Debunking some common critiques about Shield Hero I've heard:

> Too edgy
I've read quite the few isekais and watched SAO, etc because these are literally the only types of manga that get translated on mangadex and there's nothing else new to read at times. Given the scenario where an isekai protagonist is framed for something they didn't do, the behavior that follows are:

1: Thinking reaction: Despite everyone thinking I did it, I can't hate them since they're misinformed.

2: Feeling reaction: I hate everyone who is thinking I did it without even listening to my side of the story.

and 99.9% of isekai protagonists fall into #1. Like Kirito(SAO), they're bland. They don't hold grudges, they aren't spiteful, and they just give "neutrally correct" responses to the situations they come across.

Shield Hero does #2 instead which is just more fun and entertaining given the world he's in. Is it flawed thinking that he's pissy at everyone despite knowing they're misinformed? Yes, and this is the point. Raw emotion reactions are more relatable and more human than "thinking". What thinking implies is time, foresight, and optimism, something that Naofumi just doesn't have given how fast this all happened and how grim the future looks with a never ending cycle of "if I can't kill monsters, I can't get level up, which means I can't get gold to get more powerful items so I can kill monsters".

> Power fantasy
If you actually pay attention, there are quite the few panels where we see lots of studying and experimenting. He got to where he is now because of hard work! Not being a beta tester, not being born special/gifted. I do admit the "dark powers" emanating from the shield is a bit ehhh, but whenever he uses it, it bites him back in the end so its fair

> Loli harem
Ralphtalia and Firo, for the 4-5 times where they are suggestive about romance, ends and gets cut off in 1-2 pages with Naofumi reiterating Ralphtalia is his daughter, etc. 67 chapters in and there has not been entire arcs/chapters, teasing any romantic affection. If there were even 1-2 chapters on it, that's still mathematically 0.02% of the entire series. I didn't actually notice this was a thing because I was more drawn into how Naofumi would survive in the world.

>Cliche
Not about who does it first, its about who does it better. See my profile for an entire essay on why you should avoid "cliche" as a valid metric of critiquing.

What I do agree on:
-Giving Naofumi too many offensive powers... it's a missed opportunity exploring more clever ways defense can be warped into offense.

Overall I enjoyed reading the series. It has a nice flow of action and exploring the scenery of an mmorpg world.