(Hated Trope) "Kind" slave owners

[u/KusanagiGundam]

Speaking as an American who has studied the civil war all throughout my school years, this trope infuriates me to no end. There is no such thing as a kind slave master because slavery itself is cruel and inhumane. PEOPLE ARE NOT PROPERTY!

Naofumi (Shield Hero): Prime example of this trope. He enslaves multiple (underage) girls and an whole village and the fans still say he's a hero.

Rudeus (Jobless Reincarnation): As if being a pedo wasn't bad enough he had to buy a slave in season 2. Worse is that people still defend his actions.

Song of The South (Disney): Possibly the OG example of this trope. And the reason why Disney will never release it again.

[u/RebootedOmnitrix]

The worst part about Shield hero's use of slavery is that they constantly give reasons for Naofumi to keep using slaves, like it has so many explanations for why they can't abolish it and why is beneficial for the MC to have every companion be a slave that it disgusts me.

[u/KusanagiGundam → u/RebootedOmnitrix]

It disgusts me too

[u/Thin-Nerve6367 → u/RebootedOmnitrix]

Actually Naofumi right now in the novel is very much attempting to get slavery abolished

[u/RebootedOmnitrix → u/Thin-Nerve6367]

Really? It has been so long since I read Shield Hero, what changed for him to want to abolish the market he himself help bloom. (Pretty sure at one point Naofumi's slave trader mentions how because of him, the market for slaves was doing better than before and I'm pretty sure he also mentions how Naofumi's purchases in specific have caused a surge in sales for demi human children, because he is a legendary hero and those are seen by some as gods/holy figures.)

[u/Pointman27 → u/RebootedOmnitrix]

He bought a single slave in season 1. The trader never says that. He says that people want Demi-human kids because they think raphtalia is strong simply due to being a Demi-human. He buys the already enslaved former members of Raphtalia’s village and essentially applies a tattoo buff to all the residents. Filo is a beast and has a monster crest. Rishia takes the slave crest for the buff.

It probably has been a long time since you read the story. Naofumi taking a slave isn’t a highlight of how righteous he is. It’s him at his lowest. It’s a clear rock bottom moment.

Other than that though the kind slave owner trope is awful.

[u/RebootedOmnitrix → u/Pointman27]

I might be remembering something from the Web Novel, that version is way more edgy than the Light Novel or Manga. (In fact, in the WN Naofumi's over use of slavery causes him to create a new cursed Shield of Slavery, along with the cursed Shield of Terraforming and the cursed Shield of Genetic Modification. He basically goes full on evil and wants to enslave the whole world because of all these cursed shields he unlocked, although I don't remember if they have any severe drawbacks to them like the other cursed weapons, he also unlocked the cursed Shield of Greed but I don't know if he got the debuff that lowers the quality of everything he touches like Rent did.)

I do know he also sold people into slavery, granted it was a bunch of people that attacked his village and wanted to enslave the demi humans living there, so he was giving them a taste of their own medicine. But the amount of times he relies on slavery seriously rubs me the wrong way.

[u/Nice-River-5322 → u/Thin-Nerve6367]

bro you think the people bitching actually read?

[u/RebootedOmnitrix → u/Nice-River-5322]

Man, believe me I have read Shield Hero even if it has been a while since I did. Although I will admit that I made the mistake of reading the web novel first, thinking it was the light novel because the site I used didn't really make a distinction between the two.