Naofumi Iwatani is one of the four heroes that was summoned to save the country of Melromarc from the periodic invasion of monsters. The other three heroes received a spear, sword, and bow as weapons while Naofumi was left with a shield. Unfortunately, Naofumi is incapable of holding any other weapon besides that shield. Everyone acknowledges the shield as a weak weapon and he’s immediately regarded as lesser than the other heroes because of it. Fortunately, Naofumi slowly learns that the shield has a lot more qualities to it than he initially thought and more versatility than any other weapon.

Being an otaku, Naofumi had huge ideals for what it would be like to be transported into a fantasy world. He was expecting to have a harem, to be hailed by kings, to be revered by commoners, and to be slaying monsters. His time there quickly goes south when Malty, the princess of Melromarc, lies about an attempted rape on his part. As a result, the entire country comes to detest Naofumi. This sudden whiplash of hatred has made it so that he has an incredibly hard time accepting the love and trust of people who see he isn’t what his reputation has made him out to be.

Before he arrived in this new world, Naofumi had earned the appreciation of his parents by saving his brother from a criminal life. We immediately see him as an ideal person eager to help others. Although Malty has made him a bit of a reluctant hero, he still buys slaves who wouldn’t be ordinarily capable of helping him out of the good-heartedness that’s still within him. During the invasion, he’s the one who helps villagers who end up forgotten while the other heroes focus on the bigger fights that carry more glory. Furthermore, he spends most of his time traveling the country helping people under the guise of doing it for payment.

Being stuck with a shield means that Naofumi had to get a bit more creative to become an adequate hero for Melromarc. Besides getting Raphtalia and Filo, two slaves, he also comes up with clever ways to fight his opponents. During his duel with the spear hero Motoyasu, he unveils his cloak to reveal that he has monsters attached to him and tosses them at Motoyasu to gain a brief advantage. Naofumi is not above using any tactic to emerge victorious since the world hasn’t been all that fair to him either.

Other losses from being shunned by the country are that Naofumi does not have the same funds from the kingdom that the other heroes have so he must work to get money. Naofumi ends up utilizing the gifts of his shield, the carriage pulling capabilities of Filo, and connections built over time to become a quasi-traveling salesman. He explores Melromarc with rare goods and potions and goes around aiding people and selling them goods. Naofumi triples as hero, merchant, and doctor across this season.