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Where to Start Reading The Rising of the Shield Hero's Light Novel & Manga After the Anime


Reading Rising of the Shield Hero After Anime Raphtalia

After a tough second season, Shield Hero Season 3 has been warmly received by fans! If you can't wait for more, here's where to start reading The Rising of the Shield Hero’s source material after the anime!

Discover: The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 4: Everything We Know!

What Light Novel Volume Should You Start Reading After the Shield Hero Anime?

If you want to pick up Shield Hero's light novels after season 3, you can start from volume 13.

Shield Hero Season 3 covered the Fallen Heroes Arc, which spans volumes 10 to 12 of the light novel. The Coliseum tournament at the beginning of Season 3 is the main event of volume 10, with the rest of the season covering volumes 11 and 12.

The Rising of the Shield Hero Volume 13 covers Naofumi and the crew's invasion of Q'ten Lo following attempts by the country to eliminate Raphtalia, something teased at the end of season 3.

The second season adapted two arcs: the Spirit Tortoise Arc, starting from volume 6, and the New World Arc, which started in volume 8. Season 2 ended with volume 9, which covers the latter stages of season 2, which covers Yomogi joining the cause against her childhood friend Kyo.

However, it’s important to note that Shield Hero Season 2 was largely criticised for skimming through key moments, especially in the Spirit Tortoise Arc.

Volumes of The Rising of the Shield Hero light novel can be purchased in digital and paperback forms from most major bookstores. The series is published in North America by One Peace Books.

Related: Will There Ever Be The Rising of the Shield Hero Volume 23?

Shield Hero Manga Fans Need to Wait Before Reading After the Anime

Where to Start Reading Rising of the Shield Hero Manga After Anime
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Unfortunately for manga fans, The Rising of the Shield Hero's anime adaptation is ahead of the manga adaptation.

The Shield Hero manga series is a fellow adaptation of the light novels by Aiya Kyū, first published in February 2014. Unlike many popular series, chapters of Shield Hero's manga are released monthly.

Shield Hero Season 2 ended in chapter 88 of the manga, which was published around the same time as that season's finale.

However, because manga chapters are published once per month and multiple chapters are adapted per episode, the anime has now comfortably overtaken the manga.

At the time of writing, the latest manga chapter published – chapter 102 – adapts the latter stages of the Coliseum tournament, roughly equivalent to episode 3 of the third season.

At the current pace, it's likely to be over a year until the manga covers the end of season 3. By that time, Shield Hero Season 4 might not be far away.

As with the light novel, you can purchase volumes of The Rising of the Shield Hero’s manga both in paperback and digital formats from most major bookstores. One Peace Books is also the manga's publisher.

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For more articles like this, take a look at our Anime, Manga, and The Rising of the Shield Hero pages.