The Rising of the Shield Hero S4 Ep 6
Fun fact about Japan: not counting how the Allies occupied it after World War II, no foreign power has ever successfully invaded it. Besides being home to a historically warrior culture, there’s also the issue of Mother Nature to deal with. Legends say that the storms that thwarted the Mongol Invasion were conjured by the gods. Gods or not, though, nothing is stopping Naofumi from getting into Q’ten Lo. They tried to kill the tanuki goddess Raphtalia, and for that, they must pay! And now that Naofumi has a ship, he’s able to bring his crew in to march on Q’ten Lo. Let the invasion begin!
…is what I would like to say. Dang weather and divine intervention.
Q’ten Lo, Q’ten Ho!
Having returned to Melromarc in triumph, Naofumi meets with Queen Mirella to tell her that Siltvelt will be much more cooperative from now on. In return, she reveals what I already told you: Atla and Fohl’s mom was Trash’s sister, making them his niece and nephew. It’s sad to think that this had to be revealed in a manner that screams afterthought. Given everything that has happened, it feels a bit of a disservice to the two. Regardless, the pair had their time in the spotlight. Now it’s time to focus on the main side quest of the season: stopping Q’ten Lo.
Raphtalia’s ancestral homeland hasn’t given up trying to kill her or her companions. Their assassins have kept trying to attack their village, only for Motoyasu to storm in and kill them before they can do any damage. Thus, Naofumi opts to leave him and Ren in charge of watching the village. He, Itsuki, Rishia, Raphtalia, Sadeena, Filo, Raph-Chan, Galleion, S’yne, and the Hakuko siblings will proceed full sail to Q’ten Lo. They will invade the country, bring down its leaders, and put a stop to things so they can focus on the coming of the Phoenix.
Things are easier said than done, though. Not only do they get attacked by more assassins at sea, but they have to deal with nature and divine intervention preventing them from entering. The outskirts of Q’ten Lo are covered in fog, whirlpools, and a magical barrier. If they don’t want someone to come in, then they are going to have a hard time getting in! To make matters worse, one of those whirlpools proceeds to separate Naofumi, Raphtalia, Sadeena, and Gaelion from everyone else. It’s like the start of a JRPG!
Welcome to Q’ten Lo
From what I can remember, the entire sequence is pretty faithful to the events in the light novel. When the group wakes up, they’re in a cave inside Q’ten Lo itself, having been brought there by the nation’s guardian dragon. To put it bluntly, the dragon wants Naofumi to restore Q’ten Lo to its rightful purpose.
In the anime’s lore, the Four Cardinal Heroes are beings summoned from other worlds to save it when the Waves of Catastrophe hit. As we have seen, though, being called a hero doesn’t exempt a bearer from being corrupted by darkness. Thus, it makes sense that there would be a nuclear deterrent in the form of weapons that can kill the Cardinal Heroes. That is what Q’ten Lo’s role is supposed to be, but it seems they’ve either forgotten it or have been isolated so long that they no longer care until it starts affecting them. Either way, they could’ve stepped in and put the other Heroes in check well before Naofumi had to, which would’ve saved a lot of time, energy, and lives. The fact that they didn’t is just another reason for Naofumi, and by extension, the audience, to want to see this country brought to heel. Except that the rest of his group is stuck outside the barrier, meaning they’ll have to find a way to bring it down from within.
It’s a little annoying that it took us so long to get this point, but now that we are here, we might as well enjoy Q’ten Lo. This is the closest Naofumi will get to being back home for the foreseeable future, and I’ve been reading the light novels to see what happens. From what I’ve gathered, we are in for some interesting events. Welcome to Q’ten Lo, everyone! We’ve got a rebellion to start.
