That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime Season 3

Episode 69

Cards on the table: This might be my favorite tournament arc in a long time. Why? Because 90% of it is done in a single episode. Now, to be clear, I don't hate tournament arcs in general. I enjoyed them a ton when I was younger. But over the years, I've come to enjoy them less and less. More often than not, they feel like an excuse to show off the martial prowess of side characters at the expense of any kind of meaningful plot progression. Sure, a tournament arc can have real personal stakes for our main heroes but that's usually only important in the climactic final bout.

In Tensura's, however, we still show off the various side characters but also trim away all the fat. Rather than having a two-minute fight that takes up thirty minutes of runtime, we have a two-minute fight that takes... two minutes. Basically, we get a few big moves and special attacks, a few reversals for excitement's sake, and then the win—that's when we even get fights at all.

The big joke of this episode is Masayuki's overpowered skill at work. First round, he's pitted against his friend who instantly resigns. In the next round, he's able to convince his opponent that it wouldn't be a fair fight, as he's tired after the first round and Masayuki's still fresh. Thus, they agree to fight later. By the end of the episode, things are looking like Rimuru might actually have to fight Masayuki. Considering his fate-altering passive ability and Hero status, Rimuru might be in trouble.

The fights we do actually get to see are mainly Carrion's and Gobta's. For Carrion's, we get the usual honorable, strong-man fights. For Gobuta's, comedy is much more the focus. The joke with Gobta is that Rimuru sees him as a coward. However, any objective person can see that this is not true. Gobta is simply a man shaped by his environment. He is 100% aware that he is a normal goblin surrounded by many of the most powerful beings in existence. No matter how strong he might be, his points of comparison are Rimuru and Veldora, Shion and Benimaru. So of course he thinks he's weaker than he really is.

Nonetheless, we see him take down not only a competent human swordsman but force Carrion, a freaking former demon lord, to resign. Because Gobta is so much weaker compared to those around him, he's learned how to use his brain in battle. Does Ragna force his way in? Great! Gobta'll use him as much as possible, bending every rule he can in the process. After all, when it comes to a life-or-death fight, what's important is that you win—not how you win. So with a little bit of motivation and a pinch of quick thinking (and maybe a touch of Masayuki's powers), Gobta makes it all the way to the finals.

All in all, this is a fun little episode. It has good bits of both action and comedy. I always enjoy the moments where Gobta is shown to be far more than a simple punching bag in the series. I'm genuinely excited to see how things turn out with Masayuki's powers warping everything in his favor—if Gobta is able to give the Hero a run for his money.

Rating:

Random Thoughts:

• I wonder why Dwargo showed up there at the end. Did it have to do with the fighting tournament or the overall festival? (I'm sure we'll find out next week regardless.)

• It's interesting to note who is falling for Masayuki's BS and who isn't. Of course, Rimuru is immune but what's unexpected is that Chloe is too. Perhaps this has something to do with the mysterious source that stabilized her own powers.

• I'm shocked that the Beastketeers and Hinata didn't enter the tournament—each to show the supremacy of their respective demon lords. But I'm even more surprised that Veldora and Milim didn't put their hats in the ring as well (regardless of Rimuru's attempts to distract them).

• What's going on with Raphael? I can't help but feel like I'm missing some key bit of information. Is it something to do with its opinion of Gobta? Or is it some kind of interference due to Masayuki's hero skill?

That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime Season 3 is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.