Main Characters | Naofumi's Allies | Three Heroes | Antagonists | Other Characters
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In General
- Adaptational Romance Downgrade: None of the source material's harem elements are present in this continuity.
- Age Lift: To circumvent their questionable treatment by the author of the source material, every character within the party who was a minor in canon is now considerably older.
- Dark and Troubled Past: With the exception of Filo, every character in the party has some sort of tragic backstory:
- After being summoned with zero prior knowledge of the world, Naofumi barely had any time to adjust to his new surroundings before Aultcray and Myne betrayed and slandered him simply for being the Shield Hero. He had to start from rock bottom just to even get a revolution going.
- Raphtalia once lived in the demi-human village of Lurolona until it was destroyed by a Wave, at which point Melromarc soldiers swept in to enslave the survivors, her included. She was then treated harshly by Idoru Reibia and the Slave Trader.
- Having lived a relatively normal life in Faubrey, Melty had been pushing back against her mother's demands to go back to Melromarc, where she'd have to stay and rule for the rest of her life, for the past few years. However, with the crisis of Myne's coup, Mirellia forced her hand and ordered her to go back, leaving her completely friendless (until meeting Filo, anyways). Though she still mourns the loss of any semblance of normalcy in her life, she feels duty-bound to her people nonetheless.
- Before she was a countess, Constance had been enslaved at a young age, and as soon as her master learned she was trying to read, he cut off her demi-human ears and tail as punishment, telling her that (in her words) "if [she] wanted to read like a human, [she] should look like one." She eventually escaped and learned how to fight, then returned to kill her former master.
- Good Is Not Soft: May the Heavenly Fowl have mercy upon your soul if you are a slaver or a proto-fascist, because none of Naofumi's companions (himself included) will.
- Hero's Slave Harem: Emphatically defied. Unlike his canon self, Naofumi is staunchly opposed to slavery. He does briefly consider forcing a slave to fight alongside him against the Waves in Chapter 2, reasoning that he himself is "not so far removed from a slave" and "will be teleported into the Wave against [his] will, when it starts, and forced to fight it," but he immediately banishes the thought. The next chapter, he frees Raphtalia in all but name by disabling her slave seal as he figures out how to remove it altogether, and several chapters later, he officializes her freedom by removing the slave seal. He does the same with Filo once he realizes she is sapient.
- Rebel Leaders: Naofumi and his party are the leaders of a socialist revolution against the rulers of Melromarc.
- Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: While she's much more open-minded and considerably less bigoted than her younger sister, Melty's still a monarchist (though thanks to her studies in Faubrey, she realizes that things are messed up in Melromarc and doesn't subscribe to her family's divine right of kings ideology). This causes plenty of tension between her and the other members of the party, with the exception of Filo. Played for Laughs in the dramatis personae section of Chapter 28, where everyone except for Filo is labeled as a "suspected traitor to the revolution."
Naofumi Iwatani/Hero of the Shield
Naofumi Iwatani / The Hero of the Shield
A 20-year old college student and socialist anarchist who inexplicably found himself in the world of a fantasy RPG after picking up a book at the library, being declared by the system as one of four legendary Heroes summoned to defend the world from waves of monsters. Having been summoned as the Hero of the Shield, he barely had any time to get a bearing on the world he'd found himself in before being betrayed and besmirched by the King of Melromarc and his youngest daughter, Myne. Having realized how truly corrupt and rotten Melromarc's monarchy was at that moment, he has since put it upon himself to incite a socialist revolution to overthrow it.
- Adaptational Heroism: Naofumi is much less accepting of slavery than his canon self and actually isn't a misogynist in this continuity. He frees Raphtalia and Filo at the first chance he gets, only buying Raphtalia in the first place because he wasn't strong enough at the time to free her by force, and even then, he turns off her slave seal's coercive effects as a temporary solution until he finds out how to remove slave seals. In addition, he actively fights for a socialist society built on equity and human (and demihuman) rights and endeavors to overthrow the oppressive feudal monarchy that rules over Melromarc.
- Adaptational Nationality: Implied. While Naofumi is still ethnic Japanese in this continuity, it's not made clear whether he lived in Japan prior to the beginning of the story. However, at different points in the story, he hums American socialist songs such as Hallelujah, I'm A Bum
and Solidarity Forever, which may indicate he is from the USA (or at least an Anglophone country). (Or he could have been studying abroad in the USA.) - Determinator: He firmly believes that the world CAN be improved, no matter how shitty. As a socialist, Naofumi lives by the following words:
SPIRIT OF THE PAST: To be a socialist is to believe that humanity can always do better. That even in the darkest night, the stars would not go out. That even if the entire world is full of evil, even if you are the last socialist in the world, even if all the armies in the world are against you, even if the road to a better future seems immeasurably long, you should rise up your tools and say ‘We can build it!’
(Chapter 1)
- Driven to Suicide: Thankfully subverted. He very briefly considers suicide after being betrayed by Aultcray and Myne, but he soon remembers the socialist creed he'd heard long ago to always fight for a better world even when things look hopeless. (See the example for Determinator above.) This is what restores his will to live and ultimately drives him to action.
- Humble Hero: He refuses to be put on a pedestal by his followers. After all, it'd be yet another example of the great man theory, which he dislikes due to its tendency to ignore material conditions, at work.
- Knight in Sour Armor: Downplayed. While Naofumi is nowhere near as cynical as his canon self, he nonetheless is acutely aware of how much things suck in Melromarc and how much the odds are stacked against him, and boy do things suck. None of this stops him from fighting for a better future.
- Slave Liberation: Naofumi is staunchly anti-slavery and goes out of his way to fight for the liberation of Melromarc's slaves whenever possible. He's done all three types at various points in the story, though he strongly prefers encouraging slaves to rise up.
- Type 1: In Chapter 21, Naofumi and Constance liberate the Slave Trader's slaves right after said trader and his goons die by Filo and Raphtalia's hands.
- Type 2: He prefers Type 1 over this, having only done this once. In Chapter 2, Naofumi is greeted by a mysterious and shady-looking businessman who quickly reveals himself to be a slave trader. He'd much rather cut the Slave Trader and his guards down to free Raphtalia, but his level isn't high enough at the moment and they have him outnumbered, so he begrudgingly buys her while vowing to kill the Slave Trader and disables Raphtalia's slave seal (freeing her in all but name) until he learns how to remove it altogether and make her freedom official. (Sure enough, he finally gets to follow through on said vow in Chapter 21.)
- Type 3: As stated above, this is his preferred type, befitting his socialist ideology. One notable example is the slave rebellion against Idoru Reibia in Chapter 15.
- Took a Level in Badass: Goes from an ostracized Level 1 hero with nothing but a poorly-designed weapon to the leader of a revolution that is rapidly gaining traction among the downtrodden and marginalized within Melromarc.
Raphtalia
Raphtalia
A sickly tanuki demihuman girl who'd been taken into slavery by Melromarc soldiers after her home village of Lurolona was destroyed in one of the Waves of Apocalypse a year prior to Naofumi's arrival. Naofumi begrudgingly purchased her from a certain slave trader (though he would have rather slain the slave trader right then and there to free her if it were up to him), and he subsequently disabled her slave seal's coercive functions, helped her recover to full health, slowly taught her socialist theory, and freed her the moment he learned how to remove slave seals altogether. She is now one of the most stalwart champions of the revolution.
- Age Lift: Raphtalia's 16 years old by the time Naofumi meets her.
- Took a Level in Badass: Goes from a sickly slave woman to a champion of the revolution and Naofumi's right-hand woman.
Filo
Filo
image by freshryeroll; Picrew found here
Click here to see her as a filofial princess
A filofial hatched from an egg Naofumi begrudgingly bought from the Slave Trader back when he was still too weak to fight him. For unknown reasons, she is stronger, smarter, and faster than most filofials and can even switch between bird form and human form. She's the only member of the party that gets along well with Melty, and she enjoys a good brawl.
- 100% Heroism Rating: At least among her companions. She gets along well with the rest of her party, even Melty, and she doesn't partake in the ideological arguments that often occur between Naofumi or Raphtalia and Melty. Played for Laughs in the dramatis personae section of Chapter 28, where she's described as "the only 100% pure socialist" while the rest of the party (yes, even Naofumi) is labeled a "suspected traitor to the revolution."
- Age Lift: Filo's human form is that of a tall, muscular adult woman (befitting her role as The Big Girl of the party) rather than a child as in canon.
- Adaptational Dye-Job: Sort of. After being crowned by the Filofial Queen in Chapter 32, her hair transforms from the canon blonde to white.
- The Big Girl: She's the heaviest hitter of the group.
- Blood Knight: Of the heroic variety. Above all, Filo enjoys a good brawl.
- Blow You Away: She has wind affinity like her canon self, allowing her to create powerful gusts and small tornadoes.
- Boisterous Bruiser: She's energetic, easy to get along with (provided, of course, you're not a slaver), and loves to fight.
- Extreme Omnivore: Being a filofial, she'll eat just about anything.
- God in Human Form: In Chapter 10, Naofumi reveals that belief in the Heavenly Fowl, an enormous female filofial with magical powers, is common among demihumans. Filo fits this description in all but size, as the Heavenly Fowl is supposed to tower over buildings, but she herself points out that she's "a growing woman." Indeed, in Chapter 31, the Filofial Queen, the current incarnation of the heavenly fowl, crowns Filo as her successor.
- Gun Nut: Becomes one after getting her hands on a Faubrian rifle in Chapter 24. That very chapter's dramatis personae section even describes her as such.
- Heterosexual Life-Partners: True to canon, she gets along very well with Melty.
- Improvised Training: Gives informal combat training to Ren and Melty.
- Kick Chick: Just like in canon, she tends to use a lot of kicking attacks against her opponents thanks to her strong legs.
- Naked First Impression: Just like in canon, Naofumi and co first meet her human form while she's in the nude. (It's much less weird this time due to her being a fully grown woman in this continuity, though.)
- Naked on Arrival: Like her canon self, while she never really wore clothing in filofial form, Naofumi and Raphtalia are shocked to find her as a buck-naked woman when she first transforms.
- Really Was Born Yesterday: She was hatched from an egg Naofumi reluctantly purchased from the Slave Trader in Chapter 2, but for as-of-yet unknown reasons, she's already an adult in both her filolial form and her human form, and unlike her canon self, she acts like it too.
- Shapeshifting Excludes Clothing: Like her canon self, she initially runs into an issue where her clothing keeps tearing apart when she transforms, and Naofumi has to get custom-made magical clothing for her that accommodates for transformations.
- Talking Animal: After first taking human form, she retains the ability to talk even after transforming back into filofial form.
- Winged Humanoid: Her human form is that of a tall woman with vestigial bird wings.
- Wings Do Nothing: As filofials are flightless birds, Filo's wings are merely vestigial.
Melty Q. Melromarc
Princess Melty Q. Melromarc
image by freshryeroll; Picrew found here
The first princess of the Kingdom of Melromarc. She was raised separately in Faubrey by her mother, Mirellia, away from Melromarc court intrigue. There, she studied various subjects and tinkered with magical enchantments under a false identity until Mirelia sent her back to Melromarc to stop a coup from her younger sister, Myne. It was at that point that Naofumi and his comrades struck an alliance with her to seek monetary support and legitimacy for their movement.
- Age Lift: Here, she's the older of the Melromarc royal siblings, being in her early 20s.
- Bait-and-Switch Character Intro: She's initially introduced as a typical debate bro and slavery apologist who quickly gets on Naofumi's nerves. However, while she is indeed a monarchist, it's proven in the next chapter that she really was honest about not actually being pro-slavery after the debate, and the chapters that follow gradually reveal her to be much less bigoted and more affable and open-minded than her sister.
- Heterosexual Life-Partners: True to canon, she gets along very well with Filo.
- I Just Want to Be Normal: In Chapter 23, she reveals that she'd rather be living in Faubrey, where her friends and her life's work up to this point remain, but she was forced by her mother to rule in Melromarc because of the ongoing crisis with Myne's coup.
- Not So Stoic: Melty usually tries to keep a poised and proper demeanor. However, in Chapter 23, this demeanor cracks as Melty vents about her inability to sleep following her narrowly-avoided assassination (as she begins to worry about more assassins appearing any time she hears a noise) and reveals to Raphtalia that she feels insecure about crying in front of others (as she feels like she has to keep a stoic demeanor as a princess and future queen).
- Politically-Active Princess: She may not have any aspirations to rule, but she's determined to lead Melromarc through the current political crisis, and lead it she does. Like Constance, she uses diplomacy and guile to navigate the increasing rift between the pro-slavery northeast and anti-slavery southwest and manage the ongoing political crisis.
- Reluctant Ruler: In Chapter 23, Melty reveals that she doesn't want to rule because she'd have to sacrifice her heart to do it and feels restricted in her options, especially in abolishing slavery. However, as much as she would rather be living a normal life back in Faubrey, she feels duty-bound to serve so that she can protect her people in the current crisis.
Constance von Marukievich (UNMARKED SPOILERS FOR CHAPTER 12)
Constance von Marukievich / Fredalia
image by freshryeroll; Picrew found here
Introduced as a rich churchgoer who Elmak describes as "the only one of the masters who does not whip [her slaves]," Constance soon reveals herself to Naofumi to be an abolitionist who uses her status in Melromarc high society to gain the trust of slavers while planting her agents among their slaves. She, being demihuman herself, was enslaved at a young age, and her captor cut off her ears and tail after discovering that she was trying to learn to read. She eventually escaped, learned to fight, killed her former master, and married a now-deceased count who turned out to be sympathetic to her old plight. After meeting Naofumi, Constance serves as a political and strategical advisor to him and his allies.
- Faking the Dead: In Chapter 31, she appears to die to a tentacle attack while defending a town from one of the Waves, triggering Naofumi's Curse Shield. However, the next chapter reveals she faked her death with an invisibility spell (and presumably some acrobatics). She takes advantage of the chaos to assassinate Fulana Jen, who had been disappearing several agents and former slaves associated with Constance and who was about to sell Melty out to Mirellia for working with Naofumi.
- Guile Hero: She uses deceit and subterfuge to undermine the slavers' cause and gives Naofumi and his gang advice on navigating through political intrigue. (see the example for The Strategist below)
- Meaningful Name: She's named after
Constance Markievicz, an Irish socialist and revolutionary who was (among many other things) the first Minister for Labour in the First Dáil and a founding member of the Irish Citizen Army. The fact that she is named after a prominent socialist gives away (to anyone familiar with her namesake's history, at least) her true abolitionist leanings before she even reveals them to Naofumi (and the reader). - The Mole: Of the heroic kind. She's introduced as a slaver (albeit described as a kind one) and a believer in the Church of the Three Heroes, but two chapters later, she drops the pretense to Naofumi and informs him and his allies that she is really an abolitionist who uses her status as a countess to infiltrate the ranks of slavers and undermine their cause from within.
- Mysterious Backer: First offers aid to Naofumi and Raphtalia as a shadowy anonymous figure before revealing her true identity two chapters later.
- Silk Hiding Steel: She appears to be a typical northeastern countess and socialite, blending in perfectly with Melromarc high society. However, that facade belies the reality of a steadfast revolutionary and abolitionist who uses subterfuge and intrigue to take down slavers, and any unsuspecting foe is in for a bad time, as Fulana Jen finds out the hard way.
- The Strategist: She advises Naofumi and his party on navigating through the internal politics of Melromarc.
- Walking Spoiler: It's impossible to discuss her without mentioning the twist in Chapter 12 that she's a secret abolitionist working to undermine the slavers from within.
