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Not only do they use their shields as a defense, but they use them for offense as well. Then there are a few who use their shields for defense, but it’s going to take a miracle and a lot of power to break through them. Either way, these shields are some of the best and most iconic shields in anime and any opponent facing them won’t break them so easily.
10 Pearl And His Iron Plate Shields (One Piece)
A tall man that wears shields all around his body to protect himself, Pearl claims that he’s a “shield man” and that he’s never lost a drop of blood in battle. These shields are very durable and grant him a high defense. With this defense, he is impervious to bullets and cannonballs. To better protect himself, Pearl will cause friction sparks that ignite a defensive layer of very hot flames to become “Fire Pearl”.
With the flames, Pearl is able to shoot multiple fireballs at his enemies. He is also able to use fire to strengthen his physical strikes. His other attacks mostly consist of hard hits that are all about crushing his enemies.
9 Tooru Kokonoe And His Blaze Shield (Absolute Duo)
A young man that is considered Irregular for having a shield as his Blaze, a weapon manifested from his soul, Tooru’s shield is practically unbreakable and shows that having a shield can be a great offensive weapon. He uses it in conjunction with a powerful punch that he learns, amplifying the power. It also helps that he was raised in a dojo where he learned both offense and defense, making him a fearsome opponent despite not having an actual weapon.
If anything, the shield matches him perfectly since Tooru is very protective of those around him. He is willing to do whatever it takes to ensure his comrades are safe and wants to protect everyone after he saw his younger sister get killed.
8 Heathcliff And His Knights Of The Blood Shield (Sword Art Online)
Fitting the image of a knight, Heathcliff has his trusty sword Liberator, and a large shield with the Knights of the Blood symbol on it to match. Considering that he’s the development director and Game Master of the game Sword Art Online, it’s no surprise that he’s so powerful. He was able to block Kirito’s attacks effortlessly since he made the dual-wielding skill line and knows all of the abilities.
Still, to block Kirito, who is already overpowered, is impressive. He did actually kill Kirito in their last fight but lost after Kirito managed to come back for a short time, just enough to kill Heathcliff.
7 Dragon Shiryu And His Dragon Shield (Saint Seiya)
The Bronze Saint of the Dragon constellation and the mature one of the group, Shiryu wears the Dragon Bronze cloth which is known for its legendary defensive capabilities. It’s known for its durability and is considered unmatched compared to most Cloths. Though it does have great defensive qualities, the shield is not invincible if Shiryu goes up against more skilled and stronger Saints.
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It’s going to take a very strong Saint to be able to shatter the shield. Along with the cloth itself, the Shield had bathed in the mineral-rich waters of the Rozan Mountains which made it harder than diamond.
6 WarGreymon And His Brave Shield (Digimon)
WarGreymon is one of the strongest Mega-level Digimon in existence and has some pretty deadly claws that allow him to cause a lot of damage to his enemies. However, if enemies want to land a lethal blow on him, they’ll have to get past his Brave Shield first. WarGreymon is armored in a metal known as Chrome Digizoid which is known to be the strongest metal in the Digital World.
The Brave Shield is also made of this metal so there are not many things that’ll pierce it. WarGreymon is already powerful with just his offense alone, but his Brave Shield as a defense just helps make him all the more lethal. The shield is split into two halves that he keeps strapped to his back, almost appearing as wings, and will bring them together when he needs to.
5 Mash Kyrielight And Her Cross-Shaped Shield (Fate/Grand Order)
A rather unique servant in the series. Mash is an artificial human who fused with a Heroic Spirit (Galahad of the Knights of the Round Table) and became a Demi-Servant. As a Shielder, Mash has an incredibly powerful shield as a weapon. There is supposed to be a sword within her shield, but Mash doesn’t use it and uses her shield as an offensive weapon.
When she fights, she opts to use it to charge toward her enemies to either smash them into the wall or ground or knock them into the air. Despite its large size, Mash is able to throw her shield with no problem and is able to catch it like it weighs nothing.
4 Erza Scarlet And Her Adamantine Armor Shield (Fairy Tail)
Erza has a lot of different armor at her disposal and uses them accordingly. Normally, she opts to use armors that are for offense or well-balanced in both offense and defense. But if she needs armor for absolute defense, her Adamantine Armor is the best. The armor itself is pretty bulky compared to most of her other armor, but it’s the shield that grabs attention.
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It’s broken up into two halves that are connected to the armor on her arms. When connected, Erza is able to defend against just about any attack. She used this shield to protect the Fairy Tail guildhall and the entire guild when the Phantom Guild fired their Magical Convergent Cannon, taking the whole force of it with this armor and shield.
3 Maple And Her Great Shield (Bofuri: I Don’t Want To Get Hurt, So I’ll Max Out My Defense)
When new to playing a video game, especially an MMORPG, it’s understandable that Maple didn’t want to die. However, no one was probably expecting her to put all of her points into Defense. Though Maple is slow on foot and can’t use magic, Maple is basically unstoppable when other players or enemies fight her. She gains experience by simply taking hits and acquires new skills because of it.
Her Defense is so high that even the game administrators look for ways to slow her down. Sadly for them, their adjustments don’t work since Maple’s basic understanding of the game and unorthodox ways of handling her problems. She was able to defeat 2,000 players in the first event and became a third-ranked player. Thanks to this and her high Defense, Maple is known as “The Walking Fortress” by most players.
2 Homura Akemi And Her Time Magic Shield (Puella Magi Madoka Magica)
The main source of Homura’s magic is within her shield. Even though Homura doesn’t have any offensive magical abilities, this shield is more than enough for her. Its special ability allows her to stop or go back in time. When time is frozen, Homura goes on the offense with her non-magical firearms that she steals from the police or other organizations.
She can reset time as many times as she wants and there doesn’t appear to be a limit. It’s almost insane just how overpowered this ability is. With this shield, Homura is the main cause of the storyline because she resets time to try and save Madoka.
1 Naofumi Iwatani And His Legendary Shield (Rising Of The Shield Hero)
Probably the first one that comes to mind when thinking of anime characters using shields. Naturally, the shield does Naofumi great defense and he’s able to block a lot of attacks. Not only is it great for defense, but Naofumi can also release magical projectiles from it and transform into another form depending on what monster or people parts he’s absorbed.
He can transform it in an instant, depending on who or what he’s fighting. A shield might not look like anything more than something for defense, but Naofumi shows that a shield with magical properties is all he needs to be a hero.
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