Monsters ｢魔物, monsutā｣ are life-forms that are based on magicules. As magical beings, most monsters are able to survive off a sufficient amount of magicules and do not necessarily need to eat, drink, sleep or even breathe.
Monster Origins[]
There are three manners in which a monster may come into existence.
- Spawning, where the monster is born out of the factor and magicules either latent within the surroundings or let off by a "parent" monster.[1]
- Procreation that has either a singular monster or a pair of compatible monsters engage in regular biological reproduction.
- Majinization ｢魔人化, majin-ka｣ or monsterization, by which non-magic life-forms — plants, animals, humans, Demi-humans, elementals, etc. — mutate into magic life-forms.
Types[]
Magic beasts[]
The term magic beast ｢魔獣, majū｣ refers to monsters that are closely related to or evolved from animals, making up the large majority of monsters seen in the series.
There is a sub-category of magic beasts known as mystic beasts ｢妖獣, yōjū｣, which get their nutrition almost entirely from magicules, while ordinary magic beasts supplement their diet mainly with meat and plants like regular animals.[2]
A particularly noteworthy species of magic beasts is the Dragons ｢竜族, doragon, lit. "Dragon Tribe"｣, a powerul and diverse reptilian species whose origins can be traced back to the Elemental Dragon created by Veldanava as a gift to his daughter Milim Nava. Upon the Elemental Dragon's death and subsequent transformation into the Chaos Dragon, its factor spread throughout the world, resulting in dragons, a species with similar traits to the Elemental Dragon but much weaker, spawning alongside other monsters.[3]
One unusual species of magic beasts is the Cryptids ｢幻獣族, kuriputeddo, lit. "Mythical Beast Tribe"｣, demi-spiritual magic beasts that originate from another dimension, born from the magicules of the World Destroying Dragon Ivaragé. Cryptids themselves have a subspecies known as Insectoids ｢蟲魔族, insekutā, lit. "Insect-Monster Tribe"｣, who specifically resemble insects and similar arthropods.
Majin[]
The term majin ｢魔人, majin｣ refers to monsters that possess proper intelligence and rational thought similar to humans and demi-humans.[1] A monster can be a majin from birth (such as vampires, giants, and daemons), become one later in life via evolution, or be born by the monsterization of an already intelligent life-form, i.e humans and demi-humans.[4]
Named Monsters[]
Named monsters ｢名持ちの魔物, nēmudo monsutā｣ are monsters who are named. Named monsters tend to have a much easier time acquiring skills and, depending on their race and the relative strength of their namer, may evolve into a higher race.
Undead[]
Undead ｢不死系魔物, andeddo｣ are demi-spiritual monsters that reside within lifeless and immortal bodies, lacking any life force. They are especially weak to Holy magic, even more so than other monsters.
Unique Monsters[]
Unique monsters ｢特殊変異個体, yunīku monsutā, lit. "special mutant individuals"｣ are individuals of a particular race of monster born with certain characteristics, traits, or abilities not found within the typical member of their species. These individuals are usually much stronger and smarter than their ordinary counterparts. Examples include the Orc Lords and Rimuru Tempest.
Trivia[]
- While many demi-human races, such as goblins, orcs, lizardmen, etc. are often called "monsters," the term used for them is demons ｢魔族, mazoku｣, which collectively refers to intelligent enemies of humanity regardless of their status as magical beings.
- As there is no set standard for members of their race and because of the circumstances behind their birth, True Dragons are each individually considered unique monsters.[4]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime light novel — Volume 1, Chapter 1 (pg. 33)
- ↑ That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime light novel — Volume 4, Chapter 4
- ↑ That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime light novel — Volume 8, Chapter 3
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime light novel — Volume 1, Chapter 1 (pg. 34)