YMMV / Slayers

• Accidental Innuendo: There's a song in the game Slayers Royal called "Touch Yourself". The lyrics are completely clean, so it was entirely unintentional.
• Adaptation Displacement: "Huh? What do you mean there are novels?" This would actually apply to any number of fans, since the novels weren't translated until around eight years after the anime was first distributed in the states.
• Alternative Character Interpretation: While he certainly seems like a classic Idiot Hero outside of his swordsmanship, just how dumb is Gourry Gabriev exactly? Is he really as dumb as he appears to be or is he Obfuscating Stupidity to make his enemies underestimate him?
• Americans Hate Tingle: Sylphiel's demure personality, strength in healing magic over attack spells, and feelings for Gourry made her heavily disliked by a lot of Western fans who have the Real Women Don't Wear Dresses mindset. Because of this, they prefer the more stubborn Filia. On the other hand, both Sylphiel and Filia are only moderately liked by Japanese fans, and Hajime Kanzaka, the novel writer, dislikes Filia (and TRY in general).
• Awesome Music:
  • Get Along, which was sung by Megumi herself and is in a dead heat with the Hayashibara anthem noted immediately below for most iconic theme song of the entire series.
  • The legendary second opening song, "Give a Reason". It is the only song that gives "Get Along" a run for its money, and among anglo fans especially might just edge it out.
  • The theme song for the first Slayers movie. The melody of "Midnight Blue" sounded very unique and haunting.
  • The epic theme that plays when Lina/L-sama is laying the smack down on Phibrizzo.
• Bizarro Episode: TRY episode 15 and Evolution-R episode 4 are just plain weird, even to Slayers standards.
• Broken Base:
  • You'd think the dub vs. sub debate would have died down by now with the advent of dual audio, wouldn't you? The recasting of Xellos from comedy-style David Moo to cultured-style Michael Sinterniklaas does make the fourth and fifth seasons much more palatable if you want to take Xellos seriously during the dramatic parts.
  • This one has died down over the years with the advent of Revolution and Evolution-R, but many fans either liked or hated the third season (TRY) because of its darker plot and questioning of who is and isn't evil. And the simple fact that by the end there was a sense of been there, done that, with the antics of Lina and the gang - especially the antics of Lina - just not being as funny as they would've been in the two previous seasons.
• Complete Monster:
  • Next & Volume 8: Hellmaster Phibrizzo is the oldest of the Mazoku who wants to destroy the world and return it to the Sea of Chaos. A sadistic demon who views death and the suffering of others as nothing but a game, Phibrizzo in the past had staged several massive wars between humans, dragons, and demons that led to countless deaths, all to awaken his master's spirit. Using Garv as his pawn in the future, Phibrizzo easily kills him once he's through with him and snatches Gourry away, brainwashing him to become a loyal servant out of sheer boredom while keeping him inside a crystal that drains him of his life-force. Once Lina and the gang encounter him, Phibrizzo proceeds to murder them all by crushing a death orb tied to their life supports, gaining an immense amount of pleasure the more lives he literally shatters one by one. After Lina finally casts the Giga Slave and is possessed by the Mother of All Things, Phibrizzo attempts to kill Lina and set Mother free, preparing to die as long as rest of the world goes out with him.
  • Motion picture: Joyrock is a particularly cruel demon who attacked the elves of Mipross Island centuries before the movie begins. Joyrock committed absolute genocide on the elves, absorbing their lives and powers, using the power to separate Mipross from the mainland and rule it from the shadows. Joyrock toys with the humans of Mipross as he desires, and those who enter a certain part of the island have their lives sucked out by Joyrock. Being the sadistic beast he is, though, he keeps them trapped in a state of living death as zombie slaves. When he simply wants to show how he "loves to play with his food" to Lina Inverse, he rips their souls out painfully. The only survivor of his massacre on the elves was a young human boy named Rowdy who he allowed to live simply because it'd be too boring to rule the island unopposed. In the present, though, when Joyrock decides Lina and Naga might be more fun, he has no hesitance impaling Rowdy on his claws while gloating.
• Crack Ship: Xellos/Inspector Wizer Freion, because of their bizarrely chummy interactions in Revolution.
• Crossover Ship: Lina with Ed from Fullmetal Alchemist is a popular crossover couple.
• Cult Classic: Due to the fanbase having grown smaller over the years (the show was wildly popular in the mid-to-late 90's when it came out) and new releases since The '90s having been sparse at best. The newcomers who do find it, however, love it as much as its original fans did.
• Death of the Author: Hajime Kanzaka's tendency to make up explanations for various plot and character details on the fly, leave them ambiguous and contradict himself at later points, combined with leaving key information out of the actual series and only making it accessible via interviews that are difficult to acquire outside of Japan, leads to a distinct proliferation of Fanon Discontinuity and Fanon.
• Die for Our Ship:
  • The worst of it has died out (and despite the constant Ship Tease, the Lina/Gourry and Amelia/Zelgadis pairings have been laid pretty thick since NEXT) over the years, but there's still a good deal of bashing of Amelia having feelings for Zelgadis, with fans finding her either too stupid, too weak, or obnoxious and spoiled (which she is far from), finding that the intelligent Zelgadis deserves the equally intelligent Lina. In a similar vein, fans also wanted Gourry to not be with Lina for similar reasons.
  • On the other hand, fans who did prefer Lina/Gourry loathed Gourry/Sylphiel, with a lot of venom.
  • There's the ever-popular Yaoi choice of Zelgadis/Xellos, with the alleged justification that they secretly love one another, despite the blatant hatred Zelgadis has for the latter. Alternatively, the explanation that Zel/Xel works not so much as a loving relationship but a pragmatic dubious-consensual one: Xellos feeds on negative emotions (Zelgadis is a buffet), while Zelgadis can't risk being sexual with another human (Xellos either enjoys the pain or isn't harmed by it). A ton of fanfics take the "Not If They Enjoyed It" Rationalization route, often as precursor to Zelgadis either realizing he's got no reason to avoid a relationship with Xellos, or eventually admitting that he always secretly wanted him.
  • Filia is only allowed to be with Xellos, not anyone else, especially Valgaav. Because their constant bickering and passive-aggressive treatment of one another is clearly the sign of a loving old married couple. Never mind the fact that Xellos is completely incapable of feeling positive human emotions, while Filia is a part of a race of god-worshiping dragons.
• Ensemble Dark Horse: Dilgear seems to be rather Popular with Furries with some giving him a Draco in Leather Pants treatment. The fact he actually does perform a Heel–Face Turn (sort of) by becoming Luna's pet Spot in the manga doesn't hurt.
• Epileptic Trees: Some fans theorize that the reason Lina's so powerful is because she contains one of the seven fragments of Ruby-Eye Shabranigdo and is unconsciously drawing power from it. After all she's really good at casting Dragon Slave, which calls upon Ruby-Eye's power. She also has red eyes, as well as red hair, a small fang, and a tendency for destruction.
• Fanon: Less so than some series, but fairly well-entrenched.
  • Among other things, fanon claims that Xellos's boss, the Mazoku Lord Beastmaster Zelas Metallium, is a good friend and drinking buddy of Luna Inverse... despite the fact that Luna Inverse is (Good Is Not Nice aside) a very powerful Paladin who houses a fragment of the chief god of the Slayers world in her soul, which means the two are natural enemies. KanzakaDex claims it's because of one misinterpreted picture (it's Luna and Dilgear, not Zelas).
  • There's also the theory that Zelas drove Dolphin insane and that they hate each other. (Also false: when they show up briefly in the novels, they are on good terms and she's no more crazy than Zelas).
• Growing the Beard:
  • In regards to the anime, the first season can seem rather directionless, with the humor and pacing kind of awkward for most of the first half, not helped by a rather mediocre English dubbing if you're watching that. By the time Amelia is introduced though, the show starts finding its groove although others think the show only got good when Sylphiel was introduced in episode 18. On top of that, the English dub gets better halfway through the season when Veronica Taylor and Crispin Freeman join the cast and really give Zel and Amelia their voices. It also starts off a more interesting plot and introduces cooler villains, like Zangulus and Vrumugun, who continue to chase the heroes so even the filler episodes don't feel so pointless. By NEXT, the show really finds its stride, reaching its signature level of humor and solidifying the characters' personalities and quirks, as well as having what is arguably the best plot and character development in the whole franchise.
  • Even the dub has some of this. The first 13 episodes of Season 1 were recorded in 1996, and aside from Lisa Ortiz as Lina and Eric Stuart as Gourry, it really doesn't hold up very well, featuring many stilled performances and awkward script choices. It starts improving quite a bit in the second half of Season 1, with Veronica Taylor as Amelia and Crispin Freeman as Zelgadis, and the dubs for NEXT and TRY are considered among the best of the 90s, featuring many well-done performances that strike a balance between the series' comedic and melodramatic elements, with Xellos and Sylphiel's voices being the only sore spots. A change in voice director (from Jim Malone to Anthony Salerno) also helped. ADV's dubs for the the movies and OVAs aren't as fondly remembered (aside from maybe Kelly Manison as Naga), most likely because they couldn't capture the magic of NEXT and TRY's dubs. FUNimation even tried to go back and fix some of the first 13 episodes' mediocre dubbing, but were unable to. When Revolution and Evolution-R were dubbed in 2009-2010, FUNimation did go out of their way to bring back the main four voice actors, due to fan demand.
• Hilarious in Hindsight:
  • Lina was once the postergirl for "flat-chested". Compared to many many characters today, she is quite ample.
    • The manga has her considerably less busty. Whatever the justification was for her early anime design (given the number of flat-chested jokes about her constantly), by the fourth season she's actually pretty flat, which is good, because some early plot points hang around her inability to calmly put up with a small animal repeatedly teasing her about her lack of breasts.
  • That pickpocket Lina forces to give her massages? Hellmaster himself! She should add that to her list of things to brag about.
  • Houko Kuwashima and Akira Ishida respectively voicing Filia and Xellos, who continue to aggravate each other throughout the third season, in light of them also much later voicing happy couple Miyako and Dan in Bamboo Blade.
  • One of the plot points in the first season is an object called the Philosopher's Stone.
• Jerkass Woobie: Zelgadis and some of the villains, particularly Eris and Duclis.
  • Dilgear. True, he's a villain in the series but he virtually gets no respect at all. Add to this, his Humanizing Tears tendencies and fics like this and you'll just want to hug the poor guy.
• Magnificent Bastard: Xellos the Trickster Priest is a Mazoku, and the most mysterious member of the cast. Hiding his true self behind a veil of smiles and pleasantries, Xellos ruthlessly manipulates protagonist Lina Inverse and friends into carrying out his wishes and destroying his enemies. Frequently arranging situations to benefit himself no matter what the outcome, Xellos helps destroy his Mistress, the Grand Beast Zelas Metallium's rivals and other Mazoku should it benefit him. Xellos tends to change his schemes on the fly as well, making it impossible to tell what was part of his plans from the start, even if he admits he feels some affection for Lina and her team. Xellos is so charming and affable, it's very easy to forget that he is a demonic being under his friendliness.
• Memetic Badass: Lina Inverse manages to play this straight and subvert it at the same time. Whenever she deliberately tries to use her reputation to her advantage, nobody recognizes her... but that's because she uses nicknames and titles that she created herself to feed her ego. Mention any of the dozens of names that stem from her bad attitude and misbehavior, such as Dragon Spooker, Bandit Killer, or Enemy Of All Who Live, and people will run for miles, as everyone seems to have heard of them. Considering that, in the fourth season of the anime, this is someone who was put on trial for the crime of being herself, and that even her friends couldn't come up with an adequate defense, that does explain things.
• Memetic Mutation: Xellos' "Sore wa... himitsu desu"/"That... is a secret" tends to get used whenever a fan of the series is asked a question they don't want to answer.
• Moe: While pretty active and go-getting, Amelia is the youngest of the four main cast members, also has the larger chest of the two girls, tends to be the cutest, and as noted below is sometimes used as a punching bag by the villains so that viewers will feel intensely protective of her. The term came into being some time after Slayers aired, but Amelia seems to have been a prototype of the trope alongside characters like Rei Ayanami.
  • Dilgear is absolutely this albeit in a villainous sense.
  • The entire introduction of anime-only character Kira in NEXT is a showcase of moe traits in itself: an adorable and a bit clumsy pink-haired young girl who spends her time eating popsicles and making potions.
• Narm: Sylphiel's voice acting in the first season of the dub. Particularly her Big "NO!" when she sees Syraag's destruction at the hands of Rezo. Gourry actually sounds more upset.
• Retroactive Recognition: In the Spanish dub, Zelgadis was played by Daniel Sánchez, who just one year later would become the official broadcasting narrator for national TV channel Radio Televisión Española.
• Rescued from the Scrappy Heap: Amelia's love of justice being flanderized in most adaptations from the novels initially made her as scrappy as Pokota. Joani Baker voicing her at first didn't help at all. However, once Veronica Taylor took over her voice acting and her Flanderization was toned down, she quickly became a fan favorite.
• The Scrappy: Prince Pokota never gets a lot of love, from any kind of fan, probably due to his high magical power, angsty past, and Leeroy Jenkins-like attitude.
• Squick:
  • In the first season, Zelgadis claims that Rezo the Red Priest is both his grandfather and his great-grandfather. Word of God has since been passed on that this was a verbal mishap, and that not only was Zelgadis supposed to be unsure whether Rezo is two generations removed (grandfather) or three (great-grandfather), but he's truly Rezo's great-grandson.
  • Another mistranslation in NEXT has Amelia referring to both Christopher and Alfred as her uncles. Christopher is Phil's brother, so that works. However, Alfred is Christopher's son, and looks to be about Amelia's age, which makes Amelia and Christopher cousins. This botch is also probably the reason that Alfred sounds so much older than he is in the dub.
• Stoic Woobie:
  • Gourry seems pretty well-adjusted considering his backstory.
  • Zelgadis, despite his occasional bouts of angst over his condition, tends to take it pretty well. The Super-Speed, Super-Strength, toughness, and increased magical power probably don't hurt either.
• They Changed It, Now It Sucks!: Distribution company Selecta Visión caused a fan uprising in 2018 Spain when they licensed Revolution and decided to forget completely about the series's old cast (except by main lead Mart Sainz in a special edition) in favor of a completely new one. Fans considered it an insult, not only because multiple SV representatives issued a variety of incredibly unprofessional statements about it to try to excuse the decision, nor because the company was basically shooting itself in the foot by removing a nostalgia factor of a product that would be bought mostly by nostalgics, but also because it seemed just the perfect chance to get the old cast back: all its active members had been contacted by fans and were eager to get called to return to their roles, even although one of them is a current national television presenter nowadays, and all together would have been a relatively cheap team (especially compared to the final new cast, which was much more expensive). This was the breaking point for a series of similar controversies, among them the licensing of Lupin III vs. Detective Conan earlier in 2018, which only contributed to cause a dent in Selecta Visión's already declining reputation.
• They Wasted a Perfectly Good Plot: Despite the perfect opportunities in both Slayers Premium and Evolution-R, we never get to see Naga re-unite with Lina and officially meet the TV cast, particularly her younger sister Amelia. A reunion between those two could have been the start of endless story potential.
• Viewer Gender Confusion: If you watched NEXT in Japanese without subtitles, you'd have a hard time determining exactly what gender Hellmaster Phibrizzo is. The dub fixes this by giving him a boy's voice.
• The Woobie:
  • Your hometown gets destroyed twice, and your main love interest doesn't even notice your affections, only to have him fall in love with the main heroine when the world is at stake. And even then it's not like they at least stay together and are happy. Isn't it sad, Sylphiel?
  • Amelia is also somewhat Woobified as noted above; you're supposed to feel terrible for her and give her a protective hug when a villain tears a great bloody hole in her back or tries to rip out her soul or what have you. Amelia herself, though, is too damn genki to be held back by any of this.
• Woolseyism: In the English dub, the "Otome no Inori" scene is first sung in English before switching to the Japanese version of the full song. The dub has Lina say "In Japanese!" right before the transition, making the scene even funnier.