Story Ideas

The Sword Hero

          This was one of the easier ones to pick from... at first glance. Many characters use swords, and many more are active and seek strength. Unfortunately, many shounen anime have proved to be out of the question due to either my own rules or because they fit the role of the loyalty seeking spear hero better. Granted, this will make finding candidates for the spear hero even easier than it already was. Michael J. Caboose would make a better hero than Motoyasu. But I digress.

          Also, many characters in shows who seek strength are evil, so that made things difficult as well. A lot of the good candidates I found were held back because they either, primarily used multiple swords (Zoro and Inosuke), wielded a living sword (Fran from Reincarnated as a sword), or were way too powerful to begin with (Goku, Vegeta, Trunks). Of course, these wouldn't really matter too the legendary weapons, but I felt that it wouldn't fit and decided not to. But, after pulling some characters from some newer, unconventional, and/or obscure stories I was able to come up with the five I needed.

Damian Wayne: Specifically, the one from the new 52 animated movies at the end of Justice League Dark. He would probably be a backup candidate due to his personality problems. However, he would be a good candidate nonetheless. He would probably figure out Malty's true nature very quickly and would figure out, and call out, the king's grudge against Naofumi. As a bonus, he would probably get along with the Queen's shadows swimmingly.

Lay Glanzudlii/Kanon (Misfit of Demon King Academy): What better choice for the sword hero than a hero who can use any sword? Lay was so perfect that I decided to bend the rules a bit just to get him here. For one, Lay doesn't actively seek power the way the sword hero is said to. In fact, one of his character traits early on was his frustration at not finding anyone who could match him in a sword fight.

          To be completely honest, Lay would probably be a better fit for the legendary spear due to the way he values his friends. But the very idea of having Lay as anything other than the sword hero made me want to vomit. Lay seems to have a great connection too swords in general, so maybe we could make that the reason why he was chosen despite not technically meeting the requirements.

          Each of the legendary weapons have their own spirit inside them. I would write it so Lay would be able to communicate with the spirit of the sword and, as a result, the spirits of the other weapons. This will be how he knows Naofumi is innocent. His shield will testify for him.

Matthias Hildesheimer (The Strongest Sage With The Weakest Crest): Many of you have probably never heard of this series, so I'll give you a brief summary of the main character. The Manga starts with him introducing a dragon that destroyed three entire kingdoms and was hailed as the world's strongest and said to have the power to kill gods. He then immediately kills it within the span of 27.42 seconds and proceeds to curse himself saying that was "far too slow." He then monologues to himself about his dream of fighting monsters in outer space and his limitations caused by his crest before deciding to use magic to reincarnate himself many years into the future.

          In his world, people are born with one of four crests that determine their magic specialty and development. I won't go into too much detail here, but Matthias was born with the first crest, which was unsuited for combat and a source of ridicule for those who bear it. Matthias reincarnated himself solely so he could get rid of it and, hopefully, be reborn with a more suitable crest. Lucky for him, he managed to be reborn with his ideal crest in one go. The fourth crest, the one he was reborn with, basically gave its wielder a bunch of overpowered bonuses with its only weakness being that they have a hard time fighting at long range.

          Essentially, Matthias is that ultra try-hard competitive gamer that does everything they can to make their character/deck/team etc. as strong as possible, making him the epitome of the sword spirit's ideals. Speaking of which.

Seiya Ryuuguuin (Cautious Hero): Unlike the last one, most of you have probably at least heard of this one. Due to his... less than ideal... personality, Seiya would have to be a backup candidate. But damn if he wouldn't be a good one. His great starting stats, especially his exp. boost, would be a godsend when fighting. And his overly cautious personality and distrust of others will, ironically, make him more likely to side with Naofumi during his trial. I can practically see his response to the accusation. "It's possible that someone could have transformed themselves to look like Naofumi and did it. She could be lying, or she could be brainwashed. There are too many possibilities to consider too just cripple one of the four heroes like that."

          I imagine Seiya butting heads with Motoyasu and Itsuki quite frequently. Seiya would probably hate how reckless they are while Motoyasu and Itsuki would dislike Seiya for siding with Naofumi on several occasions, including but not limited too Naofumi owning Raphtalia as a slave (Seiya would probably see it as a good idea and even consider doing it himself, especially after hearing that it makes them stronger.) And he would also share a mutual respect with Naofumi post second wave given their similar mindset.

Tanjiro Kamado (Demon Slayer): And this is where I went "fuck it" and chose whoever trained for an extended period of time. No one ever said that seeking strength had to be their main personality trait. And Tanjiro was one of the most dedicated when it came to training. He was good with a sword and would be able to call the trial into question the second he smelled Naofumi's scent on "Motoyasu's" armor.

          I think it would be interesting if Nezuko was there with him. Tanjiro always caries her around in that wooden chest on his back, so it's not inconceivable. He'd probably be the most open minded of the heroes and therefore the first to get a grasp of the weapon strengthening methods. His personality and values would probably allow him to connect with most of the major characters in the story. Though, he would probably dislike Malty almost as much as he hates Muzan Kibutsuji, especially after she tries to kill Melty.

          That's it folks. Spear Hero's next.