The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 2 finale finally came to pass on Wednesday, ending a season that received a wide range of criticism. From terrible CGI to wonderful spotlight episodes, Season 2 had a weird mix of it all. But with production issue setbacks and delays, fans can now just sit back and look forward to Season 3 in the hopes that the quality from Season 1 will come back around.
Season Finale Bright Spot — Kizuna
The Season 2 finale was what most fans expected—not much of anything. Some expected that the episode would show what was happening while Naofumi was busy fighting Kyo. Instead, we received kick-back flashbacks with some of our favorite characters and moments that weren’t highlighted during the season—one of those being Kizuna’s time in the Infinite Labyrinth.
The episode really didn’t hold much value of anything other than Kizuna talking about her time in the labyrinth. While we received a glimpse of what she went through earlier in the season, this episode really gave us a solid grasp of just how much she struggled. From mentally breaking down to talking to her own version of Wilson from the movie Cast Away, it did a phenomenal job of showcasing the psychological struggle of living by yourself on a deserted island that you have no hope of escaping.
It captured the darkness that Kizuna was feeling to a T and it probably could’ve become a full episode had the season received another 12 or 13 episodes. Plus, it was also good to see Kizuna again after we thought last week would be the last time for a while.
Also Read:
The Latest Shield Hero Episode Showcased the Best of Season 2
Shield Hero Season 2 Episode 10 – Raphtalia’s New Chapter Begins
Not Much Else
Outside of Kizuna giving us some more insight into her life in the Infinite Labyrinth, this episode really didn’t provide us with anything that was necessarily needed. The ending when the four of them say goodbye to Ost one last time was a really touching moment and I was glad to see it happen. But other than that, it was either an awkward fan service moment in the first half or Yomogi monologuing about some goofy situation with Kyo in the past that adds absolutely zero importance to the story or her character.
Overall, they could’ve ended the season with episode 12, which it actually felt like they did. The Shield Hero Season 2 finale this week was simply a throw-away episode that just wrapped up the odd travesty that became Season 2. However, amidst the production issues and the multiple delays the season faced, the staff obviously did what they could with the season and that’s still to be appreciated. As always, thank you to everyone that still managed to give us another season of The Rising of the Shield Hero! Despite the problems with Season 2, I’m still very much looking forward to Season 3.
Screenshots: Crunchyroll
©2021 Aneko Yusagi / KADOKAWA / Shield Hero S2 Production Committee
