(L) Goblin Slayer [Light Novel]

[Lhklan]

Originally Posted by Ultragunner

I am planning to pick this up, as in buying the novel to read. But may I ask what keep you engaged with the series?

I know it is about a guy being hell bent in killing goblins, that’s incredibly simple and easy to understand, but what are the draws of this sẻies? I have caught up with the mange, and I can see: dark fantasy setting with mature elements, good actions and some fun characters (?)?

For me, it would be Goblin Slayer himself. He's almost like a medieval child of Batman and Punisher: An unending hatred for all goblins and use any tools/plans/tactics he can think of in his crusade for goblin genocide.

[MK-95-]

How does shipping in this series look?

My knowledge is limited only to the manga and currently where the manga is at, it gave the impression that Priestess would more or less fall for him. However, from what I've seen on the wiki and reddit, something happens later that pretty much causes readers to write-off the pairing altogether.

I know that Cow girl and Sword maiden are pretty much confirmed to love him and Guild girl has a crush on him, but what the hell happened with Priestess for people to just give up on the ship entirely? (I can't find any spoilers/summaries anywhere, so I did the next best thing and just asked the question here.)

[Twi]

Honestly, I've never really seen Priestess as being a love interest, though that might be because she seems too innocent and seems to look up to him as a teacher. Her body type/height don't exactly make her appear love-interest material either. She's more of a "pat and protect" kind of character, where you want her to be safe more than ship her.

[Top Sergeant]

I've read up through the end of volume 5 of the LN. At this time I picture most clearly, if any relationship is going to happen, that it would be Cow Girl. I still have the image of the scene of GS lying in the grass with his head on Cow Girl's legs as they share a quiet, peaceful moment, like old souls resting in each other's presence.

[MK-95-]

Thanks for the responses guys. It's greatly appreciated.

I figured he'd gravitate more towards Cow girl. Once there's a even a tiny bit of romance to look forward to, I'm good.

[Wheeljack83]

Originally Posted by MK-95-

How does shipping in this series look?

My knowledge is limited only to the manga and currently where the manga is at, it gave the impression that Priestess would more or less fall for him. However, from what I've seen on the wiki and reddit, something happens later that pretty much causes readers to write-off the pairing altogether.

I know that Cow girl and Sword maiden are pretty much confirmed to love him and Guild girl has a crush on him, but what the hell happened with Priestess for people to just give up on the ship entirely? (I can't find any spoilers/summaries anywhere, so I did the next best thing and just asked the question here.)

Basically, several women are attracted to him and gravitate around him. However, Goblin Slayer is simply too invested in the hunting of goblins. He doesn't seem to have an interest in romance or women.

He clearly has a bond and cares for his female companions, but he's not really "pursuing" them.

So dense MC? Yeah sorta. But he's not exactly some idiotic pervert either.

[francescoG1]

Originally Posted by Top Sergeant

I am hoping Noble Fencer will join their party, at least for awhile; learn the ropes, how to approach an adventure, plan it, etc, as well as actual tactics of battle.

At the moment seems she retired. Her mark remais unsolved so is possibile she return. Just like priestess she stronger then averange rookie. The quests seem to become more problematic, another hybrid meele-magician isn't a bad idea and she hates goblins.

[Questman]

Originally Posted by Ultragunner

I am planning to pick this up, as in buying the novel to read. But may I ask what keep you engaged with the series?

I know it is about a guy being hell bent in killing goblins, thatÂ’s incredibly simple and easy to understand, but what are the draws of this sẻies? I have caught up with the mange, and I can see: dark fantasy setting with mature elements, good actions and some fun characters (?)?

This is a question I could answer for hours. I will try to keep it short.

As for me I like the protagonist, the worldbuilding and his party members.



The protagonist is a nice change of pace. He is a hero with strong points who still has flaws unlike your bland heroes who excel at everything. And I like his approach in solving situations by improvising and thinking ahead instead of unleashing his true power or hidden strength.

I was sold on the protagonist the moment I saw him improvising a scroll with teleport magic into a water jet cannon. An idea this cool without sacrificing consistency is really refreshing. I can't remember the last time where I enjoyed a resolve this much.



The worldbuilding has a serious approach. I don't like fantasy these days because too many fantasy settings are designed in a way so readers and watchers can insert themselves into the protagonist. The result is often a world that feels like it is build for the protagonist and everything centers around him.

In Goblinslayer the world is a harsh place and our protagonists have to live with all the worlds dangers if they like it or not. Here the protagonist has to act according to the world, not vice versa.
And since everyone can actually die anytime or experience something horrible like gangrape eveywhere, I do get excited when the Goblinslayer and his party face danger, because the danger is real.
I rarely feel this kind of excitement because too many characters in other stories are protected by plot armor. You just know they won't die, so there is no suspense.

And thanks to that suspense the payoff feels that much greater when the party survives or Goblinslayer saves his party when they are about to get overrun by goblins. You think they might die and GS gets a second rewind due to knowing what will happen to his friends if he does not intervene.

'This shall not stand!' is therefore a lifetime favorite for me.



And last but not least, I do like his partymembers as well. It is rare to see a group where everyone has a purpose, instead of just beeing there to show how awesome the protagonist is (the damsel in distress comes in mind).

It is nice to see a protagonist who is capable, but who still can't do everything by himself. What he can't do, one of his partymembers will do. It really creates a nice group dynamic.

And his partymembers are nicely diverse. The lizard man alone is an awesome idea, then you have a dwarf who is a spellcaster instead of a fighter (like all dwarfs) and the elf is a spunky tomboy instead of beeing wise and dignified.
And everyone has their own culture as well, which does get mentioned here and there and the partymembers do tell about themselves here and there, which does create a nice conversation and camaraderie.




And there is much more I like in Goblin Slayer, but I think you have the gist already.

[Questman]

Originally Posted by MK-95-

How does shipping in this series look?

My knowledge is limited only to the manga and currently where the manga is at, it gave the impression that Priestess would more or less fall for him. However, from what I've seen on the wiki and reddit, something happens later that pretty much causes readers to write-off the pairing altogether.

I know that Cow girl and Sword maiden are pretty much confirmed to love him and Guild girl has a crush on him, but what the hell happened with Priestess for people to just give up on the ship entirely? (I can't find any spoilers/summaries anywhere, so I did the next best thing and just asked the question here.)

This is a question where everyone has their own opinion, interpretation and answer to that.

What everyone agrees with is that Goblin Slayer does have a lot of attention.
This is no surprise of course since he is a hardworking hero, saving a lot of people. So of course there are some women who do get attracted to him in a way.
I do find this plausible actually, since women do tend to like heroes a lot.
The author does even foreshadow or hint some interest or relationship here and there, but it is kept vague until now, nothing is explicit or clear, everything can change or happen.



And here it gets complicated, because everyone starts to have their own assumptions and opinions here. Let me explain:


The Priestess: One side says she is the love interest. She does worry about GS a lot and GS himself is attached to her quite a lot. She is the only one who GS is opening up to, telling Priestess about himself and his past. And to add the most simple fact; she is the heroine.

But the other side points out that Priestess is quite passive compared to the other women (I explain later). Beeing close to each other can be close camaraderie as well and Goblin Slayer could see her as an innocent little girl he wants to protect out of principle or honor. They see their relationship as teacher and student.



High Elf Archer: One side says she is a love interest because she always tries to pull GS into a real adventure. She does involve herself a lot with him similar to Priestess by telling him what is appropiate and what not or hanging out with him once in a while, or complaining a lot about him showing her interest in him.
She also likes it when GS exspecially compliments her for doing a good job.
Plus Guild Girl recently foreshadowed 'some chances' HEA is going to have with GS in Volume 5.

But the other side points out that she does not care a lot about love. There are many instances where HEA is shipping GS with either Priestess or someone else. On top of that, when asked directly she flat out denied to have any feelings for GS in Volume 3.
They see their relationship as an elf who is just very curious about GS due to her curiosity.



And it goes on and on like that.




Guild Girl: One side says she obviously fawns over him every time she sees him and and she confirmed her interest to one of her colleagues. Plus she asked him out on a date, which GS accepted.

The other side says that she is too much in the background and can't manage more than paperwork support for GS. She is just an ally.


Cow Girl: One side says they are childhood friends and they are often intimate to each other.

The other site points out that during those five years they lived with each other she made zero progress with him. Priestess had more progress in terms of interaction with GS in months than Cow Girld ever managed in five years. They live together, but rather as a family or as friends than as a couple.



And it goes on like this forever. The author does it on purpose so we stay invested. If you want to see the resolution, than you have to stick with Goblin Slayer until the end it seems (like the author wants you to ^^).

[Twi]

Basically, the only three women who are confirmed to like GS romantically are Sword Maiden, Guild Girl, and Cow Girl. The latter two went on dates with him, but he's not all there so he didn't really get the scope of it. Sword Maiden only appeared in one released volume, with mentions in the other volumes, though she appears to be returning in Volume 8.

So if you're here for the shipping you'll be disappointed.

[bakato]

Long story short, it's the usual disease that renders people incapable of recognizing a non-romantic relationship between two members of the opposite sex. Priestess and Archer like GS, but it's more out of empathy for the former and a desire to drag him out of his shell for the latter. Priestess understands the brutality of goblins first hand so she understands his drive to kill them. Throw in her protective nature and desire to help others and her relationship with GS becomes clear. Furthermore, as a third party she is often witness GS pushing himself too hard and tries to act as breaks for him so he doesn't get himself killed.

As for Archer, having nearly been the victim of goblins on one of their adventures, she's come to appreciate and understand GS's crusade against goblins. It was when she wore his helmet that she caught a glimpse of the dark world GS lives in and she attempts to draw him out of his shell as best she can.

[MK-95-]

Again, thanks for those responses. It makes it clearer just how vague/ambiguous the shipping can be in this series. I wanted to know if there was any shipping at all to look forward to and I pretty much got my answer.

I think the way that shipping is being handled right now is quite appropriate given GS's characterization and backstory. It'd be OOC for him to easily accept any advances, so being as 'dense' (I'd say 'apathetic' fits better here) as he is, is the right call.

Twi: I'm not here just for the shipping. This story can get by without it after all and if he does choose the loner route, it'd also be an appropriate choice for him given the direction his character has gone in until now. However, a little shipping to look forward to is always welcome.

[Lhklan]

Also, if I remember right, GS himself seems to recognizes the feelings of some of the women toward him, but he also acknowledge that there's something fundamentally wrong with his mentality and that he couldn't reciprocate.

[Questman]

Originally Posted by MK-95-

I think the way that shipping is being handled right now is quite appropriate given GS's characterization and backstory. It'd be OOC for him to easily accept any advances, so being as 'dense' (I'd say 'apathetic' fits better here) as he is, is the right call.

This is the right mindset. The vague relationships do fit quite well in Goblinslayer. It helps making the characters interesting and it gives them maturity.
They don't feel like a bunch of schoolkids that way.

But in the end it is just an (important) addition, but not the point of GS.
You already answered well why too much focus on love would ruin the atmosphere.

In the current form you have nice extermination action, with the occasional relationship moment to remind us that they are still living beeings with feelings and worries
and not just hardboiled badasses.
I actually like this mixture a lot.

Originally Posted by bakato

Long story short, it's the usual disease that renders people incapable of recognizing a non-romantic relationship between two members of the opposite sex. Priestess and Archer like GS, but it's more out of empathy for the former and a desire to drag him out of his shell for the latter.

Man, I wish I could keep my answers that short while still saying everything that is relevant.
It would improve my posts here.

[sparhawk1610]

https://imgur.com/a/NrvNYxT vol 8 illus (will put together coloured one later)

[bluestahli1]

I wonder what's the Sword Maiden's involvement here, I read the wiki and it states that she's madly inlove with GS, is this really true? if she is holy shit I'm happy for GS even though he's pretty dense, but not ichika levels of dense, but the like able
type of dense

[Roxanne]

Spoiler for Priestess:

my Priestess is cute <3333

besides, I will read the LN soon but i will start to read from volume 3. But i am a little undecided that is why I want to know can i start to read the LN from volume 3?

[Mirable]

Is it different person?, Priestess's long hair but this one's got short hair and big boobs

[Roxanne]

she looks alike more Priestess but maybe you right @mirable

[Rejectors]

Originally Posted by Violet

Spoiler for Priestess:

my Priestess is cute <3333

besides, I will read the LN soon but i will start to read from volume 3. But i am a little undecided that is why I want to know can i start to read the LN from volume 3?

I think that Novel Frencer undercover.

If you starting the novel start with vol 1 is better because there are a lot of things you missed from reading the manga.

Spoiler for Example image: