I received a few concerning emails about Raphtalia’s growth. If she grows older by leveling up, will we see grandma Raphtalia soon? Time to get that misunderstanding out of the way.
Will Raphtalia keep getting older as she levels up? Demi-humans grow older as they level up, but this process only lasts during puberty. As Raphtalia has already gone through puberty by the time of the first Wave of Destruction, she will no longer grow older by leveling up.
Missed that nuance? Well, don’t let it bother you. The Anime does not spell it out very clearly and besides, Naofumi also did not quite get it…
How demi-humans like Raphtalia grow older
As demi-humans level up, they also mature. Their strange biology is apparently the main reason demi-humans are discriminated against. This always struck me as a bit odd, to be discriminated against just for that. I guess, however, it is more about difficulties accepting those are different, rather than about the exact thing that makes them different.
Whatever the case, it is a process that stops once a demi-human has gone through puberty. Raphtalia will no longer be getting older by leveling up.
Growing older is not the only symptom of leveling up through puberty by the way. Demi-humans going through puberty also have a huge appetite. This is what makes Raphtalia hungry so many times a day during the early parts of the story.
It also makes for a pretty funny scene in the castle, after the first Wave of Destruction. Naofumi encourages Raphtalia to eat whatever she wants, still used to the huge appetite she no longer has. Thinking he can not afford to buy great food all the time, it’s a good way to say “good work” and save some money.
Raphtalia misses that point and seems to think Naofumi just likes his girls a little chubbier, so flat out asks him. It’s something Naofumi then completely misses as, in his eyes still suffering from depression, Raphtalia is still just a child.
