Isekai is a genre built on escapism. Its protagonists are often unhappy, frustrated people getting a second chance at life in another world. That’s not the case for Satoru Mikami, the protagonist of That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, who is reborn as Rimuru Tempest after dying and reincarnating as a slime in a fantasy world.
Satoru was a chill bachelor with a good job, friends, and a positive personality. He died protecting a coworker from a robber and did so with few regrets (except hoping that someone would wipe his hard drive). Satoru brings that positivity into his new life and vows to make the world a better place where every race can live a harmonious life full of the comforts he also craves. Season 4’s first episode gives us exactly what we expect: a cozy look at life in the Tempest Kingdom and at how things are progressing smoothly under Rimuru’s guidance.
[Ed. Note: Spoilers for That Time I got Reincarnated as a Slime season 4, episode 1]
Unlike Mushoku Tensei’s Rudeus, Rimuru doesn’t need a second life to finally grow up. Unlike Re:Zero’s Subaru, his story isn’t particularly tragic or painful. In fact, there’s very little tension in the Reincarnated as a Slime season 4 premiere, which picks up in the tranquil Tempest Kingdom. Rimuru and his allies are busy expanding and maintaining their new dungeon business. The first half of the episode just follows Rimuru as he walks around the city, checks in on his friends, and oversees various projects that are underway, including construction of a magic train. This remains a cozy series driven by Rimuru’s ambition to build a better world.
Most isekai have to deal with this lack of tension in some way. When your protagonist is overpowered, it’s hard to feel worried about the challenges presented to them. Some, like Mushoku Tensei and Re:Zero, have become popular by abandoning that premise and submitting their protagonists to unhealthy doses of pain and suffering. Reincarnated as a Slime sticks to its guns. After Rimuru ascended to full Demon Lord status in season 2, his power has remained unmatched — but not unchallenged. He still has many enemies trying to overthrow him and his vision of peaceful and prosperous coexistence between monsters and humans. We see a few of them in the second half of the premiere, where we are introduced to Maribel Rozzo, the main antagonist of this arc. Yuuki also makes an appearance, but he’s more wary of Rimuru after the latter unveiled the guildmaster’s machinations last season.
Neither of these characters can openly challenge Rimuru or the might of the Tempest Kingdom, so they resort to political and economic scheming to undermine the powerful Demon Slime. This adds an element of some much-needed tension to season 4, which could otherwise become a bit boring. Without giving anything away for anime-only fans, Maribel has a nasty trick up her sleeve that will cause a fair bit of trouble for Rimuru and his cohort. The Rozzos are also the biggest economic power among the Western Nations, so expect this season to feature plenty of the economic warfare and mercantile dealings that make Reincarnated as a Slime stand out in the genre.
Season 4 of Reincarnated as a Slime will be very long, staying on air until 2027 with five separate cours (episode blocks). With such a lengthy broadcast ahead, you can expect the anime to cover a lot of the source material from the light novels, which concluded in November 2025 with volume 23. However, don’t fret. Despite a potential 60-plus episode run for this season, it should cover “only” up to volumes 12-15, according to fans’ estimates. So there’s plenty more Rimuru in the future.
Interestingly, the upcoming months will see all three of the biggest isekai series being broadcast. Besides Slime, April sees the debut of Re:Zero – Starting Life in Another World season 3, while July will be the month of Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation, coming back with a third season. These offer a variety of takes on the genre, but despite the many attempts to innovate the formula, Reincarnated as a Slime still stands as one of the best examples of “good” isekai.
The series features detailed worldbuilding and focuses on topics that are rare in anime (and even rarer in isekai), such as politics and nation-building. It keeps fanservice to a minimum (Shion, please wear a more professional outfit!) and the protagonist is a wholesome character who only wants to make the world a better place. Nowadays, this makes Reincarnated as a Slime particularly refreshing to watch.
Season 4 of Reincarnated as a Slime is available now on Crunchyroll, with new episodes airing every Friday.