After a tumultuous second season, The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 3 saw the isekai anime return to its best. Demand remains high for Shield Hero Season 4 but is it realistic to expect a sequel anytime soon?
Shield Hero's second and third seasons followed quickly one after the other. However, fans shouldn't expect the fourth season to follow at a similar speed.
Related: The Strongest Characters in The Rising of the Shield Hero Anime So Far
The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 4: What's the Latest News?
The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 4 has officially been confirmed. The news was revealed on the show's X page alongside the above visual.
According to correspondents with Anime News Network, Crunchyroll has confirmed they will continue airing the series.
Various members of the cast and staff have spoken on X about the fourth season, but there is no confirmation yet regarding whether everyone will return.
There is also no confirmation that the next instalment is currently being produced, so the next season might still be a long way away for fans.
Shield Hero's Success Meant Season 4 Was Always Likely
Despite a slight delay between the end of Season 3 and news on Season 4, the last season suggested a follow-up was never in serious doubt.
The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 3's finale offered a faint teaser of the number three on the show's logo fading out, but no number 4 appeared in its place.
From almost the very first episode, The Rising of the Shield Hero has a mixed history of reviews and criticism. However, it has also been one of the most popular isekai anime of the last five years, and that came through again in season 3.
On the popular anime site MyAnimeList, Shield Hero Season 3 was the third-most followed seasonal release during Fall 2023, with more members than The Eminence in Shadow Season 2 and The Apothecary Diaries.
Kadokawa has also spoken previously about isekai anime like Shield Hero being a big part of anime's expansion into overseas markets. Isekai stories tend to be equally or more popular overseas compared to domestically.
Similar series, such as Overlord, TenSura, and Eminence in Shadow, are all achieving success with both TV series and film adaptations.
With all this in mind, there was always likely to be enough appetite for the decision-makers to commission another season of Shield Hero.
There are also no issues for Shield Hero when it comes to adaptable storylines. Season 3 adapted the Fallen Heroes Arc of the light novels (including the Justice Arc), which ends with volume 12 of the light novel.
The Rising of the Shield Hero currently has 22 volumes, not including spin-offs such as The Reprise of the Spear Hero, meaning the series is only around halfway through the main story!
When to Expect Shield Hero Season 4: Release Date Predictions
There has been no official announcement regarding The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 4's release date. However, if we were to predict based on what's happened previously, it's probably best to not expect anything until mid or late 2025.
Shield Hero Season 3 premiered in October 2023, 16 months after the end of season 2 (June 2022). However, both series were announced at the same time in September 2019, three months after the end of the first season.
It would be a surprise if there were three years between Shield Hero Season 3 and Season 4, as seen between Season 1 and Season 2. For one, a delay prior to season 2 was part of the reason for that gap.
However, the gap between the third and fourth seasons is expected to be as long, if not longer, than the gap between seasons 2 and 3.
While Shield Hero Season 4's January teaser may spark hope of a 2024 release, bear in mind that a similar teaser for Season 3, seen below, was released in August 2022, 14 months before that season was released (October 2023):
Given that they have called the Season 4 teaser an "Ultra Teaser Visual", it's probably best to temper expectations and not expect to see more Shield Hero until next year.
Shield Hero Season 4 Cast & Staff News
There is no confirmation yet regarding the staff or cast of Shield Hero Season 4. However, many members of the team have commented on the fourth season announcement, so expect to see some continuity.
While Kinema Citrus has produced each season of Shield Hero, the staff has frequently changed. Each season so far has had a different director, while Season 3 also had a staff overhaul in other areas such as the music.
It's expected that the voice actors will not change for the fourth season. The VAs for Naofumi, Raphtalia and Filo delivered the news of the fourth season on Shield Hero's radio show, which also featured messages from other cast members.
Rest assured, whenever key news on the next stage of Naofumi's journey is released, we'll update this article.
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