Having established a new nation of monsters under his name, Rimuru looks to the future of the Jura Tempest Federation and decides to create alliances with some of the neighbouring states. On his list are the beast kingdom, Eurazania, which is ruled by the Demon Lord Carrion, and the Dwarven Kingdom of Dwargon, ruled by Gazel Dwargo with whom Tempest is already on friendly, collaborative terms. They deal with this creation of alliances very early on in the second season, giving us much of the same feel-good vibes that characterized the very first season of That Time I Got Reincarnated As a Slime.

What this did for lore is impressive, as we get to explore other areas of the world map and are introduced to the Demon Lords who preside over certain countries. We are also introduced to the human kingdoms. The Holy Empire of Ruberios is a pious nation that believes monsters to be the natural enemies of humankind; while the other human kingdom in the area, Falmuth, is the trade centre of the Western nations threatened by the emergence of Tempest as a hustling and bustling city-state. Rimuru’s leadership has created sufficient conditions for the expansion and prosperity of Tempest, particularly in his deal with Eurazania involving the exchange of Rimuru’s homemade brandy for the produce available in the beast nation’s lush orchards.

This initial emphasis on setting the international stage for Rimuru and the monster nation of Tempest is great because while things are still relatively calm in the first three episodes, we already know that someone powerful is out for Rimuru’s life, creating a sense of foreboding for the highly pleasant beginning of the season. The geographical expansion aspect of this season of That Time I Got Reincarnated As a Slime while incomplete, is a brilliant move for the story and it ensures that things run very smoothly from thenceforth.

This second season of That Time I Got Reincarnated As a Slime introduces us to more Demon Lords than ever before, and we see them in their capacity as either faithful rulers, or evil masterminds. This season is also when we get to see Rimuru Tempest, ruler of monsters, become a Demon Lord himself! We’ll get into the juicy details of how that happened, but for now, the second season is very much about the overwhelming power of those who have True Demon Lord status.

Most of this season focuses on the effects of the activities of the Demon Lord Clayman, who sneakily uses people to antagonize Rimuru and bring about misfortune to the Jura Tempest Federation. His whereabouts are unknown as his modus operandi involves manipulation and coercion to get his way, preferring to sit in his office and sip wine. Using the majin-in-disguise known as Myulan to infiltrate Tempest, Clayman sows the seeds of Tempest’s undoing and sets the stage for the war that breaks out between the humans of Falmuth and Ruberios against Tempest. Holding Myulan’s heart as collateral, Clayman forces her to earn the trust of the citizens of Tempest, using her powerful magic to work her way into the good graces of some of Rimuru’s toughest goons.

Myulan’s influence in the war against Tempest was seen in her erection of an anti-monster barrier on top of the one already erected by the Holy Church of Ruberios. This greatly weakens the monsters of Tempest against the Japanese otherworlders of Falmuth, who attack first but claim injury in front of the large Falmuth army behind them. In provoking the monsters of Tempest into combat, the otherworlders give Falmuth and Ruberios a reason to eliminate every citizen of the nation of monsters. The death toll climbs incredibly high in this altercation and even Rimuru’s trusted secretary, Shion, dies in the encounter.

Following the Jura Tempest Federation’s rapid ascent to an advanced, prosperous society, the human kingdoms conspire to wage war against the peaceful nation of monsters. Falmuth has economic interests in the destruction of Tempest, while Ruberios has religious reasons for desiring the destabilization of the monster nation. Despite their obvious differences, the two human kingdoms neighbouring Tempest send three otherworlders and an army 100 000 strong to cause a stir in Tempest. The otherworlders under Falmuth’s employ are known as Shogo, Kirara and Kyoya, and while their true objectives remain hazy given the very short time that we have with them, they serve as an important part of the universe for a brief moment.

During Falmuth and Ruberios’s attack of Tempest, Rimuru was away for a while to check in on the otherworlder children who used to be under Shizu’s care. On his way back, he is ambushed by a Japanese otherworlder known as Hinata Sakaguchi, perhaps one of the most prominent humans in this universe. She is revealed to be the assassin out for Rimuru’s life. Her motive: the death of Shizu, which she believes to have been due to combat against the leader of the Jura Tempest Federation. Rimuru attempts to appeal to her by talking things through and explaining what actually happened; however, the attitude of Ruberios when it comes to monsters is especially strong with Hinata. Despite knowing Rimuru’s true origins and former humanity, Hinata does not waiver, overwhelming Rimuru with the strength that earned her two titles: Chief Knight of the Imperial Guard and Leader of the Ten Great Saints.

This fight against Hinata Sakaguchi is perhaps one of the few times we see Rimuru truly overwhelmed in combat. Seeing no way out, Rimuru uses his Gluttony skill’s trump card, which turns him into a mindless chimera of all the beings he has consumed. Sakaguchi dispatches Rimuru; however, it is quickly revealed that Rimuru’s transformation was merely that of a body double he created as a diversion while he made his way back to Tempest.

Nothing could have prepared Rimuru for the death and destruction he witnessed on that fateful day, but things get even worse for him when he sees Shion’s lifeless body amongst the dead. Utterly struck by grief but feeling unable to truly experience it in light of his rebirth as a monster, something inside of Rimuru snaps, but hope is kept alive when the adventurer Eren reveals a well-known fable concerning a Dragon Princess who became a Demon Lord to revive her draconic companion. With the chances of reviving every single individual who died that day being at a low 3%, Rimuru still finds himself hoping for a positive outcome, choosing to throw away whatever remains of his humanity to pursue True Demon Lord status.

According to the legend, the Dragon Princess took 10 000 lives in a rampage against her home kingdom after the killing of her dragon companion. After killing 10 000 people, the Dragon Princess evolved to True Demon Lord and used her newfound power to reanimate the corpse of her dead friend; however, the soul had long left this plane and the dragon who now emerged in front of her was a vicious beast that caused nothing but destruction. Hearing that Falmuth and Ruberios will be sending a combined force 20 000 strong, Rimuru calls a meeting with all his advisors, including the traitorous Myulan, who has been working under duress for the Demon Lord Clayman.

After hearing everybody’s thoughts on the incident, Rimuru decides to use all the pieces at his disposal. He forgives Myulan for her actions, giving her an artificial heart, which frees her from Clayman’s clutches. In return, Myulan is to help Tempest’s retaliation. Rimuru forms four teams to deal with the totems that maintain the barriers weakening the monsters of Tempest. Rimuru himself moves over to the enemy camp, where he deploys a never-before-seen ability: the devastating spell known as Megiddo.

That Time I Got Reincarnated As a Slime has never been completely devoid of a romantic component; however, it always seemed to prioritize the action, slice of life and comedic elements more. Be that as it may, we still got to witness the growing relationship between Shizu and Rimuru in the first season, and now in season 2, Youm the former bandit finds love in an unlikely place when the Clayman spy Myulan earns his trust. Their romance seems doomed from the start because she is only looking to deceive him; however, Myulan’s own feelings for Youm take hold regardless of what she thinks she does or does not deserve.

While Youm is not one of the most important characters to the overall story, his role in the continued prosperity of Tempest, as well as its PR as far as humans are concerned is not to be overlooked. This small nugget of romance in a whirlwind of expanding lore and growing tensions was easy to spot from a mile away and it was a lazy cliché to employ, but it also did not take away from the gravity of the scene around it.

This season of That Time I Got Reincarnated As a Slime hits the ground running, giving us a taste of the exciting fights to come with the Tempest-Eurazania sparring match during Rimuru’s networking. The action climaxes with the ambush of Tempest, which happens at the same time as one of the Winter 2021 season’s best fight scenes – Rimuru Tempest vs Hinata Sakaguchi. The series comes into full swing by the 6th episode, having steadily built up to the sheer hype and emotional rollercoaster it becomes from episode 7 onwards.

The fights this season have been top tier, especially the above-mentioned, Shion vs Shogo, Hakurou vs Kyoya (both times, at that) and the truly satisfying match between the Orc Lord Geld and Shogo. The art has been vibrant, energetic, and consistently appealing, which has enhanced the experience of the battles. Visually, the second bout between Hakurou and Kyoya was especially gorgeous, with the final scene drained of its colour when the old Kijin lands his decapitating blow. Aesthetically, That Time I Got Reincarnated As a Slime has been great and it deserves to be appreciated for its visuals.