This is war!
Episode 17 sets the stage, at last, for a massive battle. With Clayman’s forces heading for Eurazania, Rimuru agrees to lend them a helping hand by mobilizing his army. But first, there is one problem to fix: the actual method of arriving there in time before the enemy does.
And this is the part where Raphael proves its usefulness once more, giving Rimuru the power needed to cast a teleportation magic that can transport people without killing them. The best thing about this is how Raphael did it without Rimuru’s order, making it essentially an autonomous being now, and allowing Rimuru the ability to multitask.
With this, the army is fully assembled and the citizens of Eurazania are rescued. The scene itself is really spine-chilling, not just because of the excellent animation, but because this is the first time we see many of Tempest’s soldiers gathered in one place. We have the high orcs, dragonnewts, goblins, ogres, wolves, and hobgoblins all led by their respective commanders under Benimaru. And it is really a real sight to behold.
However, Rimuru will not be leading them. Instead, he has to face an even greater battle: the upcoming Walpurgis. Thankfully, Ranga and Shion will be with him, as well as Ramiris and Treyni and Baretta. It should be exciting to see Clayman’s reaction to our favorite slime’s arrival.
Meanwhile, unrest brews within the enemy camp. It seems that two of Milim’s followers, Middray and Hermes, are against Yamza and the army they are forced to serve. But of course, they have no choice on the matter as Yamza is too powerful for them to disobey. Nevertheless, it is nice to see that Rimuru might have allies within enemy lines.
Overall, Episode 17 is a great episode that has really good build up for another epic battle.
Episode score: 8/10.