The Capitalist Hero - The Individual and the Collective in Rising of the Shield Hero 

For those of you who missed the link in the description, play Kurtzpel by following this link, which will also let the developers know that it was my channel that sent ya': bit.ly/2GKLMi0

I just realized in the middle of watching this video. Naofumi is a pokemon Trainer. He can't fight for himself and can only defened and support. His pokemon a Senret called Raphtalia which he quickly evolves into a Furret. Then down the line he got a Togepi egg which he name Filo that he then trained into a Togekiss. And the evil orginzation is the Church of the three hero's. Wow, Did I just uncover the plot for Pokemon shield?!

I had almost the opposite interpretation as you in terms of the way Naofumi sees people. I saw him as an unreliable narrator due to the fact that we never actually see any of those "deferred payments" collected. I think that he feels he can only operate in a transactional manner to make sure that he doesn't get betrayed again because he's holding something over people, and we see him gradually move away from this model as the series progresses. The takeaway i got for why he succeeds is because he doesn't treat the world like a videogame whereas the other heroes do. They think that when the "questline" is over there won't be consequences for their actions and don't bother to hang around to see what happens.

Hospitals are legally not allowed to refuse emergency patients in America. They will be charged with ludicrous amount of CURRENCY since there is corrupt relationship between insurance companies and hospitals, but still, broke patients still can get their treatment.

I'd say that Naofumi actually embodies the ideal of a philosophy known as Egoistic Altruism, which is basically the good neighbor philosophy -- I will do good if the people around me are doing good, so I should behave altruistic to my neighbors so I too can prosper. At first, he's severely hesitant to follow this ideal, as his altruism laid the groundwork for his betrayal. Over time, he learns more about Raphtalia as a person and sees her self-sacrificial behavior almost akin to weakness. She even proves how selfless she is when she tends to Naofumi's wounds after he uses Rage Shield, instead of he own. Through this, he's seen that his complete focus on his own self and own emotions can manage to hurt the people he's close to. Every time he's used Rage Shield, he's been a danger to himself or the people he cares about. On the other hand, I'd say that the Randian Objectivism is more in tune to that of the Heroes, though less about being a prosperous merchant and more in tune to that of being a celebrity. Rand's philosophy considers famous celebrities as parts of the ideal Objectivist, because everyone follows their lead, even in infamy. The Heroes -- especially Motayasu -- are very self absorbed individuals who yearn to live up to the ideal of being a hero. They live by their own conventions and ideas, wantonly slaying dragons, murdering lords and liberating serfs, and deliberately ignoring rules about. In their self-absorption and constant pursuit of ideals, they've managed to leave tons of damage in their wake. Myne herself is inconsiderate and a total objectivist in her own right. She's using her power and wealth to elevate herself, implicating Naofumi (an already disliked person) as a national threat and enemy. In the process, she's getting close to both the Heroes and royal legitimization. I think the show is trying to have a conversation about what is self-interest vs self-absorption and how a person can keep their individuality and self-interest without chasing ideals or being callous.

>watching someone go from second to first place isn't as interesting as watching someone rocket to first from off the leaderboard. Excuse me, but Afro Samurai woukd like a word.

Thank you for not doing a week long pemier this time lol. I appreciate it.

The Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) is a federal law that requires anyone coming to an emergency department to be stabilized and treated, regardless of their insurance status or ability to pay.

This was enjoyable, as such I will continue to give you "the time", which converts to "the currency"

"Watching someone step from second place to first is far less engaging and cathartic than watching someone rocket up to first place from not even on the leaderboard" Afro Samurai: Am I a joke to you?

Honestly I'm not sure Shield Hero is really trying to push a capitalist ideal as much as you're portraying here. Yes Naofumi as a character embodies it but while he makes the world around him better he certainly isn't solving all the problems present. Additionally much of the advantage he has over the other heroes in terms of success at heroing is due to pragmatism less than capitalistic tendencies. Yes the show focuses on individuals and individual corruption but that doesn't mean it's trying to say that all problems are solved if you just deal with the bad individuals, as far as I can tell there are still plenty of problems in areas after he leaves them. Overall I like the analysis but you seem to be treating the show as if it's working in absolutes.

Remember when Kurt was a SAO abridged character? Yeah, me neither...

I think something you can take away from this is that almost system can be made better by better people who understand its strengths and weaknesses. Likewise systems can be ruined by self-centered people and those who don't understand how those systems work. In the end, it always comes down to people.

It's also worth mentioning that there's a third option of the hospital scenario where you get cured but have to pay off so much debt that it leads to the person in debt suffering as a result. The requirement of payment, whether upfront or otherwise, for any service that is necessary for someone's survival inherently creates needless suffering. The problem with Naofumi's model is that it's unrealistic and that it's still a bad model which doesn't give people what they need. Plenty of insurance companies have this model just with shorter due dates or they take other forms of capital, like your house.

DO YOU HAVE THE CURRENCY?!

12:54 I feel like this example fails bacause of one critical thing: Naofumi is a single individual and hospitals are not. When Naofumi is negotiating a payment for himself, he has nobody to answer to, but the doctor is working for somebody else, and thus not the one negotiating the price. This could be seen as something Rising of the Shield Hero tries to say: that if everyone is trying to work for themselves, then such situations as this could be possible.

I've got a bit of a counter-argument, the tests doctors run, that generally seem like a useless waste of cash, is because a lot of diseases manifest similar symptoms and it's entirely on the table for a person to have multiple diseases with identical symptoms at the same time. To exacerbate issues, a cure for one of these diseases could very well make the other disease infinitely worse, by which I mean kill the patient in a matter of minutes, depending on the disease in question. Furthermore, the entire cost of it, particularly in the United States, is because R&D does not pay for itself, and of the nations on Earth, only the US actually pays enough money for the aforementioned R&D to have it see any significant advancement. Shit's gotten expensive as we've had to get ever more creative to figure out a way of destroying each disease as they grow progressively more difficult to manage. This stuff does not exist in a vacuum and it can very well become a guessing game of life and death. Also, hospitals are legally obligated to treat your sickness, under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act in the United States, but they will still charge you. Though this law is unfunded, so it's strength is suspect at best.

This is a very strange take on Shield Hero. Naofumi becoming a merchant was largely an act of necessity because the king refused to provide him the funds every other hero got. He demands payment before helping people, but can't resist his better nature and so winds up making barters or accepting debts. This is a conflict between his empathy as a decent human being and the anit-social apathetic behavior of his depression. He actively shuns his title as a savior by acting gruff and business like to convince people he's not a good person. The focus is on Naofumi's depression and how Raphtalia's loyalty and trust help save him from himself. Any statement on capitalism seems incidental to that story, not intentional idealism. Also, your hypothetical situation seems to be just as skewed as the ideal you claim Shield Hero is displaying. That doctor is far more likely to suggest a loan or point Armin to a charity than outright refuse to help. He won't get paid if he doesn't help at all. And that's not even including the fact that most doctors go into medicine hoping to help people, the Hippocratic Oath, and the various charitable medical services like Dr.s without borders and St Jude's children's hospital. Contrary to popular belief, people aren't told "tough luck" if they can't afford healthcare. Not by doctors and hospitals at least. Insurers can be cold bastards.

"Atlas shrugged, he fell of the world and landed in a new one." Quote of the year.

Love how much effort you put into the small stuff. Like showing Seven of Nine specifically at the word “individual.”

This video made me realize that Naofumi is a lot like Greed from FMA. His underlings are basically his property, but in a bizarrely positive way, because just like you'd get pissed if someone broke into your house and started smashing all your shit with a hammer, he won't tolerate other people hurting his "property," and you'd do well to treat your property well if you want it to actually function like you want it to.

Watched this thinking “ok this could be a good video” entire video ignores any context or characterization that doesn’t agree with his point.

This is one hell of a stretch. Frankly, I very much doubt the author had this at all in mind when writing the story. Naofumi isn't some sort of hardline capitalist: the only reason why he demands payment for things is that keeping some semblance of a professional relationship between him and needy strangers "protects him" from forming relationships in which he might be betrayed, and to prevent people from taking advantage of his kindness. After all, as you said, he will heal you essentially for free if you can't pay. He is just as altruistic as any other hypothetical hero, in both his business desicions and not, (as seen when kicking himself for not getting there in time to save more villagers in the first wave and sparing Myne- err Bitch's and Trash's life lmao). As for the bandits, the whole discussion between Raphtalia and the merchant was stupid; who in their right minds thinks "stealing" from bandits who just tried to rob you is as bad as robbing and killing innocent people on the road? It's like saying killing an assassin sent to kill you makes you just as bad as they are. Also, again, Naofumi spared Myne: there's no way in fucking hell he would have actually killed those bandits. The 3 other heroes' actions were also portrayed weirdly in this video: they didn't fuck up their quests _because_ they were altruistic (they fucked up because they thinknof the world as a videogame due to their prior experiences and weren't taking it too seriously as a result, Naofumi who's never been in a VR world before natutally is more reverent of his role as a hero), so it is not a rebuke of altruism in favor of capitalism. The whole economics slant was also kind of shoehorned in. I mean, you seem to portray Naofumi's accumulation of wealth as part of his "Rise" when in reality, it isn't. He doesn't even do anything that affects his hero work with it besides crafting acessories and buying a few things here and there. None of his allies, reputation or skills (i.e. his only valluable assets) are gained through wealth. We almost never see him even spend money. Once again, Naofumi chasing after wealth (or rather pretending to) is just a means to protect himself socially. To be honest, I'm not knocking the fact that you view the series through this lens or anything, but I personally just am not convinced. Oh, and as for the hospital example, you forgot to add the part where nobody pays, the hospital gets shut down, and now NO one recieves treatment.

Hes back. Our God-Emperor is back!!

I was really looking forward to more videos from you! Love your content!

"Hate people? Fight people!!! The sky is the limit" 😂😂😂 I am downloading that game just for that phrase.

Mr Point you've caught me in the middle of watching Shield Hero. I will return later.

Some businesses provide sub par service not because of greed/business incentives but because of government which grants them monopolies on ideas/production/distribution etc and forces customers to have these as the only options.

My interpretation wasn't that the show was "extolling the virtues" of Naofumi's methods, so much as it was his need to resort to those methods, and interact with the lowborn peoples the way they must interact with one another to survive, learning the good and bad of their culture and society, and understanding the people he's saving. When he charges them, it's because he has to or else he won't be equipped to protect them from the waves, and not to forget, they will pay that money in "hero taxes" weather or not Naofumi provides service for it. All that to say I felt the greed and bargaining was always just a way to make the world "real", so that the shows theme, and focus on the idea that this world isn't a game, would come through, and contrast the other heroes, who ostensibly "born into wealth and glory" have no concept of consequences, or the worth of what they have. Naofumi knows exactly the worth of what he has, because he has to work for all of it.

I really don't understand why Spear hero says nobody plays the shield. if that's the case, HOW DO THEY TANK AGAINST BOSSES? Like they do in the waves. If Nafumi wasn't there, they would all be dead after one big blast.

Oh duck yea more vids from this Guy. And its multiple parts And its from rising of the shield Hero. Fantastic news

I would say that Shield hero seems to be a more conservative hero than necessarily a capitalist one. Conservative in the Metternich or Otto von Bismarck sense.

"Flung into an alternate reality... where trickle-down actually works." Oh, dis gon b gud. EDIT: Yep, it gud.

Great vid, I can't wait to watch part 2 next year!

That ad actually made me want to play the game. That hasn’t happened in a long time, my friend. So well done.

Got one slight issue with the hospital analogy. Hospitals never talk to you about money until AFTER you've been discharged. Only when you're cleared to leave do they even utter the words 'money' or 'insurance'. The last time I was there, I asked who to talk to about it, and their exact words to me were, "Money's not important right now, so don't even worry about it. Just focus on resting up and getting better so you can go home. You don't want to be here any longer than you have to." Honestly, that last part is true. If you're going to get sick somewhere, it's going to be in a hospital, so the sooner you can leave, the better. Anyway, hospitals aren't allowed to turn you away just because you don't have money; not in the US anyway.

I genuinely hope that you don't think that the "capitalist ideal" message was an intentional thing

1:10 Pretty much this, Mr. EP! Even if you might take a while between uploads, you are an amazing content creator, always guaranteeing us with fundamentally thought-provoking and fun videos that are comedicly rich EVERY SINGLE GODDAMN TIME... and that is very respectable!!! LOVE YOU DUDE!!!

My brain B I G intrigue Edit: My brain B I G happy Will wait on part 2 b u d d y point

Both of those situations happen but in reality we have to plan for the worst case scenario always

Love everything you do, whenever you have the time to do them ❤️

13:30 in america hospitals actually cant force you to pay them what they charge you, and are required to give you emergency services whether or not 'you' or 'they' like it. its not free healthcare by any means, its just really ominous 'debtcare'

You know.. Im glad you post videos every eternity, it makes your weeb literal interpretations to feel more filled and worthful to hear, almost like some sort of book review where you point to the meaning of a complicated story with a simple style, analise the characters actions and perception of their context and expand the idea the book wants you to understand. Good job!

Naofumi does not only accept currency but also barters because at his begining his shield was all he had, the shield system taught him that every thing can be used either as raw material or barter goods.

*lives in North carolina* Uhhh....can confirm all our health care is like that... I tried to pay in plushies once and they told me to gtfo

At least it isn't THE MOST AMBITIOUS RPG OF 2019!

Always love your videos

Your insight and humor are gold. Thank you for this!

I really don't think that the show is intentionally spouting capitalist propoganda but it's an interesting take on it to be fair.

Yay you made a video, I'm proud

I genuinely love everything about what you talk about, and your editing style. keep it up.

I think the moral of this video is: “Don’t let anyone stop you from getting what you want.”

I don't know how you managed to fit Everyant in this video

The thing about Naofumi is that he isn't supposed to embody any ideal, he is in a world that other goods and services are often as, if not more useful than cold hard cash, he also uses the merchant - customer barrier as a way to distance himself from the people of this world.

Finally this guy does something!!! Missed you !

You're the creator this platform was made for. Every video you make cements that. Thanks for the laughs yo, your vids are always a good time.

Ugh... I've watched the sub so far and dub Naogumi's voice just sounds so weird... he doesn't have that "anger" in his voice

LONG LIVE CAPITALIST SHIELD BRO

Great video, made me decide to give this show a second chance. Also appreciated that you took the time to contrast the show's ideals with reality.

I love how much pretzel twisting mental gymnastics went into this show.

thanks for your wisdom kapitalist-sama

Woot, finally someone knows about SotHF hospital in my home state of NC lol

Definitely didn't expect this. Nice work.

Wow, waking up to a new video from you was the best kind of surprise! It's an intriguing topic, one that admittedly I'd only given thought through My Hero Academia, and I enjoyed the insight into a show I hadn't heard of. The concept of capitalist escapism usually makes me think of more westernized media so seeing how it's portrayed in an eastern medium is really interesting!

Technically hospitals cannot turn you away for emergency services regardless of your ability to pay. Yes that comes with its own list of caveats and yes hospitals do attempt to squeeze profits out of those who can pay, but the lack of nuance in your analogy serves to undermine it overall. The barter analogy in general doesn't make much sense and is trying to mask its incoherency with humor.

See you in two or so months guys Btw who has read the spear hero spin off

I am super impressed by your level of analysis!

God, I love your content. Now, i see that show in new, enlightened way and i can't thank you enough for that. Also, i learned something today. Today was a good day.

Generally a great video, but your final point about how the ideals don't translate to the real world I find to be a strawman because you imply that a capitalists don't have more nuanced answers to the more complicated real world problems.

hippity hoppity you're now my property

I know this was about anime, but you've given me what I've wanted for years; a perfect argument to point to whenever anyone calls Tom Nook evil.

It’s good that you are doing alright Expoint. Don’t push yourself

!: Capitalism is kinda flawed tbh Also !: CHECK OUT MY SPONSOR AND PATREON YO

Now I want to see your analysis of C: The money of soul and possibility control.

Ohhh a new video! I can’t wait!!

Thanks, this video made me watch the series and now I'm hooked :3

To your opening speal: Yeah, that's pretty much what we want. That and don't be an asshole on twitter. edit: god job. Definitely lives up to the standard.

it may just be something in my sound setup, but your P's and B's nearly blow out my subwoofer in this video

You're so on point with the portrayal of medicine.

You keep triggering my PTSD & opening the vault with your Junji Ito references.

Its been so long since you have uploaded I forgot what your voice sounded like.

I am a simple man. I see a ! video and I hit like. Also that opening is very true at least for me. I just want high quality videos as long as it's healthy for you do so.

Your framing of Shield Hero as Randian actually helped me organize my thoughts on the series a lot, so thanks for that. Goes a long way towards explaining why I fucking hate it so much.

Finally, great content.

Fantasy world? Main Character traveling in a cart with a half-human half-animal female companion? Capitalism? I'm surprised Spice & Wolf wasn't mentioned at all.

The primary flaw with this video is that Naofumi is altruistic at heart and not a true capitalist. The reason he defers payment and helps people for sub-par rewards isn't because he is the perfect capitalist but because he has to remain guarded but wants to help people. The reason the other heroes fail isn't because they are being altruistic but because they are being selfish (except for Spear-boi). The Bow Hero is playing up his fantasy of being a hero for the sake of his ego without thinking through his actions or the consequences of them while Naofumi instead weighs the benefits against the costs for his. The Sword Hero seeks power and selfishly puts his party in danger while not thinking about the effects his actions have on the wider world around him causing the plague. The Spear Hero is genuinely trying to be a hero but his naivety and foolishness allow him to be manipulated by those who aren't altruistic and cause his actions to be for their good and not the good of the people as he intends. That and his stupidity anyway. It's not that capitalism is the answer, but careful thought. Each of the other heroes have a value they adhere to that is also present in Naofumi but each of the other heroes lacks the one value in Naofumi that allows those values to work for the betterment of the people; consideration of others. But it was a good video none the less.

This video's so good, it might actually make a lot of people give THE CURRENCY to the Patreon.

Great video glad to know your doing well.

rip im gonna be on a plane when this premieres

The slaver actually tries to talk Naofumi out of buying Raphtalia because he thinks her illness is so terminal she's going to die in a few days. Really don't understand why people don't see why Raphtalia loves him.

Damn you, this-two part ploy made me finally smash that subscribe button

The video was well thought out and thought provoking. Even if some of the points were dead obvious in the show. Can't wait for part 2 of this.

From what I gathered Naofumi is using the capitalist angle as more of an EXCUSE to help than anything else, he does demand compensation for saving people, but usually he does it offhand. To me it seems like he's a genuinely nice guy who wants to help people, but after being burned he thinks helping for nothing makes him seem gullible, so he demands compensation for everything in order to play the 'tough guy' Notice that not once during his travels does he try to make a good name of himself, he never accepts the 'saviour' title (in fact he outright denies it multiple times) and always makes a big show of how greedy of a bastard he is, just to make sure people hate him and don't rely on him in the future or think of him as the 'nice guy' that they can exploit. For example you have the execution of Bitch and Trash, who despite all they've done to him he still steps up and saves them, making a big show of it being 'for his own sake' and that death is just too good for them, when in truth he just doesn't want people to die because of him (he's threatened murder plenty of times, but as far as I recall he hasn't killed anyone, much less without being cornered into it)

"OTHER America!!" Great.

That ad sold it, imma go download it after this vid

Support for 2 whole years and 22 videos! I promise not to rate that efficiency, but leave the facts as they are.

Part one? Is that a guarantee for more content soon-ish? Please?

Do you have... *the currency*

Great vid! love this show! Naofumi may be the most relatable and best developed character in all of anime

New content. From Explanation Point. And it's about Rising of the Shield Hero with Hero Aca mixed in... I AM A HAPPY HUMAN BEING.