As a general rule, I don’t like the numerous fantasy and isekai anime that are so overwhelmingly popular. However, there are definitely exceptions – including That Time I got Reincarnated as a Slime, AKA TenSura. Although I do love the series, I must admit that it went downhill with time. The third season wasn’t nearly as much of a success as the second season, which was rated quite highly on MAL (8.35 as of June 2025).
Clearly, there were some issues with the third season. We’ll evaluate those as well as the positives in this brief series review.
Contents
Story
Score: 5/10
Season 3 picks up right where season 2 left off, with Rimuru and Diablo winning the war against Falmuth. After a misunderstanding and an intense battle with Rimuru, Hinata eventually changes her mind and becomes friendly to Tempest. Then a period of peace begins and Tempest prepares for a huge festival in the second half of the season.
This doesn’t sound too bad on paper, but in execution, it wasn’t good. Stretching these events over 24 episodes made them extremely boring at times. The main issue was that there was not enough action and too much dialogue. In addition, the world-building seemed to actually get worse. It became harder and harder to remember the relevant details as more characters, countries and organizations were constantly added.
There was sufficient time to develop everything necessary for a good story, and yet it felt like a lot of important stuff was missing or poorly explained. Besides being boring and having confusing world-building, the story also lacks cohesive emotional themes that bring everything together. There wasn’t any thematic strength to this season besides one or two moments of celebrating the equality within the nation of Tempest. With issues like this, the story category is mediocre.
Visuals
Score: 8/10
The visuals in TenSura S3 were excellent as usual. I love the art style and character designs. The design for Rimuru in particular was iconic, and it only improved after his transformation into a Demon Lord. Bright and fanciful, the color pallet in this anime does a good job standing out. It combines bold and pastel colors beautifully. The lighting and shading is usually great, especially for important moments.
I’ve noticed many times that the backgrounds in TenSura are charming and look like watercolor art from a picture book. That didn’t change; it’s still a staple of the lovely, memorable visuals of TenSura. The action sequences are few, but they look good. I also love the colorful special effects that appear when people use magic or special skills. Hinata, Rimuru, and Diablo in particular looked kick-ass in their fighting forms.
Audio
Score: 8/10
The first opening song was “Peacekeeper” by Stereo Dive Foundation. It’s an upbeat, catchy song with male vocals and the lyrics seem to be about a strained relationship where there are communication difficulties. Parts of it are in clear English. The second opening song was “Renacer Serenade” by Momoiro Clover Z. It’s quite a fast-paced and cheerful song, and has multiple female vocalists. I enjoyed both openings, but I slightly prefer the first one because I understand it better.
Both of the ending songs were also enjoyable. The first one was “Believer” by Rin Kurusu, and though it’s not my usual style of song, I ended up getting attached to it. It’s a chill song with cutesy female vocals. As for the second ending, it was “Miracle soup” by MindaRyn. I absolutely love this inspiring song! It reminded me of a 2000s alternative rock singer I used to love named Michele Branch. I’m not going to try to describe it further, so give it a listen yourself to see how awesome it is!
Next, let’s talk about the voice-acting. Miho Okasaki is the seiyuu who voiced Rimuru Tempest. As always, she did a fantastic job playing the androgynous slime. A personal favorite of mine, Takahiro Sakurai, guest starred as the voice of Diablo the demon. Many other accomplished VAs also appeared, including but not limited to Mao Ichimichi as Shion, Ayako Kawasumi as Berreta, and Makoto Furukawa as Benimaru. The voice-acting in this season was top-notch as expected.
Characters
Score: 7/10
The characters in TenSura are always delightful. This series features Rimuru, the slime whose evolved body resembles a blue-haired femboy. The mere presence of Rimuru does a lot for the score. Besides Rimuru, there are numerous colorful, endearing characters. My personal favorite is Hinata Sakaguchi. In the first half of TenSura S3, Hinata plays a huge role and gets a lot of screentime. I enjoyed learning more about this character. Her development was good but could have used just a bit more depth.
There were relatively few new characters in this season, meaning more time was spent expanding on those we already know, which I think was good. We learned more details about Luminous, for example, as well as Elmesia. In general, this series only scratches the surface with its character growth and information. A lot more interesting writing could have been done to advance these characters, especially with 24 episodes to work with. However, it’s still good enough for casual enjoyment.
Personal Enjoyment
Score: 7/10
Despite some issues, I thoroughly enjoyed TenSura S3. In the first half of the season, as I mentioned, Hinata played a key role. Naturally, I appreciated that immensely. Her battle form was beautiful! In the second half of the season, I had a great time watching the festival celebrating and showcasing Tempest. One highlight was the musical performance of Shion and Shuna. The mini tournament arc was also entertaining.
There were a few small specific annoyances, such as the sexualization of Milim, who unquestionably has the body of a preteen girl. (I find it creepy when people do this with child-coded characters, even if they are mentally mature.) Still, the main issue with this season was that it was so boring, slow-paced, and dialogue heavy. That’s why it doesn’t get a higher score this time. But don’t get me wrong: I had fun with this anime.
Overall Score
Score: 7.0 / 10.0
That Time I got Reincarnated as a Slime Season 3 was a step down from previous seasons. That said, it was still a series I don’t regret watching and will probably re-watch when I have time. The audiovisual quality is still rather excellent, even if the story slowed down a lot. Currently, this season sits with a score of 7.69 on MyAnimeList.net. That’s quite a drop down from Season 2 Part 2, which sits at 8.30.
Even though some of the magic seems to have faded, TenSura is still a worthwhile anime for those who can survive the grind of the more boring episodes. The reason you would go through that is to enjoy the characters, songs, music, and other positive qualities. Thanks for reading and long live Lord Rimuru! XD
~Thank you for Reading~
Written by 7Mononoke at Anime Rants
Anime Rants 