The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 2 - Episode 5 Review - Kyo Ethnina Is the Villain Who Woke up the Spirit Tortoise
Warning: Spoilers ahead.
Following The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 2 - Episode 4, Naofumi’s party runs into L’arc, Therese, and Glass, the Vassal Heroes from another world. Last time they saw each other, they were fighting to the death, so it makes sense that Naofumi would be on his guard.
But L’arc explains that his party is not there to fight Naofumi this time. They’ve come to defeat the one who broke the Spirit Tortoise’s seal. They explain this person is also a Vassal Hero from their world. But the bastard is jumping to several worlds, taking the power of the Guardian Beasts in each for his own greedy purposes. The bastard would even harm the Vassal Heroes’ world. So that guy is the priority to fight right now.
L’arc recommends that Naofumi team up with them again. Naofumi refuses, but since they don’t want to fight Naofumi’s party, he lets them pass to do their own thing.
So they go their separate ways, and at first it seems L’arc’s party has found the heart of the Spirit Tortoise, what Naofumi’s group was looking for. It’s not their mission, but they try to destroy it. Unfortunately, the jerk villain made a decoy heart that just multiplies when destroyed. So of course, those fake hearts being destroyed doesn’t affect the tortoise.
Meanwhile outside, Mirelia and the other commanders discuss what comes next and where Iwatani is. Mirelia plans to encourage the morale of the soldiers who will fight the tortoise if it revives.
With Ost’s direction, they locate the true heart. But they also meet Kyo Ethnina, the asshole villain, or a hologram of him. After he does his villain talk, he disappears, and the heart’s eyes open, activating its defenses.
Although it clearly hurts Ost, Filo and Raphtalia attack the heart and destroy it. Blood from the heart gushes everywhere.
Rishia cries over Ost’s body, thinking she’s died. But Ost wakes up. Meaning the Spirit Tortoise isn’t dead yet either.
For some reason, destroying the heart awakened Ost’s memories completely. She is able to say a spell that opens a path to the tortoise’s “deepest depths.” Where the tortoise’s core resides. This is right before the Spirit Tortoise revives completely.
In the deepest depths, Naofumi’s party runs into Kyo. Probably the real one this time. And Kyo explains that Ost is connected to the core of the Spirit Tortoise. If they just killed Ost to begin with, they could have prevented those soldiers from dying in the attack two episodes ago. This explains Ost’s guilt when the surviving soldiers were kind to her.
Like last time, this episode was poorly paced and directed. This season has been a lot weaker than the first.
