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[Note: This is, more or less, just a stub of a homepage, to last until I find the time to make a real, full-fledged Slayers website - if I ever do.]
This show is one of my favorite discoveries, and I must say, it is hilarious. Take your typical fantasy setting, rife with swordsmen, sorcerers, demons, gods, good, evil, and all that. Add a villain, hungry for power, and willing to sacrifice almost anything to get it. Finally, add a host of some of the most atypical heroes and lesser villains ever to be seen in a fantasy show.
While it is the characters that make Slayers worth watching, the storylines are also quite gripping, and possess twists and turns that you'll never see coming. It's a great show, and I'm sorry that it only lasted a mere seventy-eight episodes, along with several OAVs and movies. What? I'm not greedy!
Lina Inverse: The lead character, Lina Inverse, is a sorceress well on her way to becoming the most powerful in the world. An expert with Black magic, she's a short-tempered, red-headed spitfire, justly feared by bandits and other criminals for her tendency to punish them using a large amount of overkill - including what is widely regarded as the most powerful Black magic spell, the magical equivalent of a small nuclear bomb: The Dragon Slave. But aside from that, she's also a petite, spunky fifteen-year-old girl, who's somewhat ashamed of her figure (she considers herself to be very underdeveloped, considering the standards set by other fantasy sorceresses). And it doesn't help that nearly every male she comes across ends up insulting her figure sooner or later.
Gourry Gabriev: Lina's usual accomplice is Gourry, one of the best swordsmen alive. When it comes to sword fighting, Gourry is truly a force to be reckoned with. But when it comes to anything else, Gourry has a mind like a sieve. Stories known throughout the land are always new to him. Epic, life-threatening battles he's taken part in against unspeakable evils are quickly filed away and forgotten, along with names, places, and anything else most would consider worth remembering. While he's Lina's most valuable and trusted companion, he's also a source of incredible frustration.
Zelgadis Greywords: Zelgadis is a chimera, part human, part golem, and part demon. Grim and mysterious, he possesses potent Shamanist magic, and is no slouch with a sword, either. His unnatural body gives him incredible speed and precision, and his stone skin offers him significant protection. At first a villain, it is quickly revealed that he has his own agenda - and is willing to go to almost any length to fulfill it. Zelgadis, as probably the most serious of any of the characters he hangs around with, is frequently used as the straight man for a lot of the humor of the show.
Amelia Wil Tesla Sairoon: Another member of Lina's zany band. She's the princess of Sairoon, and travels the land in the Name of Justice, to Punish Evildoers and Bring Peace and Harmony to the Land! Amelia is a potent magic user, and knows some of the strongest spells in both White and Shamanist magic. Physically, however, she's an incredible klutz. Her enthusiasm is unstoppable, however, and she rarely allows minor things like her own incapability, hopelessly bad odds, or the impossibility of victory to prevent her from Striking a Blow for Justice! Truly, Amelia is a great example of the dangerous combination of naivete and bravery...
Sylphiel Nels Rada: A powerful White sorceress joins the party late in the first season of Slayers and again late in the second season. Sylphiel is a Priestess of the city of Sairaag, and is very meek and cautious. She's a childhood friend of Goury, and is almost certainly in love with him now. Always the voice of caution and moderation, her words are almost always immediately ignored by Lina, who doesn't DO caution or moderation.
Xelloss Metallium: Xelloss, the Mysterious Trickster Priest first shows his face in the second season of Slayers. Secretive and silly, he tags along with the Slayers gang for reasons known only to himself. Occasionally, he takes it upon himself to act as a guide, but when he does, he almost invariably guides his comrades into trouble!
Martina Zoana Mel Navratilova: Martina is... pretty much insane. Formerly the princess of the kingdom of Zoana, she vowed to exact revenge upon Lina Inverse, who accidentally wiped out most of the kingdom with a Dragon Slave. However, Martina is not the best candidate for such a job: She's very clumsy, apt to get big crushes on just about any handsome man she sees, and even tends to screw up her magical curses, the one talent for which she is not totally inept. Martina is wholeheartedly devoted to the demonic and powerful Zoamelgustar, which might be impressive, if it wasn't for the fact that Martina made Zoamelgustar up herself, and freely admits it.
Filia Ul Copt: Filia is a Golden Dragon, and like most Golden Dragons can assume a human form when she wants (though she's never quite been able to get rid of that tail). She shows up in the third season of Slayers to send Lina and her friends on a Mission to Save the World. Filia's a fiercely determined character, with a short temper, and a strong sense of personal honor. She has a rivalry with Xelloss, and is the only one who actually seems able to annoy HIM, every now and then - though he is still far more capable of annoying her.
Naga, the White Serpent: While she never appears in the TV series, Naga is another character worth mentioning. Before Lina ever met Goury, or her other companions, Lina spent quite a bit of time travelling with (and occasionally trying to get away from), Naga. While she, like Lina, is a Black sorceress, there the similarities end. Physically, Naga exaggerates everything that Lina wishes she was: she's tall, curvy, and possesses an enormous bust. And, to make sure that the world and Lina knows it, Naga wears nothing but a cape, boots, gloves, and slightly less black leather than would be necessary to make a wallet. When it comes to magical power, however, Naga can't hold a candle to Lina. Her magic is far less powerful, and Naga is pretty pathetic at using it. Not that she would ever believe such a thing. Naga's self-confidence is completely unshakable. As far as she is concerned, she is the most powerful sorceress in the world, and Lina is just her sidekick. Any evidence to the contrary, she either ignores, or dismisses as merely flukes.
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