The Rising of the Shield Hero: What Happened to Bow Hero? Is He a Villain Now?

The Rising of the Shield Hero is a very interesting isekai series that does its best to show what fantasy looks like from a Japanese perspective. There are numerous interesting characters in the series. While we could discuss each of them, in this article, we will talk about Bow Hero, i.e., Itsuki Kawasumi, one of the Four Legendary Heroes and one of the series’ most important characters. At one point in the plot, Itsuki Kawasumi entered a very strange period of his story, and in this article, we will provide you with all the details you need to know about this event as it happened in the series and what happened to him.

Itsuki Kawasumi was an important character in the series

Itsuki Kawasumi is one of the Four Legendary Heroes in the series, known as the Bow Hero. Prior to being called into the new world, Itsuki was a high school student. He was killed when a big truck made an abrupt shift to the left.

Referring to himself as a justice ally, he has a hero complex and a natural desire for the limelight, frequently bragging to others about his accomplishments. He decides to take on missions involving dishonest officers and help others when it’s most convenient, only to receive recognition for leading his team in a vigilante-like style.

He treats new team members like servants and maintains a rigid seniority hierarchy inside his group. Like the other heroes, he believes that everything is a game and fiercely rejects the idea that his careless deeds are wrong when they are brought to light. Later, when they are fighting the Spirit Tortoise, the rest of his team betrays him, restraining him and abandoning him for dead.

Denying reality, Malty quickly connives to fight for him in Zeltoble competitions, thinking that she is collecting money to assist her in stopping Naofumi from mistreating her slaves and extorting others for ransom. He battles Rishia after gaining access to the Curse Series Pride Bow but is defeated when Naofumi and Ren reveal the reality. After being indebted to Malty and experiencing a loss of will due to his weapon’s curse, he asks Rishia to forgive him and decides to stay in Naofumi’s village to heal.

During the heroes’ mission to rescue Kizuna from Miyaji, Naofumi and Itsuki’s Legendary Weapons were suppressed, and they were almost killed. However, the accessory that suppresses the Vassal Musical Instrument is destroyed as a team effort and once freed from the suppression accessory, he chooses Itsuki Kawasumi as the new wielder of it.

Itsuki Kawasumi lost his focus under the influence of the Curse Series

So, we have now provided you with an introduction to Itsuki’s character and personality and what was, in all honesty, a very important thing. Namely, the fact is that Itsuki Kawasumi’s change, as it happened in Volume 12 of the series, was influenced by his personality and what happened to him earlier. All of the Legendary Heroes had complex and layered personalities, but the main issue was that none of them – saved for Naofumi, the Shield Hero – perceived their world as real.

They thought it was a video game, and being unable to cope with the burden of their reality, they had many problems. We have already written about the Sword Hero’s lack of team spirit that almost cost him his life, as well as how the Spear Hero’s naive nature and the betrayal he experienced changed him, and it is now time to reveal what predicament the Bow Hero went through. As we’ve said, the Shield Hero did not experience a similar crisis at this time because he was quite rational, thanks to realizing the reality of their situation. So, what happened to the Bow Hero?

At one point in the story, the heroes find Itsuki in Zeltbur Coliseums, where he is aiding Mald and Malty in their so-called journey of justice for money. He was not in his right mind at the time, so Naofumi, Ren, and Rishia tried to reason with him so that he would calm down, but this did not happen. Ultimately, a death match between Itsuki and Rishia was unavoidable, and Rishia managed to come out on top, although Itsuki was not killed.

At the time, he was also under the influence of the curse series, and knowing what this did to both the Sword and Spear Heroes, you can imagine how this changed Itsuki. All that Itsuki wanted to do was for everyone to understand him and to accept his brand of justice; and while his brand of justice was, as Rishia explained, misguided and wrong, Itsuki – due to his personality and false perception of his reality – did not see it like that. All he did was try to make people understand him. He wanted to be right; he wanted to be the hero, and although he was wrong, we cannot label him as a villain.

Sure, he did some bad things – using brainwashing arrows and trying to kill Rishia, for example – but he was never a villain; he was just misunderstood and wanted to be understood. And that is about it. By the end of Volume 13, Naofumi will have successfully explained their situation to his fellow Legendary Heroes.

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