Due to a phenomenon known as the Waves of Catastrophy, which is repeatedly destroying both people and lands, the kingdom of Melromarc summons the Four Cardinal Heroes to save them. These four heroes each receive a unique weapon: one a sword, another carries a bow, one brandishes a spear, and the last defends with a shield.¹
Naofumi Iwatani was summoned as the Shield Hero, but he is mocked and looked down upon for a lack of offensive power. He set off with the only person willing to work with the Shield Hero, Malty Melromarc, who betrayed him soon thereafter.¹ After being falsely accused of raping Malty,² the people of Melromarc began to hate Naofumi and treat him poorly.¹ Attempting to become stronger himself, he buys a demi-human slave, Raphtalia, to accompany him on his journey.¹
False Accusations
The first thing that stands out when one hears simply the plot is the fact that Naofumi was falsely accused of rape. This is a major issue because the Bible explicitly forbids telling lies. In Proverbs 6:16-19, the Scriptures relay to us that God hates certain things. Did you know, in that passage, it lists a lying tongue and a false witness as separate, and both as something the LORD abhors?
"[16] These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: [17] ...a lying tongue... [19] A false witness that speaketh lies..." (Proverbs 6:16-19)
So why would a Christian find lying lips to be something that God enjoys His children listening to? It says that lying tongues and false witnesses are abominations in the sight of God, something He forbids to be in our houses (Deuteronomy 7:26).
Animal–Man Hybrids
The next thing someone ought to notice, which is why I mentioned it early into this post, is the fact that Naofumi has a demi-human slave named Raphtalia! Does an animal-person speak of the demonic or of the holy?
When the Bible clearly places man and beast on different levels, forbidding any attempt at reproduction between the two, why would be find it okay to have characters who are abominations in the sight of God?
"Neither shalt thou lie with any beast to defile thyself therewith: neither shall any woman stand before a beast to lie down thereto: it is confusion." (Leviticus 18:23)
She's a creature that many people find "cute" or attractive, but is really an abomination in the eyes of God. The LORD has clearly put a difference between beasts and man, yet people get so worked up over these kemonomimi, these human–animal hybrids, simply because they have animal ears and a tail. How degenerate and utterly demonic!
This anime is feeding into the anime agenda of promoting early bestiality. People are seriously attracted to animal ears or an animal tail?
This leads into the next section, but the fact that Raphtalia uses magic
should be enough to show that she is not some "okay" being, but rather
some in-real-life impossibility, a demonic corruption of humanity mixed
with an animal.
Magic
Magic (witchcraft) is rampant in this show. The plot itself is wrapped up in it, such as when they are "summoned" using magic, as well as the weapons themselves. For example, the Shield that Naofumi wields has many abilities involving various magical functions, like "Shield of Wrath".³
Violence
This magic is used in various violent contexts. IMDb states that there is violence against humans,² which is not good. In a situation like this, there is always at least one side that is in the wrong. Scripture is clear that we are not to consume sinful media (Psalm 101:3), thus media depicting the sinful acts of violence are not the types of video we are to watch.
"The LORD trieth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth." (Psalm 11:5)
This anime, with its violence, gets the viewer worked up, excited for the next segment of violence. It sucks you in and programs your brain to love violence, and regarding those who love violence, the Bible says the soul of God hates them.
Nakedness and Immodesty
This anime, according to secular sources, has nudity in it.⁴ From a biblicist perspective, a lot of anime have nakedness in them, even if the world disagrees. But when even worldly sites like Crunchyroll can agree that a particular show has nakedness, there is no argument whatsoever in favor of the anime.
A female character's breasts and buttocks are seen.² Additionally, women's cleavages are seen, and another female character is seen naked.² The Bible is clear that women are to cover their bodies modestly.
"In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array;" (1 Timothy 2:9)
Nudity is not modest. Therefore, The Rising of the Shield Hero is full of immodesty. With that in mind, it becomes abundantly clear that this anime is not something the LORD is okay with.
Profanity
Additionally, this anime contains some bad language.⁽³⁾⁽⁴⁾ Scripture reveals to us that wicked people walk with a froward mouth, a mouth that turns away from God's Word.
"A naughty person, a wicked man, walketh with a froward mouth." (Proverbs 6:12)
Sadly, this anime contains such froward speech, the same speech we are commanded to put away (Proverbs 4:24). We should obey the Lord and put the froward speech away from us. After all, Paul reminds us that "evil communications corrupt good manners" (1 Corinthians 15:33).
Miko
Lastly, Raphtalia is involved in Japanese Shintoism. She was given a magical katana and miko attire.⁵ A miko is a Shintoist shrine maiden, or priestess. Nothing good can come from this development in the anime. We are told that we must choose either God or the demonic.
"Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils." (1 Corinthians 10:21)
The questions are, "Whose table do you partake of? Whose cup do you drink?" When one is taking in all this demonic Shintoism, they are partaking of the table of devils, drinking from the cup of devils. May we obey the Bible and keep this abomination out of our houses (Deuteronomy 7:26)!
Conclusion
I hope it has become abundantly clear that The Rising of the Shield Hero is not godly in the slightest. This anime is full of anti-Christ, immoral, and demonic content. We Christians should be careful about what media we allow ourselves to consume.
Sources:
1. "Tate no Yuusha no Nariagari." MyAnimeList, myanimelist.net/anime/35790/Tate_no_Yuusha_no_Nariagari. Accessed 10/13/2025.
2. "The Rising of the Shield Hero Parents guide." IMDb, imdb.com/title/tt9529546/parentalguide. Accessed 10/13/2025.
3. "Legendary Shield." The Rising of the Shield Hero Wiki, shield-hero.fandom.com/wiki/Legendary_Shield. Accessed 10/13/2025.
4. The Rising of the Shield Hero. Crunchyroll, crunchyroll.com/series/G6W4QKX0R/the-rising-of-the-shield-hero. Accessed 10/13/2025.
5. "Raphtalia." The Rising of the Shield Hero Wiki, shield-hero.fandom.com/wiki/Raphtalia. Accessed 10/13/2025.