When Naofumi and the other heroes are transported in this isekai anime, their objective is simple: repel the Waves plaguing the land. However, life is never that simple. For a start, our heroes need to understand what the Waves are in The Rising of the Shield Hero.
While it might appear like a simple mechanic at first, as the story develops, the Waves take on an even more important and complex role.
Related: The Strongest Characters in The Rising of the Shield Hero, Ranked
What are the Waves and How do they Work?
Known technically as the Waves of Calamity, they are a seemingly random but recurring phenomenon that sees the sky turn red and hordes of monsters enter through portals.
A Wave, once it has begun, will continue until either the world is destroyed or the main monsters (similar to bosses) have been repelled or defeated. A Wave will usually be concentrated in a specific area of the world, where the Legendary Heroes, whose purpose is defeating the Waves, will be summoned along with any companions.
If the Wave’s main monsters can be defeated, the portals will close and the sky will return to normal, signalling the end of the Wave.
As will become clear in The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 2, there are also different types of Waves. The Four Guardian Beasts, including the Spirit Tortoise, technically trigger waves of their own, but these are slightly different and are not meant to involve the Legendary Heroes.
What Causes the Waves in The Rising of the Shield Hero?
Note: the below is a spoiler from the light novel, so anime-only viewers should read this section at their own risk!
While it’s not been explicitly mentioned yet in the anime, the waves are caused by different universes, each with different heroes, knocking into each other. The Waves occur when two worlds make contact, causing their borders to ‘bleed’ and monsters to enter.
When two worlds collide, they both experience the Wave. If one manages to repel the Wave but the other world fails, the losing world is destroyed and the victor claims their power. This detail explains the actions of the other world’s heroes in season 1 of the anime, when Glass appears during a Wave and the other world’s heroes seek to destroy Naofumi.
Furthermore, it later emerges that the frequency of the waves is being manipulated by a mysterious entity known as the ‘World Eater’ that is seeking the power that comes from the Waves and colliding worlds.
How Many Waves are There?
There is no limit to the number of Waves that can be experienced in Naofumi’s world. As mentioned above, there is also no set frequency, which makes the Waves a daunting prospect for the Heroes.
There are so many waves happening across the world that Naofumi and the other Heroes can’t get across to all of them. What we see in the anime are only the events that happen in their area.
It’s clear that Naofumi and his friends have a lot of hard work ahead of them if they’re to save the world! We can’t wait to see what happens in the latest anime adaptation of the series.
Related: Where to Watch and Stream The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 2
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