Goblin Slayer

"I am to goblins what goblins are to us."

- Goblin Slayer

Goblin Slayer (ゴブリンスレイヤー) is the series' titular main character. He is an experienced silver-ranked adventurer who mainly concerns himself with hunting goblins.

Appearance
Despite being a silver-ranked adventurer, Goblin Slayer's choice of equipment poorly reflects his rank. He is often seen equipped in grubby leather armor with chain mail underneath paired with his signature cheap-looking helmet (which originally had horns) that envelops his head entirely in protective metal. However, due to the excellent sense of smell goblins possess, Goblin Slayer has a habit of neglecting the cleanliness of his armor as clean equipment would reek of metal, which would immediately alert goblins.

In contrast, Goblin Slayer's appearance is often mocked and ridiculed by most who fail to see the practicality and effective functionality behind it. Moreover, the grimy appearance combined with his down-grade equipment has, on more than one occasion, caused people to mistake him for an undead.

Goblin Slayer usually carries a cheap and disposable sword of a short length hanging on his left hip in a makeshift scabbard, allowing him to sheath swords of any shape he salvages. Affixed to his left arm is a small round targe, its rim well maintained to be used as a backup cutting weapon.

Unmasked
Contradictory to most adventurers' bets and rumors, Goblin Slayer's appearance beneath his helmet is remarked to be surprisingly handsome and dignified, if somewhat pale. He also has a notably muscular physique which others have also commented on.

Goblin Slayer has light-colored hair in the manga and anime (whereas in the light novel it is mentioned to be black ). He also has scarlet-colored eyes which are normally covered by his bangs. The skin of his body appears pasty and is covered with numerous scars from previous battles.

Personality
Goblin Slayer is a stoic and calm person who is generally unable to devote himself to the majority of things outside of goblin slaying. Because of this, he lacks the ability to understand certain social norms and doesn't notice the affections of those around him. His companions work to help him overcome this, but the process is difficult and arduous.

His most defining traits are his immense hatred towards goblins and his homicidal obsession with killing them all. These traits stem from two places: to prevent what happened to his village from happening to others and to get revenge by eliminating every single member of their race. To this end, he has a single-minded devotion that has led him to being rigorous in hunting them down, leaving nothing to chance, and pushing those under his tutelage into being just as prepared. He will not hesitate to put himself against odds that will all but ensure his death, being more than willing to face off against a goblin horde of at least 100 in an effort to kill as many as he can before they kill him.

Often overlooked due to his obsession with killing goblins and his stoic demeanor, Goblin Slayer is a kind individual. He is amiable towards the general populace of the town and is generally able to maintain conversation even if it has little interest to him, such as when he conversed with Spearman at the Adventurer's Guild without his armor on. Goblin Slayer has also been shown prioritizing the safety of companions and civilians over his obsession with goblin killing, notably seen when he protected the farm of his childhood friend Cow Girl and was willing to give up everything he had to gather help in making sure it had enough protection. For these reasons, he has become renowned as "The Frontier's Kindest".

Goblin Slayer is alert at all times during the day in an event that goblins attack and even keeps one eye open when he is sleeping to prevent ambushes. He wears his armor wherever he goes and only takes it off when it needs repairs or in his shed.

Goblin Slayer also seems interested in learning new ideas from people of all walks of life. He is always looking for new knowledge to absorb, mostly to find more efficient ways of tracking, trapping, and killing goblins. In turn, Goblin Slayer has very little knowledge of other types of monsters and is usually quick to forget about them or what they are called. To that end when he defeats more powerful monsters such as Ogre he comments about how goblins are more trouble than they are. He holds his older sister's words and teachings with high authority, as he believes she's always right without a doubt. As Goblin Slayer spends more time with his companions, he has started to become more socially adept, thinking more about others and on rare occasion, making remarks involving dry humor.

Abilities
Goblin Slayer has been trained as a fighter and ranger, and can even serve as a scout when required. His style of combat relies more on pragmatism such as setting traps, using a weapon against its user, and taking whatever advantage that may come.
 * Trained Combatant: Goblin Slayer is relatively skilled in most weapons that he can get his hands on, using them effectively enough to kill goblins. He is also capable of combating other kinds of monsters, as well as other adventurers.
 * Marksmanship: Goblin Slayer is a proficient archer; he can accurately shoot down goblins from a distance. With a thrown javelin, he was able to fatally injure a goblin shaman with little effort. Even with melee weapons such as swords, Goblin Slayer is able to throw them as a last ditch resort (or in some cases, as a sneak attack) with high accuracy at an enemy's head.
 * Strategy: Goblin Slayer is an excellent strategist, specializing in ambush and guerrilla warfare. He comes up with extraordinary plans to trap large numbers of goblins, eliminating them with efficiency. He's been known to be quick to take up the strategic role in any party he joins, even when the likes of non-goblins are involved.
 * Goblin Knowledge: Goblin Slayer has devoted himself to all matters related to goblins, ranging from their habits to their mindsets. This makes him the frontier's foremost expert when it comes to dealing with goblins, a specialist without peer in matters relating to them sought out by High Elf Archer and Sword Maiden. His renown became widespread enough to earn his own nicknames from many fellow adventurers, as well as from the societies of both the Dwarves and the high elves.
 * Lock Picking: Goblin Slayer possesses basic lock picking skills being able to unlock chests and to check for traps by using lock picking tools, though he mentions not to expect too much from his abilities as his class is not a thief.
 * Physical Conditioning: Goblin Slayer has rigorously trained his body, granting him exceptional physical abilities.
 * Endurance: He possesses an incredible amount of endurance and pain tolerance, and has been capable of fighting after having broken multiple bones. Goblin Slayer is well acclimated to snowy mountains and cold temperatures, as he received his training in such environments.
 * Senses: Goblin Slayer is constantly aware of his surroundings, especially when it concerns goblins.
 * Espionage: Through many years of on-the-field trainings and experiences, Goblin Slayer possesses many of the master spy abilities such as stealth intuition, surveillance intuition, alertness sense, opportunity sense, etc. He is exceptionally skilled in infiltration and silent assassination.
 * Fateless: For unknown reasons, Goblin Slayer is capable of interfering with the dice roll of the gods. He is not aware of this phenomenon and thus does not do it by choice.

Equipment
Goblin Slayer, unlike the vast majority of adventurers, does not have a particular attachment towards any of his equipment and will often salvage any possible weapons on the battlefield to use, not wanting to risk more expensive weapons and artifacts being stolen and used by his foes should he die. The equipment he is often seen using include:
 * Targe: A circular shield that is small, round, and easy to carry. Can be used as a blunt or cutting weapon.
 * Short Sword: A sword optimized for use in confined spaces. Routinely broken and replaced with short swords from the blacksmith or from swords he salvages on quests.
 * Throwing Knives: Small knives which can be thrown to either kill or distract enemies or used to finish off enemies by hand. Goblin Slayer carries them via a harness on his chest armor.
 * Light Armor: Leather armor adorned with metal plates, including a metal helmet and chainmail. It allows quick movement while providing minimal protection from light attacks. He also owns an identical spare set of armor which is rotated out when one set is at the blacksmith's for repair.
 * Breath Ring: The only permanent magic item in Goblin Slayer's arsenal, as it would not fit on a goblin's finger; should he die, it will not help goblins become more powerful. Goblin Slayer found this ring during his first year of adventuring, and lent it to Arc Mage in exchange for goblin knowledge. After Arc Mage gave the ring back before leaving the edge of the word, Goblin Slayer used the ring to escape the flooded tower they were in. The ring is not limited to breathing underwater and allows the wearer to breathe in any environment where one would normally suffocate, such as being buried in an avalanche.
 * Gate Scroll: A type of magic scroll that opens a gate to the destination written on it. During his first year as an adventurer, Goblin Slayer obtained a Gate scroll from Arc Mage, and had Witch link the destination to the bottom of the sea. He later used it to wash away a horde of goblins during an adventure with Arc Mage. Five years later, he used a Gate scroll the same way to incapacitate Ogre.
 * Potions: Used to increase stamina or heal his wounds.
 * Torch: On hand whenever he needs to light or burn something. Also doubles as a weapon if required, explaining his preference for it over lanterns.
 * Southern-Style Throwing Knife: A throwing knife with three blades that spins when thrown stabilizing its flight, doing more damage by slicing rather than stabbing. It was purchased from Smith. He used this weapon to lop off Dark Elf's arm.
 * Bombs: In one quest, he smoked out a nest using a smoke bomb made from pine sap and sulfur. In the sewers of Water Town, he used a pepper bomb on goblins that were operating a ship.
 * Shepherd's Sling: A weapon used to throw rocks at high velocity. Goblin Slayer has used it on several occasions, and has taught other Adventurers how to utilize them.

Non-Goblin Enemies Slain

 * Ogre - A gargantuan monster given a goblin army by one of the Demon Lord's generals. He was killed by a Gate Scroll leading to the bottom of the sea.
 * Dark Elf - A servant of the Demon Lord. He mockingly and proudly confessed to Goblin Slayer that he was indeed the one responsible for unleashing goblins to make Sword Maiden remember her tragic past. Goblin Slayer and his party members helped each other defeat him; his eyes were temporarily blinded by Priestess' Holy Light, his throat had been pierced by High Elf Archer's arrow and his left arm had been lopped off, leaving Goblin Slayer to finish off Dark Elf.
 * Giant Eye - A floating eyeball serving as an agent of chaos. It was incinerated when it was tricked into igniting a room filled with flour, which served as a catalyst for a dust explosion.
 * Rhea Scout - A former Adventurer who was banned from the Adventurer's Guild, he was killed when he tried to assassinate Guild Girl and Goblin Slayer out of revenge.
 * Evil Wizard - A wizard living in a white spire located the frontier forest and the master of the gargoyles harassing passing adventurers. Goblin Slayer, Spearman and Heavy Warrior temporarily partied up and killed the wizard by throwing him off the tower.
 * Troll - A large and plump monster summoned by Truth in a mausoleum. After Wizard Boy winds up getting cornered by the troll, Goblin Slayer and his party team up to kill it.
 * Sea Serpent - A giant snake-like fish that attacked the party on a boat. With the help of his party, it was suffocated then had its eye and brain pierced by an arrow.
 * Greater Demon's Hand - A very large, higher-level demonic forearm, summoned through the body of a dying goblin priest on the fourth floor of the Dungeon of the Dead. It fed on flesh and souls, and could coil its large muscles to jump with great force. It's most dangerous ability was a spell that continuously blasts a powerful magic blizzard towards its targets. Having been slid from an oil slick into an open elevator shaft, Priestess' Protection prevented it from escaping until the elevator car rose up from below and crushed it between the metal car and her barrier.
 * Immortal Sorcerer -

Trivia

 * Goblin Slayer's English voice actor Brad Hawkins is well-known for providing motion capture for the Doom Slayer in the game Doom.
 * When the series started on an online textboard, Goblin Slayer's placeholder design was the Restless Armor from Dragon Quest. An illustration of Goblin Slayer even mimics the character's pose.
 * In an interview with The Anime Man, Kumo Kagyu claims the motif for Goblin Slayer came from western comics like Batman, The Punisher and movies like Kick-Ass.
 * Goblin Slayer is called Orcbolg by High Elf Archer and Beardcutter by Dwarf Shaman. These Nicknames are based on a magic sword used to kill goblins and ogres. The blade turned pale green as they were near.
 * One of the longest going bets made by Adventures was what the Goblin Slayer was under his Helmet; options for if he was male or female, human or elf (one adventure suggested that he was a Rhea but that was an option because he was too tall).