Those who enjoy the controversial traits that Naofumi espouses so well in The Rising of the Shield Hero would undoubtedly appreciate Adonis from The Kingdoms of Ruin on Crunchyroll, since he, too, is the quintessential “bad boy”. Most importantly, The Kingdoms of Ruin doesn’t pander to the understandably upsetting relationship that Naofumi has with the character Raphtalia, so for those who want more of a villain as a protagonist but can’t get past The Rising of the Shield Hero‘s baggage should look no further than The Kingdoms of Ruin.

The initial appeal of The Kingdoms of Ruin is the revenge that Adonis so desperately desires to enact on humanity, a form of vengeance that viewers can’t help but get invested in because of the horrors Adonis was subjected to, which helped fuel this unrelinquishing hatred. Of course, this naturally correlates to what initially corrupts Naofumi in The Rising of the Shield Hero.

Moreover, as The Kingdoms of Ruin progresses, it’s clear that Adonis is so jaded by his need for revenge that he will go to almost any means – even the murder of innocents – to achieve those ends, just like Naofumi. It’s especially chilling how Adonis sometimes justifies violence in his mind, like the belief that anyone who benefits from the sins of others is equally at fault. And like Naofumi, Adonis is paired with an innocent, kind girl named Doroka, who unfortunately bears the brunt of Adonis’ anger.

The Kingdoms of Ruin’s “Bad Boy” Mistreats His Version of Raphtalia

Based on the manga by yoruhashi; produced by Yokohama Animation Laboratory

The main difference between their relationship and Naofumi and Raphtalia’s is that there is no slavery in the story. That’s the distinguishing factor between The Kingdoms of Ruin and The Rising of the Shield Hero. Although Raphtalia changes Naofumi for the better and involuntarily puts herself in a position of power over him, many viewers understandably can’t use these positive developments to justify the use of slavery in the series. In contrast, Doroka is under no such contract and instead chooses to travel with Adonis on her own volition to protect him from getting completely engulfed in his revenge.

However, their relationship isn’t free of controversy. Doroka still decides to be by his side even though he can ironically use her power of love to crush his enemies when she believes in forgiveness. This is exacerbated by the fact that her actions have already proven his sway over her, making her voluntary actions problematic, regardless of the fact that she does them on her own. Moreover, Adonis still uses language that implies he has total control over her, not to mention the unkindness he exhibits towards her all too frequently (in addition to every one else, just like Naofumi).

The fact that Adonis even brings her back to life after finding peace only to expose and make her an accessory to his way of life, which she obviously finds abhorrent, adds another twisted layer to their unhealthy relationship.

A Glimmer of Hope In A Vengeful and War-Ridden World

Despite his many faults, the protagonist has some redeeming qualities

That said, much like Naofumi but to a lesser extent, later episodes do begin to suggest that Doroka’s presence has a positive effect on Adonis, as he starts to act as though he cares about her and what she feels. Regardless, Adonis is still a very controversial type of hero that’s very rare in anime.

Before him, fans of this characterization only really had the Rising of the Shield Hero if they wanted an ongoing series, but many couldn’t get past the slavery situation, leaving them with few options. But now there’s Adonis, and even though it hasn’t been confirmed, there is the possibility of a second season, so these fans can enjoy new and possibly more content with a “bad boy” type of protagonist with The Kingdoms of Ruin on Crunchyroll, without all the problematic baggage that comes with The Rising of the Shield Hero.