Character of the Month: Naofumi Iwatani

Greetings, fabulous people of the Internet!  Hanime on Anime here and it’s that time once again to unveil this month’s Character of the Month.  This month’s pick I found was a little interesting as, honestly, I don’t think there was that much difference in the options I had to pick, though that’s in regards to both character’s personalities than anything.  But this month’s character did in fact have an ace that made it stand out.  Anyway, let’s stop rambling here and talk about Character of the Month of June, Naofumi Iwatani from The Rising of the Shield Hero!

Naofumi gets sent to a fantasy world as the series opens once upon every overused isekai story.  However, the young man finds himself hated and unwelcome, even being accused of a very serious crime which has him cast out.  This causes him to be bitter and angry at the new world he’s been summoned to.  Things start to change though when he meets a demi-human named Raphtalia and makes her his partner.  Soon, Raphtalia becomes a skilled warrior, and she and Naofumi quickly become capable fighters against the mysterious inter-dimensional storms known as “the waves.” However, with Naofumi still seen as the bad guy, becoming the renowned hero he should be won’t be easy.

So yeah, like I said, between Naofumi and Jotaro (my second option for this month’s title, by the way), there wasn’t that much difference between characters when it comes to their natural angst.  Heck, even though I’m not entirely caught up with the series, I can’t help but feel like Naofumi doesn’t really grow that much as a character.  But what sold Naofumi for me as this month’s pick as opposed to Jotaro was the situation he’s put in.  This is some poor kid who gets whisked away to some strange new world only to be looked down upon and disrespected by the masses. Then out of nowhere he gets accused of raping the princess of the kingdom.  You’d be understandably distressed and pissed off if you found yourself in this situation.  On top of that, the events from the first episode stick with you throughout the series, so much so that even one moment of him being put down sends you into a rage In fact, there was one particular moment I mentioned in my video review where I myself raged over one of the show’s earliest episodes.  It also makes it all the more rewarding when you watch him receive any kind of praise or respect.  I will also say (spoilers) that the season so far comes to a satisfying end as we finally watch Naofumi get his day as the people who wrongly accuse him in the beginning of the series get put on the stand for their crimes.  So yeah, Jotaro is certainly not a bad character, but maybe he would have gotten my vote if he weren’t in the usually guy saves damsel in distress scenario (though I’m still holding out for Diamond is Unbreakable).  So keep on, shield on, and know that two waifus love you, Naofumi Iwatani, cause you’re Hanime on Anime’s Character of the Month of June!

There won’t be anything special coming up except for more awesome video reviews, so stay tuned next week for another new review!

-Hanime on Anime