Goblin Slayer (Series)

*This article is about the Goblin Slayer series. You may be looking for the character.*

**Goblin Slayer** (ゴブリンスレイヤー, *Goburin Sureiyā*) is a Japanese fiction series written by Kumo Kagyu with multiple adaptations.

The light novel is illustrated by Noboru Kannatuki, with a manga adaptation by Kōsuke Kurose being serialized in the *Monthly Big Gangan* magazine, and a prequel manga by Kento Eida running in *Young Gangan*. Both the light novel series and manga adaptations have been licensed by North American publisher Yen Press since December 20, 2016. There are currently ten volumes published in English.

## History

*Goblin Slayer* was posted on an online textboard starting from October 2012 as a work that combined ASCII art with dialogue together. It was then rewritten into the format of a novel and submitted to competitions organized by publishers. The novel was subsequently amended to match the ending of the textboard version, which was created according to real time feedback from users on the internet. The novel was later picked up by GA Bunko editors when the author enrolled his other works into their competition, and as a result, GA Bunko began publishing it commercially.

Both Kumo Kagyu and GA BUNKO consider the novel to be completely different from the textboard version.

## Plot

A young priestess has formed her first adventuring party, but almost immediately they find themselves in distress. It’s the Goblin Slayer who comes to their rescue – a man who’s dedicated his life to the extermination of all goblins, by any means necessary. And when rumors of his feats begin to circulate, there’s no telling who might come calling next.

## Media

### **Light Novel**

*Main article: Goblin Slayer!*
*Main article: Goblin Slayer Side Story: Year One* (Light Novel)
The light novels are written by Kumo Kagyu and illustrated by Noboru Kannatsuki. The series was originally published online. SB Creative published the first volume under their GA Bunko imprint on February 15, 2016.

### **Manga**

*Main article: Goblin Slayer (Manga)*
Drawn and written based on the Goblin Slayer series' light novel plot. With character designs from Noboru Kannatuki, a manga adaptation with the art illustrated by Kōsuke Kurose began serialization in the June 2016 issue of Square Enix's *seinen* manga magazine *Monthly Big Gangan* on May 25, 2016. Currently, there are four manga adaptations:

* *Goblin Slayer* (Drawn by Kōsuke Kurose)
* *Goblin Slayer Side Story: Year One (Manga)* (Drawn by Kento Eida)
* *Goblin Slayer: Brand New Day* (Drawn by Masahiro Ikeno)
* *Goblin Slayer Gaiden 2: Tsubanari no Daikatana*  (Drawn by Aoki Shogo)
* *Goblin Slayer: Day in the Life* (Drawn by Daichi Matsuse)

### **Anime**

*Main article: Goblin Slayer (Anime)*
Based on the light novels, the Goblin Slayer series had its own anime television series with 12 episodes. An anime adaptation by White Fox was announced at the "GA Bunko 2018 Happyō Stage" presentation at the Wonder Festival event, and premiered on October 6, 2018. The series was simulcasted by Crunchyroll with Funimation licensing and producing an English dub.

### **Film**

*Main article: Goblin Slayer: Goblin's Crown*
A film for the anime titled Goblin Slayer: Goblin's Crown was announced on March 23, 2019 with returning staff and cast. It was released on February 1, 2020.

### **Music**

*Main article: Goblin Slayer Original Soundtrack*
* The original soundtrack for the anime is composed by Kenichiro Suehiro. It was released for sale on February 20, 2019.
* The opening theme song is Rightfully by Mili and the ending theme song Gin no Kisei (銀の祈誓, "Silver's Oath") by Soraru.

## Trivia

* The characters in this story do not carry proper names but are instead named by their class/professions.
* According to Kumo Kagyu in an interview, the motif of Goblin Slayer came from American Comics like "Batman" and "The Punisher".

## Gallery

Click on the images to enlargen them.
Anime visualPromotional poster

## References

1. ↑ *Goblin Slayer Official Japanese Site* - http://goblinslayer.jp/
2. ↑ 『このライトノベルがすごい!2017』蝸牛くも インタビュー p.98-101
3. ↑ 『このライトノベルがすごい！2017』宝島社 2016年11月24日発行
4. ↑ GA文庫ブログ「これからはじめる「ゴブリンスレイヤー」。大重版決定！　そして２巻も発売決定！」 2016年2月19日
5. ↑ https://twitter.com/GA\_SATO/status/644119604239794176
6. ↑ Goblin Slayer Light Novel Series Gets TV Anime
7. ↑ Funimation Adds Ulysses, Goblin Slayer, Senran Kagura, Radiant Anime to Fall Season Dub Lineup
8. ↑ 新作エピソード 「GOBLIN’S CROWN」制作＆劇場上映決定！！
9. ↑ Goblin Slayer: Goblin's Crown Theatrical Anime's Teaser Reveals 2020 Release
10. ↑ Interview With "Goblin Slayer" Creator Kagyu Kumo EXCLUSIVE GIVEAWAY!