Introduction

Before I get into the review of this final episode of the fantasy series, Goblin Slayer, I’d like to make it known that I’m currently running a poll over on Twitter to determine which fantasy series you’d like for me to review weekly next season. This season, along with Goblin Slayer, SAO: Alicization and TenSura are the other fantasy anime which got the weekly review treatment.

While both SAO: Alicization and TenSura are continuing in Winter 2019, there are also two other fantasy anime starting up in the form of The Rising of the Shield Hero and Endoro~! However, I’m only planning to write about two of these four series, which is where the poll comes in.

Simply click on the embedded tweet to be taken to Twitter where you can cast your vote. Also, keep in mind that I will be selecting the top two anime from this poll, so even if the series you chose doesn’t come in first, there’s still a chance it’ll make the cut. And, stick around until the conclusion of this post to learn about the other series I’ll be reviewing in Winter 2019.

The Fate of an Adventurer

Now that you’ve voted in the Twitter poll, it’s time to get down to business. The first thing I have to say about this final episode of the season is that it was the best episode yet and I can’t wait for more Goblin Slayer in the future. The series as a whole wasn’t perfect, but I’ll talk more about that in my full review of the season at a later date.

As far as a finale goes, this episode had it all; action, a satisfying ending, and the promise of more to come. So, how does Goblin Slayer achieve all three of these parts to a successful finale, and why are they necessary?

The first half of the episode is the climax of potentially the entire season. In many cases, the climax isn’t pushed back into the final episode of a series and this last episode is instead used to wrap up loose ends, which is pretty boring. By adding a lot of action in the first half of the episode, Goblin Slayer has avoided the boring last episode problem.

However, a final episode can’t all be action either because there needs to be some sort of ending for viewers to be satisfied with. Some series, like Attack on Titan, go the cliffhanger route, but Goblin Slayer instead ended on a high note in which we’re shown how far he’s come as a character.

Okay, but if the end of a season isn’t a cliffhanger, then where can the series go from there? As far as the anime adaptation of Goblin Slayer is concerned, one season would be fine. Everything is wrapped up nicely, though there are a few characters who we’d obviously like to be explored more.

But, that’s where the final few frames of the episode come into play. Just when we’re accepting that the end of the season may be the end of the anime series, and we’re oddly accepting of that because of how satisfying the ending was, we’re hit with the words “Goblin Slayer will return.”

Many of us already knew that there’s a lot more Goblin Slayer content to be adapted into anime, and yet this simple phrase still made me feel like we’re getting surprise bonus content although I know that isn’t the case. There was likely always going to be a second season of Goblin Slayer, but once it’s confirmed like that, the excitement for it truly begins.

Female Knight, Guts, and Cú

There are three main fights in the first half of this episode. The first of these fights is between one of the two goblin champions and the adventurers Heavy Swordsmen and Female Knight. These two are in a party together and have previously been shown training rookie adventurers in the series.

I’m not sure if Female Knight is supposed to be based on a character from another series, but Heavy Swordsman is basically Guts from Berserk. He looks just like Guts and wields the same giant sword as Guts, so I think it’s very likely that’s who he’s based on considering how popular the Berserk manga is.

By working together, these two are able to easily defeat the goblin champion, although later on in the episode they lament the fact that they fought such a tough opponent only to be paid a single gold coin as if it were a regular goblin.

The next fight is between the other goblin champion and Spearman. Upon defeating their opponent, Heavy Swordsman and Female Knight offer to help Spearman with his battle, but he refuses because he doesn’t want to be shown up by them.

I’ve heard it said many times, and I may have even brought this up in a previous episode review, but Spearman appears to be based on Cú Chulainn from Fate/stay night UBW. Not only does he use a spear as a weapon, but he also has Cú’s signature hair style and attitude.

When he was fighting the goblin champion, I was half expecting him to yell “Gáe Bolg!” and one shot him, but it turns out he was able to win the fight even without going full-on Cú. I really hope Spearman plays a bigger role as the series progresses, because he may be my favorite side character.

The third and final fight of the episode is between Goblin Slayer and the goblin lord. After seeing how his army is being decimated on the battlefield, the goblin lord attempts to flee back to his nest so that he can create a new army with which to stage a second attack at a later date.

However, Goblin Slayer has already destroyed the goblin nest, and, in what is perhaps the greatest Goblin Slayer line of the series, says to the goblin lord that the entire battle was simply a diversion. Only Goblin Slayer, master of trickery, would start a war just so he could flank a single goblin.

But, sort of as I predicted last week, Goblin Slayer cannot defeat the goblin lord on his own simply because he isn’t a hero, he’s just a man who slays goblins. Instead, Priestess is the one who truly defeats the goblin lord by wedging him between two of her divine protection barriers while Goblin Slayer kept him distracted.

That’s right, the battle distracted the goblin lord from noticing that Goblin Slayer was flanking him in order to distract him so that Priestess could defeat him. Distract-ception as some might say.

Goblin Slayer Unmasked

The second half of the episode is the wind-down to the conclusion of the season. The goblin horde has been defeated, the adventurers are all celebrating, and we even get a scene of the Hero and her two party members mentioning how some unknown goblin slayer has made the city they’re visiting safe.

This last part is a nice way to show that there are still more characters to be formally introduced and adventures to be had going forward, which is a hint at what will happen in the second season. I was actually surprised that the hero didn’t play a bigger role in this first season.

During the celebration, Goblin Slayer gives the gold coin he received for defeating the goblin lord to Priestess because she was the one who actually defeated him, Goblin Slayer was just there to be the distraction. Although technically Goblin Slayer did deliver the finishing blow.

But, the best part of this entire episode may have been what comes next. Priestess requests a different reward from Goblin Slayer, she asks him to remove his helmet. I wasn’t surprised that he agreed to do this, but I was surprised that he did so in the middle of the adventurers guild.

It didn’t take long for other adventurers in the guild to take notice, starting with High Elf Archer, and soon the entire guild was gathered around Goblin Slayer to take a look at the man who seemingly never removes his helmet. I also enjoyed that many of them, specifically Spearman, still have no idea that they’ve seen Goblin Slayer without a helmet before.

Interestingly, it does seem that the only ones who knew what Goblin Slayer looked like under his helmet were Cow Girl, her uncle, Witch, and probably Sword Maiden. Despite sleeping with Goblin Slayer, Priestess admits that she had her eyes closed the whole time and never actually saw his face.

I also previously assumed that the rest of Goblin Slayer’s party knew what he looked like because it would have made sense for them to remove some of his armor, specifically his helmet, after he was severely injured and coughing up blood after his fight with a goblin champion.

But, most of all, I loved how despite everyone in the guild thinking that Goblin Slayer is a weirdo for only caring about goblins and seemingly never taking off his helmet, they all actually consider him to be one of them. Goblin Slayer is a staple of the guild, and it simply wouldn’t be the same without him, so they’ll all agree to help him whenever he’s in need.

Conclusion

So, what did you think of this Goblin Slayer season finale? Did you love the episode as much as I did, or do you have some different thoughts about it? Let me know in the comments because I’d love to hear what others have to say about what I thought to be the best episode of the series.

If you liked this post or found it interesting, click the like button ❤ down below. And, don’t forget to follow me over on Twitter @DoubleSama as well as cast your vote in the poll to decide which fantasy series will be joining my Winter 2019 weekly review schedule.

Finally, I mentioned that you could learn more about what other series I’m planning to review weekly in the Winter season, and the place to go for that information is Patreon.com/DoubleSama. Patreon is a great way to directly support DoubleSama.com, but it’s also where I upload weekly updates which are absolutely free. Last week’s update discusses the schedule for next season.

A Gathering of Adventurers

The battle to protect Cow Girl’s farm begins in this week’s episode of Goblin Slayer after she refuses to flee despite the impending goblin attack. There are a number of reasons why Cow Girl chooses to stay behind, and while some of them make sense, others don’t.

The only good reason she has for refusing to leave the farm to seek shelter in the nearby town is that she knows Goblin Slayer is going to stay behind and defend the farm despite knowing he can’t win. While this isn’t a good reason from a logical point of view, it makes sense when you think about her relationship with him.

However, the next two reasons make less sense. She claims that if she leaves and the farm is then destroyed, including the livestock, then their family will have nothing. While this is true to an extent, having nothing for a period of time is better than what her fate would be at the hands of the goblins.

This reason also fails to take into consideration that losing everything wouldn’t necessarily be permanent. It should be obvious that Goblin Slayer, and probably his fellow party members, and possibly even other members of the guild, would pitch in and help pay for anything that was lost due to the attack.

But, while the first reason she gives for not wanting to leave is a good one, and the last reason she gave was a terrible one, the middle reason is the one I found most interesting simply because it shows how she thinks of Goblin Slayer. This reason was that she doesn’t want to leave the farm to get destroyed because that would mean Goblin Slayer would lose his home again.

Now, perhaps I’m wrong in assuming this, but I don’t think Goblin Slayer really cares that much about the physical location of the farm. Even if the entire farm were to be burned to the ground, I don’t think it would really matter all that much to him as long as Cow Girl and her uncle are safe.

Yes, he would care because he wouldn’t want Cow Girl to be sad about it, but all that really matters to him is that she’s alive. So, what Cow Girl doesn’t seem to understand is that “home” isn’t a specific location to Goblin Slayer, it’s the people who make a place “home,” and she’s one of those people for him.

Incidentally, her refusal to flee the farm likely saved Goblin Slayer’s life because it forced him to take the defense of the farm more seriously. Had she left, he would have fought the goblins alone until he was overrun and killed, but now he has to make sure no goblins get through to Cow Girl.

The Goblin Menace

The Goblin Slayer we know and love is a man who can take on any number of goblins single-handedly, assuming nothing he’s never heard of before, like an ogre, suddenly appears. So, why is this goblin attack on the farm too much for him to handle alone? Has he gone soft ever since forming a party?

The key to why this battle is so different from any Goblin Slayer has faced before is simply the terrain. Goblin Slayer isn’t just an expert at killing goblins, he’s an expert at laying traps and using the goblin’s own weapons and territory against them.

For example, most of the time goblins can be found within their tunnels, which are perfect for laying traps and funneling large numbers of enemies so that they’re more easily dealt with. However, this battle at the farm is going to cover a vast expanse of open fields, which means the goblins, with their greater numbers, have the advantage.

You can think of Goblin Slayer as the legendary King Leonidas of Sparta fighting against the vast Persian army.

In fact, he even states that despite the vast numbers of goblins. he would undoubtedly be able to defeat them on his own if the battle were happening in the goblin’s tunnels. So, just what does this goblin horde look like?

At the top is the goblin king or lord who commands the rest of the army. Other than having the ability to be an exceptional leader, this goblin lord doesn’t seem to have any other powers, unlike the orc lord from TenSura.

Below the goblin lord are at least two goblin champions, and remember, goblin champions are said to be the equivalent of Platinum-ranked adventurers. If they really are this powerful, then is a goblin lord the equivalent of the demon lord?

Next up we have a horde of hobgoblins, which are essentially the next step up above goblins. And finally, there’s a horde of at least 100 regular goblins, although by regular I simply mean non-hobgoblins, champions, or lords. These “regular” goblins can still be types like riders or shamans.

So, just how is Goblin Slayer going to be able to defeat all of these enemies? With the help of the entire adventurers guild of course!

The Adventurers Strike Back

Since he can’t possibly defend the farm from such a massive goblin horde on his own, Goblin Slayer recruits the rest of the adventurers guild to help him. Interestingly, he doesn’t first go to his usual party for help, but this may perhaps be because he knows they’re going to help anyway.

Instead, he starts by requesting the aid of Spearman and Witch, two other Silver-ranked adventurers with whom Goblin Slayer has had dealings with in the past. While Witch is seemingly indifferent towards him, and Spearman finds him annoying, Goblin Slayer knows these two are strong and dependable.

After briefly refusing to help Goblin Slayer without payment, Spearman and Witch agree to help him for the cost of a drink. After these two, High Elf, Dwarf, and Lizardman join in, and once the Guild Girl offers one gold coin for every goblin slain, the rest of the adventurers join in as well, including Female Knight and Heavy Swordsman (the two other “named” Silver-ranks).

Finally, Priestess appears and tells Goblin Slayer that she’s going to help as well, but I don’t think that was ever really a question, of course she was going to help, just like the rest of their party.

Upon arriving at the farm, Goblin Slayer explains his plan of defense to the rest of the adventurers. The first step is to rescue the women being used as meat shields from the goblins so the rest of the defense can begin in earnest.

Once this is done, the magic casters will focus on defending a portion of the offensive adventurers who now begin to push back against the goblins. Meanwhile, other adventurers lie in wait to ambush the goblin riders with spears once they appear.

While all of this is happening, Goblin Slayer goes off into the nearby forest on his own to hunt down and kill the goblin lord who’s commanding the enemy army. In the next and final episode of the season, the fight between these two will officially be underway.

But, before I end for today, let me briefly talk about my predictions for this final fight between Goblin Slayer and the goblin lord. The fight is set up to be a duel between these two, but I don’t really feel like that would make sense for Goblin Slayer’s story.

The author, Kumo Kagyuu, has stated in an interview that while Goblin Slayer is the adventurer we follow in this story, it’s not his story. In fact, just as Goblin Slayer himself points out, he’s not a hero. But, wouldn’t defeating the goblin lord on his own be a heroic act?

This is why I think that although the plan was for Goblin Slayer to do this on his own, his allies will come to back him up and his party will end up working together to bring down the goblin lord. It doesn’t even have to be his whole party, it could just be Priestess, or even another adventurer like Spearman.

However, whoever comes to Goblin Slayer’s aid isn’t really what’s important. What’s important is that no one adventurer is the hero of this story (except for the actual heroes). And, now that I think of it, perhaps the hero who defeated the demon lord will appear to save the day.

Conclusion

As always, what are your thoughts on this week’s episode of Goblin Slayer? Do you think Cow Girl should have abandoned the farm? Do you think Goblin Slayer will single-handedly defeat the goblin lord? Let me know what you think in the comments.

If you enjoyed this post then be sure to click the like button ❤ down below. And, remember to follow me on Twitter @DoubleSama to stay up to date with all of my upcoming content. These next two weeks are going to be crazy, so Twitter is the best way to keep from missing out on content.

And, finally, if you’d like to help support DoubleSama.com while also getting some benefits at the same time, check out Patreon.com/DoubleSama for more details.

My review of the final episode of Goblin Slayer is available here.

Dozing

It’s a peaceful time for everyone in the world except for Goblin Slayer. The defeat of the demon lord at the hands of the Hero and her party means that most of the remaining monsters have begun to flee the lands protected by adventurers.

Even Goblin Slayer’s party, which had little contact with the workings of the demon lord, are now able to relax after returning from their quest in Water Town. However, as I said, this is not a peaceful time for our titular hero.

Not only are the movements of goblins independent from those of the demon lord’s armies, but there are now new enemies for Goblin Slayer to face: age and injury.

The Man Under the Helmet

Although his body was healed back in Water Town, Goblin Slayer’s armor is still in need of repair. We learn that he actually has a spare set of armor, but apparently that too was being repaired. I’m assuming the first set was damaged when he fought the ogre, and it was the spare set he wore to Water Town.

But, since one set was damaged and the other was already in the care of the blacksmith, this left Goblin Slayer without his signature armor for a day. Because of this, it’s reaffirmed that very few people actually know what Goblin Slayer looks like.

Aside from Cow Girl, Cow Girl’s uncle, Priestess, and Sword Maiden, the only other person who might have already known what he looks like is Witch. However, I get the feeling that Witch had never actually seen under Goblin Slayer’s armor before, and instead just isn’t as clueless as everyone else.

Oh, and I suppose we can assume High Elf, Dwarf, and Lizardman have seen him without his armor as well, though we haven’t seen them see him this way. And, yes, the blacksmith also should know what he looks like as well, but he’s not a major character by any means.

Still, even if we include everyone I listed, that’s only a total of nine people who know what Goblin Slayer looks like under his helmet. I wonder if Spearman will ever learn that the “new guy” he was bragging to was actually his romantic rival, Goblin Slayer.

While we did get to literally see the man under the helmet (or at least partially), we also got to see inside his head, so to speak. It should come as no surprise at this point in the series that Goblin Slayer is a troubled individual, but in this episode we learn more about what troubles him and how it makes him seem more human.

Not only does Goblin Slayer constantly think about the past, but he actually thinks about the future as well, which is something unexpected for his character. In fact, it’s so out of character for him, that even his childhood friend, Cow Girl, is taken aback by this fact.

So what does a man like Goblin Slayer think about in regards to the future? The obvious answer would be how he’s going to kill goblins in the future, but that’s not all. In fact, he seems to recognize that he won’t be able to kill goblins forever, and if that’s the case, what’s he supposed to do after that?

If he were to eradicate all goblins from existence, I believe he would simply retire to the farm with Cow Girl and live out the rest of his days helping her around the farm. However, this isn’t how his goblin slaying days are likely to come to an end.

Supposing he isn’t killed before he has the chance to retire from goblin slaying, undoubtedly Cow Girl would want him to retire to the farm with her, but I think even she knows that isn’t going to happen. As long as there are goblins out there, he’ll continue to do something about them.

And, this is where information from Guild Girl comes into play. Apparently the guild is planning to set up a school in which retired adventurers train the next generation so that they have a greater chance at survival. This would be the perfect way for Goblin Slayer to continue his fight against goblins, but from the back lines.

That said, Goblin Slayer would probably rather continue to fight goblins himself until the day he dies. This fact is exactly why it’s such a big deal that he’s actually thinking about his future, it shows that he understands how his death would affect those around him, and is trying to come up with some sort of compromise.

I’ve mentioned this before, but Goblin Slayer isn’t actually about slaying goblins, it’s about the long road to recovery after traumatic events, and the portions of this episode which humanize Goblin Slayer’s character exemplify that.

Goblins

But, just because this anime isn’t really about goblins doesn’t mean they don’t play a major role and that I’m not going to talk about them.

At the start of this post I brought up the fact that the movements of goblins aren’t directly affected by the defeat of the demon lord, and nobody knows this better than the man who said it himself, Goblin Slayer. While the rest of the world is basking in the momentary peace, Goblin Slayer is still at work with his daily goblin-checking routine.

On his final round of checking the farm’s perimeter, he comes across the footprints of a large horde of goblins. These goblins don’t appear to have directly crossed onto the property of the farm, but the fact that they’re so close by and in such large numbers shows that an attack is inevitable.

So, where did all of these goblins come from?

It’s possible that these goblins appeared naturally, or at least as naturally as monsters like goblins can appear, but I’m not convinced. It’s unlikely that Goblin Slayer would have missed a group this large in his previous rounds. So is there someone behind the appearance of these goblins so close to home?

Last week Andreas Nicklasson pointed out in a comment that the goblins found in the sewers of Water Town were actually sent there by the cultists whom we saw the Hero defeat. While this implies that the cultists are no more, perhaps a sect of them managed to escape and are now responsible for this new goblin horde.

Regardless of who’s responsible, this is the beginning of the final arc of this season, and with only two episodes left, I have a feeling we’re going to be left on a major cliffhanger.

Conclusion

What do you think of Goblin Slayer’s character development and who do you think is behind the appearance of this new goblin horde, if anyone even is? Let me know in the comments as well as any other thoughts you had regarding this week’s episode.

If you enjoyed this post or found it helpful in any way, let me know by clicking the like button ❤ down below. Also be sure to follow me on Twitter @DoubleSama so you don’t miss out on any upcoming content. I have some exciting things planned for the end of the year that you won’t want to miss.

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My review of the next episode is available here.

There and Back Again

The creator of Goblin Slayer, Kumo Kagyuu, has said that western fantasy series, such as Dungeons & Dragons, are a huge influence for him and his work. Last week we got a Hobbit reference in the form of the riddle, “what have I got in my pocket?” and this week even the title of the episode is a Hobbit reference.

For those who aren’t aware, “what have I got in my pocket?” is the riddle Bilbo Baggins asks Gollum (unintentionally) and the answer is the ring of power. The title of this week’s episode, “There and Back Again” is the title of the book Bilbo writes about his adventure.

I’m low-key hoping for Goblin Slayer to ask High Elf, “what do your elf eyes see?” Although, to be fair this may have already happened in an earlier episode and I just didn’t notice.

Unfortunately, this title doesn’t really seem to have had much to do with the content of the episode. I assumed it was foreshadowing that Goblin Slayer and company where going to enter the mirror portal and eventually make their way back, but it seems that the title was more so referencing the conclusion of their time in Water Town.

Mirror, Mirror, on the Wall

At the end of last week’s episode the party found a mysterious mirror in the sewers beneath Water Town that was guarded by an eyeball monster. This mirror appeared to be a portal of some sort and was assumed to be how the goblins were entering the sewers.

In this episode, this is all confirmed when Priestess touches the mirror and a goblin village is shown on the other side after the ripples in the surface fade. The goblins in this village are seen using primitive technology and boats, something the goblins of the sewers were familiar with, but normal goblins should not be.

Now that it’s confirmed that these goblins originated from beyond the portal, it makes sense why they didn’t know of the existence of the large, white alligator which inhabited the sewer. Remember, Goblin Slayer thought it was strange that they wouldn’t know of its existence if the sewers were, in fact, their domain.

But, even though the geographical origin of the goblins was discovered, there are still more questions which need to be answered. These goblins were taught how to use the portal, and there was a monster guarding the portal, so who is their leader and what are they after?

These questions will be answered in the next section, so for now let’s take a look at what happens next.

When the goblin village was shown through the mirror, I was certain that Goblin Slayer would choose to enter it and eradicate the goblins at the source, but this isn’t the case. Instead, he uses the mirror as part of his plan to defeat the incoming army of goblins from elsewhere in the sewers, who were alerted to the party by the explosion from last episode.

The party back up to the mirror and divide up the tasks at hand. Priestess does her usual Priestess things and Lizardman creates a dragontooth warrior to protect her while he tears the mirror down from the wall. Meanwhile, the other three fend off the goblins.

High Elf uses her bow, Dwarf creates rock projectiles, and Goblin Slayer uses said rocks with a sling. When the goblin champion reappears, Goblin Slayer moves in to distract it until Lizardman can fully remove the mirror from the wall.

Once the mirror is down, Lizardman and his dragontooth warrior hold it facing the ceiling, and the rest of the party gathers underneath it. At this point, Goblin Slayer instructs Dwarf to bring down the entire cavern in which the battle is taking place, once again showing his ability to think outside the box.

The collapsing ceiling crushes all of the goblins, but the party of adventurers come out unscathed because all the rubble which would have fallen on them instead went through the mirror and destroyed the goblin village on the other side.

To prevent the goblins, or anyone else, from using the mirror portal again, the party then seal it in cement and sink it in the canal. This doesn’t really seem all that permanent, but I suppose it’s not all that easy to destroy an ancient, magical artifact.

Kono Sword Maiden Da!

Yes, that subtitle was a JoJo’s reference.

Upon returning from the sewers, Goblin Slayer reports back to the Sword Maiden and informs her that the goblins will no longer be able to enter the sewers via the mirror. He then asks her how much she actually knew about the situation, to which she admits that she knew everything going on in the sewers the whole time.

However, this doesn’t mean that the Sword Maiden was the one leading the goblins into Water Town. What she’s admitting to is knowing that the goblins were entering the sewers via the portal, and that the attacks on civilians weren’t actually the doing of goblins.

The true mastermind behind the goblins’ movements is none other than the demon lord, and the motive was likely the Sword Maiden. By this I mean that the Sword Maiden was likely the intended target of the goblin attacks, although they never even made it out of the sewers.

The reason for the goblins never making it out of the sewers is the giant, white alligator I mentioned earlier. It seems that this monster was summoned by the Sword Maiden in an attempt to stop the goblins from gaining a foothold within the sewers, but it came with an unexpected consequence.

I mentioned that the attacks on civilians within the city weren’t actually the work of goblins, and it would seem that this alligator may be to blame, although I have to admit, that doesn’t make much sense. It’s true that goblins don’t merely kill, disembowel, and eat women, but due to its size I don’t think that alligator would either.

I’d be pretty amazed if an alligator of that size was able to traverse the city streets undetected, even at night. So, as far as the true culprit of the attacks on civilians is concerned, I can’t say for sure who or what it is. If you obtained more information regarding this from Goblin Slayer’s conversation with Sword Maiden, let me know in the comments.

Due to her experience with goblins when she was 15, part of which we see, Sword Maiden is so afraid of a potential goblin attack that she saw summoning a monster like the alligator as a preferable alternative. However, her hiring of Goblin Slayer shows that she understood the alligator couldn’t be a permanent solution.

Sword Maiden then seems to go off on a tangent about dissent among other members of the church and how there is a group which wishes to see her deposed. I assume their reasoning is that they believe she isn’t able to protect Water Town, but this isn’t entirely clear.

Finally, she comes back to her story about being raped by goblins as a teenager. I’ve said it multiple times before and I’ll say it again, Goblin Slayer isn’t a series which glorifies rape, it’s a story about the horrors of rape, and Sword Maiden’s story exemplifies this.

Although it’s likely been decades since her attack, she still bears physical and emotional scars from it, and the fear she has of the goblins is enough to make her resort to drastic measures. She even asks Goblin Slayer to “save” her, which I took to mean kill her.

He refuses to save her (or kill her), but instead tells her that if she ever needs him to slay some goblins, all she has to do is ask. She then asks if he’ll come to rescue her even in her dreams, to which he replies that he will.

We’ve already seen that Guild Girl thinks of Goblin Slayer as a hero because he’s willing to do the important work which the rest of the adventurers believe is beneath them, and from this interaction with Sword Maiden we see how the survivors of goblin attacks also view Goblin Slayer as their hero.

But, despite being viewed as a hero, Goblin Slayer still doesn’t see himself that way, and in fact, he even claims that he isn’t an adventurer either. As far as he’s concerned, he’s just a man on a mission to kill goblins; he never intended to become anyone’s hero.

Conclusion

What did you think of this week’s episode of Goblin Slayer? I thought it was one of the better episodes due to the combination of action, lore, and references. Speaking of which, have you picked up on any other references I haven’t mentioned? Let me know in the comments.

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My review of the next episode is available here.