When it comes to The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 2, good and logical are not words that come to mind.

After a very good first season filled with good antagonists and a character that the whole world was cheering for, we get a very subpar short season filled with character plot holes and one of the worst disappointing antagonists I’ve seen in a while. In this post, we’ll be covering the top 5 most disappointing issues I had with this season.

1. Kyo Ethnina

God awful logic. When a character is this important and this bad, it just hurts to watch something that had a few of the best antagonists in season 1 be replaced by one of the worst characters possible. A condescending bookworm weakling that we cannot pinpoint any good reason why he became a bad guy other than being an unsuccessful fat dude that played a lot of games.

2. Ost Hourai

Gorgeously drawn with actually some great redeeming characteristics. Ost Hourai just ends up being plot device used for Naofumi’s character development. Being that she steals souls and instigate wars, we’re suppose to believe that she is a morally good character? She’s a character that has too many plot holes for me to buy into. After fighting one battle, we’re suppose to believe that Naofumi gets into this deep rage to follow Kyo to get revenge for Ost? Give me a break!

3. The Most Confusing Explanation for Naofumi’s Character Development

“It’s my choice.” That’s basically what the answer was when Naofumi, consumed in rage and lust for revenge, reverts back to a level-headed mindset. The most confusing part of this whole ordeal is that Naofumi still ends up getting revenge by killing Kyo. What hard choice did he really have to make? He still mentions that he still harbor those feelings and what does “choosing your own task” even mean? I’m having a hard time trying to connect the dots as it all seems to be convoluted for no reason..

4. Yomogi Emarl

“I knew this dude since we were kids, I’d do anything for him!”

“Wait, I thought we were killing people for the greater good?”

This is another new character with a great personality that adds a lot of humor to the show. Add in the excellent voice acting that makes this character seem that much more ditzy and air-headed—now you have another fun element that positively adds to the show. Yet, like many of the other characters, she has so many questionable plot holes to her story, it’s kind of ridiculous to even try to make sense of it. This character represents the entirety of the logic of season 2. Fast paced, watered down, flawed character backstories and motivations. The fallen grace that is The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 2 all culminates within this character Yomogi Emarl. It only took Kizuna Kazayama to invite her to her house to drink some tea to convince her that her friend for years is a terrible person. All of the sudden by episode 13, they’re like BFFs..

5. Why did the Vassal Katana Choose Raphtalia?

For 2 seasons, Raphtalia’s motivations has never wavered or changed. She’s going to be at Naofumi’s side no matter what. So, when Raphtalia gets separated from Naofumi’s party she has her own episode centered around her love for Naofumi. Maybe she was feeling jealous by all the attention Naofumi was getting by Kizuna?

So, in episode 10 when Raphtalia gains the Katana Vassal Weapon, she fortifies her beliefs in being “Naofumi’s sword” to the very end. This angers me in 2 ways: there’s nothing especially heroic about wanting to fight for your loved one and it’s for a selfish reason. I really thought the trope goes accordingly as “conveniently receiving a special power when you want to save the world.” This wasn’t about saving the world. This was about being by Naofumi’s side, who in turn wants to get revenge on Kyo. It was a weird connection that was hard to make in that episode. In the end, let’s just chop it up to “destiny,” as she did help Naofumi and the others defeat the villain.