That time I was reincarnated as a Slime is a hit isekai The anime follows Rimuru, a slime who has been a human since modern times. Before being reincarnated, Rimuru was a male human, but is that still the case in this new world? The answer to whether Rimuru is a boy or a girl is a surprisingly complex question that needs to be thoroughly explained.
The film opens with Satoru Mikami, a 37-year-old salaryman who lives in Japan and has never had a girlfriend. Satoru is stabbed during a random robbery and dies on the street, but not before a mysterious voice causes him to reincarnate in another world. Satoru’s thoughts about the door of death resulted in him being reborn with a body that wasn’t stabbed, temperature change, electric shock, and many other abilities. The body suitable for that turned out to be that of a slime, which is generally considered to be one of the weakest magical creatures. As the slime adjusts to its new life, it meets the Storm Dragon, Veldora, making a pact to free him and gain some of his powers by being named Rimuru.
Rimuru Tempest is neither a boy nor a girl
At the beginning of the series, Rimuru still behaves very much like their own selves, but one of the first things that happens is that Rimuru gains a new voice, different from Satoru’s, suggesting that reincarnation isn’t as simple as Satoru’s. is turned into a slime. Rimuru eventually meets Shizu, a girl from Japan who was summoned to this world as a hero. From Shizu, Rimuru gained the ability to return to her human form, as well as her memories, which has changed Rimuru somewhat, as they now have memories of the lives of a man and a woman. Rimuru’s human form resembles Shizu, but with long blue hair and golden eyes, making Rimuru look very feminine at first glance.
Although originally male, the human Rimuru seen in most of the series is easily classified as non-binary at best. After all, the human form is only an external form; they’re still a slime, just a human-looking thing. Slime definitely has no gender or sexual characteristics, so there is no reason for a powerful slime like Rimuru to identify as one. Rimuru’s human form is clearly androgynous, and their body resembles that of a doll, devoid of sexual characteristics. They take on human form mainly because it is convenient for dealing with other humanoid beings.
Rimuru’s gender has nothing to do with the story
In the end, Rimuru’s gender is irrelevant, so it makes sense for them to use a human form that falls outside of those considerations. With memories of the lives of both men and women, Rimuru truly transcends one gender or another, and their androgynous form is the best example of that. That time I was reincarnated as a Slime quite unique in this respect, and that’s just one of the things that makes Rimuru such an interesting protagonist.
