The Rising of the Shield Hero is one of the darker isekai fantasy anime series around. If you want to know where to watch season 1, 2, and 3 of this series online, we can help.
This article will also show how a VPN can help you watch more anime, no matter where you are.
About The Rising of the Shield Hero
With a bitter, cynical, and angry main protagonist and a dark fantasy world, The Rising of the Shield Hero is definitely not KonoSuba.
Like many seinen series, the anime frequently deconstructs its genre. In Shield Hero, the fantasy realm is filled with untrustworthy, greedy, selfish, and just plain stupid characters.
At the beginning of the series, Naofumi is summoned as one of four Cardinal Heroes. These heroes are expected to save the world from destructive forces known as Waves. Unfortunately, the other heroes (not to mention the nobility, and local religious authorities) look down on him. To make matters worse, he gets falsely accused of rape.
With no other options, he buys a demi-human tanuki slave girl, Raphtalia. (The series excuses around slavery as a necessary evil, and Naofumi doesn’t treat Raphtalia badly, but it’s still impossible to ignore.) He also gains other followers, such as the cute shapeshifting bird Filo.
Naofumi eventually does “rise up” as he prepares to battle the Waves, and get revenge on his enemies.
Series History
The Rising of the Shield Hero started out as a light novel series by Aneko Yusagi. The first season aired in 2019, and the second season ran in 2022. Season 3 started in October 2023.
List of Places to Watch The Rising of the Shield Hero Online
- Netflix
- Crunchyroll
- Apple TV
- Amazon Prime Video
- Hulu
Note: These are all legal, licensed places to watch anime. You will find no pirates here.
Where to Watch The Rising of the Shield Hero Online
1. Netflix
Netflix in Singapore has all 3 seasons of The Rising of the Shield Hero. Unless you’re currently in the Lion City, you will need a good VPN, such as Surfshark, to watch the series.
How to Watch The Rising of the Shield Hero Anywhere in the World
This method works on both desktop PCs and mobile phones or tablets.
- Purchase (or start a free trial) of a VPN. I can confirm that Surfshark works for this purpose.
- In the settings, choose Singapore as your location.
- Fire up the VPN and wait for it to do its magic
- Once you’re connected, navigate to Netflix (browser or app)
- Search “The Rising of the Shield Hero” in the Netflix search bar and you should see the anime pop up.
Enjoy! Please note that if your Netflix library doesn’t update to reflect the country you selected in your VPN, you may have to clear the Netflix cache first and try again.
To do this on mobile, go to settings -> apps -> Netflix -> clear cache. To do this on PC, you have to clear the cache in your web browser.
I’ve had no trouble using this method and I still use Surfshark to watch anime from various Netflix country libraries daily.
Pros
- A good selection of anime and non-anime content
- Good language choices
Cons
- Geo-locked (unless you have a VPN)
Price: Basic with ads, $6.99/ month. Basic: $9.99/ month. Standard: $15.49/ month. Premium: $19.99.
Langauge: Audio: Japanese and Thai. Subtitles: English, Malay, Simplified Chinese, Indonesian, Thai, and Vietnamese.
Watch The Rising of the Shield Hero at Netflix (Singapore).
2. Crunchyroll
Crunchyroll has both seasons of the series.
Both Crunchyroll and Netflix have good language options. But whereas Netflix Singapore’s options are aimed at Southeast Asian languages (but also include English), Crunchyroll’s options are better suited for Europe, the Middle East, and the Americas.
If you are having trouble with Crunchyroll, we have some solutions which may help.
Pros
- A lot of classic and recent anime
- New anime is simulcast
- Good, if Eurocentric, language options
Cons
- May be geo-locked in some areas
Price: Free, limited viewing is possible for some shows. $7.99 for “fan” level; $9.99 for “mega fan”; and $14.99 for “ultimate fan.”
Languages: Audio: Japanese, English, German, Latin American Spanish, European Spanish, French, Italian, Brazilian Portuguese, and Arabic. Subtitles: English, German, Latin American Spanish, European Spanish, French, Brazilian Portuguese, Russian, and Arabic.
Watch The Rising of the Shield Hero Online at Crunchyroll.
3. Apple TV
If you’re a Mac, iPhone, or iPad user, you may want to watch The Rising of the Shield Hero on Apple TV. You can buy both seasons of the series on the app. Keep in mind that you are buying a permanent copy rather than renting or buying a monthly subscription.
Pros
- A decent selection of anime and non-anime content from a variety of sources
- Downloading for watching on the go is relatively easy
Cons
- Buying can be more expensive in the long run
Price: $2.99 for individual episodes. $26.99 for Season 1. $24.99 for Season 2. (If you buy individual episodes, the season price will go down.)
Languages: Japanese with English subtitles, or English dubbed (sold separately)
Watch The Rising of the Shield Hero at Apple TV.
4. Amazon Prime Video
Amazon has Season 1 of the series. Like with Apple, these are available to purchase, not to rent.
You have three options for buying episodes — the Simuldub, the Original Japanese Version, or the Uncut version. All three of these are provided by Funimation.
Each version has its own webpage, so double-check before you buy. If you prefer subtitles, you can find the Original Japanese Version here.
You can find the Simuldub here, while the Uncut version is here. Both of these are dubbed in English.
For whatever reason, Amazon divides Season 1 into two “seasons.” The first half is 12 episodes, while “season 2” contains the rest of Season 1.
Pros
- A decent selection of anime, as well as non-anime content
- SD and HD versions
Cons
- Only the first season
- Multiple webpages may be confusing
Price: $1.99 for SD episodes. $2.99 for HD episodes. $17.99 for “Season 1” SD. $26.99 for Season 1 HD. $16.99 for “Season 2” (the second half of Season 1) SD; $24.99 for HD.
Language: English dubbed, or Japanese with English subtitles.
Watch The Rising of the Shield Hero (Simuldub) at Amazon Prime Video.
5. Hulu
Hulu has the second season of the series. Dubbed and subtitled versions are separate.
Pros
- A good selection of anime and non-anime content, especially Disney
- Can bundle with Disney+, Live TV, and/ or ESPN+
Cons
- Only the second season
Price: Free trial month, then: $7.99/ month (with ads). $14.99/ month (without ads).
Languages: Japanese with subtitles, or English dubbed.
Watch The Rising of the Shield Hero at Hulu.
With this information, you should be able to watch The Rising of the Shield Hero just about anywhere.
If you see any outdated information on this guide, please let us know and we’ll update it immediately.
