Goblin Slayer season two is set to air on October 6th, finally continuing the popular, if controversial, fantasy anime series. Those who want to get ahead of possibly another long hiatus can turn to the manga and the light novel series, both of which are used to closely guide the show. While the manga is extremely similar to the show, basically showing a more graphic version of the exact same content, the light novel is filled with significant differences that die-hard fans will enjoy.
Most book-lovers know and agree with the popular maxim, “the book is always better.” This is an accurate take, due to the simple fact that books are longer than most other mediums and can provide more context. The Goblin Slayer light novels are no different, offering readers more context to any character or situation, and creating lasting suspense that hangs over hours of reading.
9 Light Novels To Read If You Love Mushoku Tensei
Mushoku Tensei fans who want light novels with similar tropes, themes, or characterizations have a feast to look forward to.
6 Goblin Slayer Talks More
In the anime, Goblin Slayer is most known for his single-worded responses, and while he does this in the light novel as well, he often has more to say about things. Explanations about a given quest, questions about others, and how or why he has certain equipment are almost constant compared to the nearly non-existent conversation in the anime.
In some scenes, the anime version of Goblin Slayer seems to be a curious person, but this is doubly so in the light novel. He likes to ask about others’ processes, culture, and even non-combat topics, such as farming and festivals. His speech also lets readers know that he really does care about saving people from goblins, a sentiment that’s usually presented as only a possible personality trait of the man, overshadowed by his more certain hatred of goblins.
5 Dwarf Shaman ALWAYS Casts in Rhyme
Dwarf Shaman is a jovial character in the anime, but his personality really shines in the light novel. His spells are always cast with a rhyme or limerick, making his magic seem more light-hearted right before doling out destruction.
In the anime, Dwarf Shaman sometimes casts without a word or is simply shown in the middle of his attacks, which allows the show-runners to keep the episodes as short as they need to be. Some of his casts are fairly long rhyming sequences, so it makes sense that they wouldn’t make the cut for the anime adaptation. Plus, his spells often use some token or supply, such as a horse figurine to summon a kelpie or paper talismans, all of which are more clearly represented in the light novel than in the anime.
4 There’s Less Backstory
The second half of Goblin Slayer season one and the subsequent movie Goblin’s Crown show off a lot of the titular character’s backstory, including his unusual training. However, this is far less present in correlating light novels. While the light novels do eventually go over this backstory, the light novels focus on the present-day Goblin Slayer and his exploits. There is a short explanation of the goblin attack that changed Goblin Slayer’s life forever, but the light novels don’t touch on much else regarding his history until much later in the story.
For fans interested in reading more, they’ll have to pick up Goblin Slayer Side Story: Year One, another light novel series that tells the full story of how Goblin Slayer came to be. On the plus side, that series has more details than anything shown in the anime.
3 There’s A Lot More D&D Talk
The author of Goblin Slayer, Kumo Kagyu, has stated that he created the series based on his experience with D&D campaigns and that’s felt throughout the light novel. The narration often uses terms like “feat”, “critical hit”, and other D&D language to describe situations, abilities, and battles.
In fact, many of the characters are perfect depictions of D&D classes. For instance, Priestess also uses a slingshot fairly quickly in the series. In D&D 5th Edition, all clerics are proficient with simple weapons, which include clubs, maces and slings. She could, in theory, also use a sharp weapon, such as a dagger, but she stays in character well enough to avoid such direct physical violence.
2 The Gods Are Actually Present
There are gods represented in the world of Goblin Slayer, such as the Earth Mother, even in the anime. However, every volume of the light novel also has interludes that include more vague gods, such as Fate and Chance. These gods are almost constantly “playing” with the main characters, placing obstacles in their way, helping them escape death, and applauding their efforts when things work out. It’s a somewhat unusual and interesting addition to the story, and certainly adds a bit of intrigue to the entire premise.
Rolling dice and making bets for and against the entire cast of characters as they go about their adventures, many readers suspect that these “gods” are actually players in a D&D game. That may be too meta to address in any medium, but it’s fun for readers to get this peek behind the curtain and serves as a great place to take a break.
1 There’s Less Graphic Violence
One of the biggest complaints about Goblin Slayer is how graphic it is, especially in regards to sexual violence. Although it’s far from the worst example, the first episode is a tough hurdle to overcome, regardless of how people feel about the rest of the series. Even the manga is quite graphic, reducing the options fans have for getting ahead of the show, especially for readers who find manga and graphic novels to be more stunning than anime and TV adaptations.
Luckily, the light novel is comparatively very light on the violence. Kagyu does an incredible job of writing action, so much so that he hardly ever needs to double down on the results of the adventurers’ efforts with gory descriptions. Most often, sexual violence in particular is skipped over completely with lines such as, “What happened next hardly bears repeating.” At the same time, Kagyu’s world-building and attention to detail when setting a scene strikes enough fear into readers to provide a bit of schadenfreude when Goblin Slayer eventually comes knocking.