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 only concerns himself with hunting goblins.

Masked
Despite being a silver-ranked adventurer, Goblin Slayer's choice of equipment poorly reflects his rank. He is often seen equipped in plate armor and 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 seemingly poor appearance is often mocked and ridiculed by most whom 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 adventurer's bets and rumors, Goblin Slayer's appearance beneath his helmet is remarked to be surprisingly handsome and dignified, if somewhat pale.

Goblin Slayer has light grey hair in the manga and anime (whereas in the light novel it is mentioned to be black). He also has scarlet-coloured 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 phlegmatic and calm in most circumstances and is simply unable to devote himself to the majority of things outside of preparations to deal with Goblins after the traumatizing ordeal he went through as a child. 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 desire to kill goblins stems 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 blacksmith (who was unaware of Goblin Slayer's identity due to him being 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 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. He holds his older sister's words and teachings with high authority, as he believes she's always right without a doubt.

Background
Goblin Slayer was once an ordinary boy in a village, who wanted to be an adventurer when he grew up. One day, his best friend left to work on a farm for a few days, and the two fought because he couldn't go with her. Later that night, his village was attacked by goblins and everyone he knew was killed.

He hid in his house's basement until nightfall, while watching what was happening through a crack in the floorboards. At nightfall, he sneaked out of the house seeing all of the corpses, but was attacked by the goblins who hadn't left yet. He was saved from death by a rhea; whom he spent five years training with before parting ways.

Year One Volume 1
After his training with the rhea, he made his way to town and walked past his childhood friend, although he did not speak to her. Upon entering the Adventurer's Guild, he met the receptionist and requested to register as an adventurer. As Guild Girl searched for the registration sheets clumsily, he picked up a fallen sheet that seemed to be a goblin slaying quest. Guild Girl confirmed it, and he immediately accepted the quest despite her attempts to dissuade him from going alone.

After filling in the necessary details in the adventure registration sheet, the porcelain-ranked adventurer received his official adventurer tag and began making preparations to embark on his first goblin-slaying quest. He later visited Smith's shop and ordered a breastplate and a helmet.

The new adventurer arrived at a cave that had goblins living in it; He fought his way through numerous goblins, but was poisoned in the process. Upon reaching his hand into his bag to get an antidote, he discovered that the glass vial broke in the fight. Improvising, he rolled the edge of his bag moist with spilled antidote into a ball and sucked on it. Not long after, Goblin Slayer was confronted by a hobgoblin and goblin shaman. He nearly died but was able to regain his footing and kill the two of them, and went into the back of the cave to save the captive woman and kill the goblin children. He later returned to the town and reunited with his childhood friend, Cow Girl, who spotted him beforehand. The happy girl convinced him to stay at the farm with her and her uncle.

He met and assisted another party (that included an adventurer who registered the same day he did) during a goblin slaying quest involving only three goblins. Despite his odd demeanor, the party asked him to join them for their next mission, but Goblin Slayer refused due to it not involving any goblins. During the conversation, a goblin who was feigning death attacked, but was quickly dealt with. Dissatisfied with his current knowledge on goblins, he began dissecting the goblin, much to the party's disgust. Shortly after word got out of the incident, Guild Girl advised him not to do such things again, as they could create a misunderstanding.

As the adventurer was setting up defenses against goblins for a village, a young girl met and talked with him, curious about what he was up to. That rainy night, Goblin Slayer began slaying the goblins that made their way through his fence. He soon found himself swarmed by the goblins, who began bludgeoning him with their clubs. After seeing that one of the goblins had the same dagger as the one his sister gave him, he motivated himself to get up and kill the remaining twenty-five goblins. Despite the victory, his injuries resulted in him having to be sent to the Temple of the Earth Mother, where a young acolyte healed him.

Some time after finishing his quest report, he came across the leader of the party he helped earlier and learned that the people had given him the nickname "Goblin Slayer". He then returned to the farm, where Cow Girl invited him to eat stew.

Year One Volume 2
After killing a group of goblins and rescuing their captives from an abandoned fort, Goblin Slayer found a magic ring. He went to see if Smith could identify it, but due to the expensive cost, Goblin Slayer was directed to seek out an adventurer. At the Adventurer's Guild, Guild Girl introduced him to Witch, who was also unable to identify it; however, Witch suggested him to seek out a person who lived at the bank of a river on the outskirts of town. At that location, he met Arc Mage, the Magus of Electricity, who identified his ring as one that enabled him to breathe anywhere.

The next morning, Arc Mage asked him to slay goblins and retrieve one so that she could revise the Monster Manual. In the tomb that functioned as the goblin nest, the two were confronted by wolves; Goblin Slayer asked if Arc Mage had any spells, only to be reminded that he was the one supposed to fight them off.

Goblin Slayer Volume 1
Goblin Slayer appeared in a cave to save Priestess from being killed by goblins, before killing the remaining ones. From there, the two formed a party and underwent several missions. They were eventually recruited into slaying the goblins working under a Demon Lord that had taken over an abandoned base. It is there they encountered Ogre, who dominated their fight until Goblin Slayer used a Gate Scroll linked to the bottom of the ocean to slice the monster in half before stabbing him in the head repeatedly.

Some time after this, he became aware of the goblin horde approaching the farm and informed Cow Girl to run with her uncle to the town. She refused, knowing he would throw his life away to kill as many as possible, and thus convinced him to ask for help at the guild. With the help of Guild Girl, Spearman, and High Elf Archer, he managed to convince them to assist him with a reward for one gold per goblin head and instructed them on how to prepare ahead of time. During the battle, he eliminated the Goblin's nest, before working with Priestess to kill the Goblin Lord. At the tavern, Goblin Slayer took off his helmet at Priestess' request, which quickly gained the attention of everyone around him.

Goblin Slayer Volume 2
Later on, Sword Maiden enlisted his help to kill the goblins in the sewers. However, an encounter with the Goblin Champion leading the horde left him critically injured and near-death, resulting in the need for Resurrection Magic done by Sword Maiden and Priestess to help him recover. Once he was fully recovered, he and the others found the source of the Goblins in the form of a Gate Mirror and defeated the Goblin Champion by burying him under tons of rubble, before encasing the Gate Mirror in concrete and tossing it in the river to avoid anyone else using it.

He approached Sword Maiden and revealed he knew that she was the one who framed the original incident on the goblins to bring attention to them. Understanding her reasoning, he promised to help her deal with goblins if they returned, earning her gratitude.

Goblin Slayer Volume 3
The day before the Harvest Festival, Goblin Slayer went shopping at the blacksmith's when he came across Female Knight looking at a plate armor bikini. After learning that she wanted to get Heavy Warrior's attention, Goblin Slayer stated that asking himself of all people for relationship advice was absurd, but suggested she wear civilian garb. Using the supplies he purchased from the blacksmith, he began setting up traps meant for goblins around town. At night, Hero's party confronted him thinking he was an undead, but left upon discovering otherwise.

During the Harvest Festival, Goblin Slayer was asked out by Cow Girl and Guild Girl to go on a date; with Cow Girl in the morning and Guild Girl in the evening. During his date with Cow Girl, Goblin Slayer found and gifted her a ring before showing Rookie Warrior and Scout Boy how to win a carnival game. While he and Cow Girl drank lemonade, Goblin Slayer put the ring on her ring finger at her request.

On his date with Guild Girl, the couple observed hundreds of lanterns float into the sky, as well as Priestess performing a ritual. When they returned to the Guild, Rhea Scout, seeking revenge for his demotion, attempted to kill them both. Deciding the rhea was too quick to beat him in a fair fight, he fooled the rhea into thinking that he had perished from one of his darts before slicing open his torso. With the sudden turn of events, Goblin Slayer concluded that a goblin attack was imminent. Promptly meeting up with the rest of his party, Goblin Slayer revealed he had anticipated a goblin attack since everyone would be too drunk to defend themselves, adding that goblin activity was strangely low. The party then split up to deal with advancing goblins who had not fallen into Goblin Slayer's numerous traps.

The night after the Festival, Goblin Slayer and his party confronted another goblin advance, this time led by Dark Elf. When the latter grew five arms from his back, Goblin Slayer found a brief opportunity to perform a charge attack, but was unable to pierce Dark Elf's armor. Fortunately, Priestess cast Holy Light to blind Dark Elf, allowing Goblin Slayer to cut the elf with a poisoned blade. As the enraged Dark Elf conjured another spell, Goblin Slayer threw the throwing knife he purchased to lop off Dark Elf's arm before finishing him off.

Goblin Slayer Volume 6
After completing a goblin slaying quest, Goblin Slayer came across Wizard Boy when he went to give his report. When he noticed the boy taking notes, he commanded him to stop, suggesting the possibility that his notes would be taken by goblins. Upon learning Wizard Boy had no party and no place to stay, Goblin Slayer took him to stay at the farm, but settled for the shed after objection from Cow Girl's Uncle. Upon arriving at the guild the next morning, Goblin Slayer learned that Priestess did not pass for a promotion, since she hadn't contributed enough to her silver-ranked party. After watching a confrontation between Wizard Boy and Priestess, Goblin Slayer, Dwarf Shaman and Lizard Priest decided they would take Wizard Boy on an adventure to see what he was capable of, as well as observe Priestess' leadership capabilities.

The party, along with Wizard Boy ventured into a mausoleum where a previous party fell. However, the sound of a screaming woman prompted Wizard Boy to run off to rescue her, only for him to be surrounded by a troll and numerous goblins. With Priestess unable to give a plan of her own, she gave leadership back to Goblin Slayer. He and the party manage to incapacitate the troll, before moving on to kill the goblins. Once the quest was completed, Goblin Slayer feasted with his party in the tavern. Just then, a drunk Wizard Boy revealed that he had an older sister who was killed by goblins with a poisoned blade. The revelation that both of them had older sisters who were killed by goblins upset him enough to step outside and vomit in an alleyway.

In the adventurer's training grounds, Goblin Slayer taught Apprentice Cleric and Druid Girl how to use a sling in combat, observing them along with Guild Girl. However, Guild Girl noticed that he was being rather blunt with his teaching and promptly told him choose more banal and inoffensive words. Not long after, Goblin Slayer accepted an invitation from Spearman to go for a drink with him and Heavy Warrior. That night in The Friendly Ax tavern, the three adventurers toasted to the town, the gods' dice and to adventurers, before heading outside to reflect on their dreams and party members.

Goblin Slayer later took a quest with High Elf Archer to slay goblins and rescue their female captive. After being given fried treats, Goblin Slayer commented that her presence made things lively. When they came across a goblin child wearing a necklace adorned with the fingers of the captured woman, Goblin Slayer declared that they would kill the remaining goblins.

Later at the farm, Goblin Slayer was troubled by the fact that the training grounds were being built on the site of his and Cow Girl's home village, prompting the latter to suggest that they need to accept change. Goblin Slayer realized he could choose any direction in life he wanted after reflecting on his past adventures, but dismissed the idea. Recalling that goblins were appearing near the training grounds, Goblin Slayer left, certain that he had to fight the goblins.

Three days later, when he was giving a lecture on how to kill goblins, Goblin Slayer and the attending adventurers were alerted to a goblin attack at the training grounds. Once they arrived, Goblin Slayer deduced that the goblins had tunneled their way there and Priestess figured out that the goblins were also after the rookies who left training before dusk. The adventurers decided to split up; Priestess took the rookie adventurers, Goblin Slayer and the rest of his party went with Spearman and Witch into the tunnel and Heavy Warrior stayed to defend the training grounds. In the tunnel, Goblin Slayer, knowing a lake was above them directed Dwarf Shaman to create a hole in the ceiling to flood the area. He directed Witch to freeze the water to destroy the tunnel, before labeling the goblins' nest their next target.

At the town entrance, Goblin Slayer was told by Wizard Boy of the latter's plans to travel and watched as he got into an argument with Rhea Fighter, who wanted to join Wizard Boy. In reaction to Wizard Boy's frustration with talking to a rhea, Goblin Slayer broke into laughter, before telling Wizard Boy to mention him should he came across a rhea named Burglar. He then walked home with Cow Girl, who pointed out that he seemed happier.

Goblin Slayer Volume 7
Along with his party, Goblin Slayer was invited to the wedding of High Elf Archer's older sister. He and the party later slayed goblins inside a church, and recovered several clay tablets, which they delivered to Sword Maiden in Water Town. As they were sailing their way to High Elf Archer's home, they were attacked by goblins from the river; deciding that they would have to destroy their nest later, Goblin Slayer directed Lizard Priest to scare them off.

Shortly after being escorted to the elf forest by an elf with a shining headpiece, Goblin Slayer began weaving leather straps into rope. It was then that he met High Elf Archer's sister, who suggested that he immediately replace High Elf Archer should he find a capable replacement. Before Goblin Slayer could completely respond, he noticed a serving girl nearby; recognizing that she was the elf they rescued a year ago, Goblin Slayer told her that he killed her captors. When a loud tremor later occurred, Goblin Slayer and High Elf Archer went to investigate. They found the ancient beast Mokele Mubenbe, which was being ridden by goblins. After Dwarf Shaman cast Stupor on it, Goblin Slayer and the party entangled the beast's legs with the straps he was working on. This managed to topple the drowsy beast and kill its goblin riders.

During a discussion about the wedding with Lizard Priest, Dwarf Shaman and the elf with the shining headpiece, Goblin Slayer lamented that he was only trouble for his own sister, adding that he essentially confined her sister in the village and that he was the reason why she never married. The two adventurers and the elf denounced his pessimism as foolishness; Lizard Priest in particular dismissed it as all the more reason for Goblin Slayer to repay his debt to her, which Goblin Slayer agreed with.

Before Goblin Slayer and the party set sail to the goblin fortress, the elf with the shining headpiece gave him a special elixir, and Goblin Slayer asked for another boat. The party used the second boat to lure out a group of goblins, before killing them and making their way inside the fortress. Hearing the voice of a person below, Goblin Slayer and the party made their way toward the source in case the person was a captive. To their disgust, they found the body of an adventurer crushed under a juicing press, indicating the goblins were poisoning the river with blood and excrement. When Lizard Priest figured it was a form of curse, Goblin Slayer concluded that the one who captured Mokele Mubenbe was a spell caster. After giving the corpse a burial in the dammed up river, Goblin Slayer suggested they were doing the same thing as the goblins were. When High Elf Archer rebuked him for making that comparison, Goblin Slayer apologized for bringing up goblins again, surprising the elf.

When the adventurers battled the goblins and their shaman leader, Goblin Slayer and the others (save for Priestess) were incapacitated when the goblin shaman cast Sleep Cloud. Fortunately, after Priestess used Purify to stall the shaman, Goblin Slayer and the others woke up and fled before water flooded the fortress, killing the goblins.

At Forest Princess' wedding, Goblin Slayer asked High Elf Archer if she wanted to stay in her home, but learned that from the elves' perspective, she was only gone for a few days and that Forest Princess would write back after festivities were over. When she asked him to write his own letter, Goblin Slayer replied that he wasn't a good younger brother, which High Elf Archer denied. After being told to expand his vocabulary, Goblin Slayer found the words to congratulate High Elf Archer for her sister's marriage. He and the others returned to the frontier town three days later.

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 perfectly capable of combating other kinds of monsters, as well as other adventurers.
 * Master Swordsman: Goblin Slayer is extremely skilled in wielding any bladed weaponry from short swords, daggers to knives. With his short sword, he can slay multiple goblins at once with masterful dexterity. He has held his own in battles with swords with the likes of a Goblin Paladin when wield with a enchanted sword or Dark Elf who has at least centuries of experience.
 * Master Marksman: Goblin Slayer is an incredibly proficient archer; he can accurately shoot down goblins from vast distances. With a thrown javelin, he could 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.
 * Master Strategist: Goblin Slayer is an excellent strategist, specializing in ambush and guerrilla warfare. He could come 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 such as Dark Elves, Trolls or Ogres.
 * Goblin Knowledge: Goblin Slayer has devoted himself towards 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.
 * 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 to utmost perfection, granting him top notch physical abilities.
 * Strength: Goblin Slayer has a high level of physical strength. He could overpower even large goblins and wield blunt weapons such as clubs and stone axes with enough force to slaughter goblins in a single hit. With a throwing knife, he's been shown to be able to throw one with such strength it cut through the bone and flesh of Dark Elf's arm . Goblin Slayer has also shown to even jammed his shield through stone when using it to crush a goblin skull with it.
 * Speed: He could strike down multiple goblins at once with superior speed and reflexes. Can react fast enough to defend against unexpected attacks, including incoming arrows.
 * Endurance: He also possesses an incredible amount of endurance and pain tolerance, capable of fighting after having broken multiple bones. Goblin Slayer is well acclaimed to snowy mountains and cold temperatures, as he received his training in such environments.
 * Senses: Goblin Slayer is extremely aware of his surroundings, having extensively trained to utilize all his senses including sight and hearing. He could even detect a goblin hiding in pitch-black darkness.

Equipment
Goblin Slayer, unlike the vast majority, if not all other adventurers, does not have a particular attachment towards any of his equipment save for his armor, which can be discarded at any time if it is no longer usable against enemies.
 * Shield: 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.
 * Multiple 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.
 * Longbow: A standard longbow used to snipe enemies. He generally does not always carry this weapon to all quests considering the locations he usually fights in.
 * Light Armor: Leather armor adorned with metal plates, including a metal helmet and chainmail. 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.
 * Underwater Breathing Ring: The only magic ring 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.
 * Magic Scroll: Although hard to come by, as they are one-use spells and expensive, these are used in desperate situations, such as when he fought Ogre. In this particular instance, it was a Gate spell, with the location attuned to the bottom of the ocean.
 * 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.
 * Flour: His optional weapon to kill a nest. Used as the physical fuel for a dust explosion.
 * Lock Picking Tools: Used for opening locked chests.
 * Southern-Style Throwing Knife: A throwing knife with three blades which 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.
 * Various Smoke Bombs: In one mission, Goblin Slayer, smoked out a nest using a smoke bomb made from pinesap and sulfur. In the mission for Sword Maiden, he used a different smoke bomb on goblins that were operating a ship.
 * Shepards Sling: A weapon used to throw rocks at greater speeds. Goblin Slayer is seen using one in the mission for Sword Maiden.
 * Additionally, Goblin Slayer is renown for salvaging any possible weapons on the battlefield to use, be it discarded swords, pickaxes, spears, clubs or even just plain large rocks to throw at fleeing goblins. These are usually discarded and replaced with his normal starting equipment between quests depending on his finances.

Non-Goblin Enemies Slain

 * Ogre - a monster given an goblin army by one of the Demon Lord's generals. He was killed by the Gate Scroll leading to the bottom of the sea. Goblin Slayer admits he had never seen and encountered his kind but he has a tiny knowledge that his type; a monster with huge and tall height and more powerful than goblins.
 * Dark Elf - a servant of the Demon Lord. When 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, altogether 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 cut, leaving Goblin Slayer to finish off Dark Elf.
 * Agent of Chaos - referred to as "Giant Eyeball". Killed with help from his party.
 * Rhea Scout - he was killed when he tried to assassinate Guild Girl and Goblin Slayer out of revenge.
 * Evil Wizard - an individual 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.

Trivia

 * He is known as Orcbolg among the elves and Beardcutter among the dwarves.
 * Goblin Slayer's English voice actor Brad Hawkins is well-known for providing motion capture for 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 a interview with TheAnimeMan, Kumo Kagyu claims the motif for Goblin Slayer came from western comics like Batman, The Punisher and movies like Kick-Ass.