Naofumi, Raphtalia, and Filo returned with a new mission closer to home! Here's The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 3’s release dates and everything else you need to know about the series.
While The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 2 was largely criticised, fans were generally happy with what they saw in Season 3!
The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 3 Episode 12 Release Date
The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 3 Episode 12 aired on Friday, December 22nd. The season's final episode was titled The Ones We Must Protect.
The finale delivered the smallest of teasers regarding a potential sequel. However, unlike in previous seasons, there was no direct confirmation of a Rising of the Shield Hero Season 4 at the end of the final episode.
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Shield Hero Season 3 Episode Count & Schedule
The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 3 had 12 episodes, one less than in Season 2. The episode count was revealed via the show's Blu-ray listings for the season.
New episodes were released every week. Here's a schedule showing when each episode went live:
Episode Number | Episode Name | Release Date |
|---|---|---|
Episode 1 | The Dark Coliseum | October 6 |
Episode 2 | Nadia | October 13 |
Episode 3 | The White Tiger Siblings | October 20 |
Episode 4 | The Operation to Capture the Spear Hero | October 27 |
Episode 5 | Each of Their Paths | November 3 |
Episode 6 | Where You Point Your Strength | November 10 |
Episode 7 | The Girl and the Dragon | November 17 |
Episode 8 | Dragon's Den | November 24 |
Episode 9 | Emperor Dragon | December 1 |
Episode 10 | Perfect Hidden Justice | December 8 |
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The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 3 Release Date: When Did it Premiere?
The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 3 premiered on Friday, October 6, 2023 as part of the Fall 23 anime season.
The first episode of Season 3 had already been shown at Anime Expo in early July, but wasn't widely available until October 6th.
There might have been a larger gap between Seasons 2 and 3 than some fans hoped for, but if that means the team has had more time to work on the third season, many fans will be happy!
What Did The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 3 Cover?
Season 3 of The Rising of the Shield Hero focused on the Fallen Heroes arc of the light novel series.
Shield Hero Season 2 concluded the New World Arc, where Naofumi’s group goes into Kyo’s world.
The official story intro for Season 3 was available on the Shield Hero website. It revealed that Naofumi's world is preparing for an attack from the next Guardian Beast, but the other Heroes are missing, and Naofumi's own lands need reinforcements.
Naofumi and his group set off to Zeltoble, where the original residents of Lurolona Village – the coastal town inherited by Naofumi as a sanctuary for demi-humans – were supposedly sold as slaves.
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Where to Watch The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 3
As with previous seasons, The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 3 aired on Crunchyroll.
The popular anime streaming service is recognised as part of the production committee on the first season of Shield Hero after they suggested it for adaptation.
The second and third seasons were also announced at Crunchyroll’s Expo event.
The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 3 premiered on AT-X in Japan before arriving on TOKYO MX and other channels. Aniplus Asia simulcasted the series in other Asian regions.
Same Studio but Major Staff Changes for The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 3
Kinema Citrus was the studio producing The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 3, continuing after their work on all previous seasons.
After Shield Hero Season 2 was roundly criticised, the studio quickly announced staff changes for the third season.
In short, Kinema Citrus turned towards staff from their acclaimed psychological adventure series Made in Abyss.
Season 3 of The Rising of the Shield Hero was directed by Hitoshi Haga, who was the assistant director on Made in Abyss Season 2.
Interestingly, Haga became the third director for Shield Hero, with the first two seasons also having separate directors.
Kevin Penkin worked on the music for Shield Hero Season 3. Penkin provided the music for Shield Hero's first season but is more renowned for his excellent work leading the Made in Abyss soundtrack.
One thing that didn't change in Shield Hero Season 3's production, however, was the opening and ending song artists, which remained the same as in previous seasons.
MADKID returned once more to provide the opening theme with the new single SIN. Likewise, Shield Hero Season 3's ending theme came from Chiai Fujikawa, performing The Reason I Cannot Love You.
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