The Rising of the Shield Hero season 3: Release date and time, cast, plot, and more

The Rising of the Shield Hero season 3 had been greenlit even before the second season of the anime had aired. Thus, fans were hoping for it to be dropped soon. Fortunately, only a year since the second season's airing, The Rising of the Shield Hero is now set to release its third season this October in the Fall 2023 anime season.

The Rising of the Shield Hero is an anime series that is adapted from the light novel series of the same name, written by Aneko Yusagi. Following the anime's premiere, the series' rising popularity led to a manga for the same being created, the art for which was illustrated by Aiya Kyu.

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The Rising of the Shield Hero season 3 might see Naofumi attempt to rebuild his land in Melromarc

Release date and time

Naofumi Iwatani as seen in The Rising of the Shield Hero season 3 (Image via Kinema Citrus)

The Rising of the Shield Hero season 3 is set to premiere on Friday, October 6, 2023, at 9 pm JST. That said, due to the varying time zones, the anime will premiere at different times worldwide.

The release times for The Rising of the Shield Hero season 3 episode 1 in different time zones are as follows:

• Pacific Standard Time: 4 am, Friday, October 6
• Central Standard Time: 6 am, Friday, October 6
• Eastern Standard Time: 7 am, Friday, October 6
• British Standard Time: 1 pm, Friday, October 6
• Central European Time: 2 pm, Friday, October 6
• Indian Standard Time: 5:30 pm, Friday, October 6
• Philippine Standard Time: 8 pm, Friday, October 6
• Australian Central Standard Time: 9:30 pm, Friday, October 6

Additionally, the streaming website could also delay the anime's English-subtitled version in international countries, similar to how Crunchyroll has been doing for Jujutsu Kaisen season 2. Thus, fans will have to keep an eye on the release times when the anime drops for future reference.

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Where to watch the anime

Naofumi's party as seen in The Rising of the Shield Hero season 3 (Image via Kinema Citrus)

The Rising of the Shield Hero season 3 will be available to watch on several Japanese television networks like AT-X, TOKYO MX, SunTV, and TV Aichi on Fridays. Meanwhile, KBS Kyoto and BS NTV will air the episodes on Saturdays.

At the same time, the anime series will be available to exclusively stream on Crunchyroll in international countries. However, the regions for the same haven't been confirmed till now.

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Cast members

Fohl as seen in The Rising of the Shield Hero (Image via Kinema Citrus)

The Rising of the Shield Hero season 3 is set to reprise their voice cast members from the previous seasons. That said, there are a few new members, who will be voicing the new characters that will appear in the upcoming story arc.

Ami Koshimizu will be voicing Nadia. She has previously voiced Kallen Stadtfeld / Kallen Kouzuki in Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion and Midori Yamanishi in Hyouka. Meanwhile, Kōhei Amasaki will be voicing Fohl. He has previously voiced Neito Monoma in My Hero Academia and Edward of Westminster in Requiem of the Rose King.

Further, Konomi Kohara will be voicing Atla. She previously voiced Akane Tachibana in Classroom of the Elite and Chika Fujiwara in Kaguya-sama: Love is War. Lastly, Maria Naganawa will be voicing S'yne. She has previously voiced Platelet in Cells at Work! and Alicia in The Detective is Already Dead.

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Staff members

Naofumi as seen in The Rising of the Shield Hero (Image via Kinema Citrus)

Hitoshi Haga was responsible for storyboarding five episodes and directing four episodes in the anime's first season. He is returning to the series as its director for the third season, taking over the role from Masato Jinbo, who directed the second season.

Fans will be happy to learn that the other staff members are the same as the ones for the second season. The only additions are Alfredo Sirica and Natalie Jeffrey, who joined the team as the new music composers.

Additionally, the anime already announced the opening and ending theme songs for The Rising of the Shield Hero season 3. The opening theme is titled Sin and is performed by MADKID. Meanwhile, the ending theme is titled Suki ni Natte wa Ikenai Riyū and is performed by Chiai Fujikawa.

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What to expect from The Rising of the Shield Hero season 3?

Vassal Heroes as seen in The Rising of the Shield Hero (Image via Kinema Citrus)

The Rising of the Shield Hero season 3 will see the three heroes - Itsuki Kawasumi (Bow Hero), Ren Amaki (Sword Hero), and Motoyasu Kitamura (Spear Hero) vanish. Hence, the Shield Hero—Naofumi Iwatani—may be tasked with locating the other three vassal heroes.

In the meantime, Naofumi will also be planning to rebuild his land in Melromarc. As part of this, he plans to free all the slaves in the country. However, the slave trader informs Naofumi that most of the slaves have been relocated to a place called Zeltoble.

There, Naofumi and his party are set to take part in a bloodsport that will see them disguise themselves. This is where they will meet the new characters that are set to appear in the upcoming season.