Naofumi Iwatani

Naofumi was once a successful otaku University student before being summoned to Melromarc. His past experience with Malty Melromarc has made him dark and cynical, but he is still a generally nice person. He has an extremely high alcohol constitution, eating a heavily alcoholic fruit that would cause severe alcohol poisoning if ingested. Although he experiences a slow start because of the Malty incident and is on a much lower level than the other heroes, he is still able to keep up and even occasionally outshine them. Out of the heroes, he is the only one who has learned the written language because he was not given crystal balls to level up his magic abilities and had to learn from books along with Raphtalia. He is also the only one who treated the world as a world and not a game. He has learned to create medicine through recipes and scavenge for materials, something the other heroes left to their weapons. Lastly, he was the only one not killed in his old world before coming to this one. He named his village Rock Valley in spite of many objections.

Personality
Originally Naofumi was an extremely trusting and positive person, he was also enthusiastic about his situation when initially summoned, but this all changes quickly after he is betrayed by Malty. Left penniless, framed for rape, and hated, Naofumi becomes distrustful, cynical and spiteful towards the world. He becomes unable to trust anyone who is not his slave as a traveling companion and begins planning for events where people try to deceive him or rip him off. This betrayal has left him in an almost permanent state of anger and hostility, even while he usually acts calm and level headed on the surface.

His hatred for Malty is utterly without bound, to the point where he has become completely apathetic and ignorant to the advances of women in general, and even sometimes expresses disgust and hatred purely on the grounds that the other person is the same gender as Malty early on, though he never voices this to them. Due to Raphtalia and Firo, he becomes less inwardly hostile towards women over time, but is still evidently unable to notice their advances, Raphtalia herself, when her Slave Crest was being renewed, even asked him what he thought of her body, which had to be exposed for the application of the crest, only for him to completely miss the point. He was rather amazed when the Slave Merchant was willing to pay 15 gold pieces for Raphtalia after she became a beauty as well. He does however notice Atlas' feelings for him, if only because of how overwhelmingly blatant she is about showing them, and goes out of his way to have others he trusts sleep with him solely so they can kick her out of his bed when she comes by. Finally, when Firo goes into heat later in the story he was willing to do almost anything, including sacrificing the future queen herself, Princess Melty, to her lust instead, to protect himself. When his hatred was completely removed by the Wrath Dragon absorbing it, he did finally show awareness of Raphtalia's beauty, but the women around him found his suddenly happy and uplifting self so creepy that they threw him into the dragon's guts to get his hatred back.

Eventually, he recovers more of his caring side and begins treating Raphtalia like a daughter rather than a slave(she would ironically prefer he treat her more as a woman though). by the time he sets up a base of operations in Rock Valley, he is visibly kind to the slaves under his command, but not soft, as he still would not hesitate if discipline was called for. He comes to care enough about Firo to fly into a rage when he thinks she's dead, despite constantly finding her annoying. He in fact has a rather unique opinion of slavery and a very business-like outlook in general. the prime example is when he bought Raphtalia; he fed her well, gave her medicine, sheltered her, defended her from bullies and even treated her when she was good. He genuinely earns her affection through his treatment of her, to the point where she chooses to remain his slave when given the option to leave him. In his mind all of these actions were taken because they're practical, I.e. an unhealthy, unfed and half dead slave would be useless, so he genuinely can't understand why someone would neglect their treatment and health. He never mistreated or exploited any of the slaves under him and has disciplined them only when they refuse to do as ordered. This same treatment extends to literally all of the slaves he comes to own, with them even coming to treat him like a mother figure in return. According to Rishia and Ren it is even quite difficult to call them slaves, the latter even says outright that they look more like a large family.

He is also very observant, dislikes being ripped off, and will definitely not tolerate being stolen from; for example his grudge against Mald grew noticeably when he realized the man stole what was to be his new shield and made a point to personally defeat him. When merchants tried to rip him off or he saw bullies picking on Raphtalia, he sends literal monsters at them, since he himself can't attack. He can be somewhat of a sadist in this sense, to the point Raphtalia actually tried to warn those same bullies to run away.

His feelings towards the world eventually clear up, but he's still incredibly cynical, for example he will sell medicine to the rich for profit rather than give it out for free, he still buys slaves rather than trusts others, and he will treat another person's sense of justice as naive idealism. His feelings towards the other three heroes is also stained by Malty's betrayal, he accepts that he needs them to save the world, but when given the chance to kill Ren he was quick to take it. For reference, Ren is the one he hates least out of the other heroes.

When someone he hates suffers or is injured, or if he has a chance for payback, he will take it readily, much to the annoyance of Raphtalia, who would prefer he act like a prim and proper hero after his name has been cleared. He is also not above antagonizing others if he finds it amusing or if they annoy him.

Despite being coldly cynical and having a very firm belief in his methods, Naofumi is perhaps the most effective of the heroes at getting things done, he corrected the problems the other three either started or worsened, and managed to deal with the Spirit Turtle, an act which required him to cheer up the allied troops, raise their moral, organise them, and effectively lead people his past would undoubtedly put him at odds with.

Appearance
Naofumi is a roughly 20 year old young man with black hair and fairly sharp features. He has a rather slim build and a permanent scowl on his face as a result of his mistreatment and cynical outlook on the world. The armour he wears is called the Barbarian Armor, and he is always equipped with his Legendary Shield. The armour in question is noted by others to suit him, even though one would expect a bandit leader to be wearing it.

Background
Naofumi was initially the unfavourite of his parents, all the pressure of their expectations were placed upon his brother and he simply lived without having to meet these expectations. One day, when his brother started acting out because of this, it was Naofumi who introduced him to Galga themed games, and managed to provide him with a hobby to relieve his stress.

Despite being an educated student and having a number of skills under his belt, as evidenced from his ability to quickly adapt to living unaided in the world, he is noted to have had poor grades in school.

Devil of Shield Arc
c1-78

Cal Mira Island Arc
c78-114

Spirit Turtle Arc
c115-130

Slave Supremacy Arc
c131-203

Name this arc something pls
c204-357

Towards the Legend Arc
c357-378

The Christmas of Shield Hero
c379-385

After winter sets in Naofumi discovers that even in this world they celebrate Christmas.

The Valentine of Shield Hero
c386-402

The White Day of Shield Hero
c403-409

Loop 1 to 3 - Tutorial Arc
c410-414

Loop 4 - Silt Welt Arc
c415-455

Loop 5 - Melromarc Arc
c456-574

Loop 6 - Foburei Arc
c575-current

Legendary Shield Skills

 * Instant Shield (エアストシール): creates a shield at the location within sight range instantly.
 * Second Shield (セカンドシールド): Creates a second shield.
 * Change Shield (チェンジシールド): this technique allows Naofumi to turn one active shield into a different type. Namely, Naofumi can summon an Instant Shield and then change it to a Spike Shield, making a variable weapon out of it. This technique can be used for a number of combinations.
 * Portal Shield (ポータルシールド): a technique unlocked from a shield of the same name, allowing Naofumi and 6 or so allies to teleport between one of three designated locations in an instant. Requires an hour charge time after use.
 * Shield Prison (シールドプリズ): a technique whereby Naofumi creates a prison using a wall of shields around his intended target, this can be used to protect himself or detain his enemies. Initially limited to 15 seconds and rather frail compared to Eclair's attacks, Naofumi later managed to increase the shield's duration to 5 minutes and made it strong enough that Eclair cannot cut through it.
 * Iron Maiden (アイアンメイデン): Unlocked with Wrath Shield. By charging a Shield Prison with Needle Shield, Naofumi creates a powerful cage filled with violent spikes, skewering an opponent to death.


 * Blutopfer (ブルートオプファー): A technique unlocked with Wrath Shield 3, Naofumi's blood is extracted from his body in a large quantity when using this ability, it then forms a bear trap-like shape under the intended enemy and repeatedly mashes them to death. Use of this technique has the unfortunate side effect of seriously wounding its own wielder, to the point where his first use nearly killed him and his second weakened him for a full month.


 * Reflect Shield (リフレクトシールド)
 * Change Shield (Attack) (チェンジシールド（攻）)
 * Meteor Wall (アイアンメイデン) (流星壁)
 * Instant Float Mirror (エアスト・フロートミラー)
 * Second Float Mirror (セカンド・フロートミラー)

Heroes

 * Amaki Ren: Like the other heroes, Ren was initially led to believe Naofumi guilty of the charge of raping Malty, however, he was also, alongside Itsuki, one of the only people to defend Naofumi when Malty cheated to allow Motoyasu to beat him in their dual. He is also the only one of the heroes to actually believe Naofumi when he is later charged with kidnapping Princess Melty and he denies it. Neofumi considers Ren something of a loner, who runs his party like a guild and acts on his own at most times. While it can be said Naofumi does not find him as unbearable as Motoyasu or Itsuki, he still displays petty dislike of him and even tried to kill him when he succumbed to the influence of his Curse Series weapons. He does however see Ren's good side as a hero, and defends him when criticized by Raphtalia's high standards. When Ren refused to take responsibility for his actions in releasing the Spirit Tortoise and getting his comrades killed, Naofumi's opinion of him took a dive, causing him to view Ren as a selfish brat. Finally, after being freed from his Curse Series and finding himself in Naofumi's custody, Ren has begun learning from Naofumi and accepts the faults and responsibilities of his former self and past actions.
 * Kawasumi Itsuki: Naofumi's relationship with Itsuki is strained to put it politely, he dislikes how Itsuki acts solely to flaunt his pride and show off, and, like the other heroes, is quite begrudged at Itsuki for believing Malty's frame up. Later on, he did defend Itsuki from Raphtalia's criticisms by stating that Itsuki was stuck up, but would never let harm befall his allies, however, what little respect he had for Itsuki completely dissapears when Itsuki kicks Rishia out of his party for being weak. When they are reunited, Itsuki, in his cursed state, accuses Naofumi of various crimes, including partaking in slavery without rewarding said slaves and selling medicine to the rich while ignoring the poor. Naofumi comically remembers that his slaves love to eat his cooking, wondering just how unrewarded they really are in their services, and points out that he needs to make a profit, so the latter issue can't be helped.
 * Kitamura Motoyasu: Initially Naofumi believed Motoyasu played a part in framing him for raping Malty, but over time has come to realize that Motoyasu is very stupid and evidently doesn't know he's being manipulated by Malty. It was Motoyasu nearly taking Raphtalia away from him through a rigged duel which finally set Naofumi off enough to awaken the Shield of Wrath. Motoyasu tries to behave in a friendly manner towards Naofumi, despite the charges placed on him, but becomes something of a rival to him, especially with Malty's continued influence upon him. Once Naofumi's name is cleared he begins to show more of a kind side towards him, but refuses to accept it when he's told that Malty is the one who set him up. After Malty finally betrays him as well, Motoyasu completely breaks, falls completely in love(or lust) with Firo, and starts calling Naofumi Father in Law. He becomes even easier for Naofumi to manipulate, and all but swears loyalty to him.
 * Aultcray Melromarc XXXII(Trash): Naofumi hates the king, and with good reason. With his daughter Malty, the king set Naofumi up as a criminal with the charge of rape and spread the word all over his kingdom. However, given his genuine display of stupidity in believing the claims that Naofumi could brainwash people, it's also likely he just believed Malty's claims. Ultimately, the king hates the Hero of the Shield, and that just unfortunately happened to be Naofumi. When the Queen cleared Naofumi's name and allowed him to punish the king, Naofumi immediately asked for the death penalty, but was talked down to renaming the king to "Trash" and stripping him of all his rights to the throne.
 * Glass: Glass seems to consider Naofumi and his party to be worthy opponents, even asking for his name after he manages to force her to retreat during their battle(for reference, she moments before defeated the other three heroes and their respective parties, all of which are groups larger than Naofumi's party, at the same time).

Companions

 * Raphtalia
 * Firo
 * Melty Melromarc: The Second Princess initially believed her father's lies about Naofumi and hated him, she attempted to make him appologise for dishonouring her father, but was treated by him as an annoyance in return. After the Three Heroes Church tries to kill her, Naofumi becomes the only person Melty can actually rely on to save her life, as the other heroes, her sister, and her knights are all either being used by the Church or are willing participants in the conspiracy. Because of this, she has become something of a Tsundere towards him, and it's implied that her feelings for him extend beyond what she wants him to hear about. He's not above playing pranks on her, and still treats her as somewhat of an annoyance, to which he called her Firo's fiance and spread that to Motoyasu; the end result was, she destroyed his house, with him still in it. She appears to be one of the few people he trusts well enough to keep Atlas out of his bed, a task which would require her to sleep in the same bed with him, when asked, she blushed and ran away.
 * Rishia
 * Kiel
 * Gaerion
 * Taniko
 * Lato
 * Sadina
 * Fouru
 * Atlas
 * Imia
 * Rough

Allies

 * Mirelia Q Melromarc: the queen and Naofumi are on fairly good terms as business aquantances go. While he knows he's being used by her, he also knows that she needs him, so he's willing to put up with it. The fact she cleared his name and punished her husband and daughter for their mistreatment of him seems to be the crux of their relationship.
 * Elhart
 * Slave Merchant: While Naofumi considers the Merchant to be a useful ally due to his role in providing him various slaves for his growing army, he does not per say trust the man. The merchant has noted that Naofumi has good business sense, and is not an easy man to deceive, he refers to Naofumi as his favorite customer.
 * Eclair Seaetto

Enemies

 * Malty Melromarc("Bitch" and later "Witch"): Naofumi hates Malty for setting him up for the crime of raping her, this hatred grows exponentially over the series as Malty continues to antagonize him and try to add to the misery she'd already made his life into. After Malty's mother,thustomer.e Queen, clears Naofumi's name and strips Malty of her right to inherit the throne as punishment for her actions, he immediately asked that she be executed, but was talked down to renaming her "Bitch" and later "Witch" instead. Malty remains utterly unrepentant for her past actions and aims to do whatever she can to get back at Naofumi.