Naofumi Iwatani

Naofumi Iwatani is the protagonist of The Rising of the Shield Hero. A twenty-year-old Japanese college student and avid otaku, he is summoned to a parallel world to become one of the Four Legendary Heroes, wielding the Legendary Shield against the recurring Waves of Calamity.

He has short, spiky black hair and sharp green eyes, and habitually wears a scowl that reflects his cynical outlook. In battle he relies almost entirely on defense, since the Shield grants him virtually no offensive power, forcing him to depend on companions to fight in his stead.

Initially trusting and enthusiastic, Naofumi is emotionally shattered when Malty S Melromarc, the princess who joins his party, robs him and falsely accuses him of assault. Left penniless and hated by nearly everyone, he becomes distrustful and bitter, masking a near-permanent anger behind a calm exterior.

Unable to fight alone, he acquires the demi-human slave Raphtalia and later raises the filolial Filo, and through them slowly begins to heal and trust again. Fiercely protective of those he comes to care for, he gradually earns allies and stands as humanity's most dependable defense against the Waves.