That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime Manga Reading Order (Quick Answer)
If you want the That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime manga reading order — also called Tensura, the franchise’s common shorthand — and just need the list before diving into the details, here it is. This order works whether you’re starting from scratch or picking up where the anime left off.
- 1. That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime (Main Series) — Volumes 1–ongoing. The foundation of the franchise. Start here.
- 2. Slime Diaries — Best started after you’ve read the main series through Volume 5 or so. A slice-of-life spinoff — meaning low-stakes, everyday-life stories rather than plot-driving action. Lighthearted and fun, but best appreciated once you know the cast.
- 3. Trinity in Tempest — Pick this up after reaching the Beast Kingdom arc in the main series (around Volume 10+). Focuses on characters from Eurazania, the nation known as the Beast Kingdom.
- 4. The Light Novel (optional) — The original source material: a Japanese prose fiction format, shorter than a typical Western novel and illustrated, distinct from manga’s panel-based pages. More detail, more lore. Published in English by Yen Press, the official English publisher. Not required, but great if you can’t get enough.
That’s the short version. Keep reading for exactly where anime fans should jump in, and honest takes on which spinoffs are actually worth your time.
Anime Fans: Pick Up the Manga Right Here
This is the section most guides skip over or get vague about, so let’s be direct.
Season 1 of the anime covers chapters 1–52 of the manga, approximately through Volume 11 — from protagonist Rimuru Tempest’s rebirth as a slime through the founding of Tempest (a monster nation he builds; “Tempest” here is the nation’s name, not to be confused with his surname) and the early alliances with the Dwarves and Beastmen (a non-human species in this world).
Season 2 (both parts combined) takes the story through the Walpurgis arc — a high-stakes summit of the world’s most powerful beings, during which Rimuru awakens as a Demon Lord, one of the top-tier power rankings in this world’s hierarchy. This arc also covers the aftermath of the Falmuth conflict, a war triggered by the Kingdom of Falmuth’s aggression against Rimuru’s nation. In manga terms, Season 2 ends at roughly Chapter 86. Chapter 87, Volume 19 is where to start if you’ve finished Season 2 and want to continue without re-reading anything you’ve already seen.
A good habit: open the first chapter of Volume 19 and check whether you recognize the scene. Many manga apps and digital storefronts — Kindle, BookWalker, and others — offer free preview pages, so you can confirm your starting point before buying. If the scene looks familiar, flip ahead a chapter. It takes about thirty seconds and saves you from re-treading ground you know.
If you watched Season 1 only and want to move to the manga, Chapter 53, Volume 12 is your entry point. Use the same quick scene-check — open the first chapter and verify it’s new territory.
Worth noting if you’re waiting on a Season 3 announcement: the manga is well ahead of where the anime currently stands, so reading from Volume 19 onward lets you continue the story now rather than waiting.
One structural note: the manga adapts the original light novel, and the anime adapts the manga fairly closely. The storylines align well — you won’t be lost jumping between formats.
The Main Series — What You Must Read
The main manga — full title That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, with art by Taiki Kawakami (who draws the series) and story adapted from the light novel by Fuse (the original author) — is published in English by Kodansha USA, the official English publisher. As of mid-2025, it’s well past 20 volumes and still ongoing.
This is the only series in the Tensura franchise you genuinely can’t skip. Everything else is supplementary. The main manga follows Rimuru Tempest across the full scope of his journey: waking up as a slime in a fantasy world with RPG-style mechanics (named skills, stat values, leveling systems), building a monster nation called Tempest, and eventually becoming one of the most powerful beings in that world. The scope keeps expanding, and it earns that expansion.
The art is clean and expressive, the action sequences read well on the page, and the political-intrigue arcs that develop mid-series are honestly some of the best parts. If you bounced off the early anime episodes because the pace felt slow, the manga handles the buildup differently — it’s easier to see that the payoffs are real.
That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, Vol. 1
Volume 1 hooks fast — worth grabbing before committing to anything else.
Spinoffs and Source Material: What to Read and When
Here’s where most reading-order guides fall short — they list the spinoffs (side stories set in the same world, not sequels to the main plot) without telling you whether they actually matter. Here’s a straight take on each one.
Slime Diaries — Read It, But Not Yet
Verdict: Recommended — after you know the cast.
Slime Diaries is a slice-of-life spinoff by Shiba, who handles the art for this series. Slice-of-life means low-stakes, everyday-life content: no major battles, no world-ending plots. It follows Rimuru and the citizens of Tempest through ordinary moments — festivals, cooking, day-to-day village life. Charming, warm, and genuinely funny if you’re already attached to the characters.
The timing matters. Slime Diaries is set roughly during the early Tempest-building period of the main series — think Volume 3 through 6 territory. Reading it too early means the jokes about certain characters land flat because you haven’t spent enough time with them. The sweet spot is around Volume 5–7 of the main series, or after finishing it entirely.
If you’ve seen the anime adaptation of Slime Diaries (also titled Tensura Nikki in Japanese), the manga covers some of the same material with additional chapters. Great for decompressing between heavier main-series arcs. Just don’t lead with it.
Trinity in Tempest — Essential for Fans of the Beast Kingdom Arc
Verdict: Recommended — if you liked the Eurazania arc.
Trinity in Tempest centers on three characters from Eurazania, the Beast Kingdom — home to beastmen, a non-human species in this world. It focuses on political and personal events in that nation during and after the Walpurgis arc plays out in the main series. If you found those characters compelling, this spinoff adds real texture to what you’ve already read.
The recommended entry point is after you’ve reached the Beast Kingdom material in the main series, around Volume 10 and beyond. Reading it before that point spoils some of the dynamics and diminishes the payoffs of the main story’s reveals.
Note: as of 2025, Trinity in Tempest has not received an anime adaptation, so this will be new content for you regardless of how far you’ve watched.
It’s not essential on its own — the main series stands fully without it — but for fans who want more time in that corner of the Tensura world, it delivers.
The Light Novel — Only If You Want More Depth
Verdict: Optional — for lore-hungry readers.
The light novel by Fuse is the original source material. A light novel is a Japanese prose fiction format — typically shorter than a Western novel and illustrated — distinct from a manga’s illustrated panels (the individual framed images on each page). The manga adapts the light novel, and the anime adapts the manga, so the broad strokes of the story are consistent across all three formats.
The light novel’s main advantage is depth: more of Rimuru’s internal thought process, more world-building detail, more explanation of how the RPG-style mechanics actually function — the skill system, stat values, and political structures that the manga compresses or implies. The English translation is published by Yen Press and runs into the double digits volume-wise.
It’s not a replacement for the manga, and it’s not required to enjoy the manga. Some readers love both; some find the light novel’s pacing slower after the manga’s visual storytelling. Worth trying a volume if you’re curious, but there’s no obligation.
FAQ
Does reading order change if I’ve only watched Season 1?
Yes. If you’ve only seen Season 1, you haven’t watched the Walpurgis arc or Rimuru’s awakening as a Demon Lord — that content runs from roughly Volume 12 through 19 in the manga. Your entry point is around Chapter 53, Volume 12, not Volume 19. Use the quick scene-check: open the first chapter of Volume 12 and verify it’s territory you haven’t seen. Adjust a chapter forward or back if needed.
Everything else in the reading order stays the same: Slime Diaries after the early volumes, Trinity in Tempest after the Beast Kingdom arc.
Are the spinoffs canon?
Canon, in this context, means officially part of the story’s continuity — events that “really happened” in the world. Slime Diaries is generally considered consistent with the main story’s world and timeline. It doesn’t contradict anything established in the main series, and Fuse (the original author) has been involved with the franchise’s spinoffs. Think of it as licensed side content: it fits the world, but it’s not driving the main plot.
Trinity in Tempest similarly expands on events and characters that exist in the main continuity without contradicting them. It adds rather than retcons — meaning it doesn’t revise or overwrite previously established story facts.
The light novel is the foundational source. The manga is a faithful adaptation of it. Neither overrides the other; they’re different formats telling the same story.
Is the manga ahead of the anime right now?
Yes, significantly. As of 2025, the main manga is well ahead of where the anime currently stands, and the light novel is further ahead still. If you’ve finished Season 2 and want to see what comes next, Volume 19 onward is spoiler-free territory relative to what’s been animated — new arcs, new antagonists, higher stakes.
If you haven’t started either yet, Volume 1 of the manga is a perfectly good place to begin. The anime is not a prerequisite.
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