The Rising of the Shield Hero: Did Ren Die?!

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 really discuss each of them, in this article, we will talk about Ren, one of the main characters in the series, whose role is exceptionally important. In this article, you are going to find out a bit about Ren, as well as his fate in The Rising of the Shield Hero, as we are going to reveal what happens to him in the series, i.e., whether he dies or not.

Ren is an important character in the story, and his story is quite interesting

Ren Amaki is also known as the Sword Hero, and he is one of the Four Legendary Heroes that were summoned to the fictional world in which the story takes place. He has a very brash personality, and due to his solo player qualities, he doesn’t work very well with others, which has gotten him into trouble on more than one occasion in the series so far. Still, he is an exceptionally skilled hero, and once he was brought back to his senses, he became an invaluable member of the main cast of the series.

Ren, the youngest hero, was a high school student when he was called upon to save his boyhood friend, who had died in the process. He’s a natural recluse and goes to great lengths to maintain his image as the cool man. Possessing the highest level of loyalty, he prefers to manage his group like a guild. He only collaborates when a formidable monster emerges since he thinks everyone is exclusively accountable to themselves.

Though he is open to hearing Naofumi’s opinions, his condescending attitude toward people who are less experienced than him still causes friction between them; this is because he thinks the real world is like his video game, where level is more significant than skill (just like when the other heroes except Naofumi). This strengthening technique is incredibly ineffective, though.

In spite of his conceit, he is nevertheless more conscious of what he does and chooses to be more watchful in situations when there are ambiguous or deceptive circumstances, which has helped him more than once.

The catastrophe involving the Spirit Tortoise caused a lot of problems for Ren and his psyche

We have told you in the previous paragraph a general overview of Ren’s role and personality. Now, you can imagine that his story is quite extensive, which means that we cannot really tell you everything that has happened to him. That is why we had to shorten this and focus on one major event from his story: the catastrophe involving the Spirit Tortoise, which left a lasting mark on Ren and his psyche in the series.

Long story short, the Spirit Tortoise is one of the four Guardian Beasts, the first one; its goal, as well as the goal of the other three beasts, is to protect the world from the Waves of Calamity. The Spirit Tortoise is partially based on the concept of the world turtle. It is a large, gigantic tortoise with a mountain on its shell. The mountain also houses the city of Reiki, i.e., the center of the Spirit Tortoise Nation. It is an exceptionally powerful and aggressive creature and it has caused a lot of trouble in the past. So, how is all of this connected to Ren?

Well, in Volume 6, Ren finds out that the creatures that had been causing trouble in the world stem from the Spirit Tortoise. Realizing that, he decided to gather information, and when he had enough information, he organized a group to attack and defeat the Spirit Tortoise. Ren, Motoyasu, and Itsuki then decide to charge at it using dragons, horses, and Filolials, but it does not go as Ren planned. Namely, faced with the Beast’s enormous size and strength, Motoyasu and Itsuki simply retreated, realizing that they would die.

But Ren did not retreat. Being a solo player, as we have explained above, he went on a suicide mission that resulted in the death of his whole party while he managed to survive. They stood absolutely no chance against the Spirit Tortoise and it was a slaughterhouse for them. He enters a painful and delusional state after the Spirit Tortoise kills his entire squad.

Naofumi tries to assist him at first, but he goes to Malty for emotional support instead, and before long, her possessions are taken. Disguised, he turns to stealing as a means of advancement and rises to the bandit leader position, obtaining the Curse Series Swords of Greed and Gluttony. When Eclair challenges him again while cursed, he loses handily. Ultimately, he decides to remain in the Shield Hero’s village and take Eclair’s class since he is ready to own up to his previous transgressions and is unable to use his cursed weapons to obtain experience or money.

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