Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation Special

Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation Special

Eris the Goblin Slayer

The events of the Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation Special (Mushoku Tensei: Isekai Ittara Honki Dasu Special / 無職転生 ~異世界行ったら本気だす~) chronologically happen at the same time as the events of Part 2 Episode 5.

In Part 2 Episode 5, Rudy meets with his father in the city of Millishion. While he’s doing this, Eris goes on a goblin-slaying quest “on her own.” In reality, Rudy asks Ruijerd to follow her to make sure she’s safe. But, Eris doesn’t know about this.

This special, as you may have figured out already even if you haven’t watched it, follows Eris during this time. Obviously, that means this is one of my favorite episodes of the entire series. Not only is it Eris my beloved content, but it’s Eris x Goblin Slayer content.

Eris angry at Cliff for calling her ugly from the Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation anime special
Eris angry at Cliff for calling her ugly

The concept of goblin slaying within the Mushoku Tensei world is a little strange to me. While demons are definitely far smarter than goblins, being comparable to humans, they’re still fairly similar. Maybe this counts as demon racism, but some demons don’t look all that different from the goblins.

In my mind, hunting a goblin in this world would be the equivalent of hunting something like Neanderthals to us. They’re smart enough to wear clothes and use weapons — and they look somewhat similar to demons who are recognized as people, not monsters.

I guess the justification is simply that goblins attack people, so they need to be eradicated from the area. The same would probably be done to human highway bandits in this world.

Anyway, the goblin slaying bounty is paid out per left ear collected. And thanks to the “help” of Cliff, I don’t believe Eris returned with a single goblin ear.

Cliff Grimoire

Some people will be happy that Rudy didn’t appear in this special episode. Okay, technically he appeared briefly in the part when this episode reconnects to the end of Part 2 Episode 5. But there was no new Rudy content and he didn’t even have any dialogue when he did appear.

However, I’d take Rudy over Cliff Grimoire any day. Cliff Grimoire is some sort of nobility connected to the church. He appears to be the same age as Rudy and believes himself to be one of the strongest mages around (he’s not).

While Cliff isn’t horny like Rudy is (probably because he doesn’t have the mind of an adult), he’s way worse. He has the confidence and smugness of someone as skilled in magic as Rudy, but without the skills to back it up.

Eris excited to brag about how great Rudeus is from the Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation anime special
Eris excited to brag about how great Rudeus is

Cliff’s personality is what makes him unbearable. Just because he’s not as skilled in magic as Rudy is doesn’t mean he’s a bad mage. He can still cast powerful spells. But, just being able to cast powerful spells is only one part of being a mage in an adventurer’s party.

For example, when Cliff uses his powerful fire spell, he directs it directly at the goblins Eris is currently fighting. He doesn’t even consider that Eris could get caught up in his attack. If he was partied up with someone less competent, they could have been seriously injured or killed.

Additionally, Cliff doesn’t seem to understand that Eris completing goblin slaying bounties. Because of the spell he casts, she’s unable to collect any of the goblins’ ears. He then suggests they go find something stronger to fight because goblins are no match for him.

Though, it’s entirely possible Eris just never explained what she was doing to him.

Eris the Human Slayer

I mentioned how slaying goblins as a quest is a bit odd in this world because they’re so similar to some demons. However, it’s no wonder that Eris has no problem slaying goblins since she also has no problem slaying humans.

As far as I can remember, this episode is the first time Eris has ever killed another human. Up until now, I believe she’s only killed various monsters. And, you’d think this would have a bigger impact on her than it did.

I can understand why she didn’t take a lot of time to consider the fact that she was about to take human lives. She needed to act quickly if she was going to save the female knight and the girl. It was also clear to her that the assassins had already sensed her presence.

Eris killing an enemy from the Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation anime special
Eris killing an enemy

While I think a normal person would have some serious moral questions about their actions after killing five or so people, Eris seems to view it as business as usual. For example, Rudy would probably puke afterward if he did what Eris did. And I think even Ruijerd would acknowledge what he’d done if that was him.

But, I actually think the fact that Eris isn’t affected by her actions at all is actually pretty on-brand for her. She has an amazing ability to accept difficult things and move on from them. Sure, she just killed some people, but she’d justify her actions by saying they were assassins and she saved a child.

Obviously, that’s a good justification. But this isn’t the only time we’ve seen her do something like this. Every time she’s run into a hardship that personally impacted her, she’s moved passed it, such as the execution of her grandfather.

Conclusion

The Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation Special is a 9/10. It had great Eris content and a very well-animated fight scene. It was content that I personally wanted to see ever since Part 2 Episode 5. And it introduced some new characters who I think we’ll meet again in the future of the series.

If you enjoyed this review, remember to click the like button down below. Also, follow me over on Twitter @DoubleSama so you don’t miss out on any future content. And come join our Discord server if you’re interested in discussing anime with other members of the community.

Finally, I’d like to thank Roman for supporting DoubleSama.com at the Heika tier this month. To learn more about how you too can become a supporter of this blog, check out Patreon.com/DoubleSama.

My review of Season 2 Episode 0 is available now.

Leave a Comment