Line #5 YMMV/GoblinSlayer


1	* AccidentalAesop: The economic angle of the goblin threat can be taken as a critique of capitalism. It's mentioned early on that goblins are dangerous enough that it takes experienced adventurers to root them out, but at the same time, they mostly attack frontier farming communities that can't afford to pay very much by way of reward. However, the AdventureGuild is a for-profit entity, and experienced adventurers usually ignore goblin jobs because there's no money or glory to be made. Goblin Slayer gets by because he doesn't care about fortune and glory, and is implied to only break even because Cow Girl and her uncle give him free room and board in exchange for guarding their farm. [[spoiler:He's also fortunate that his reputation in the AdventureGuild is so good that the administrators foot the bill to save the farm from the Goblin Lord at the end of Volume 1.]] [[AccidentalAesop The profit motive is poor at solving problems that it isn't profitable to solve.]]
2	* AdaptationDisplacement: It's not unusual for an anime adaptation of a light novel to routinely overshadow its source material. However, the manga adaptation for this series is ''immensely'' popular, which is unusual as most light novel-to-manga re-tellings tend to be seen as cheap tie-ins with average artwork that [[CompressedAdaptation leave out tons of narrative details]] and frequently [[CutShort get cancelled after covering only a few of the light novel volumes]]. According to [[https://animenextseason.com/anime-continue/goblin-slayer-season-2/ this site]], the manga version of the main story routinely outsells the light novels by a factor of 3-to-1; further evidence can be seen with how the ''[[{{Prequel}} Year One]]'' manga has overtaken the ''Year One'' light novels and is developing its own original story, a rarity for both mediums.
3	* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation:
4	** What was Sword Maiden's comment in Volume 2, that Goblin Slayer "will one day disappear", supposed to mean? Was it in reality just a reminder/warning for Priestess in case she gets too reliant on him, since Goblin Slayer is known for being an asocial loner? Did she say that so she could have Goblin Slayer to herself, or was it a warning that if Goblin Slayer remains on his current path, he would [[HeWhoFightsMonsters no longer be himself]], or a reminder of his mortality?
5	** Is Goblin Slayer a ChasteHero because of his hyper-focused personality, or has his exposure to goblins raping women (going all the way back to him witnessing it happen to his older sister) desensitized him entirely from forming a relationship with a woman at all? Speaking of his personality: is Goblin Slayer suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, or was he neuroatypical before that?[[note]]One could argue it's the former: negative thoughts about the world? Check; difficulty in maintaining social relationships? Check; difficulty at feeling positive emotions? Check; an ever-present need to be kept "busy"? Check; always on guard for danger? ''Double check'' with a helmet that took a favor to remove; aggressive behavior? Most certainly with the way he kills his marks. What's one of the therapies for PTSD? Repeated exposure to the situation ("exposure therapy") -- in effect, Goblin Slayer is suffering PTSD, but he has been treating ''himself'' for years, and the party is helping him recover a normal life.[[/note]]
6	* AngstAversion: The brutal deaths and rape of the Greenhorn Team at the start of the story has been enough for some to swear off the series entirely, even as it later counterbalances it with more positive, optimistic elements.
7	* BrokenBase:
8	** The fate of the Greenhorn Team at the start of the series - fans argue that ''Goblin Slayer'' is an effective {{Deconstruction}} of many fantasy tropes by showing a team of newcomers being brutally killed due to their lack of preparation and is a great way to set the tone for the series, but detractors dislike the opening narrative for a variety of reasons, whether because they think it uses rape and violence for shock value and/or find the subject matter too dark and brutal for their tastes.
9	** There's also a question of how well the subject matter works as intelligent deconstruction. Fans enjoy the off-kilter takes on the usual heroic fantasy anime setting and shocking levels of grittiness, and on giving even "weak" monsters their due as a huge threat requiring careful planning and tactics. Detractors complain that some of these "clever" tactics are nonsensical (e.g. Goblin Slayer using cheap, poorly-maintained gear so that whatever lucky goblin kills him won't have anything useful to loot off his corpse is often pointed to as a prime example of the story trying to come off as smarter than it actually is; the counter-argument is that if he took better care of his tools he'd ''be'' much less likely to be killed), and that, rather than representing a realistically gritty fantasy world, the story instead [[GenreShift suddenly switches from a traditional fantasy world to a gritty and low-magic one whenever the goblins show up]], cheating on their behalf to make them a bigger threat and Goblin Slayer an IgnoredExpert.
10	* CatharsisFactor: The narrative pulls no punches showing how reprehensible goblins are, making Goblin Slayer's creative and brutal goblin slaying all the more satisfying.
11	* CompleteMonster: On his quest to exterminate every goblin, the [[Characters/GoblinSlayerGoblinSlayer Goblin Slayer]] himself has encountered [[Characters/GoblinSlayerAntagonists beings]] at least as vile, if not more so, than the goblins themselves:
12	** Vol. 3: The [[SmugSnake Dark Elf]] is a member of the [[ReligionOfEvil Evil Sect]] who has women butchered and vivisected as [[HumanSacrifice sacrifices]] while leading goblins in the sewers of Water Town to cause as much havoc as he can. Having manipulated numerous attacks, the Dark Elf [[TheManBehindTheMan helps to inspire previous assaults]] by the goblins, including the Goblin Lord's attempted razing of Goblin Slayer's town. Later resurfacing during the "Harvest Festival" arc, the Dark Elf intends to use his goblins to [[RapePillageAndBurn massacre and violate all in their path]] while he summons Hecatoncheir, the hundred-armed giant, to obliterate the rest, and goes on a rampage to throw the world into chaos and devastation, intending on summoning many more monsters to kill as many people as possible.
13	** Vol. 9: [[EvilIsDeathlyCold The Ice Witch]] is a [[LesbianVampire hedonistic vampire who enjoys preying on young women]]. Gaining the loyalty of a group of [[BigfootSasquatchAndYeti carnivorous sasquatches]], she unleashes them upon the local villages to slaughter the innocent Hare Folk, while [[EndlessWinter blocking out the sun]] to allow no respite. With numerous innocents massacred, the Ice Witch plans to have villages slaughtered to give herself cover in an innocent town and kill freely for a century.
14	** Vol. 11: [[ItsAllAboutMe The Guard Captain]] of the Desert Kingdom is an [[MoreDespicableMinion impulsive, brutal man]] who murders the rulers so that his supposed superior, the Prime Minister, can be the puppet master of the more intransigent Desert Princess. Deciding to raise an army of goblins to secure the coup, the Captain [[IndustrializedEvil funnels innocent women to a goblin breeding camp]] to be used as {{breeding slave}}s before unleashing them on the city. When exposed, he reveals he plans to awaken a dragon to get it to do the attacking for him.
15	* DiagnosedByTheAudience: Virtually anyone who has ever laid eyes on the Goblin Slayer can tell that the man is simply not well. He has a flat affect, no sense of sarcasm, no care for his self-image, limited social skills and sense of tact, and his work ethic is more machine than human, not to mention his complete lack of a libido. Goblin Slayer also has to think extremely long and hard to gather and articulate his thoughts in deep conversation and visibly struggles to recollect and recount more than the broadest details of his quests when giving reports. He brusquely dismisses and discards from memory anything he doesn't consider worth complete attention, tends to fixate on minute details, and admittedly has trouble appreciating the concept of solidarity, outright surprising himself when he thinks of his friends ''as'' friends. Whatever's afflicting him more than likely stems from his FreudianExcuse, as he was suggested to have been a completely ordinary boy until then. He ticks off boxes in at least obsessive compulsive disorder, PTSD, and old-fashioned psychopathy.
16	* EnsembleDarkhorse:
17	** Of the ill-fated party members from the Greenhorn Team, the [[BareFistedMonk bare-fisted Fighter]] has gotten the most attention and sympathy for her attempted HeroicSacrifice, and for surviving the ordeal, but left [[BrokenBird completely broken]]. Even though she wasn't seen again after her departure, several fans have expressed their wish to see her return; taken to a point where some people {{Troll}}ed fans with fake Light Novel spoilers about her being DrivenToSuicide.
18	** Amazon was able to gain a rather sizable fan base for [[AmazonianBeauty obvious]] [[MsFanservice reasons]], despite only being mentioned once so far in the light novel, and getting only a few scenes spread through a few chapters/episodes in the {{Manga}} and {{Anime}}. Many fans are hoping she'll be given a larger role in a future StoryArc.
19	* FandomRivalry: Long-time ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'' fans haven't come to appreciate being turned into strawmen by the ''Goblin Slayer'' fandom just so the latter could defend their series from criticism.
20	* FanNickname: Most characters have their epithets abbreviated when brought up in casual discussion, especially on {{Imageboards}}.
21	** The majority of them have their titles rendered as initials (e.g. Goblin Slayer is "GS", Cow Girl is "CG", Guild Girl is "GG", Sword Maiden is "SM", etc.)
22	** Some non-human characters are referred to simply by their race (e.g. High Elf Archer is almost always just called "elf", Dwarf Shaman is "dwarf", etc.)
23	** A few of the side characters get jokingly called by the name of the character their design is [[{{Expy}} taken from]]: (e.g. Heavy Warrior is "[[Manga/{{Berserk}} Guts]]", Chosen Heroine is referred to as "[[Literature/HaruhiSuzumiya Haruhi]]", Sword Maiden is "[[VideoGame/NierAutomata YoRHa 2B]]", etc.)
24	** Lizard Priest stands out for being granted a full-on AffectionateNickname, "Lizardbro", for being [[SupportingLeader both the strongest and the most personable member of the main party]].
25	** High Elf Archer is stuck with Dwarf Shaman's InSeriesNickname for her: "[[ACupAngst Anvil]]".
26	* {{Fanon}}:
27	** [[https://www.pixiv.net/member_illust.php?mode=medium&illust_id=57055458 An early fan comic]] on Website/{{Pixiv}} spurred the idea that Goblin Slayer's tutelage of Priestess will eventually develop into a full-on case of TakeUpMySword, grungy armor, broken psyche and all.
28	** Because Heavy Warrior is an {{Expy}} of [[{{Manga/Berserk}} Guts]], some fans playfully interpret him to be the very same "[[RedBaron Black Swordsman]]", albeit one living it up as an adventurer from having avoided any traumatic events, such as the Eclipse or meeting Griffith.
29	*** This fanon is further supported when the details of Heavy Warrior's backstory are revealed. Before becoming an adventurer, Heavy Warrior originally was a mercenary and had an {{Expy}} of Griffith as a best friend. However, Heavy Warrior's friend received a CareerEndingInjury and was forced into early retirement. Then the girl Heavy Warrior had a crush on (who turns out to be a Casca {{Expy}} in ''Year One'') ended up settling down with Heavy Warrior's now crippled friend before he has a chance to approach her. The embarrassment of the situation became one of the reasons why Heavy Warrior decides to leave his mercenary life behind to become an adventurer.
30	** One could only wonder if Chosen Heroine is actually [[Literature/SwordArtOnline Yuuki Konno]] reincarnated with her LuckStat raised up to ridiculous amounts in response to her being TooCoolToLive in her own series; that Chosen Heroine resembles Yuuki in the light novel and manga illustrations isn't lost on fans.
31	** Witch's langourous, drawn-out manner of speech is often speculated to be her method of preventing accidental spell-casting (despite explicitly using it on occasion to light up her pipe). However, due to her smoking habit, other fans joke that Witch must be stoned, while another theory is related to ''[[TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons Dunegons & Dragons 5th Edition]]'' where the "Sage" character background material includes a personality trait [[https://i.imgur.com/LLMu4zh.jpg where a Sage]] speaks... slowly... [[InsufferableGenius when talking... to idiots...]]
32	%%* FountainOfMemes: Priestess easily became the most popular and memed character from the series.
33	* FriendlyFandoms:
34	** ''Goblin Slayer'' and ''Literature/ThatTimeIGotReincarnatedAsASlime'': both feature goblin themes and their {{Animated Adaptation}}s were airing in the same season with drastically different portrayals of the respective goblins bordering on polar opposite, leading into the creation of a friendly rivalry. [[GoMadFromTheRevelation Of course, seeing just how different the goblins of another world are would likely give Goblin Slayer a heart attack and a nervous breakdown]].
35	** Players of ''VideoGame/DarkSouls'' and ''VideoGame/DarkestDungeon'', as well as traditional pen-and-paper TabletopGames (including the [[Website/FourChan /tg/]] community), have expressed some fondness of this series because of the author's inspiration taken from the genre and medium, not to mention the former two especially for the series' bleak and depressive tone and [[AnyoneCanDie constant death]].
36	** ''Franchise/{{Doom}}'' fans took an immediate liking to ''Goblin Slayer'' thanks to similarities between the names, stoicism, personality, brutality, and pragmatism of both series' protagonists. The premise of a badass in armor slaying hordes of reprehensible creatures is what drives both series into what they are.
37	** There's also plenty of overlap with fans of ''Series/TheMandalorian'', another show about a badass armored warrior who never removes his helmet and travels around with a younger magical companion.
38	* GeniusBonus: In chapter 65 of the main manga, Goblin Slayer agrees to meet Spearman and Heavy Warrior at a tavern. The tavern they hit up has a sign that depicts an axe with the number 233 stamped on the side of it; this is an opaque VisualPun on Literature/TheBible passage Acts 2:33, which speaks of Jesus receiving the Holy ''Spirit'' and "pouring out" its message to the world.
39	* GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff: The series already had an international audience before the AnimatedAdaptation aired; despite the RRatedOpening of the pilot, ''Goblin Slayer'' [[https://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-feature/2018/11/05-1/crunchyrolls-most-popular-fall-2018-anime-by-state-province-country absolutely dominated]] the {{Anime}} selection in the United States for the fall of 2018. Likewise, Canada[[note]]Sans Quebec, New Brunswick and some of the northern territories[[/note]], parts of Central/South America, the United Kingdom, Ireland and the Nordic regions also enjoyed ''Goblin Slayer''.
40	* HarsherInHindsight: Chapter 55 of the ''Year One'' {{Manga}} focuses on the [[Manga/{{Berserk}} Guts]] {{Expy}} Heavy Warrior neglecting his health in favor of handling the logistics of his party. He promptly collapses, with his teammates and acquaintances chiding him to not overwork and take care of his body. The chapter was released barely a day after the announcement of the passing of ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'' creator Creator/KentaroMiura.
41	* HilariousInHindsight: [[https://boards.fireden.net/a/thread/138953624 An /a/ thread]] in March 2016 had several anons brainstorm a theoretical fantasy anime, with the most popular suggestion being one where the main character is a silent knight wearing a full-concealing helmet (à la VideoGame/DarkSouls). Muteness aside, many of the story concepts considered (no-nonsense protagonist with SkewedPriorities, cute female partners at odds with him, etc.) come off as oddly prophetic given that ''Goblin Slayer'' as a Light Novel series barely started out in Japan at the time.
42	* HypeBacklash: Fans of the series hyped up the AnimatedAdaptation as "''VideoGame/Doom2016'' meets DarkFantasy" -- that it will be one of the "darkest {{Anime}} (they) had ever seen". While the RRatedOpening certainly [[SignatureScene served its purpose]], it's not uncommon to meet viewers who went in with astronomical expectations to be put off by seeing HaremGenre-esque elements and significantly less dark and gruesome goblin-based murder than was advertised as the episodes rolled along.
43	* IKnewIt: When the AnimatedAdaptation leapt forward into the events of Water Town from Volume 2 in the midst of the season, fans of the series deduced the climax from Volume 1 would be saved until the last couple of episodes, citing a more narrative-driven StoryArc. This turns out to be true as the end of Episode 10 is a {{Foreshadowing}} [[spoiler:of a massive goblin horde at the edge of Cow Girl's farm]].
44	* JustHereForGodzilla: Most people just want to see Goblin Slayer killing goblins and nothing else; a few late-comers also started watching to see the hype over the girls like Priestess.
45	* LikeYouWouldReallyDoIt: [[spoiler:Goblin Slayer seemingly dying after rescuing the party from the goblin champion]] in the midst of Volume 2. Even if it weren't SpoiledByTheFormat or from works ahead of the medium being viewed, having that actually happen is too absurd.
46	* MemeticBadass: Goblin Slayer; because he vows to purge every one of the critters from existence, fans would pit him against other goblins, goblin slayers and goblin-related characters from other media, joking that he would win every time, ranging from Rou in ''Literature/ReMonster'' (an over-powered character because he's still a goblin) to [[https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/442367912758607882/499259359319293962/43433403_10213111743449241_587853204595671040_n.png Mini-Gob (Goblin Mage)]] from ''VideoGame/GranblueFantasy'' (although [[BizarreSexualDimorphism looking like a human child]], she's still a goblin) and even the [[https://www.deviantart.com/ninjaink/art/The-Amazing-Goblin-Slayer-769704603 Green Goblin]] from ''ComicBook/SpiderMan''. That being said, he's [[https://www.reddit.com/r/overlord/comments/hh7maf/virgin_goblin_slater_vs_chad_goblin_general/ also been]] [[https://jpdesenhador.tumblr.com/post/622096227285237760/can-we-have-a-drawing-of-a-buff-enri-with-a consistently presented]] as getting having troubles against [[Literature/Overlord2012 General Enri]].
47	* MemeticMolester:
48	** Among Western fans, Goblin Slayer's assertion of "[[PayEvilUntoEvil being like a goblin to the goblins]]" is taken to its logical conclusion by showing him as contemplating/threatening revenge rape against female goblins from other series such as Haruna from ''Literature/ThatTimeIGotReincarnatedAsASlime'', Wasabi from ''Manga/GoblinIsVeryStrong'' and Gobumi-chan from ''Dungeon Nursery''. It's not helped by his occasional [[NoSocialSkills lack of people skills]] and unintentionally creepy behavior on occasion, like the notorious shot of him [[https://gfycat.com/blandgrandiosehorsechestnutleafminer creeping up on High Elf Archer.]][[labelnote: WARNING]] though the image at this link is SFW, the website is definitely NOT. [[/labelnote]] Perhaps unsurprisingly, there's a fanmade {{Eroge}} parody RPG with the [[ParallelPornTitles predictable title "Goblin Layer"]] which takes this to the obvious conclusion.
49	** Similarly, Eastern fans may have Priestess capture and rape young goblins in a disturbing amount of {{Fanart}}.
50	* MemeticMutation:
51	** Thanks to comparisons between them, some of the series' fans liken the titular character to [[VideoGame/{{Doom}} Doomguy]]/[[VideoGame/{{Doom2016}} Doom Slayer]], complete with the ''Comicbook/{{Doom}}'' [[https://knowyourmeme.com/photos/1419339-goblin-slayer comic book parody]] and [[https://knowyourmeme.com/photos/1419362-goblin-slayer cracks about their similarities]]. When the promotional trailers were released, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5W5G3MnlZ8 fan]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4zUCzyMrmo edits]] replacing the music with tracks from ''VideoGame/Doom2016'' became abundant. Turns into HilariousInHindsight in ''Goblin Slayer Side Story: Year One'', where Goblin Slayer ''does'' "rip and tear" into a goblin for "research purposes"; HilarityEnsues when Goblin Slayer's Creator/{{Funimation}} [[Creator/BradHawkins voice actor]] [[https://knowyourmeme.com/photos/1425045-goblin-slayer did motion capture for the Doom Slayer]].
52	** "Did somebody say goblins?"[[labelnote:Explanation]]Goblin Slayer's obsessive pursuit and demands for slaying quests have taken a life of its own, with fans excitedly calling for him upon the mere mention of goblins, even or rather especially in entirely different series.[[/labelnote]]
53	** Goblin Slayer's autism.[[labelnote:Explanation]]Anonymous users on the anime/manga board of Website/FourChan have taken to calling Goblin Slayer an autistic out of affection, citing his flat demeanor and overly-methodical thought processes concerning little else besides goblins, particularly his complete indifference to women clearly head-over-heels for him in favor for more goblin-slaying.[[/labelnote]]
54	** Will she get gobbed?[[labelnote:Explanation]]Readers who'd been drawn in by the series' reputation for rape scenes would ask this question on a regular basis. It has become an almost ritualistic in-joke for every update to the story or its adaptations to have one faction of fans clamoring for rape like goblins, and another countering with anti-goblin sentiments.[[/labelnote]]
55	** "[[VideoGame/DarkestDungeon Remind yourself that overconfidence is a slow and insidious killer]]."[[labelnote:Explanation]]Following the pilot episode, it quickly caught steam on Website/{{Twitter}} and Website/{{Tumblr}} to take atmospheric quotes from ''Darkest Dungeon'' to describe the Greenhorn Team's quest and its aftermath in terms of a doomed Level 0 expedition, with that quote being the most used by far.[[/labelnote]]
56	** "[[https://i.imgur.com/o32v0GX.jpg You get used to it...]]"[[labelnote: Explanation]]New viewers coming in via the anime were really put off by the RRatedOpening in the pilot. Light novel and manga readers, who had been exposed to that and more, responded with Priestess's resigned [[ConditionedToAcceptHorror reaction]]; this also extends towards other contexts, such as video game console newcomers.[[/labelnote]]
57	** "[[WebVideo/JonTron Ew! I don’t like em! I don’t like goblins! UAAAAAAH!]]"[[labelnote:Explanation]]Crossing over an already popular meme from Jontron, the series would inevitably get this comparison due to its premise and the protagonist's pure dedication to killing goblins. Jokes about the [[https://knowyourmeme.com/photos/1419387-goblin-slayer Goblin Slayer's true identity being Jon]] soon spread like wildfire with the AnimatedAdaptation.[[/labelnote]]
58	** {{Crossover}} jokes about Goblin Slayer meeting the Goblinas and Hobgoblins of ''Literature/ThatTimeIGotReincarnatedAsASlime'' and being completely baffled at their stark contrast to the goblins of his native series.
59	** "I see"/"Yeah"/"''Souka''"[[labelnote:Explanation]]His deadpan tone of voice and lack of expression, thanks to TwentyFourHourArmor, has led to Goblin Slayer's frequency of answering with the former two responses being used as imageboard comments; likewise, the latter Japanese term, which means what the former responses mean in English, is also frequented.[[/labelnote]]
60	** "A harem is cool, but sex doesn't kill goblins."[[labelnote:Explanation]]A popular quote used to poke fun at Goblin Slayer's single-minded dedication to killing goblins and lack of interest in romance.[[/labelnote]]
61	* MemeticPsychopath: On certain {{Imageboards}}, criticism of Guild Girl for not being insistent enough that the Greenhorn Team to drop their goblin quest or waiting for Goblin Slayer to come and chaperone them has morphed into assertions she is actively sending new adventurers to die from sheer sadism. There's also a half-serious conspiracy theory that the Adventurers Guild's quest system is deliberately designed to have a ridiculously high rookie mortality rate as a method of indirect population control/culling of battle-capable (thus potentially revolutionary) peasantry.
62	* MisaimedFandom: While the series goes out of its way to make everything related to the goblins and their atrocities as horrifying as possible, it's somewhat undermined by the fact that "strong female adventurer underestimates goblins/orcs and is easily defeated then captured and repeatedly gang-raped into a mindbroken breeding slave" has been a popular standard stock plot for {{hentai}} manga, played entirely for eroticism, for ''years'' before the series began. The series ''could'' be interpreted as an attempt to {{deconstruct\|edTrope}} these stories by pointing out how nightmarish and unsexy such scenarios really would be... but the existence of the aforementioned "Will she get gobbed?" {{meme\|ticMutation}} basically proves that it hasn't been entirely successful.
63	* {{Moe}}: Priestess' innocence and cuteness makes her rather huggable-looking, and you're sure to want to give her a reassuring and comforting hug after all the trauma she experiences at the hands of the goblins.
64	* {{Narm}}:
65	** [[https://www.reddit.com/r/GoblinSlayer/comments/9xyr8h/psa_of_sort_the_weird_minutes_long_canary_eye_is/ A bizarre slip-up]] with the global simulcast of Episode 7 had the end credits sequence double in length - [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVWz9O4Qg3E on television]], the credits rolled during a new extended sequence with an InsertSong; online, however, the credits were missing, followed by the regular end credits. This resulted in an image of the party [[spoiler:kneeling around Goblin Slayer's fallen body in mourning]] reflected in a canary's eye that [[LeaveTheCameraRunning remains on screen for over a minute, until the credits started rolling]]. The audience likely believed Creator/WhiteFox ran out of budget and resorted to {{Padding}} at the height of a scene that was meant to be PlayedForDrama.
66	** Generally, during scenes meant to be dramatic and tense (including the aforementioned Episode 7), the intended effect is significantly lessened by the fact that ''none of the characters have names'', which makes their heartfelt pleas and dramatic dialogue a little goofy when they call each other by character classes or titles.
67	** Almost all of the monsters in the LightNovel have their own language that is rendered in all-caps, poorly spelled PokemonSpeak from the protagonists' perspective. It works for goblins, and a few other creatures of bestial figure and intelligence, but when fiends, including high-level, human-shaped, intelligent archfiends, are running at the heroes screaming “DEEEEEVLLLIIIVVVVVIL!!” and “DAAAAEEEMMEMMMEMMEOOOON!!”, it may be hard not to laugh or cringe.
68	* NarmCharm:
69	** Make no mistake, this series centers on a socially-awkward man who goes around killing only low-level mobs. When asked for his name, he proclaims himself as "Goblin Slayer" with no sense of {{Irony}} or self-awareness. That being said, it's precisely ''because'' of his quirky personality and motivations that he is an endearing character to fans.
70	** Because most characters in ''Goblin Slayer'' don't have names, but are rather designated by their CharacterClass and/or title instead, this adds to the RolePlayingGame element [[TabletopGames the setting is derived from]].
71	** Several characters, including Goblin Slayer, are [[{{Expy}} references]] to other Japanese fantasy-based franchises and properties, including ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'', ''VideoGame/DragonsCrown'', ''Franchise/DragonQuest'' and the ''Franchise/FateSeries'', which ''should'' feel like a mess of a {{Crossover}} fanfic. However, it's played straight with no LeaningOnTheFourthWall and thus loops back around to being [[RuleOfCool cool]], such as when "Guts" and "Cú Chulainn" charge into battle together.
72	** At the climax of Volume 2, a man's promise to appear in somebody's dreams to slay goblins ([[ItsWhatIDo because he is Goblin Slayer]]) reads like absurd cheese out of context, yet leave it to this series to make such a moment genuinely heartfelt and appropriate given the recipient and the audience's sympathy for the latter.
73	* NeverLiveItDown:
74	** Even after several volumes into the light novels and manga and several episodes into the anime, people are still arguing about the rape scene in the beginning of the story.
75	** Priestess has two instances of BringMyBrownPants -- one during her first goblin quest and another in Volume 2 [[spoiler:when the goblin champion and its horde ambushes the party]]. Parts of the fandom have taken these incidents and like to present Priestess as [[MemeticLoser a crybaby who soils herself and breaks down at the drop of a hat and needs a diaper in daily life]] in memes and joke comics.
76	* NoSuchThingAsBadPublicity: The series first came onto fans' radar due to the controversy over its use of rape in the pilot episode. Those who checked it out found that it was no worse about it than other successful, acclaimed works in the genre and had enough going for it to make it one of the most prominent, successful {{Anime}} of the season.
77	* PopularWithFurries: There's a decent amount of scalie interest in the series thanks to one of Goblin Slayer's companions being a Lizardman and there also being other minor Lizardmen characters. There's a decent bit of furry interest too thanks to other types of anthropomorphic folk or LittleBitBeastly folk running around.
78	* SignatureScene: No one is able to forget the [[CruelAndUnusualDeath total]] [[SacrificialLamb and]] [[RapeAsDrama absolute]] slaughter of the [[DecoyProtagonist Greenhorn Team]].
79	* SophomoreSlump: Most viewers agree that when compared to how the first season structured its plot to the first two LightNovel volumes by forming a tightly-knitted StoryArc, Season 2 rushed through adapting Volumes 6 to 8 with little-to-no CharacterDevelopment, while simultaneously adapting out certain elements. Even though character designs adhere closer to the LightNovel illustrations, various instances of OffModel (such as the troll) were explicitly seen throughout the episodes. The StudioHop from Creator/WhiteFox to Creator/LidenFilms for Season 2 has been perceived as little help to the series.
80	* SpecialEffectFailure: During Season 1 of the {{Anime}}, it can be somewhat noticeable whenever Goblin Slayer switches between his 2D model and his CG model.
81	* TheyChangedItNowItSucks: Many people were not happy with how season 2 diverted from the source material light novels for non canon material much like The Promised Neverland.
82	* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter: This tends to happen when new goblin tiers are introduced with the potential to be much bigger threats to Goblin Slayer and his crew. Unfortunately, these goblins always die at the end of that particular StoryArc, no exceptions.
83	* UglyCute: With their chubby limbs and extreme natural skittishness, goblin juveniles are kind of cute in a piggish sort of way -- [[WoundedGazelleGambit even the very youngest of them know full well how to exploit this to put an adventurer off-guard]].
84	* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotForKids: In the days before the anime was released, previews on Website/{{Crunchyroll}} and [=MyAnimeList=] gave the show [[https://twitter.com/TheSundere/status/1050532539583160320 a rating of PG or PG-13, respectively]], under the assumption ''Goblin Slayer'' was another ''[[TrappedInAnotherWorld isekai]]''-esque adventure. Following the pilot and violent content released to the wider audience, reactions led to the rating being appropriately changed to R or properly labeled to warn of the graphic material.
85	* TheWoobie: [[BareFistedMonk Fighter]], a practitioner of her late father's martial art, is a member of the [[DecoyProtagonist first adventuring party]] Priestess joined and a symbol of all women and unprepared adventurers that fall into goblin clutches. As the [[NiceGirl nicest]] member of the party, she was ready to lay down her life to try and ensure her surviving teammates' escape. Once ambushed, she witnesses her party member Wizard get stabbed with a poisoned knife and Warrior, her childhood friend and another party member get chopped to pieces. She then tries to [[YouShallNotPass fend off]] the goblins to allow Priestess to escape with Wizard, but is [[MetronomicManMashing overpowered]] by a hobgoblin and then gang-raped. Although she and Priestess do survive thanks to Goblin Slayer and (thankfully) didn't come out pregnant with any goblin children, her experience left her traumatized and unable to continue fighting after being rescued.

Context YMMV / GoblinSlayer