It’s time to prepare for battle!

The penultimate episode for the Rising of the Shield Hero’s second season doesn’t feature much of an epic showdown, but it sure does set up the final fight against Kyo. But the odd thing is, the episode focuses more on characterization, giving us an insight into who he really is and a glimpse of the events that led him down the path of villainy.

Kizuna’s Kind Heart

While the episode focuses on the group’s preparations before facing Kyo, it also fleshes out Kizuna’s character. Unlike Naofumi, she is indeed optimistic about the situation, always seeking out a solution that would benefit everyone. In this case, her desire to find a way to stop the Waves without sacrificing both worlds makes her a protagonist on her own, even going as far as to scold her entire party for what they attempted.

Her resilience and patience is remarkable, and it is no surprise why she had survived the Infinite Labyrinth. But perhaps it is because of those qualities that she had become the Hunting Hero—someone who could never harm a human.

And yet it is her kind and genuine heart that truly sets her apart from Naofumi. This is  evident when she takes care of Yomogi Emarl, Kyo’s childhood friend, who attacked them alone but is almost sacrificed by Kyo himself.

A New Ally

Yomogi is a tragic character, to say the least. She is Kyo’s childhood friend, and for a time, they were happy together. Indeed, based on her story, Kyo really just want to save the world. He was eccentric and curious, but a total genius. And thus, Yomogi took it upon herself to protect him, even if his actions may be questionable.

But that in itself spoke much about Kyo’s personality. He’s willing to use everyone, including Yomogi. And while her resolve to kill all the heroes by herself is admirable, there was not much she could have done against all of them, which nearly killed her.

Fortunately, Kizuna is a kind individual, willing to keep Yomogi safe. And after seeing how the Hunting Hero treats her, Yomogi finally comes to the realization that maybe she had just been a pawn and a tool for the man she once considered a friend.

The Truth of His Plan

Kyo is a cunning antagonist, of that there is no doubt. He may have purposely taunted Kazuki into moving despite the curse that Raphtalia had placed on him, leading to Kazuki’s gruesome death. Of course, the supposed wielder of the Katana was partly to blame, but Kyo’s provocation still led to his demise, only for the Book Hero to use his corpse in an experiment.

But that was not even the extent of his malice, as we finally learn his true goal: to create a Wave and sow destruction.

Conclusion

Episode 11 may seem like a fairly boring episode with not much epic fight scenes. But despite that, it still stands on its own as a good episode, especially with the way it shows more of Kizuna’s character. And while it didn’t execute the buildup to the final battle well, it still sets it up with a solid twist.

Episode score: 7.5/10