Naofumi Iwatani

**Naofumi Iwatani** (岩谷尚文, *Iwatani Naofumi*) is one of the Four Legendary Heroes, the **Shield Hero** (盾の勇者, *Tate no Yuusha*).

## Description

### Appearance

Naofumi has short black hair that spikes in all directions, sharp green eyes and he often wears a scowl on his face because of his cynical outlook towards the world. However, he does express gratitude from time to time.

The armor he primarily wears is Barbarian Armor +3, which has gone through numerous upgrades and transformations. Depending on the situation, he may switch to different sets of armor or clothing.

The weapon in his possession is the Legendary Shield, which was granted to him when he was summoned to another world.

### Personality

Naofumi was initially an exceedingly trusting and positive person - excited about being summoned as a hero. However, his mentality abruptly changed after Malty S Melromarc, the princess of Melromarc, betrayed and framed him.

Being left near-penniless, falsely accused as a criminal, and hated by nearly everyone, Naofumi became extremely distrustful towards everyone and cynical about life. He could not trust anyone and started to assume that others were trying to get something from him. The result of the Princess's betrayal has left him in an almost permanent state of anger and hostility, which he masks behind a calm and level-headed personality. This mentality bites him back as he unknowingly pushes away genuine believers of the Shield Hero and Siltvelt envoys.

Fortunately, being a Shield Hero meant that Naofumi was essentially useless by himself which forced him to eventually seek help. He was convinced to get a slave - someone who could not betray him - so he eventually finds Raphtalia. Naofumi treats her deadly illness and teaches her to fight. After spending time with Raphtalia, and eventually Filo, Naofumi starts to heal mentally and trust his close companions. However, this is a long process and Naofumi is still unable to fully trust or be intimate with others. Unlocking the curse series weapon Shield of Wrath also placed a block on his psyche which prevented him from empathizing others around him.

After losing nearly everything, Naofumi deeply values what he has built up since being summoned. This is especially true of the relationships of those around him. Therefore, he is protective of people like Raphtalia. It is also shown several times that Naofumi is at his most vulnerable when he loses, he has left. This can be seen when Naofumi thought he had lost Raphtalia, after losing the Duel with Motoyasu. It is also seen during the time he traveled to Glass' World, Where he was separated from Raphtalia and the rest of his party. He was even willing to sacrifice his life to save others such as when they were battling against the Phoenix or Takt Alsaholn Faubrey.

Naofumi is a pragmatist and is willing to take some unconventional measures to meet his goals. For example, after saving Rishia and Keel, he offers both of them to be his slave since the shield helps improves a persons growth and stats. Once becoming governor of the territory which includes Raphtalia's destroyed village, Lurolona Village, Naofumi purchases slaves to be villagers. He justifies this saying that this will give them a better life and that it will help them gain independence. Due to their good treatment and their respect of Naofumi, the children end up adoring him. At one point, Rishia wonders if Naofumi's commitment to the villagers make him *their* slave instead of the other way around.

Subconsciously Naofumi often feels himself unworthy of what he has and tries to deny certain things. This can be seen in his constant ignoring of Raphtalia's Romantic feelings due to feeling unworthy of her which he tries to deny. This also shows in his addiction to Raph-chan which in his own words he only likes so much due to its resemblance to Raphtalia herself. He often feels vulnerable about certain actions he takes which can be seen often when Raphtalia points out the absurdity of some of his actions. He has friendship feelings for Raphtalia for many reasons including her being the light that brought him out of the darkness of his life. Where she became the hero in being the one person to stay by his side even after everyone despised him.

One of the biggest differences that Naofumi has from the other heroes is that he thinks of the consequences of his actions. Despite having the most villainous attitude, ironically, Naofumi is perhaps the most effective of the heroes at getting things done. He even corrects the problems that the other three heroes either start or make worse. Another aspect of Naofumi that sets him apart is that he is generally reasonable and willing to listen to others. He was convinced to stay in Melromarc after listening to the arguments of the queen. He also attempted to amend his relationship with the other heroes at Fitoria's request despite their mutual hatred. When Naofumi became loved and adored by the public while the three other Heroes became hated by the same people that used to admire them, he decide to take them under his wing.

Naofumi has a habit of giving people he meets nicknames. His reasons tend to be because they didn't tell him their name or because he hates them. In the latter case, he will give them extremely degrading nicknames such as referring to Malty as Bitch. For most people, he tends to nickname them base off of who or what they remind him of, sometimes add a number if he feels they act a lot like someone he knows. After Naofumi became the Mirror Vassal Hero of Glass' world, his friends note it suited him given how he always 'reflect' other people's treatment of him right back at them, insulting those whom insulted him first and helping those whom helped him.

## Powers and Abilities

**Legendary Shield**: As the Shield Hero, he wields the Legendary Shield, which can absorb materials, store items, and gives him great defensive power but also later created offensive abilities.

* **Air Strike Shield**: Creates a Shield-shaped barrier. It can be thrown at opponents or be used as a platform. Can create two.
* **Shield Prison**: Creates a large spherical object with various chains, used to trap opponents.
* **Merchant Skills**: Due to the country hating him, he had to make money on his own. He became a merchant to do so, allowing him to learn many skills from haggling to negotiating.
* **Crafting**: After becoming a merchant, he learned how to craft things, from Potions to Accessories.
* **Healing and Support Magic**: As the Shield Hero, he has a natural talent for healing and support magic.
	+ **First Heal**: A basic healing spell.
	+ **First Guard**: A basic defense boost spell.
	+ **Hate Reaction**: Causes select monster(s) to chase and attack him.

* **Shield of Wrath**: A shield created from Naofumi's pure anger. When he uses this shield, he can counter enemy attacks with an evil flame that creates burns that put enemies in a weakened state. However, it corrupts Naofumi's mind when he uses it.

## Etymology

* The name **Naofumi** means "esteem, furthermore, still, yet" (尚) (**nao**) and "sentence, writing" (文) (**fumi**).
* Naofumi's surname **Iwatani** means "rock, boulder" (岩) (**iwa**) and "valley" (谷) (**tani**).

## Trivia

* Due to Billy Kametz's deteriorating health and eventual death from stage IV Colon Cancer in 2022, Stephen Fu took over the role of Naofumi.
	+ Stephen is the same Voice who played Anti/Gridknight from SSSS/Gridman and SSSS/Dynazenon.
* Naofumi was summoned to another world through a book called 'The Record of the Four Holy Weapons'.
* As the only hero to be their weapon's first choice, Naofumi is also the only hero among the Four Legendary Heroes who did not die prior to being summoned to Melromarc.
* Naofumi has an innate immunity to alcohol and motion sickness.
* Naofumi's favorite fruit is Rucolu Fruits, which are commonly used to make water barrels into alcohol. Additionally, his love for the fruit became so well-known, it's now used to confirm the Shield Hero's identity.
* Naofumi, Raphtalia and Filo are featured characters in the second season of the cross-dimensional anime series "Isekai Quartet."
* In Light novel 22, Naofumi asked Raphtalia to stop calling him Mr.Naofumi and instead started calling him just by his name. He watches as Raphtalia tries several times but is unable to drop it which leaves her extremely embarrassed. He then tells her that he hopes she can drop the honorific one day.
* In light novel 22, During the following conversation Naofumi starts joking around what Raphtalia's name would be once they get married. He then jokingly refers to her as Raphtalia Heavenly Empress Iwatani. This interaction further makes Raphtalia even more embarrassed than she already was failing to drop the Mr. honorific Infront of Naofumi's name.