The Rising of the Shield Hero has garnered a reputation for being one of the darker, grittier isekai fantasy series out there, setting itself apart from more optimistic series like Reincarnated as a Slime or humorous series such as Trapped in a Dating Sim. The Shield Hero anime has plenty of bright spots too, but overall, the anime is mainly defined by its dark plot twists and equally dark characters.
Such a character may be dark for external or internal reasons, such as an innocent person who suffered a horrible fate for no good reason or someone who is naturally cynical, cruel, abusive, or callous. With all that in mind, it becomes clear who Shield Hero's darkest characters are, some of them being tragic victims and others being the cause of that suffering.
10 Naofumi Iwatani Is The Shield Edgelord
The protagonist himself, Naofumi Iwatani, is both praised and teased by the anime community for being such a brooding, grouchy "edgelord" of a character, someone who takes his own darkness rather seriously. It's not entirely his fault, though, given how he was unfairly ostracized for being the "Shield devil."
Naofumi made the most of his dire situation, but he can't shake off the darkness that clings to him. He can be a pretty grim antihero at times, from his questionable patronage of the slave trade to his borderline callous treatment of the people whom he works for or saves.
9 Raphtalia's Life Was Shattered, Then Rebuilt
Naofumi's first true ally, the lovable Raphtalia, is dark for a purely external reason. Raphtalia is a kind and brave person in her own right, but she can't help it if terrible things keep happening to her and the people whom she loves.
Raphtalia's hometown of Lurolona was raided and wrecked by slavers, and Raphtalia endured abuse and imprisonment at Idol Rabier's hands before she was sold to a slaver. From there, Naofumi bought her and after a rough start, they became friends. However, she couldn't save the life of her dear friend, Rifana.
8 Rifana Didn't Survive In Captivity
Raphtalia's good friend, Rifana, was once a happy and cheerful girl who didn't have a care in the whole wide world. Then the Melromarc slavers arrived, and Rifana's life took a horribly dark, and permanent, turn. Rifana and Raphtalia tried to support one another in captivity, but it didn't entirely work.
Tragically, Rifana died after extensive torture in Idol Rabier's dungeons, and there wasn't a thing Raphtalia could have done to save her. Rifana was a kind and innocent soul who was snuffed out too soon, but at least Raphtalia will keep her alive in her memories.
7 The Slave Trader Has No Shame
Little is known about the slave trader character, not even his actual name. However, his grim occupation and his total lack of shame mark him as one of Shield Hero's darkest characters of all. What he does for a living is monstrous, but he doesn't seem the least bit bothered by it.
The slave trader treats his demi-human slaves more like precious jewels instead, viewing them only as unique items to show off to wealthy customers. Even if he was never seen physically or verbally abusing his caged slaves, his enthusiasm for this wretched institution makes him quite dark.
6 Fitoria Will Do Anything To Protect The World
The filolial queen, Fitoria, is the queen bee of the entire filolial race, and she is also the most powerful of them all by far. In fact, it's implied that Fitoria has the magical strength necessary to kill the four Cardinal Heroes herself, and if deemed necessary, she will actually do it.
As for why, Fitoria is skeptical that these four Cardinal Heroes have what it takes. Naofumi and the other three are at odds, and if they don't unite against the threat of the Waves, Fitoria will coldly kill all four of them and wait for new Cardinal Heroes to be summoned. Her grim resolve makes her rather dark.
5 Princess Malty Schemed Big, Then Lost Bigger
The eldest princess of the Melromarc kingdom, Malty, is an insidious schemer and a wielder of devastating fire-based magic. She and her father, the king, got involved in the Church of Three Heroes' plot to ruin Naofumi's heroic career, to the point that Malty made horrible but false accusations against him.
Malty's villainous and shameless nature makes her quite a dark antagonist, and she did nothing to make amends or redeem herself. She almost died for her crimes when the queen exposed her plot, and even now, Malty is mistrusted and known only by crude nicknames.
4 Biscas T. Balmus Subverts The Kind Priest Archetype
The leader of the Church, pope Biscas T. Balmus, is an example of how fiction can subvert the image of a kind, benevolent priest who uplifts people with the word of God. Instead of sharing a deity's love and compassion, Biscas is a monstrous schemer who is determined to take Naofumi down.
Biscas was a brutal monster in Shield Hero, gladly draining his followers dry of magic and risking their very lives to fuel his combat magic. In fact, he tried to kill all four Cardinal Heroes in his final battle, and only a powerful counterattack could save the day from his dark wrath.
3 Rishia Ivyred Isn't Respected Much
In Season 2, the green-haired mage girl Rishia Ivyred got kicked right out of Itsuki the Bow Hero's party since Itsuki thought she was just slowing him down. Rishia felt terrible about that, but she still had a lingering, and probably unjustified, sense of loyalty to Itsuki. That added to her anguish.
Naofumi ended up recruiting Rishia to his own party, and after undergoing some training with Elrasla, Rishia felt slightly empowered. But she still has a long way to go and tends to feel pretty down about her capabilities and her place in the world.
2 Kyo Ethnia Is Naofumi's Dark Mirror
The other worlds have their own isekai heroes, or in some cases, isekai antiheroes. One example is the book-wielding mage Kyo Ethnina, a cruel and obnoxious antagonist who likes to steal other people's powers and experiment with them. He even stole the unique magic of the Spirit Tortoise.
Kyo is a ruthless and irredeemable villain who had no positive traits, aside from his skills as a researcher. He took everyone for granted and likes to torment them with his magic and words alike, and worst of all, he acted similarly in his pre-isekai life, being a total jerk in online forums.
1 Ost Hourai Gave Her Life To Escape Fate
Ost Hourai made her debut in Season 2 before the Spirit Tortoise battle, and she died in the same story arc. Ost is not a regular human being; she is the #1 familiar of the titanic Spirit Tortoise, a being bound by the Tortoise and its destructive will. Ost had no real personal freedoms to speak of.
However, Ost did have the ability to resist her Tortoise master and ask Naofumi's party to slay the rampaging beast. In the end, Ost had to give her life to help take down the Tortoise, and though her death was tragic, this was the only way she could escape her fate and save the world.