Season 4 of The Rising of the Shield Hero anime series will return next month. The official website and social media accounts of the dark fantasy isekai anime announced a July 9th premiere while also sharing a new trailer and key art visual.
The upcoming fourth season will adapt volumes 13 and 14 of Aneko Yusagi's light novel series, likely concluding the Siltvelt Succession Arc and possibly covering the possibly the Heavenly Emperor Arc. These arcs consist of a more political intrigue-driven narrative as Raphtalia is revealed to be a descendant of the Siltvelt royalty, making her a target of political intrigue and assassination by the Q’Ten Lo Empire.
The trailer not only gives us a fresh look at the new season, but also previews the ending song, "Eien ni Ikkai no" ("Once in a Lifetime") by Chiai Fujikawa.
In addition to the trailer, a new visual for Season 4 was also released.
An adaptation of the light novel series, The Rising of the Shield Hero follows Naofumi Iwatani, an ordinary Japanese man who is summoned to a parallel world as one of four Cardinal Heroes. Each hero is armed with a legendary weapon to fend off waves of monsters threatening the world, with Naofumi given the only defensive weapon, a shield.
The anime adaptation, which is produced by Kinema Citrus, debuted in 2019. A second season was released in 2022, followed by Season 3 in 2023. All three of these seasons are available to stream on Crunchyroll with a synopsis that reads:
Iwatani Naofumi, a run-of-the-mill otaku, finds a book in the library that summons him to another world. He is tasked with joining the sword, spear, and bow as one of the Four Cardinal Heroes and fighting the Waves of Catastrophe as the Shield Hero.
Excited by the prospect of a grand adventure, Naofumi sets off with his party. However, merely a few days later, he is betrayed and loses all his money, dignity, and respect. Unable to trust anyone anymore, he employs a slave named Raphtalia and takes on the Waves and the world.
But will he really find a way to overturn this desperate situation?
Season 4 of The Rising of the Shield Hero is directed by Hitoshi Haga (known for his work as assistant director on Made in Abyss), with Keigo Koyanagi handling series composition. Character designs are by Franziska van Wulfen, Sana Komatsu, and Masahiro Suwa, while the music is composed by Kevin Penkin, whose credits include Tower of God.