Who Is Keel in ‘The Rising of the Shield Hero’? Meet Raphtalia’s Friend!

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 Keel, a secondary character from the series that is closely connected to some of the protagonists. Keel deserves some attention, and we will use this article to reveal everything you need to know about this dog-girl and her overall role in The Rising of the Shield Hero.

Keel is a secondary character, but she is closely related to the protagonists

In this article, we are going to present Keel to you. As you will probably know, Keel is not one of the principal characters in this series. Still, she is a very important secondary character, and her role in the series definitely demands explaining. This is why we have decided to dedicate this article to Keel, as we will tell you about her, her story, and her role. We really do think that she deserves the attention, and we hope you’ll enjoy the text.

Keel is a dog-like demihuman who is primarily known for being Raphtalia’s childhood friend. Keel was introduced as one of the first slaves Naofumi purchased in the village in the web book; however, as far as the light novel is concerned, she was held captive in the dungeon of the same nobleman who had previously tormented Raphtalia.

She initially envied Naofumi’s friendship with Raphtalia but eventually began to look at him as an elder brother. Later, she asks if she can join Naofumi’s team to defend her companions and decides to become his slave to benefit from the stat advantages of the Legendary Shield.

Later, she takes over as the younger slaves’ unofficial leader and frequently exposes Naofumi’s attempts to appear intimidating. She also assists Naofumi in running his trading firm, dressing up to draw in both male and female clients. Keel first believed she was a boy since she wanted to be like her father and hadn’t grasped the gender differences. She only discovers the misunderstanding she had experienced once her friends point it out to her. Initially upset, Naofumi consoles her by reasserting his commitment to gender equality and telling her that she is still welcome on his team. Later, she learns to control a type of Therianthrope resembling a puppy.

When demanding food from Naofumi, Keel can come out a bit obnoxious and uninteresting in terms of personality. Regardless of her sometimes childish behavior, she aids in uniting the slaves and serves as a sort of leader, as the other characters do look up to her. While she is eventually identified as a girl, she is initially depicted as a young boy of 10 years old with dog-like features. Everyone was duped by her boyish appearance, including Naofumi, who made her his slave, believing that she was actually a boy.

She is initially depicted as a young human, around ten years old, with canine-like characteristics. However, as she grew older, her appearance changed, and she began to resemble a tomboy who could easily pass for an attractive boy rather than a lady. Alongside her basic human appearance, she also has a canine appearance—more precisely, that of a Siberian Husky puppy—walking on two legs while donning a loincloth, which is what her canine form looks like.

She is behind Raphtalia in the statistics, but while she is definitely not among the strongest characters in the series, she is far from weak, which is something we can easily confirm. Keel’s race makes her a swift runner. Due to Keel’s proclivity for transformations, Sadeena had to train alone. Keel was treated as a boy her entire life, with her father treating her like a son and teaching her that a person’s gender is only a mental state.

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