Goblin Slayer II Episode 12 Review

The Greater Demon’s Hand

Goblin Slayer II Episode 12 turned out to be better than I expected. I assumed that since they defeated the goblin priest, this episode would be more of a wrap-up. You know, they’d suddenly be back in town and we’d get a recap of the season.

Well, that’s not what we got, and I’m glad. The Dungeon of the Dead still had one more surprise in store for us. The goblin priest may have failed to summon a Dark God, but he managed to summon part of a Greater Demon.

Consider how difficult it was for Goblin Slayer’s party to take down his Greater Demon’s hand. Then, think back to the flashback of Sword Maiden’s adventuring party from Episode 9. From what I remember, her party was fighting two Greater Demons at the same time. That shows you how much stronger her party was than Goblin Slayer’s.

In the end, Goblin Slayer’s party was able to take down the Greater Demon’s hand. And, it was mostly thanks to Priestess, which I didn’t see coming. But, the way she defeated the Greater Demon’s hand reminded me of what we’re missing out on.

There was a brief discussion about whether the party should fight or flee. I expected them to flee in the end. And when Priestess activated the elevator, I was pretty excited. I thought this meant that they were going to end up fleeing deeper into the dungeon.

That would have been a great way to end the season, with the party trapped in the depths of the Dungeon of the Dead. With an ending like that, I would have been looking forward to next season. But, as things stand, I’m in no rush. I like Goblin Slayer, but there are better fantasy anime.

Hammer and Anvil

By the time Goblin Slayer’s party reaches the exit of the Dungeon of the Dead, a hoard of goblins is waiting for them. And, despite how used to fighting goblins they are, this isn’t good. They’re already worn out and there are a lot of goblins.

Luckily, Goblin Slayer always has a plan. And this particular plan is one he set in motion before the party even left for the Dungeon of the Dead. He told Sword Maiden that he’d handle rescuing the Princess, but that the rest is up to her.

So, Sword Maiden showed up at the entrance of the dungeon. And, she didn’t show up alone. She has a dragon of some kind, as well as an army of holy warriors. The Kingdom wasn’t going to send its troops to help Goblin Slayer. But, that doesn’t mean the church can’t send its troops.

This might have been my favorite part of the episode. I also liked seeing Goblin Slayer’s party figure out how to handle the Greater Demon’s hand on the fly. But, what made this scene so good is what it means for Sword Maiden’s character.

We know she’s terrified of goblins. It’s not a phobia because it’s not an irrational fear. But, her fear of goblins is so extreme that it can leave her paralyzed. And yet, she faced her fear in order to help Goblin Slayer’s party. I doubt having an army behind her made that any easier mentally.

I don’t think this is going to be a major turning point for Sword Maiden. It’s not like she’s suddenly gotten over her fear of goblins or anything like that. It’s another step in her healing process. She may never recover completely. But, she’s making progress.

The Knight of Diamonds

I don’t know who needs to hear this. But, the Knight of Diamonds is the King. We don’t have confirmation of that. But, it’s pretty obvious that it’s the case for a number of reasons. So, let’s go through those reasons.

First, we know that the King used to be an adventurer. So, if we found out that he’s still an adventurer in secret, that wouldn’t be the biggest surprise.

Second, the Knight of Diamonds appears directly after the villains derided the King for being a former adventurer. And, when the Knight of Diamonds shows his face, he has the same hair color as the King and they recognize him.

And third, the woman who appears alongside the Knight of Diamonds has the same hair color as the King’s maid. We don’t get to see this woman’s face. But, it’s a pretty safe bet it’s the same person.

Alright, so I’m convinced the Knight of Diamonds and the King are the same person. But, if this is the case, why didn’t the King help rescue his daughter? He wouldn’t have had to go to the Dungeon of the Dead as the King. He could have gone as a masked adventurer.

Well, one reason why he didn’t do that is pretty simple. This was a dangerous quest. If the King wants to fight corruption in the capital as an adventurer, fine. But, as the Ling, he can’t be taking on potentially fatal quests.

On top of that, as far as I remember, we don’t know what rank the Knight of Diamonds is. He’s probably pretty strong. But, I don’t see him being a gold-ranked adventurer. He could have been silver. However, as we saw, even a party of silver-ranked adventurers had trouble on this quest.

Final Thoughts

What do you think of the final episode of Goblin Slayer II? Were you expecting Goblin Slayer’s party to retreat deeper into the Dungeon of the Dead? What do you think about the dragon creature that was with Sword Maiden? And, is there any doubt in your mind about the King being the Knight of Diamonds?

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