Summary
While the first half feels a bit convoluted, the payoff is worth it when all of the pieces start coming together.
While Naofumi has encountered numerous creatures in Crunchyroll’s The Rising of the Shield Hero, he has yet to add a dragon to his party. That changed in Episode 7, but just as quickly as Naofumi seemed to obtain a dragon, he lost it when Gaelin fled from Lurolona. To make things worse, Gaelin left after consuming an Emporer’s Dragon’s Core from another world with unknown consequences. Now, in Season 3 Episode 8, Naofumi’s party must lead a search for Gaelin if they have any hope of bringing him home in time to help them battle the Phoenix when it comes.
Despite a shaky start, this episode will likely be important for future storylines.
The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 2 Episode 8 Recap
The episode opens with Naofumi’s party and the members of Lurolona Village discussing Gaelin and the dangers of him ingesting the core before leaving. Sadeena reveals there’s a chance the core has already taken over Gaelin’s mind.
What is a dragon core?
Dragon cores are the organs that contain a dragon’s mind. According to Rat, the cores can be used to see a dragon’s memories or to enhance their own abilities, meaning the zombie mind inside this dragon’s core has likely already corrupted Gaelin’s mind.
As Naofumi quickly gathers a party to search for Gaelin, Eclair suddenly rushes over to tell him that Filo has collapsed in pain. He postpones the trip until they’re finished checking in on Filo but tells the others to prepare to leave.
Naofumi checks Filo’s stats, only to notice her levels are quickly decreasing. Atla manages to help by reducing the flow of power, but it will only extend Filo’s life by maybe two days.
While searching for Gaelin in the Dragon’s Den, Wyndia reveals that she knows a magic technique called the Way of the Dragon Vein. It’s a technique that draws power from the Dragon Veins flowing underneath the Earth.
Naofumi’s group enters the cave, searching for Gaelin, who suddenly flies toward them. Before he can make a move, Filo’s group also enters the cave. She attacks him, but he swallows her whole.
As they attempt to weaken Gaelin, he evolves into an even larger dragon. After watching everyone attack Gaelin, Wyndia throws herself in front of him. She asks the group to stop attacking her father before begging Gaelin to stop as well.
A flashback reveals that Wyndia’s father was the dragon zombie Ren previously killed.
How does The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 3 Episode 8 end?
Wyndia pleads with her father to release Gaelin’s body, assuring him the Shield Hero isn’t cruel like many of the other humans they encountered. Despite her pleas, Gaelin swipes at Wyndia, who is saved by Ren. The dragon then grows even stronger, beginning to glow purple.
Gaelin claims to be The Emporer Dragon, and Noafumi realizes that mixing cores from different worlds caused their souls to mix.
Realizing Gaelin is siphoning power from his shield, Naofumi plans to power it down purposely. Instead, Gaelin begins forcefully leveling the shield up to increase his power. He then releases a massive blast, severely weakening most of Noafumi’s party before attempting to take out everyone left standing.
I will admit, for the first half of this episode, I was not sold. The tone felt off, with several characters suddenly seeming and acting suspicious. On top of the dragon storyline, we added a Filo and Wyndia storyline that initially made the episode feel cluttered. I wasn’t sure where this was all going and if it would be worth it in the end.
However, the second half of the episode was much better. It began to tie up loose ends and connect these moments to the previous seasons, finally revealing why viewers should care about these characters they only just met and how important this moment could be for future storylines.
What did you think of The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 3 Episode 8? Comment below.
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