Will there be a 3rd season of The Rising of the Shield Hero?

The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 2 has now officially concluded. While Shield Hero Season 2 was largely criticised, fans are still hopeful for what might come next. Here's The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 3’s release date, countdown, where to watch and everything else we know about the upcoming series.

Related: From Where Should You Start Reading Rising of the Shield Hero After the Anime?

What Will The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 3 Cover?

Very little has been confirmed regarding the third season of The Rising of the Shield Hero. However, it’s assumed season 3 will focus on the Fallen Heroes arc of the light novel.

Shield Hero Season 2 concluded the New World Arc, where Naofumi’s group go into Kyo’s world.

After the New World Arc, there is more time for Naofumi to 'relax' back in Melromarc.

One of the criticisms of Shield Hero Season 2 was that it skipped scenes like this that took place before the Spirit Tortoise Arc in the novels, so it remains to be seen how much of this will be animated.

That relaxation is followed by the Fallen Heroes Arc, which is likely to be the centrepiece of Season 3. Here, attention in the aftermath of the Spirit Tortoise turns to the other heroes who were left defeated and humbled by events.

A poster released for The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 3 with the headline "heroes and their regrets" appears to confirm that the Fallen Heroes Arc will be the main focus of Season 3:

The next season of The Rising of the Shield Hero should see much more focus placed on the other three heroes who can be found in various states of distress after events in season 2.

For fans of the psychological side of Shield Hero’s early episodes and its theme of redemption, the third season holds plenty of promise.

How much of this is covered in Shield Hero’s third season depends on the confirmed number of episodes. However, assuming it’s a single-cour, I would expect the third season to focus on completing this arc.

Related: The Strongest Characters in The Rising of the Shield Hero, Ranked

The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 3 Release Date

There is no official confirmation regarding when The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 3 will be released. However, fans are hopeful of it arriving sometime in 2023.

Both Shield Hero Season 2 and Season 3 were announced together at Crunchyroll Expo in 2019, which first fuelled speculation that the two seasons would be linked in some form.

Fans were surprised that The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 2 only had 13 episodes, compared to the first season’s two-cour run. This change led to speculation that the second and third seasons would be working in tandem, almost acting like a single split-cour season, with Season 3 also appearing this year.

However, the conclusion of Shield Hero Season 2, while teasing new characters for season 3, did not announce any release window.

Compare that to Spy x Family, another Spring series whose second cour was immediately confirmed for Fall 2022.

You may also want to consider how stacked the Fall 2022 anime window is right now, with Spy x Family, My Hero Academia and, potentially, Chainsaw Man all airing.

Crunchyroll, who had input into Shield Hero's production before, may wish to see the series appear in another season to spread their viewership.

With all this considered, fans of The Rising of the Shield Hero will likely need to wait until Winter 2023 at the earliest for more adventures with Naofumi and co.

Of course, this is all just speculation right now. As both Shield Hero Season 2 and Season 3 were announced together, we should hear rumours or confirmation of a more concrete release window soon.

Perhaps we will hear more at the upcoming Crunchyroll Expo in August? A Shield Hero panel has been announced, so if there are any meaningful reveals, we will update this page.

The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 3 COUNTDOWN

It’s impossible to provide a countdown to The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 3 until a release window is announced. When we hear any news, we’ll update this page.

Where to Watch The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 3

It’s almost guaranteed that you’ll be able to watch The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 3 on Crunchyroll due to their investment in the series.

The popular anime streaming service is recognised as part of the production committee on the first season of Shield Hero after they suggested it for adaptation. The second and third seasons were also announced at Crunchyroll’s Expo event.

The second season premiered on AT-X in Japan.

How Many Episodes Will The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 3 Have?

The episode count for The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 3 has not been confirmed. However, it’s expected that Shield Hero Season 3 will have 13 episodes, the same number as Season 2.

Again, a large reason for this expectation is the fact that seasons 2 and 3 were announced together. If they somewhat follow each other, then it’s unlikely Shield Hero Season 3 will be more than a single-cour run.

A single-cour run may also be suggested following the somewhat negative reaction to Shield Hero Season 2 from some fans. Although, it’s unlikely such reactions would influence a season that, we assume, is pre-planned.

Of course, once we get any official confirmation, we’ll update this page.

Related: Naofumi’s Strongest Shields in The Rising of the Shield Hero Ranked

What Studio is Producing The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 3?

Kinema Citrus will be the studio producing The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 3, continuing after their work on all previous seasons. However, after Shield Hero Season 2 was roundly criticised, the studio announced some early staff changes for the third season.

In short, it looks like Kinema Citrus is turning towards staff from their more acclaimed psychological-adventure series Made in Abyss.

Season 3 of The Rising of the Shield Hero will be directed by Hitoshi Haga, who is currently assistant director on Made in Abyss Season 2. Haga becomes the third director for the series, as the first two seasons also had separate directors.

It has also been announced that Kevin Penkin will be working on the music for Shield Hero Season 3. Penkin provided the music for the first season but is renowned for his work leading the Made in Abyss soundtrack.

These staff changes could be incredibly smart by Kinema Citrus. As mentioned above, the third season of Shield Hero is expected to be much more psychological than season 2.

Made in Abyss is a fantastic example of dark and emotional fantasy storytelling. If Shield Hero can learn from what Made in Abyss has achieved for the Fallen Heroes arc, we could be in for a special series.

Of course, when more news or information regarding The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 3 is announced, we’ll update this page. For now, all we can do is wait!

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