Gobta

"Backstabbing someone like that is not manly at all!"

- Gobta

Gobta (ゴブタ) is a Hobgoblin originally from the goblin village saved by Rimuru Tempest. He is one of the first martial art students Hakurou took in since the latter became a Kijin. Gobta lives in the capital city of the Jura Tempest Federation: Rimuru City.

Appearance
Rimuru notes that Gobta did not change the same way as the other Goblins during their evolution to Hobgoblin and actually retains his physical appearance; he is described as looking like a Goblin child. That does not seem to fool other monsters, however, as Gabiru correctly recognized Gobta as a Hobgoblin upon their first meeting, rather than mistaking him for a Goblin.

Personality
Though he's considered a fool, he proves to be a very competent individual when the situation calls for it. His prowess on the battlefield surprises many. He is a natural airhead and an idiot but is a hidden genius. As the Goblin Riders' vice-captain and later captain, he is unexpectedly brilliant; in other words, a heavy sleeper. While he and Rimuru are detained in the Dwarf Kingdom, he sleeps through the entire imprisonment. In the anime, during his fight with Gabiru, Rimuru wonders if Gobta isn't actually a prodigy of some sort.

Gobta shares some of the traits of Rimuru, such as trusting his friends above everything, this was seen when Gobzo was falsely accused by Kirara Mizutani.

Background
During his journey to Dwargon, four months prior to Rimuru's involvement, he was beaten black and blue, then he got picked up by a group of Kobold merchants. If they hadn't found him, he might have died. However, during the entire journey, Gobta showed a great amount of good luck.

Trivia

 * Gobta is the lowest-ranked of the Big Four, which is understandable considering Shion, Diablo, and Benimaru outrank him in strength.
 * Rimuru ran out of ideas when naming him, so his name derives from "goblin."
 * Gobta is the first Hobgoblin who was able to summon his Star Wolf companion.
 * During his fight with Gabiru, he uses the same kick that Rimuru used on him a few episodes prior which is an example of his fighting genius.
 * During his fight with Gabiru, Gobta managed to utilize Shadow Step just from seeing it a few times, showing that Gobta can easily learn Skills if he subconsciously deems them necessary.
 * A running gag in the light novel (and to a lesser extent the manga and anime) is that nearly every time Rimuru turns away from Gobta, when he turns back, Gobta's taking a nap. This leads directly to Gobta being the first goblin to be able to summon his wolf companion, which he did so because... they left him tied up as a punishment for sleeping and he really really had to pee.
 * As a gag, the weapon that Gobta receives from Rimuru after his fight with Gabiru is a hoe shown in The Slime Diaries.
 * The true weapon that Gobta receives is a short sword whose hilt is capable of firing a charge somewhat like a gun; however the charge is made of magicules.