That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime (Episodes 9-12)

That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime Title 1

A new threat has emerged in the Forest of Jura and it could change the way of life there. Rimuru will have to show that he is worthy of his followers and may yet bring more monsters onto his side.

Episode 9 – Attack of the Ogres

Using Mimic, Rimuru is now able to take on a human form complete with human senses. At long last, Rimuru will be able to taste food again. After Rimuru declared that he will eat with everyone else from now on, Rigurd decides they should put on a lavish feast. Rimuru talks to Rigur and Gobta before they go hunting and is concerned by the movement of magical beasts so send Rangar with them. Not long into the hunt, Rangar contacts Rimuru for help as they’ve just been attacked by Ogres!

Episode 10 – The Orc Lord

Rimuru invited the Ogres to work under him and become a part of his plan. That way he would fight with them when the time comes. They accepted, but only if they could go their own way once the Orcs had been defeated. Rimuru said they were free to stay or live, and to thank them for joining him, he named them, evolving them into Kijin. Meanwhile, the Orc army marched towards the swampland, home to the Lizardmen. Realising they were outnumbered they sent an emissary to the Goblin villages in search of help!

That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime Episode 10 Gabiru

Episode 11 – Gabiru Is Here!

The Kijin are settling into life at Rimuru’s village. Shuna has taken on the role of producing fine materials for clothing while Shion has become Rimuru’s personal bodyguard/secretary. She also has taken it upon herself to cook for RImuru, much to Benimaru and the other Kijin’s horror. Rimuru soon finds out why. Not long after, an emissary from the Lizardmen has arrived and is confident he can subjugate the villagers. After successfully insulting just about everyone, Gabiru has a chance to win if he can beat Gobta in a fight. It wasn’t even close!

That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime Episode 11 Gobta versus Gabiru

Episode 12 – The Gears Spin Out of Control

Rimuru is visited by Treyni, the Dryad of the Forest of Jura and she has a request for him – defeat the Orc-Lord! It’s been decades since a documented appearance by a Dryad which adds extra weight to her request. She offers them information about their foe and before Rimuru can say no, Shion says he’ll do it. To do that, he plans on forming an alliance with the Lizardmen but wants to talk to someone higher up than Gabiru. Gabiru, however, has been visited by one of Gelmud’s subordinates who convinces him to take over as Chieftain!

That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime Episode 12 Gabiru takes control

Ruler of Monsters!

I’ve called this post Ruler of Monsters in reference to the title that Treyni used when addressing Rimuru, but I think it also has a much larger context here. The main thing I think we’re seeing in these four episodes is the difference in leadership styles and how effective they might be. That’s always been one of the interesting aspects of Rimuru’s approach in that he usually seeks to avoid conflict where necessary, which is pretty impressive considering how strong he is.

Out first glimpse at another ruler is with the Ogre leader who will eventually receive the name Benimaru from Rimuru. He was in charge of a small band of Ogres – the remaining survivors from their village after the Orc army attacked. They saw Rimuru wearing Shizu’s mask and believed that he was involved as there was a Majin with a mask in the attack. Rimuru asked them to discuss things, but they wanted blood and attacked without hesitation.

That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime Episode 9 Ogres

Of course, fought back, incapacitating most of the group. All that was left was Benimaru, Shuna, and Hakurou. Rather than quickly defeat them, Rimuru showed them several of his skills and how he was insanely more powerful than them. Unfortunately, Benimaru’s pride would not let him back down. However, Shuna stepped between them and reasoned with her older brother. He finally listened to reason.

Benimaru has already shown what kind of a ruler he is. By listening to his sister and accepting her counsel, we see that he’s not unreasonable and had let pride and rage get the better of him momentarily. Once more, Rimuru proves to be quite adept at avoiding unnecessary conflict. It’s what has got him this far and allowed him to pull together such an unlikely group of monsters and races.

That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime Episode 10 Orc Army

The best comparison to Rimuru’s style is the way with which the Orc-Lord commands his army. With his skill, Starved, he drives his minions on infected with his insatiable need to feed. Ironically, Starved is not that dissimilar to Predator, the skill that Rimuru uses to acquire new skills. The big difference is in how they use it. Rimuru has always given his opponents a choice – join him or run away. With the Orc-Lord, you join or are consumed.

You can see how Rimuru’s approach changes his followers. Shion and Shuna have become so infatuated with Rimuru that they are prepared to fight over who gets to carry him around. Not that he needs to be carried. His followers have become fiercely loyal and will follow him to the end of the Earth. It’s interesting that Benimaru asked that he is able to walk away once they have defeated the Orc-Lord and even more so that Rimuru agreed without hesitation.

That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime Episode 11 Shion and Shuna fighting over Rimuru

It’s this approach that has convinced the Dryads to contact Rimuru for help. As Treyni said, they could have gone anywhere, but it’s hard to ignore Rimuru. Just by looking around the table, it’s incredible to see so many different species and races working together. He is truly building a utopia for all. This is all the more fascinating knowing what happens in season two, but I won’t get into that here.

And finally, we get to see another style of leadership and I’m not talking about Gabiru… at least not directly. Gabiru is a pawn. Nothing more. He was given his name by the Majin, Gelmud. The same Majin that created the Orc-Lord, named Rigurd’s first son, and offered to name the Ogres. He rules from the shadows, tricking and deceiving. His only goal with Gabiru was to overthrow his father and make them easy pickings for the Orc-Lord. I have to admit, I’m enjoying this series a lot more the second time around.