What Is the New Reincarnated as a Slime Movie - and Is It Canon? (2025)

That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, also referred to online as "TenSura," is easily one of the most recognizable series to emerge from anime, manga and light novels of the isekai genre, standing out among other series within its genre due to the titular and innocuous form of its protagonist, Rimuru Tempest. This unique approach has inspired other creators to treat their reincarnated leads similarly. Okina Baba, creator of So I'm a Spider, So What?, named That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime as one of two direct influences for her work.

While TenSura was introduced as a light novel, it has taken multiple mediums by storm, with That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime: The Movie – Scarlet Bond marking the series' first and only entry within the medium of film. Releasing on Nov. 25, 2022, in Japan and Jan. 30, 2023, worldwide, Scarlet Bond has seen various discussions held over its canonical status since, but the questions driving these discussions arose as soon as fans saw Scarlet Bond's first trailer.

Updated by Jeremy Devoe on May 21, 2024: We've updated this article to shift from a speculative piece about the canonicity of That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime: The Movie – Scarlet Bond to a discussion piece that answers the questions posed in its title. A brief synopsis of the overall plot and additional references to characters or scenarios within Scarlet Bond have also been added to help provide relevant context.

What Impression Did Scarlet Bond's Story Leave on Audiences?

• After the initial draft for the movie was rejected in September 2020, Fuse wrote the movie's key lines within two days as a substitution for having a draft novel.
• Fuse was initially opposed to following up the second season with the release of an animated film, and then hesitant to create an original story for one before doing just that.
• Despite the release being in November 2022, Scarlet Bond was ranked as the tenth most-grossing animated film of 2022 in Japan.

In That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime: The Movie – Scarlet Bond, Rimuru Tempest, recently crowned as a Demon Lord, and his loyal ally Benimaru share their leading roles with characters not before met in That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime. These fresh faces are a mighty Kijin named Hiiro, who was born an Ogre in the same village as Benimaru, and Towa, the respected Queen of the newly introduced Kingdom of Raja. The catalyst of the relationship between these two newcomers serves as the opening to Scarlet Bond, which reveals that Hiiro owes his state as a Kijin and his name to Towa, who bestowed both upon Hiiro while saving his life with incredible curative magic.

The source of said magic originates from the same object that incites the main conflict of Scarlet Bond, the tiara atop Towa's head. Passed down by several generations of queens who ruled over the Kingdom of Raja, where Scarlet Bond primarily takes place, the tiara grants its wearer a deep well of magical power at the cost of forcing them to suffer a debilitating curse. The situation is exacerbated by a mysterious poison in the kingdom's water supply that requires constant cleansing; the poison always returns even after Towa uses her abilities to clean the polluted waters. This forces Towa to repeatedly draw on the tiara's power and accelerate the rate at which the curse she bears drains her life force, giving up more each time she taps into her curative magic to assist her people.

Unable to help his Queen himself, Hiiro sets out to bring a message to Tempest, the nation Rimuru established in the world of TenSura, requesting their aid from the Kingdom of Raja and Towa on his behalf. All of their combined efforts during the proceeding investigation into the source of the poison unveil a far more grand and nefarious ploy at play, including the influence of the Primordial, Violet, before she was designated as one of Rimuru's Twelve Guardian lords. The conclusion of Scarlet Bond's 104-minute runtime is positive overall, seeing Towa freed from her tiara's curse and the forces behind its true origins pacified, ensuring her kingdom's safety for the foreseeable future.

That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime: The Movie – Scarlet Bond has garnered mixed reviews since release: detractors on sites like Rotten Tomatoes, Metacritic and Reddit have generally suggested that Scarlet Bond's story may have been better served if its events were expanded upon throughout a new season of That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, as opposed to being condensed into a film. On the other hand, audiences who had a positive time with Scarlet Bond agreed that although it wasn't exceptional, the movie was certainly enjoyable and acted as a refreshing departure from the main narrative of the TenSura series.

What Ties Does Scarlet Bond Have to TenSura's Continuity?

• Hiiro makes a cameo before his identity is known in Volume 0, Chapter 105 of the That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime manga, as one of Benimaru's unnamed friends.
• Violet was already known as Ultima to readers of TenSura's Light Novel, with Scarlet Bond giving fans her first animated appearance.
• Veldora can be spotted in the film reading Volume 5, Chapter 21 of Trinity in Tempest, a spin-off manga, a visual gag repeated directly from the anime.

Opting to tell a completely original tale within the world of That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime: The Movie – Scarlet Bond did not pick up from where the anime's second season left off, nor does it serve as a continuation to either the light novel or manga. Additionally, while the story is based on an adventure set within the TenSura universe by Fuse, the screenplay for Scarlet Bond was instead written by Kazuyuki Fudeyasu, who has notably done screenplays for Black Clover and By the Grace of the Gods as well. These factors may lead to the belief that Scarlet Bond is non-canonical, but the presence of canonical characters with canon elements tied to them offers evidence to the contrary.

Concerning the two canonical characters of most note, Rimuru and Violet hold some of the largest influences on the plot of Scarlet Bond and consequently provide the movie with its strongest tethers to canonicity. For example, Rimuru's status as a Demon Lord is acknowledged within the film, meaning that even if it is not a direct follow-up, Scarlet Bond respects the continuity of the TenSura anime. Rimuru also lays out the potential for further canonical interactions with the Kingdom of Raja during the movie's closing scenes. The amiable leader of Tempest offers the Kingdom of Raja his nation's assistance in rebuilding their home after the climactic battle, only asking for the ability to fairly purchase metallic ore from the kingdom's natural reserves in return.

On the other hand, without Violet, Scarlet Bond's plot would not have occurred had she not made contact with one of Towa's distant ancestors, creating and giving them the cursed tiara for her amusement. When considered alongside the fact that the Kingdom of Raja is a canonical location within the TenSura setting, it establishes that Scarlet Bond has roots within the canon of That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, with a plot that does not go against any previously established canon itself. However, there is a widely used term online that can describe content that doesn't add to or subtract from the canon, which is filler. While filler normally refers to content made when the anime outpaces the manga, Scarlet Bond displays that such a scenario is not a requirement for the usage of the term.

Is That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime: The Movie – Scarlet Bond Canon?

Ultimately, it is reasonable to say that That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime: The Movie – Scarlet Bond is canonical to TenSura's anime continuity, with the caveat that its contents are filler and potentially subject to having their canonicity diminished by future entries. Regardless, this information should not detract from a viewer's enjoyment of That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime: The Movie – Scarlet Bond, and potential watchers are still encouraged to experience the film themselves. Filler content is not objectively of poor quality by default, so fans should feel comfortable trying filler content when it appeals to their interests.

Luckily for all followers of That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, Season 3 is currently airing as of April 5, 2024, and there is even an RPG set in theTenSura universe slated to release on Aug. 8, 2024. Fans who have been away for some time have plenty to hop back on board for, and That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime: The Movie – Scarlet Bond supplies those wishing to get into the series with a "no strings attached" introduction to the characters, setting and world of That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime.

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That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime

TV-PG

Action-Adventure

Average 37-year-old Minami Satoru dies and is reincarnated as the most unremarkable creature imaginable-a slime.

Release Date

October 2, 2018

Cast

Miho Okasaki, Megumi Toyoguchi, Mao Ichimichi, Makoto Furukawa

Main Genre

Anime

Studio

Eight Bit

Creator

Fuse