Goblin Slayer

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Cover of the first chapter.

"I slay Goblins."

– Goblin Slayer

Goblin Slayer is a manga based on a light novel of the same name. The series is, like Dungeon Meshi, relatively new but it has quickly gained popularity among neckbeards for its creative use of a very generic fantasy setting. The story is mostly a gorefest that aims to show you the most efficient ways of killing as many goblins as possible, whether it be through stabbing, maiming, poison, fire, or creative use of utility spells.

The series has gained notoriety for its explicit rape scenes, causing some anons to label it as spanking material for a certain kind of people. Although, most fans will also be quick to point out that these scenes feature women that look more like victims of spousal abuse rather than sexy vixens getting their comeuppance.

Main Series

The main series opens with a group of fresh-faced murderhobos going on their first quest, which like any other first quest, is about killing goblins that have been pestering the locals. This simple quest promptly ends with a near TPK after the rookies underestimate the dangers of a goblin lair. Just before the final survivor, Priestess, is taken out she's saved by the protagonist Goblin Slayer.

From there the manga chronicles Priestess's evolution as an adventurer and Goblin Slayer's realization that there may be more to life than murderfucking goblins.

Characters

The Slayer making chunky salsa from a Goblin head.

At some point the author decided that naming characters was too hard and as such no character has a name, but is instead referred to by their title, class, race, or some combination thereof.

• Goblin Slayer is what you would get if you combined Batman, Doomguy, and Bear Grylls into a ball of vengeful fury. It is quickly revealed that he is the only survivor of a goblin raid on his village when he was a kid, seeing the carnage was enough to change him into a killing machine hellbent on purging dirty midget greenskins. The best moments of the series comes from seeing the many ingenious tools he's made to dispose of goblins, such as using a gate scroll as a high-pressure water jet cutter. He is also somehow able to project himself into dreams: when a girl who had survived a goblin raid told him of her nightmares of that time he simply told her to call upon him in said nightmares and he'd come. And it worked.
• Priestess is a newbie adventurer that is saved by Goblin Slayer after her first quest goes south. Her design and abilities are not unlike that of a cleric, as most of her miracles are support based. Magic is governed by a number of daily uses like Dark Souls or 3rd Edition. She has a heart of gold, but is generally naïve when it comes to the horrors of the world.
• Childhood Friend or Cow Girl is the childhood friend of Goblin Slayer and also technically survived the goblin raid on the village by virtue of being out of town. She now lives on a farm with her uncle and rents a room for Goblin Slayer. This being a manga means that she is a love interest.
• High Elf Archer is an Elven ranger that joins the party a few chapters in. Even though she is a High Elf her description is closer to a standard Wood Elf. Even though she's 2000 years old, she is easily the most childish of the party.
• Dwarf Shaman is a Dwarven druid that throws rocks at people and lugs around tons of booze. He is a 170 years old and has a fatherly attitude which he mostly hides by teasing the High Elf Archer.
• Lizard Priest is a Lizardman that wears a native headdress and summons skeletal minions. He speaks very politely and tends to break up the verbal abuse between the Dwarf and the High Elf.
• Guild Girl is a pen-pusher that takes requests from peasants, writes up quests notices, and hands out rewards when the tasks have been completed. She is another love interest.
• The goblins are almost a character unto themselves as they're present in nearly every chapter released so far. What makes them interesting is that the author has spun what is most often considered a weak low-level threat into crazy Viet Congs on crack, rather apt as the goblins are known for covering their weapons in a mix of shit and piss. Generally, the goblins pose a great exercise for any longtime DM that wishes to go against tropes or surprise veteran players. Some of their notable tactics include: Totems to distract from their hidden ambush tunnels (again, like Viet Cong), using seemingly live corpses as traps, hiding in old wells, using wolves as guard dogs and mounts, and using kidnapped women as literal meat shields by tying them to boards and hiding behind them.

Year One

Even Goblins need some lovin'.

"How will I kill them next time?"

– Goblin Slayer

Year One is the prequel side-story to Goblin Slayer and is mostly about filling in the gaps of what has so far only been implied or glossed over in the main series. The title and premise is a reference to the Batman series of the same name.

Year One is divisive due to it filling out gaps which some anons believe only added to the mystery of the main character, while others are just happy to have more Goblin Slayer. However, it is undeniable that Year One caters to the /d/eviants that like monster-on-woman action as it doesn't take more than nine pages for three women to be gang-raped in an explicit three-in-a-row fashion.

References

The series is full of visual references to other Japanese works both video games and manga, including Berserk, Dragon's Crown, Final Fantasy, and many more.