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| Mangas |
| All the mangas that I know of: |
| "Slayers" (the Lina/Gourry manga), illustrated by Rui Araizumi |
| Rui Araizumi had illustrated 6 short comics to make the novels and short stories being released in the monthly Dragon Magazine more clear, from 1992 to 1995. Once the final comic (manga) was done, in 1995, the 6 were collected in a single volume (pictured at left). Publisher: Dragon Comics/Kadakawa Shoten Length: 168 pages |
| A company called CPM manga, in 1998, began releasing those individual comics in America. Later, a collection was also published, pictured at left. The six manga covers are pictured below: |
| "Mega-Explosive Magical Legend SLAYERS", illustrated by Shoko Yoshinaka |
| Starting at about the same time as the first Slayers series, the mangas followed the novel's storyline as well. Interestingly, the novels, mangas, and TV series have all had significant differences, and sometimes major ones. The novels were long regarded to be the base of Slayers storyline, since it was where Slayers first began. Ms. Yoshinaka, the illustrator, had released the mangas in greater intervals of time near the end because she was also doing work on Lost Universe, Slayers' sister work. Mangas 1-3 of this series follow the story of Shabranigdo, Rezo, and the Philosopher's Stone (the first 3 videos of Slayers). Volume 4 acts as a type of intermission, going back to the past when Lina was travelling with Naga to follow the plot of the movie Slayers Return. Volume 5 and 6 takes up where volume 3 left off, continuing with the story of Copy Rezo, though a different version, and brings in Amelia, Sylphiel, and Xellos in slightly different ways. Volume 7 and 8 appear to make up all of Slayers Next, continuing with the secret of the Claire Bible and the journey into the City of the Dead, Sairaag. Basically, the 8 mangas cover all of Slayers and Slayers Next; Slayers Try was created for the TV series only. I'm not certain, but I'm almost sure that the side-episodes in Slayers Next for failure in finding the Claire Bible were added in to expand the second series. Here's the mangas: |
| Volume 1: The Legend of Darkness 1 (English version: no specific title) Release date: September 1st, 1995 Publisher: Fujimishobo Length: 172 pages Summary: Lina meets Gourry, and they decide to travel together and search for some treasures. Along the way, Lina learns of a cult that wants to summon forth a demon. Hearing of this, she wants the book of magic and the magic orb the cult has to summon the demon, in order to use for her own purposes. Lina attacks the cult to stop the summoning and claim the magical items, but the leader finishes the spell before she can stop him. Using her magic, Lina was able to defeat the powerful demon. Gourry even killed an old friend of his that attacked Lina. |
| Volume 2: The Legend of Darkness 2 (English version: "Legacy of the Dragon God" Release date: April 4th, 1996 Publisher: Kadokawa Comics Dragon Jr. Length: 164 pages Summary: While travelling, Lina and Gourry meet Zelgadis, who is searching for the Philosopher's Stone. Although Lina manages to get the Philosopher's Stone, she is injured by Zelgadis in his attempts to get it back. Rezo the Red Priest, however, comes to Lina and Gourry's aid. |
| Volume 3: The Legend of Darkness 3 Release date: July 1st, 1996 Publisher: Kadokawa Comics Dragon Jr. Length: 164 pages Summary: Lina once again confronts Zelgadis. Only this time, she loses and is captured by him. She comes to realize that Rezo is the real enemy, though, and travels with Zelgadis when he escapes with the Philosopher's Stone, betraying Rezo. Meeting up with Gourry, Rodimus, and Zolf, the group of 5 go to confront Rezo. When Rezo is consumed by the Dark Lord Shabranigdo, Lina uses the Giga Slave to win the battle. Afterwards, Lina had a dream in which she asked Rezo if she would one day become like him if she pushed herself too hard. Rezo answered that it is natural to fear the future, but it all depends on her. Lina thanked Rezo, and the dream ended. (Unlike the anime, Dilgear survived the first half of Slayers.) |
| Volume 4: Return! Release date: April 10th, 1997 Publisher: Kadokawa Comics Dragon Jr. Length: 120 pages Summary: This manga tells the story of the movie, Slayers Return. Basically, Lina and Naga were travelling when the villages asked for help to be freed from an organization. The leader, Garef, dreams to rule the world, although there are only 2 members in the organization. When Garef tries to find the treasure of elves however, Lina can't help but be greedy and join in. What they find, however, is no treasure, but the evil beast Lunegust. Lunegust, unable to be tamed by Garef, destroys a nearby city with its power. Firing a Dragon Slave at a golem toward Lunegust to act as a cannonball, Lina slays the beast. |
| Volume 5: Ghost City Release date: July 1st, 1997 Publisher: Kadokawa Comics Dragon Jr. Length: 172 pages Summary: Lina and Gourry, after defeating Shabranigdo, continue on their journey, and meet Amelia along the way. After learning that they're on the wanted list, they decide to journey to Sairaag to find out what's going on. As they travel, they meet Dilgear and Rohonamu, and find out that Rezo is the one who set the price on Lina, Goury, and Zelgadis. Bewildered, Lina, Gourry, and Amelia continue to Sairaag. They meet Sylphiel in a forest before finally seeing Rezo, and finding out that he's actually a copy. Zelgadis interrupts, warning that there's also a mozaku on Copy Rezo's side. Using the Bless Blade and the holiness of Flagoon, both Copy Rezo and the mozaku were able to be defeated, although Sairaag was destroyed as well in the process. |
| Volume 6: Silver White Magical Beast Release date: August 1st, 1998 Publisher: Kadokawa Comics Dragon Jr. Length: 162 pages Summary: Lina, Gourry, Amelia, and Zelgadis decide to stay at a hot spa. However, Prince Philionel shows up soon after, saying that something was chasing him. Sure enough, the mozaku Kanzel and Mazenda showed up soon after, and a battle engaged. Following the battle, Lina's powers were sealed away, and Kanzel and Mazenda were still alive; another battle would ensue later. After buying four talismans from Xellos, Lina set out to restore her magical abilities. Luckily, her powers returned, and she also learned a spell that called upon the power of the Lord of Nightmares herself, the Ragna Blade. Lina also learned that Kanzel and Mazenda were trying to use the power of a copy of the Claire Bible to summon forth Zanifar, a powerful demonic magical beast. In the second battle with Kanzel and Mazenda, Xellos was able to kill Mazenda. However, Zanifar was summoned forth, and it ate Kanzel. Lina, Gourry, Amelia, and Zelgadis then battled the demon beast, and Lina was able to slay it with her newly-acquired Ragna Blade. |
| Volume 7: The Claire Bible Release date: December 1st, 2000 Publisher: Kadokawa Comics Dragon Jr. Length: 180 pages Summary: Through her experience with the mozaku that helped Copy Rezo, as well as Kanzel, Mazenda, and Zanifar, Lina knew that a group of mozaku desired her death. She decided to go to the Dilss kingdom to find some answers. Zelgadis hears of a written copy of the Claire Bible along the way, located in a shrine in a small town. The gang decides to slip in disguised, since the shrine is for males only. However, the copy turns out to be a fake, so they leave and continue on their way to Dilss kingdom. While Amelia and Zelgadis go to have a meal at the border of Dilss, Lina and Gourry are attacked by Raltark, Demon Dragon King Gaav's priest. Using a Dragon Slave, Lina was able to destroy Raltark. Later, Rashaat, Gaav's general, appeared as well, but Xellos was able to make him withdraw. A new plan is devised, and Xellos escorts them all up to Dragons' Peak to find the original Claire Bible. A Golden Dragon named Milgazia leads Lina to it while the others stay behind, and Lina learns the truth about the Giga Slave and the Dark Golden Lord. However, Lina is attacked by Rashaat again immediately after that, while her companions and Xellos are attacked by the Demon Dragon King. Lina manages to escape from Rashaat, and appears on the battlefield to cut Gaav's arm with her Ragna Blade. Gaav, however, is still not destroyed. Suddenly, Erena, a girl whom Lina had met in another nation, appeared. She introduced herself as Hellmaster Phibrizzo, an immensely powerful mozaku. Before Gaav was destroyed, though, he managed to seal away Lina's power. The Hellmaster took Gourry as a hostage, and told Lina to meet at Sairaag in 3 weeks; by then, she would have recovered her magic. That said, Phibrizzo disappeared. |
| Volume 8: Lord of the City of the Dead Release date: September 1st, 2001 Publisher: Kadokawa Comics Dragon Jr. Length: 186 pages Summary: I don't know about the storyline of this manga, but if it's anything like the anime series, then it would tell of the battle between Lina & her companions against Hellmaster Phibrizzo. Even a double Dragon Slave attack that Lina and Sylphiel managed failed against Phibrizzo. When Lina refuses to cast the Giga Slave for Hellmaster, Phibrizzo begins killing all of her friends. To save Gourry, Lina is forced to cast the Giga Slave. The result, however, is the entrance of the Dark Golden Lord herself through Lina's body, and Hellmaster's destruction. |
| "Slayers Special", illustrated by Tommy Ohtsuka |
| "Slayers Special" is very similar to the Slayers Special novels, and the Slayers Special anime series. They tell of the events when Lina was travelling with Naga, and Mr. Ohtsuka started drawing them since both Araizumi and Yoshinaka are working on other projects now. |
| Volume 1: Touch of Evil Release date: May 1st, 2000 Publisher: Kadokawa Comics Dragon Jr. Length: 162 pages *Note: English version has identical cover* |
| Volume 2: Notorious Release date: February 1st, 2001 Publisher: Kadokawa Comics Dragon Jr. Length: 178 pages *Note: English version has identical cover* |
| Volume 3: Lesser of Two Evils Release date: May 1st, 2001 Publisher: Kadokawa Comics Dragon Jr. Length: 170 pages *Note: English version has identical cover* |
| Volume 4: ? Release date: October 1st, 2001 Publisher: Kadokawa Comics Dragon Jr. Length: 170 pages |
| Slayers Premium Release date: April 1st, 2002 Publisher: Kadokawa Comics Dragon Jr. Length: 170 pages Summary: Tells the story of the fifth Slayers movie, Slayers Premium. Basically, Lina & Co. wanted to eat some rare octopus dishes, but they got a whole lot of trouble in return, which involved transformations into octopuses, an ancient curse, and, of course, mozaku. |
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| The collection, Slayers: Medieval Mayhem, is actually very easy to find. Slayers Special mangas (two of them so far) are starting to be released in English (hopefully it's not just a temporary project), but this collection is widely available. Just search a search engine for it, and you'll probably find a sale. The English version has been "flopped", so that it's read the familiar way (left to right), so the other English mangas will probably follow suit. The six episodes in the manga are each individual (except for the two-part one). "All For the Love of Fish", the first episode, involves a rare delicacy of a fish called milsar, and Lina goes to settle the score when Prince Ludence hoards all of it for himself. "The Black Fox" involved a princeless family heirloom stolen by the notorious Black Fox himself. However, the thief extraordinaire gets taken by Lina's beauty, and promises to return the statue if he fails to steal a kiss from her. Although clever and using disguises, he never manages to do so. The third episode, called "Flaky Messengers", had Gourry delivering a mysterious package to someone in exchange for 50 gold coins. Unfortunately, big surprise - he can't remember who to give it to. The fourth and fifth episodes is the two-part story of "Target: Gourry". Lady Isabella kidnaps Gourry (he sure is popular) after drugging him, and Lina must go rescue him atop an eleven-story tower filled with obstacles (it doesn't turn out as bad as it sounds). The final episode, "Werewolf Village", Lina and Gourry are hired to track down a werewolf. Since the full moon was so far away, Gourry uses a surpringly effective method to lure it out. And then, of course, the werewolf ends up being pitied. |
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