With the megahit, The Rising Of The Shield Hero concluded its third season in December 2023. The anime has been a subject of concern since its beginning and wasn’t much appreciated. However, the third season made the anime enthusiasts clamoring for The Rising Of The Shield Hero Season 4. Is the next season on the horizon? This particularly significant question continues to mess with the audience’s brain because of the cliffhanger. Finally, the anime introduced Raphtalia’s character in the limelight, hinting there is a hidden giant world that Naofumi and his party have yet to explore. Will they explore it in the next outing? Keep reading to know that.
Based on Aneko Yusagi’s light novel series, The Rising Of The Shield Hero was adapted in 2019. Since then, the anime has been making buzz around its global fanbase. It focuses on Naofumi Iwatani, who was summoned into a world of monsters called Waves. In this parallel universe, he fought to become the world’s Cardinal Heroes, who received their own legendary weapons when summoned. However, unlike other heroes, he didn’t receive support from the kingdom and didn’t gain strong allies. In contrast, he was forced to strive alone and make ends meet.
The Rising Of The Shield Hero Season 4: Is It Officially Renewed?
One of the biggest anime franchises, The Rising Of The Shield Hero, returned with a third season in the Fall of 2023. The series explored several loopholes, teasing more about Naofumi’s journey and his cult. However, as the series explored more about his story arc, fans wondered what aligned ahead for him. Unfortunately, the anime ended with a cliffhanger, leaving fans clamoring for The Rising Of The Shield Hero Season 4. This is because the season ended with a completely different story, focusing on Raphtalia.
While it sparked curiosity about the demi-human girl’s backstory, the studio hadn’t announced the next season yet. Neither Kinema Citrus nor the anime’s official page has officially announced The Rising Of The Shield Hero Season 4. However, the third season’s finale did hint at its potential return. The finale ended with a teaser where ‘3’ disappeared from “Season 3,” getting fans all excited about the possible next season. Although it isn’t an official announcement, it will explore Naofumi and Raphtalia’s story arc if it returns.
Will It Officially Happen?
Kinema Citrus has not officially renewed The Rising Of The Shield Hero Season 4. However, it may return for another season. Considering the ending teaser, there’s a sign that the studio house might be planning to return in the following season. And that is why it has teased something on the horizon. Besides this, the anime has also been highly critically acclaimed. It has received 7.9 stars out of 10 on IMDb. While it gained quite a low reception on IMDb, it has been highly praised on MyAnimeList, earning 8 out of 10 and 4.7 out of 5 on Crunchyroll. Thus, there’s a possibility that the next season will return.
Is There Enough Source Material?
As of now, nothing is confirmed. But the third season ended with a cliffhanger, hinting the storyline could be explored in season 4. However, several animes never revived, even though they ended on a cliffhanger. The series has been an adaptation of a light novel initially published as a web novel. It started serializing in 2012 and is currently ongoing. At present, the light novel has 22 volumes. Thus, there’s ample source material to return with The Rising Of The Shield Hero Season 4.
Further, considering the LN is currently ongoing, the anime may return with more seasons. The last season has covered till volume 12. So, ten volumes are left to explore, hinting at three more seasons on the horizon. Again, the studio house has yet to make an official announcement. But if The Rising Of The Shield Hero Season 4 returns, it will cover volumes 13 and 14. Speaking of its possibility to return, the LN sold over 3.3 million volumes in December 2018. That was later doubled by April 2019. So, considering the massive success of the LN and manga series, it is unlikely that the studio won’t return with another season.
Per reports, the LN and manga series sales also increased by 1.2 million copies in just two months. That is mainly because of the success of the anime series. Kinema Citrus might consider this and soon return with The Rising Of The Shield Hero Season 4. However, for that, the fans have to wait a little. This is because there are no official words from the studio house.
Will Kinema Citrus Return To Produce The Anime?
Kinema Citrus Co. Ltd was founded on March 3, 2008. The former members of Production I.G. and Bones founded the animation studio. Since the studio house has been producing The Rising Of The Shield Hero, it will likely return to produce the next season as well. But there’s a catch! The production house only produces one or two animes per year. Since Cardfight!! Vanguard Will + Dress is slated to return, but it may delay The Rising Of The Shield Hero Season 4 return. This is because the former series is considered the D Series, and the first two seasons will be dropped in January 2024.
It will return with another installment of the same franchise marked as the fourth and fifth seasons in mid-2024. It does not end there! Cardfight!! Vanguard Divine Z‘s seventh, eighth, and ninth seasons are slated to debut around mid-2024, early 2025, and mid-2025, respectively. Hence, it’s enough to sum up that the production house is busy producing giant productions. It hinders the chance of The Rising Of The Shield Hero Season 4 to return sooner than expected. But if the production house decides to produce two big banners together, then the audience will get a chance to see the next season of The Rising Of The Shield Hero.
Should The Anime Return?
While the anime is considered a big banner project, the pilot season failed to impress the audience. Thus, many speculated that the next season might not be a possibility. However, Redditors believe something else. Many called the anime worth watching. Although the pilot season wasn’t much appreciated, the second and third seasons raised the bar. A Redditor commented, “Season 3 was worth watching if only the scene of Murder Clown slowly walking away.” Another user commented, “Season 2 second half was decent, but Season has been even better” so far.
Considering the animation and narration have been improved with seasons, the studio can return with a bang with The Rising Of The Shield Hero Season 4. But again, the renewal decision is currently in the studio’s hands. However, we will update you shortly after learning the official news.
The Rising Of The Shield Hero Season 4: What To Expect Next?
The third season’s final episode mentioned a little more about Raphtalia’s background. Further, Naofumi was seen training with the Dragon Vein. He later helped the rest of his party to train with the Vein. Since the finale ended on such a note, The Rising Of The Shield Hero Season 4 will likely focus on Naofumi’s next quest. He and his party will head to Q’ten Lo, where they will encounter several traps galore and assassins. This will be an excellent chance for them to use Vein.
Further, the fourth season will set Raphtalia in the protagonist-like role. It will explore more about her origin and why she has been living a low-key lifestyle. After learning she is a princess, things will entirely change. However, she is currently in a miserable position. This is because the assassins are aiming to execute her. Besides this, the fourth season will also witness the next threat. Don’t forget the Phoenix is still lurking. So, Naofumi and his party will face several complications to defeat the biggest threat. However, after finishing Phoenix, the protagonist and his team will set to their next mission – Guardian Beast.
The Rising Of The Shield Hero Season 4: Release Date
As said earlier, the studio house has yet to announce season 4 of The Rising Of The Shield Hero. Thus, it remains unclear when the series will return. But if the studio decides to start production this year, it will take almost 12 months to wrap up the animation work. Considering this timeframe, The Rising Of The Shield Hero Season 4 will be released sometime in early 2025. This is all for now. Stay tuned. TechRadar247 will keep you updated.