6 Anime With Surprising Life Lessons
5. Rising Of The Shield Hero - Independence
Rising of The Shield Hero is a popular isekai, flipping the genre on its head. Gone are the days of instantly overpowered protagonists loved by all. Naofumi is a social outcast, rejected by society and given a shield as his magical weapon!
Rather than simply following the majority consensus of how one should think and act, Naofumi rejects these values. Because immediately upon entering this new world, these values are used against him.
People that so easily conform are devoid of critical thinking & immediately demonise him. A poignant lesson on the dangers of group think & conformity.
Instead of conforming, he discards trivial courtesies, preferring instead to be direct in his needs and wants. Everyone perceives him to be a scoundrel, and he lets them.
This lesson ends up equating to telling viewers to not waste time worrying about what others wrongly see you as due to mob mentality and their own biases. Instead, be who you know yourself to be and go through life as best you can on your own. Find your own path.