History Characters / GoblinSlayerAntagonists

* DirtyCoward: No matter how strong they become, a goblin will remain a coward at heart. From lowly child to reigning lord, the probability of fleeing at danger and abandoning fellow goblins to their fates remains roughly the same. Unfortunately, it is because of this that they are an everlasting threat, because goblins avoid attacking heavily-populated areas and only prey on weak frontier towns and villages who barely have the resources to resist them. [[spoiler:Only one type of goblin [[AvertedTrope averts]] this and there's [[ThePaladin a good reason he does]] and [[MagicKnight not without help.]]]]

* DecapitatedArmy: As demonstrated by the Water Town nest, a big horde that sees its leader/best fighter get taken down will turn tail and flee for their lives without a thought.

* ClassicVillain: All goblins in this setting are unapologetically evil creatures that embody vice and sin- in a rare instance of someone representing all seven of the Deadly Sins. They are a species of vengeful monsters that will never let go of a grudge (Wrath). They are able to devour any living creature, with the sole exception seemly being other goblins (Gluttony). They look upon other beings with a desire for their achievements and possessions (Envy). They will steal anything of value that they can get their hands on (Greed). Despite having great potential to evolve and adapt, they usually refuse to put in the work to do so unless it becomes necessary (Sloth). They desire females of other species in order to reproduce and would brazenly try to rape women even in the middle of a fight (Lust). Above all else, they are all narcissists who view themselves as better than everybody else and thus believe they are entitled to commit their horrifying actions (Pride).

* AcquiredSituationalNarcissism: A goblin at the bottom of the pecking order will whine about how its bosses are superfluous blowhards preventing anything getting done. That same goblin placed in a position of authority a few days later will espouse how leaders like him are on top by merit of their vision and they only ones getting any work done.

* CreativeSterility: A point that is made and hammered on constantly is that goblins never make anything for themselves. Anything they have that is more sophisticated than a bundle of sharpened sticks and bones was either stolen or achieved through the instruction and coercion of a more educated, out-of-species taskmaster. However, evidence suggests that lack of goblin culture is due more to unwillingness to create rather than inability, as goblins that are taught can work with their hands without issue, Goblin Slayer believes they could and would be forced to develop cultivation if there were no other sapient species to prey on, and [[spoiler: the probable goblin homeland seen through the portal in Volume 2 shows them running some form of industrial machine by themselves.]]

* AmbushEnemy: Their only major advantage besides their raw numbers is their ability to harness the element of suprise to outmaneuver and pounce on adventurers that stumble through their dens.

* AdaptiveAbility: {{Downplayed}}, but goblins are [[BrilliantButLazy amazingly quick to absorb new skills for how dimwitted and oafish they are reputed to be]]. The main reason Goblin Slayer is so adamant of leaving no survivors is because he’s sure that one goblin just seeing his traps and techniques and living would then be able to reverse engineer his strategies and pass those new skills on to the rest of its race in time. [[spoiler:This can work against them sometimes, such as in Volume 5 when the Snow Mountain goblins copy Goblin Slayer's loosened-arrowheads-trick and assume these arrows must be better all-round than what they were doing before if an adventurer is doing it, only to be rendered less effective than usual when using them on different targets]].

* InstantExpert: {{Downplayed|Trope}}, but Goblins figure out how to use new techniques and equipment far more swiftly than you'd expect them to. This is a major part of the AdaptiveAbility and why Goblin Slayer makes a point of killing every goblin he encounters, [[WouldHurtAChild up to and including the whelps]] - if they see the techniques he uses and live to tell the tale, they'll easily repurpose them for hurting others.

* ProgressivelyPrettier: InvertedTrope. The goblin paladin becomes [[DependingOnTheArtist substantially squatter and/or bulkier in each new adaptation]]. In the light novel illustration he has the proportions of a short and slim young man, the movie makes him [[TopHeavyGuy half-a-head taller and broader at the shoulders than Goblin Slayer but still slender around the middle,]] and finally the manga makes him look like a metal-plated pigeon.

* IrrationalHatred: Goblins have a special hate for humans that manifests through a number of almost contradictory resentments and spites. Goblins simultaneously look down on humanity, want to take all it has built, and blames it for their own miserable lot in life.

* KnowWhenToFoldThem: Seems to have glanced out a window and saw the giant mantas about to destroy the fort, and made haste to flee into the tunnels.

* IrrationalHatred: Goblins have a special hate for humans that manifests through a number of almost contradictory resentments and spites. Goblins both look down on humans, want what they have, and blame them for their lot in life.

* TemptingFate: The SympatheticPOV of goblins tends to almost always involve excessive trash-talking about how inevitable their victory is and how inferior the adventurers are right before they get put down contemptuously. Crowning example would be the volume 14 nest leader, who goes on for a solid page and a half that his magic axe makes him invincible only for Goblin Slayer to cut his arm off mid-sentence. [[UpToEleven That same goblin comes to at the end of the naval battle and concludes that he has proven his undefeatable nature and can rebuild]] despite being down a limb, stripped of his gear, covered in burns, his entire horde dead, and stuck on a capsized boat. Cue the downed sea devil crushing him.

* TooDumbToFool: Goblin Slayer says that the idea of a scarecrow for goblins would be of limited if any effectiveness, as a goblin would only approach human property in the first place if it had backup as part of a raiding party, and thus would more likely try to jump the scarecrow for materials than try to avoid it.

* TemptingFate: The SympatheticPOV of goblins tends to almost always involve excessive trash-talking about how inevitable their victory is and how inferior the adventurers are right before they get put down contemptuously. Crowning example would be the volume 14 nest leader, who goes on for a solid page and a half that his magic axe makes him invincible only for Goblin Slayer to cut his arm off mid-sentence.

* SuperEmpowering: Not only was his wand the only reason he was a threat, but it seems it also was able to passively boost his intelligence to be able to wield it more effectively, as the narration states he became rapidly dumber when he lost his grip on it.

* EvilGenius: They are not quite smart enough, but in terms of overall goblin intelligence they qualify. They display leadership skills, integral to an effective horde, and have the capacity to learn basic spells.
* EvilIsBurningHot: The "fire goblin" of volume 13 is a shaman that knew only fire and energy blast spells.

* FrickinLaserBeams: The volume 13 shaman could shoot heat rays from its staff.

* MagicWand: The volume 13 shaman stole an old staff that had an indefinite number of fire spells sealed into it.
* MeteorSummoningAttack: The "fire goblin" was confident it could copy the Star of Muala spell with its high-tier wand. [[spoiler: Sadly for it, the wand was knocked out of its grasp by a Fumble spell before it could complete the attempt.]]

* PlayingWithFire: The volume 13 shaman used so many fire spells it became tagged the "fire goblin."

* AchievementsInIgnorance: Goblin Slayer notes that this goblin is just an average one, not a shaman or priest, who simply got his hands on an overpowered magic staff; without the latter, hiss intelligence, especially when it comes to power, diminishes.

* PlayingWithFire: The magic staff grants him access to a plethora of fire-based magic.

* ChainPain: The volume 11 rider initially wielded a chain, which he used to kill the goblin originally leading the riot.

* DragonRider: [[spoiler: He wishes. The volume 11 rider was just disturbing a half-asleep dragon by kicking its neck, and it would have eaten him if it woke up all the way.]]
* EvilIsBigger: The biggest, nastiest member of the desert horde isn't quite hob-sized, but is too beefy to easily ride even an enhanced warg. [[spoiler: The bulk helps keep him seated on a dragon's neck though.]]

* HornsOfBarbarism: The volume 11 rider steals a helmet with horns as he suits up.

* KnowWhenToFoldThem: Seems to have glanced out a window and saw the giant mantas about to destroy the fort, and made haste to flee into the tunnels.
* OffWithHisHead: Goblin Slayer finally kills him by throwing a magic sword through his neck and decapitating him.

* LargeAndInCharge: He's a slightly larger than average goblin that allowed himself to assert dominaince over his brethren.

* ConservationOfNinjutsu: Both times High Elf Archer, Dwarf Shaman, and Lizard Priest have to take on a single or pair of low-to-mid-rank demons, it's a lengthy and risky back and forth that requires a good bit of strategic maneuvering to pull off. Heavy Warrior and Female Knight are able to hack through entire bands of lower demons and bisect a greater demon respectively with one hit each. Possibly slightly {{Justified}} by them accompanying an apparently famous demon-hunting group during that fight (who would presumably be able to enchant their weapons or tell them [[AttackItsWeakPoint the most effective way to hit them]]), but still.

* UngratefulBastard: A goblin whose life is spared thinks only two thoughts: “what a soft-hearted fool that human is,” and “how painfully should I kill them for making me actually fear for my life?” In volume 11 a horde is literally given everything they ever wanted; a human patron that supplies them with shelter, equipment, food, women, and opportunities for raiding complete with backup, and the goblins are just ''more dissatisfied than ever'' because they don't get to abuse their handouts as much as they want, have to obey a regiment, and assume the soldier in the fort above their cave have better things and just lay around all day and night.

* ArcVillain: Minor one for Volume 13,upon stealing the Fire Spirit's magic staff.

* VillainNoLongerIdle: He initially was just planning to let the goblins roadblock the party as he completed his ritual, but when they got close enough he decided to deal with them himself.

* UngratefulBastard: A goblin whose life is spared thinks only two thoughts: “what a soft-hearted fool that human is,” and “how painfully should I kill them for making me actually fear for my life?” In volume 11 a horde is literally given everything they ever wanted; a human patron that supplies them with shelter, equipment, food, women, and opportunities for raiding complete with backup, and the goblins are just ''more dissatisified than ever'' because they don't get to abuse their handouts as much as they want, have to obey a regiment, and assume the soldier in the fort above their cave have better things and just lay around all day and night.

* DealWithTheDevil: The forces of Chaos talk him into and help his aggressive takeover scheme to under mind the Earth Mother temple and buy up Cow Girl Uncle's farm, to deny the Adventurer's Guild fallback positions when their army attacks the town.

* DoesNotLikeShoes: InvertedTrope; as Rheas are Hobbit-analogues, they are noted to typically prefer to go barefoot, except he is explicitly noted to have taken up wearing boots, a fashion statement he shows off with some vanity. It's one of the things that is noted as being not quite right about him.