yellow which better fit the other three's color schemes (Red, Blue and Green).

* Itsuki's attempts to stand out also extend to his legendary weapon which is the only one that doesn't start with an "S" (Sheild, Sword, Spear, '''B'''ow) and how he's the only hero who can fight long distance only than both close combat and long-range. Additionally, he's associated with a brownish yellow-green as opposed to yellow which better fit the other three's color schemes (Red, Blue and Green).

** Naofumi was chosen by the Legendary Shield to become the Shield Hero and save the world, while Malty [[spoiler:stole the Vassal Whip using an enchanted accessory and sides with the Vanguards of the Waves to use the waves' influence to destroy multiple worlds.]]
** In the web novel, Naofumi is an ordinary human [[spoiler:who becomes a god to protect multiple worlds across the universe.]] On the other hand Malty [[spoiler:is one of many fragments created by a world-destroying goddess to slowly drive the world to ruin.]]

* Related to the above, Aultclay seems to have arranged the summoning and intended to turn on the Shield Hero from the start. Despite being a supposedly brilliant tactician and politician, his schemes are all ham-fisted and constantly swerving like he has no real long-term plan. That's because Aultclay can't act directly but instead relies on Malty to carry out his plans. Her impulsive and thoughtless actions actually hindered Aultclay's plans, forcing him to constantly improvise. In a way, Malty actually helped Naofumi by ruining plans which would have been far more dangerous for him in the long run.

** While Naofumi gets much better after the brutal kick into the dirt given to him near the beginning of the story and eventually gets numerous allies, a harem of his own, and a happy ending out of it, Malty unrepentantly sinks lower and lower with each crime she commits, screws over each and every person she encounters until she has no one left to turn to, and is eventually burned to death like the witch she behaves like.
* It's become a meme regarding the apparent uselessness of the Shield Hero when there's a key example of a character from mass-media in real-life who proves beyond any doubt that the shield ''is'' a powerful tool and weapon: Captain America. Why did none of the other heroes ever think of Steve Rogers when they accused Naofumi of being useless? Think about it: they don't come from ''our'' real-world, they come from alternate versions of it. Captain America--and maybe Marvel Comics and all of our familiar popular culture as a whole--probably don't exist in those worlds.
** There’s a caveat that this a meme overlooks the stat-based nature of the setting. It isn’t that Naofumi can’t attack with his shield. He can. He can attack all the livelong day. The issue is that his attack-stat is so ridiculously weak that he does piddling levels of damage, even if he’s smacking his enemy around as hard as he can, with returns that only continue to diminish as his level goes up. He’s forced to rely on allies and counterattack abilities specific to certain acquired shields to do any meaningful damage at all. Captain America would be an example of a shield user who actually has a proper attack-stat. With the RPG mechanics of the setting, and those of the games that inform the other three heroes’ worldviews, it largely doesn’t matter if they have an example of someone like Captain America or not from their own worlds, because it’s still apples to oranges when it comes to Naofumi’s situation.
** In the anime dub, Naofumi makes a reference to Spider-Man after hearing Itsuki comment that "with great power comes great responsibility," asking if he had been bitten by a spider recently. Itsuki fails to catch the shout out, a hint that Marvel Comics don't exist as we know them in his world.

* While the core flaws of the four heroes that their [[EvilWeapon Curse Series weapons]] is tied to is shown in the narrative (Naofumi has the Wrath Shield because of his anger for his initial mistreatment by the people, Motoyasu has the Lust Spear for being a lech, Itsuki's cursed weapon is related to his pride because of his massive ego, though this is revealed later on). However, it is Ren's flaw (Greed) that is seemingly not related to his character because he doesn't seem to display traits of being a greedy person. However, the flaw is, in fact, perfectly suited for Ren because [[IWorkAlone he is a solo player.]] Playing solo in MMORPG's means not only does he get all of the experience, but also all of the monster drops/loot. Ren not wanting his otherwise loyal party members to interfere with his solo play means Ren is so used to playing alone that the idea of sharing with others is completely alien to him.

** Naofumi was chosen by the Legendary Shield to become the Shield Hero and save the world, while Malty is one of many fragments created by a world-destroying goddess to slowly drive the world to ruin.

** Water extinguishes fire, and with support enough water can put out flames no matter how strong they are. Melty isn't strong enough to defeat Malty in combat alone, but she has actual allies in Filo, Naofumi and his party. Malty never one ups her sister in combat or politics, and Malty getting Mirellia killed only paved the way to Melty to become Melromarc's next queen even faster.

** Naofumi started out naive and optimistic, but quickly turns into a JerkWithAHeartOfGold while Malty is a BitchInSheepsClothing who drops the "sheep" act when she thinks no one is paying attention (which is most of the time).

* It's become a meme regarding the apparent uselessness of the Shield Hero when there's a key example of a character from mass-media in real-life who proves beyond any doubt that the shield ''is'' a powerful tool and weapon: Captain America. Why did none of the other heroes ever think of Steve Rogers when they accused Naofumie of being useless? Think about it: they don't come from ''our'' real-world, they come from alternate versions of it. Captain America--and maybe Marvel Comics and all of our familiar popular culture as a whole--probably don't exist in those worlds.