Have you been enjoying Aneko Yusagi’s The Rising of the Shield Hero (Tate no Yūsha no Nariagari)? The isekai series has been wildly popular with fans, especially with the anime series that was licensed by Crunchyroll and Funimation.
Now a new cooking-themed spin-off has been launched entitled The Menu of the Shield Hero (Tate no Yūsha no Oshinagaki) by Kadokawa‘s Comic Walker website this past Wednesday. It’s just the thing for fans of the series who are also foodies.
Mangaka Amamichi Akano illustrates the manga which focuses on the cooking and food aspect of the series. In the first chapter of the new series, the main character Naofumi uses his skills to cook a hunted monster into a meal for Raphtalia (best girl). The next chapter is scheduled to be released on September 21. I’m hoping there’s going to be an anime release of this spin-off, even if it’s just a bunch of one-off short episodes.
Who is Naofumi Iwatani, the Shield Hero?
The Rising of the Shield Hero first premiered in 2012 as a Japanese online light novel by Aneko Yusagi. It was later adapted into a manga series by Aiya Kyū and published by Media Factory. In 2015, it was licensed by One Peace Books and published in English and later on in 2019, an anime television series was released by Kinema Citrus. The anime itself was licensed in North America in a partnership between Crunchyroll and Funimation.
The story follows Naofumi Iwatani who finds himself transported from Japan into a fantasy world with three other young men to become Legendary Heroes and save this new world. Each of these heroes was given a special legendary weapon such as a sword, spear, and bow. Naofumi just so happened to be given the Legendary Shield which is defensive equipment and was very much looked down upon.
His luck turns even worse after his only companion was revealed to be the Kingdom’s princess, who ends up betraying him, stealing all his possessions, and even falsely accuses him of assault. Now alone and bitter, Naofumi must make his way in a world he doesn’t even want to be in.