- This article is about the anime episode titled "Raphtalia." You may be looking for the character.
Raphtalia (ラフタリア Rafutaria?) is the fifteenth episode of The Rising of the Shield Hero anime.
Synopsis[]
Raphtalia corners Rabier with vengeance in her eyes, her bloodthirsty blade reaching for his throat. Naofumi's words bring her back to her senses momentarily, and then they decide to go into the tyrant's underground torture chambers in search for possible surviving demi-humans. Returning into this horrible place after so long brings back Raphtalia's most painful memories as a slave child...
Plot[]
In the past, while some demi-human children are having some fun time in their village, a younger Raphtalia and Rifana are discussing people that they have a crush on, with Rifana stating that she wishes to meet and marry the Shield Hero. However, at that moment, a huge Catastrophe Wave opens up. Back to the present, the infuriated Raphtalia is holding her blade to Idol Rabier's throat, with the noble begging for his life. Raphtalia, however, will have none of it and intends to take revenge for her people then and there.
Rabier isn't really doing a very good job of begging for his life though, as he continues to layer insults upon Raphtalia. After some talking down from Naofumi, Raphtalia calms down, simply stating that she won't lower herself to the level of striking an unarmed man. Angered, Rabier stops "begging" and draws his sword, intending to attack; in the ensuing skirmish, he presses an advantage from Raphtalia's injured arm, disarms her, and gains an edge over her, but she rapidly counterattacks by "impaling" through him with her Mana Sword. As he steps back trying to recover from the magic wound, he starts yelling frantically that demi-humans do not deserve to live; ironically, right after this nasty statement, he trips on his own whip and falls through his window onto the courtyard below.
Naofumi, Raphtalia, Filo, Melty, and Van Reichnott venture into Rabier's underground dungeon, where Raphtalia goes ahead of the group. Flashing back once again, Raphtalia promises on her parents' graves that she will never cry again. While speaking to her surviving fellow villagers, encouraging them to work hard to rebuild their village, Melromarc soldiers march into the village, as the demi-humans thought they came from the capital to help them. Unfortunately for them, the soldiers proceed to round the survivors and cage them to sell off their children as slaves. Raphtalia and Rifana had made themselves and the other demi-human children an oath of always keeping smiling and having hopes of returning home, no matter how rough the times will be.
Raphtalia and a handful of her fellow villagers ended up under Rabier's "care." Raphtalia was the only one who escaped alive due to her inability to cry (actually, she had clung firmly to her smile oath) in the face of Rabier's torture, and thus he sent her back to Beloukas' store out of pure boredom. Before being broken apart from Raphtalia, Rifana had told her that she wanted to see her village flag again. Back to the present, Reichnott and Melty revealed they've found at least three demi-human survivors in the dungeon, one Raphtalia recognizes as Keel, a boy from her village.
Due to the dramatic change in her appearance, Keel initially doesn't recognize Raphtalia, but her reminiscence on their memories together eventually makes him remember. Naofumi uses magic to heal Keel's injuries while Raphtalia goes to search for Rifana in her cell - only to audibly cry in sadness and despair as she finds out that Rifana was long dead, only her decayed skeleton had remained. Shocked by such a gruesome scene, Melty cannot believe that such cruelty had been happening as if it was normal in Melromarc, and swears Raphtalia that she'll make sure to personally bring the captors to justice once the situation dies down. Reichnott explains to her that it had happened across the entire country and that the deceased Seaetto Lord was necessary to help them terminate all this horror. Melty recalls that her mother had entrusted her with the mission of returning to the capital to admonish her father and whoever else was engaged into this savagery, but now she feels completely powerless against this and believes that she had failed her mother.
Raphtalia, feeling angry and ashamed, starts weeping on the verge of an emotional breakdown, blaming herself for not being able to save Rifana in time, claiming self-hatred and even considering herself unworthy of walking aside the Shield Hero; Naofumi, however, calms her down by assuring her that she once pulled him off from his own darkness, and together they faced and survived many things together, growing stronger ever after, they are alive so far because of her unshakable emotional support, and the demi-human children found in the dungeon only survived because of the hopes for freedom she gave off to them. Feeling truly reinvigorated by Naofumi's kind words, Raphtalia collects Rifana's skeletal remains for a proper burial - she even has a kind of spiritual vision of Rifana in Heavens, wishing for the best for Raphtalia's life as she now walks with her beloved Shield Hero.
Outside, Naofumi asks Reichnott to calm down the raging demi-humans who went to his rescue. Unfortunately, Rabier is revealed to be near the obelisk of the courtyard, badly injured and bleeding heavily, but still alive. Holding his church's rosary, he fanatically calls for his "God" for power and dispels the powerful magic seal placed around the obelisk. Reichnott explains about the Tyrant Dragon Rex, a dinosaur-like ancient beast which the past Heroes had sealed away inside the obelisk because it was too powerful to be destroyed. The monster now released, an insanity-driven Rabier commands it to destroy the "Shield Devil," hoping that this will grant him eternal heavenly blessings - however, this had proved to be his own demise, as he is fatally crushed under the monster's stomp. Naofumi and his friends watch in horror as the creature starts rampaging uncontrollably around the town.
Characters[]
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Light Novel & Manga Differences[]
- In the manga, Raphtalia was already aware of Rifana’s death and wasn’t surprised when she found her remains. In the anime, Raphtalia did not know of Rifana’s death and was grief stricken by her death.
- In the manga, Raphtalia did not hesitate to kill Idol Rabier, she and Naofumi worked together to push Idol out of the window. While in the anime, Idol slipped on his own whip and fell to his “death”.
Gallery[]
Trailer[]
Trivia[]
- This is the third episode of the anime (after episodes 5 and 9) to be named after a character - however, while the previous episodes were the debut of their respective characters, this episode shows more of the title character's backstory.
- Melty is shown to be shocked by the horrid conditions the demi-humans had been living in Melromarc.
- The monster which was sealed by the past Heroes is revealed.
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| Season 1 | Episode 1 • Episode 2 • Episode 3 • Episode 4 • Episode 5 • Episode 6 • Episode 7 • Episode 8 Episode 9 • Episode 10 • Episode 11 • Episode 12 • Episode 13 • Episode 14 • Episode 15 • Episode 16 Episode 17 • Episode 18 • Episode 19 • Episode 20 • Episode 21 • Episode 22 • Episode 23 Episode 24 • Episode 25 | |
|---|---|---|
| Season 2 | Episode 26 • Episode 27 • Episode 28 • Episode 29 • Episode 30 • Episode 31 • Episode 32 Episode 33 • Episode 34 • Episode 35 • Episode 36 • Episode 37 • Episode 38 | |
| Season 3 | Episode 39 • Episode 40 • Episode 41 • Episode 42 • Episode 43 • Episode 44 • Episode 45 Episode 46 • Episode 47 • Episode 48 • Episode 49 • Episode 50 | |
| Season 4 | Episode 51 • Episode 52 • Episode 53 • Episode 54 • Episode 55 • Episode 56 • Episode 57 Episode 58 • Episode 59 • Episode 60 • Episode 61 • Episode 62 | |