Goblin Slayer (anime! light novel!)

If he kills every goblin, he'll need a new name, that's for sure.

Unlike Batman, GS does get closer to them. In vol 6 it gets to the point where being separated from Priestess when both are doing different Guild tasks leaves him so discomfited that he can't focus on Goblins.

He knows all too well that will likely never happen.

Like I said, we all have different thresholds.

Edited by M84 on Oct 8th 2018 at 11:47:11 PM

@Rynnec: Maybe, but I don't like gore done to animals either. Target being fantasy creature doesn't turn off my empathy part of brain so it still feels gross to me <_<

That’s the beauty of those characters, their stories will always be a tragedy because they can never let go. Eventually it all comes back.

There is no cure for them, they are the cure.

G-Slayer’s real family shouldn’t be the Priestess, Cowgirl, or any of his teammates.

His true family should be the goblins he devotes every waking moment of his life to marauding & slaughtering.

I mean, when he isn't written by someone like Dan didio, Batman is pretty close to the Robins. And GS is pretty much the same type of character as Batman and Guts, so having companions that soften him up is an eventuality.

Edited by Ikedatakeshi on Oct 8th 2018 at 11:52:58 PM

That's the problem with Western comics published by big companies. Different writers and editors lead to wildly different characterizations. It can be hard to keep track.

Still, in a lot of Batman stories, Batman does end up alienating his allies, even if eventually they do make up.

In the DCAU, the estrangement lasts for decades. Bruce spends years upon years a bitter lonely recluse. It's only thanks to Terry's influence that things get better.

Edited by M84 on Oct 8th 2018 at 11:51:57 PM

Yea, Goblin Slayer is a mess of issues but having people around him does at least give him some humanity. That being said, because he has so many issues, it makes you wonder how long can he keep his friends while continuing his crusade.

They seem pretty determined to stick by him, and he is slowly improving. Very slowly.

Too bad he can't quit this job, especially since one running plotline in this series is that the goblins are becoming more of a threat, whether it's due to them getting smarter or due to outside help likely from Truth.

The biggest sign of trouble is the appearance of an honest to goodness Goblin Paladin in vol 5.

Edited by M84 on Oct 8th 2018 at 11:54:34 PM

Yeah, everything he's been through would mentally stunt someone.

Thats the weird thing about Goblin Slayer yeah, character acknowledges he will continue killing goblins until he dies while killing goblins, but story seems to have more of optimistic or bittersweet tone than most Batman stories in comparison

Honestly, I don't think that's a bad thing. "Mentally stunted loner obsessed with one thing slowly getting better" is more enjoyable than the alternative.

Kind of flips the whole "overpowered protagonist" archetype on it's head huh. Yea, Goblin Slayer is a badass at what he does, but it took him years to get that point and it's screwed up his mental state significantly. So it makes you ask "Do you REALLY wanna be like this guy."

Not really someone to be admired.

Yep. Goblin Slayer never felt like power fantasy character or even that OP in the manga from what I remember. It really helps that his skills are more about tactics and D&D player shenanigans than raw power

He's also got a bad case of Crippling Overspecialization. He's crap in straight fights against anything but a goblin, and even goblins give him trouble if he can't get the drop on them. He's still a valuable asset in fights against non-goblins since he's Crazy-Prepared with a lot of tricks. He's also pretty good at improvising.

Edited by M84 on Oct 9th 2018 at 12:08:04 AM

So basically Batman.

Eh, batman seems to be OP even in straight fights with some writers and shows at least

Ehh...Batman occasionally gets that 'perfect human' fetishization...uncommonly often. The 'Batgod' thing has been overused a great deal.

Goblin Slayer I get..conflicting messages. Like he's clearly damaged and obsessed, but he's basically the wrld's unsung hero, and multiple female cast members keep falling for him.

He's a Small Steps Hero who gets plot focus, that's all.

I mean, that's still Batman. Mentally damaged and obsessed yet still have many female characters gunning for him.

Goblins aren't the only threat to the world though and like M84 said, he's only good at killing goblins and that's assuming the circumstances are in his favor to do so.

Writers tend to forget Batman is human and just let him literally power through and solve everything "Cuz he's Batman".

Goblin Slayer actually feels functionally human.

Thing is, with Batman, most of the women who fall for him fall for his charming Bruce Wayne side. The ones who fall for his Batman side are usually not much better mentally. A few are able to appreciate the whole package.

Edited by M84 on Oct 9th 2018 at 12:17:08 AM

He doesn't get straight up harem though

I know people have made comparisons between this series and Berserk, but one thing I think sets them apart is the fact that Berserk also has a Cosmic Horror Story along with Dark Fantasy and High Fantasy tropes. Also while the Goblin Slayer had a hard life, Guts from birth was cursed. I mean when he was born from a hanged corpse compared to Goblin Slayer who had a happy life until the goblins raided his village. Then again many stories look light in comparison with Berserk.

Edited by firewriter on Oct 8th 2018 at 9:16:26 AM

There's a bit of a cosmic horror element in GS since the whole thing is a tabletop game between gods, with one god being an edgelord Killer Game Master while his opponent has terrible luck with dice rolls.

Both GS and Guts have one thing in common: they are, for different reasons, Immune to Fate. GS because he's too single-minded and prepared to let divine dice rolls affect him, and Guts because he avoided his fated death as a Sacrifice.

Edited by M84 on Oct 9th 2018 at 12:18:01 AM

Batman prefers a monogamous relationship.

When he thought he was finally gonna settle down with Catwoman he set out to end things once & for all with Talia.