The Rising of the Shield Hero has returned in the spring 2022 anime season for another fresh adventure in the far-off kingdom of Melromarc and its surrounding lands. By now there's a lot for fans to keep track of, including who the heroes and villains are. The cast of characters is bigger than ever.

Protagonist Naofumi Iwatani has more than nameless skeleton warriors and slime critters to fight in this isekai adventure. He must also face off against rival Heroes who are fighting for the sake of their own worlds -- including the scythe-wielding villain L'Arc Berg, who has already crossed blades with Naofumi's party once. Who is L'arc exactly, and what can he do? Here's the full scoop.

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The Origins, Mission & Abilities Of L'Arc Berg

L'Arc with theresia

L'Arc Berg is not from the kingdom of Melromarc, the neighboring nation of Siltvelt or anywhere else on the world map that the unfortunate hero Naofumi has yet seen. Rather, L'Arc and his trusted companion Theresia Alexanderite are actually from a world beyond the interdimensional Waves, a mysterious homeland that future seasons of Shield Hero may explore in greater detail.

Incidentally, this is the same world from which the fan-slinging, kimono-wearing villain Glass originates, though these two characters have very different styles of dress. This suggests that L'Arc's homeworld has more than one nation and culture and is far from homogeneous. If so, that makes it similar to the world in which Melromarc is found, which also has rich diversity.

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L'Arc is more than a cannon fodder soldier or archer in Shield Hero. He is a proper Vassal Hero who wields a fancy scythe, which makes him similar to the four Cardinal Heroes. Unlike them, however, L'Arc seemingly was not summoned from Earth as an isekai adventurer but is fully native to the world from which the Waves originate, making him more similar to Raphtalia or Filo in that regard. Unlike the Cardinal Heroes, who had to hurry and train with their weapons upon arriving in Melromarc, it's likely that L'Arc has been training as the scythe Hero of his homeworld for many years, which should give him an edge.

Highly effective with his expert speed, strength, technique and intuition, L'arc is able to take on Naofimi's entire adventurer party and the Cardinal Heroes in battle with only a single companion of his own, Theresia, to back him up. Individually, L'Arc almost definitely outclasses the Cardinal Heroes, and is even more effective when he uses wind-based scythe moves -- similar to what Filo can do with her wings. Then, when Theresia backs him up with her elemental magic via her jewel, L'Arc becomes nigh-unstoppable in battle.

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L'Arc Berg's Role In Shield Hero So Far

L'Arc with theresia 2

L'Arc Berg has made only a token appearance so far in Rising of the Shield Hero, but that was enough to make a strong impression and establish most of the basic details of his role in the story. He and Theresia were introduced together as the brief "Cal Mira" story arc began, with L'Arc introducing them to Naofumi aboard the ship headed to Cal Mira archipelago. L'Arc was soon established as a generous and proactive fellow who thought highly of Naofumi, to the point he didn't believe Naofumi was the Shield Hero due to the dark "devil of the Shield" rumors going around.

L'Arc and Theresia fought alongside Naofumi's party to grind XP and level up during the Cal Mira beach event, but when the Wave arrived, he and Naofumi soon found themselves on opposite sides. L'Arc fought alongside Glass and Theresia against the Cardinal Heroes, deeming all of them except Naofumi to be weak and foolish -- which the Cardinal Heroes took offense to. He also explained how he's bound by duty to slay the four Cardinal Heroes to save his own world.

Naofumi won't just surrender and die to him, but surely a part of him understands L'Arc's position, which might pave the way to a cease-fire or reconciliation in future episodes. The two have gone their separate ways for now, but when they next cross paths in Shield Hero, things might be different. Naofumi could sure use a break, at least.

The Rising of the Shield Hero is available for streaming on Crunchyroll and Hulu.