Is Rimuru a Boy or Girl in That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime?

Anime loves its characters with androgynous appearances; there are countless examples, from Haku in Naruto to Rimuru Tempest in That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime. And that appearance, plus a few tricky situations involving reincarnation, is making fans of the anime and light novel question if Rimuru is a boy or a girl.

What is Rimuru’s Gender in That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime?

That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime follows corporate worker Satoru Mikami, who is stabbed while hanging out with some friends. If you’re a fan of isekai anime, you probably know what happens next. Satoru wakes up in another world as a slime, receiving the name Rimuru Tempest from a dragon he befriends there. In the new fantasy world, as a slime, Rimuru is genderless.

The confusion stems from Rimuru absorbing a girl who is dying. After that, his new human form is based on her body. Many fans question if that makes Rimuru a girl actually or if he still considers himself a male as he was born as one in his previous world. But, even though he considered himself a male at first, now that isn’t true anymore.

Related: Yamato’s Gender Identity in One Piece, Explained

Fuse, the author, joked he actually didn’t think of a gender for Rimuru because it was too troublesome. He wasn’t aiming for any specific gender, and he believes it turned out to be a good idea. Fuse says that Rimuru Tempest is genderless, but fans are free to interpret the character as they want.

That is something a bit common in anime and manga, actually. In Komi Can’t Communicate, for example, there’s Najimi Osana, someone who no one knows the gender, so people often various pronouns when referring to the character. Even though it’s done more as a joke in Najimi’s case, it’s not so different from Rimuru’s situation.