Goblin Slayer is just one of those manga that I can't help but talk about things that don't necessarily relate to it, but that it describes so well.

This manga is a fairly simple one if you just look at it at face value: there's a dude who hunts goblins, and that's about it. Each arc is just him and his friends raiding another goblin nest, meeting harder and more advanced goblins and killing them, yet there is a strange allure to the work that keeps you coming back even though you know what's gonna happen next. It's not the characters, since they tend to take a backseat to the action, though they are a fun bunch when they do spend time talking between fights, and its not the plot since, like I said before, it is pretty simple and repetitive. For me, there are two things that really draw me into Goblin Slayer: the world and the titular Goblin Slayer himself.

The world of Goblin Slayer felt very real to me when I first read it. Or at least a lot more real than a lot of the other fantasy manga out there. The idea that goblins are not a pushover monster for early adventurers to defeat is a really refreshing look. Yes they are still stupid, but they are capable of taking inexperienced lives quite quickly, and they attack towns in droves and raze them to the ground. Yet, since they are still considered weaker than some of the more prized monsters, stronger adventurers won't deal with them. The sheer savagery that the goblins portray is also so much more real than in a lot of other stories. These creatures will take women and turn them into breeding slaves essentially after destroying towns, and they cruelly kill anyone that tries to stop them. Goblin Slayer won't shy away from showing a lot of the graphic scenes either, which add to the feel of the story. The only other thing I've read/watched that comes close to the more realistic take on the fantasy world (though I don't read fantasy that often so take it as you will) is Grimgar, but Goblin Slayer takes a much grittier look at how a fantasy world should look like. Because the threat of the goblins is so present and close, it adds a constant tension to each arc where you know that if the heroes fail, a town will be completely destroyed. That tension keeps readers focused on the story even if it may just be the same thing over and over again.

The other side of Goblin Slayer that I like is the MC. He doesn't talk very much, but his actions speak volumes about his history and his wit. He is a bonafide goblin slaying expert if there ever was one, from the way he sets traps, knows goblin lair layouts, and even to the way that the goblins think. There's always something that is just awe inspiring about watching an expert do something that they're so good at. I don't normally watch sports but I'll tune into the Olympics to see what peak performance in whatever I'm watching looks like. I also love watching guitar videos, not just because I like the song or anything, but simply to watch their hands move and play. It's this same feeling when you read about the MC going and killing these goblins. He's so efficient and skillful that you can't take your eyes away. And it's not like he's overpowered like a typical isekai protagonist either; he's just done it so many times that he knows every trick in the book.

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When you look at both the idea of the goblins and MC, you start to see that they can apply to a lot of things in the world today. The MC represents the idea of the unsung hero, the one who fights the battles that we need despite not getting any real thanks for it. He's not out doing things that will save the whole world, but for everything he does do, a small village is saved from destruction. When I think about it, it's really just like talking to someone who needs it. How often do people spew platitudes about saving the world or changing society when they won't give time to listen to people and to ask a genuine "how are you doing?" No one is going to give you an award for reaching out to others, yet it can mean a world of difference for them. The Goblin Slayer understands that he can save so many by just dealing with these little goblins that pop up in their lives, and it's like the story is telling us to do so as well.

And speaking of goblins, they represent all of those small things in life which, if you let them live and grow, will come to overtake you somewhere down the line. They are described in the manga as individually being so weak that a group of children can fend them off, yet they learn from the experience and grow to become dangerous beings. I'm reminded of things like unresolved conflicts between friends, hidden secrets from loved ones, recreational drug/alcohol use, consistent character flaws etc. There are so many things that seem fine and manageable at the onset yet have so much potential to become bigger problems down the line. Just like in Goblin Slayer, we have to work on getting rid of these little goblins in our lives by ourselves or with the help of friends.

Now, I honestly don't think that these ideas were ever meant to be explored through Goblin Slayer. It seems more of just a fun, gritty time of slaying goblins, but I can't help but see some sort of application to it. Goblin Slayer overall is a great and gritty story if you can stomach through some of the more explicit scenes that won't disappoint. If you like the first few chapters then you'll probably like the rest of the story.