"The Rising of the Shield Hero" Season 1, Episode 23, "Cal Mira Archipelago," follows Naofumi, Raphtalia, and Filo to a remote archipelago for high-stakes, experience-point grinding, temporarily shifting focus from political drama to adventure and character development. The episode introduces new allies L'Arc and Therese while setting up an urgent upcoming battle against a Wave of Catastrophe, as highlighted by reviews on Anime News Network .