Everyone's bad side comes out in the latest episode of Shield Hero.

Warning: The following contains spoilers for the Rising of The Shield Hero Season 3, Episode 4, “The Operation to Capture the Spear Hero”, now streaming on Crunchyroll.

Although this is merely the fourth episode of the third season, it is actually the 43rd episode of this series as a whole. That means there’s more than enough content available to properly analyze the character development in this series.

Broadly speaking, the path of character development in Rising of the Shield Hero can be separated into three categories. Those who have steady growth, those who are on a downward spiral, and those who are stubbornly stagnant. To make things easier to understand, each category will be represented by some of the notable characters in the series.

A Steady Growth: Naofumi and Raphtalia

When it comes to character development, the most common path is to craft a slow and steady growth for the characters following the progression of the story. So let’s say the protagonist begins as a weak character. As the story progresses, he gradually gets stronger until eventually he becomes the most powerful character in the story. This kind of progression doesn’t always involve physical strength, gradual changes for the better can also happen to the character’s behavior, perspective, and even mental health.

Naofumi and Raphtalia are the perfect examples of this type of character development. At the beginning of the series, both of them are weaklings who couldn’t do anything by themselves. Not only that, Naofumi was betrayed right from the start and turned into a bitter man who always saw the worst in everybody. Likewise, as somebody who was hunted and sold as a slave, Raphtalia was an extremely fragile girl. Furthermore, she also received terrible treatment as a slave, which made her fearful and distrustful of every human around her.

As the season progressed, both characters gradually got stronger, with Naofumi acquiring different kinds of shields while Raphtalia became much more skilled at sword fighting. Now, they are two of the most powerful beings in the entire world. Not only that, Naofumi has also outgrown his bitter outlook on life and become a much more compassionate person. Likewise, Raphtalia has also grown into a much more mature individual who dares to stand up for herself and protect those that she holds dear. They truly have grown into their roles as heroes and savior of the people.

A Downward Spiral: Ren, Itsuki, and Motoyasu

Not everybody gets better with time. Some characters get worse as the season goes on. This means the character may start as somebody who is compassionate or powerful and gradually gets weaker or more evil. When done right, this kind of character development can be much more exciting to see than the more common “steady growth” one. After all, depending on how the author crafted the story, the viewers can either see somebody who falls from grace and gets back up again or witness the birth of a ruthless villain. Both of which are fascinating to see.

The other three legendary heroes are the perfect example of this kind of character development. At the beginning of the story, Motoyasu the Spear Hero, Ren the Sword Hero, and Itsuki the Bow Hero are hailed as the saviors of humanity and the most powerful human beings on the planet. Furthermore, due to the nature of their weapons, they specialized in attacking enemies, rather than just defending like Naofumi. This made people see the three of them as the better heroes. They are brimming with confidence in their ability as fighters and in the fact that everybody loves them.

As the season progressed, however, it was clear that none of them were improving in terms of combat ability. On the contrary, the lack of practice and creativity to come up with different strategies makes them practically useless during the large-scale battle of the Waves of Calamity.

Now, Motoyasu who has always been confident in his good looks is abandoned by his party. Ren who has always looked down on people who are weaker than him was defeated during the battle with the spirit tortoise and his party was wiped out. Lastly, Itsuki who always thinks that he is the bearer of justice has to accept the fact that he is nothing more than a self-righteous brat with an overpowered weapon. As if that’s not bad enough, the people of Melromarc absolutely despise them now. How the mighty has fallen!

Stubbornly Stagnant: Malty S. Melromarc

The development of a character doesn’t always follow a linear line. It doesn’t always have to be better or becoming worse. Sometimes, a character can be so stubborn that no matter what the obstacles or life lessons that are thrown his way, he refuses to change. This can work for both good and bad characters. An upright individual can stay true to his principles no matter what kind of injustice and evil things he witnesses throughout his journey. Likewise, an evil character can stay cruel and despicable no matter how many chances he gets to be a better person. When done right, this stubbornly stagnant character can be quite interesting to follow.

The one who embodies this type of character development is none other than the first princess of Melromarc Kingdom, Malty S. Melromarc. At the start of the series, she was a despicable woman who deceived and betrayed Naofumi. As if that’s not bad enough, she also accused him of sexually assaulting her, which tainted his reputation and turned him into a bitter and resentful person. Thankfully, justice prevailed and Malty was disowned by her mother, the Queen of Melromarc, banished from the Kingdom, and forced to use a degrading name.

Now, three seasons and over 40 episodes later, Malty is still the same wicked and ruthless woman as she was at the start of this series. She leaves Motoyasu because she no longer sees any value in him, and she is about to take advantage of the currently depressed Ren while still spewing lies in every direction. A hateful and detestable person to the core, and it’s hard to imagine her changing her mind anytime soon. The story needs a stock antagonist, and that is the role that Malty perfectly and happily fulfilled.

More: The Rising of The Shield Hero: Beautiful Nadia and Her Many Secrets