I've always hoped they would add a shield that worked like Zantetsuken: When not in use, it's tiny.

They could make an arm guard that doesn't stand out too much and have the barrier effect (Which is used if you get hit with Protect up, so not a hard thing to make I imagine) appear when you block, just, in place of the shield. I mean, a heavy gauntlet could be used with the same animations and not look too weird.