Slayers
#2884.13 adjusted 4.08 for sample size in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 17 books Status Ongoing 1990–present Reading commitment High Hajime Kanzaka Last reviewed 2026-11-04
Overview
Slayers is a Japanese light novel series by Hajime Kanzaka, illustrated by Rui Araizumi, published by Fujimi Fantasia Bunko from 1990. It follows Lina Inverse, a teenage sorceress who narrates her travels with the swordsman Gourry Gabriev and later companions such as Zelgadis and Amelia. They face wizards, bandits and demons in a world where gods and demons are at war. The main story ran for fifteen volumes to 2000, then continued with new arcs from volume 16 in 2018 and volume 17 in 2019. English editions came from Tokyopop and J-Novel Club.
Comic fantasy, Sword & sorcery · For YA
Core Canon: Reading Order (17 works) counts toward ranking
Slayers (スレイヤーズ) Hajime Kanzaka
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | スレイヤーズ!; English translation: Slayers (Tokyopop 2004; J-Novel Club 2020 onward). Volume 1 was published in Fujimi Fantasia Bunko in January 1990. | 1990 | 1 | core | 4.04 (824 ratings) |
 | アトラスの魔道士 | 1990 | 2 | core | 4.12 (436 ratings) |
 | サイラーグの妖魔 | 1991 | 3 | core | 4.10 (353 ratings) |
 | 聖王都動乱(バトル・オブ・セイルーン) | 1991 | 4 | core | 4.19 (286 ratings) |
 | 白銀の魔獣 | 1992 | 5 | core | 4.20 (264 ratings) |
 | ヴェゼンディの闇 | 1993 | 6 | core | 4.16 (232 ratings) |
 | 魔竜王(ガーヴ)の挑戦 | 1993 | 7 | core | 4.25 (206 ratings) |
 | 死霊都市の王 | 1994 | 8 | core | 4.26 (192 ratings) |
 | ベゼルドの妖剣 | 1995 | 9 | core | 4.00 (82 ratings) |
 | ソラリアの謀略 | 1995 | 10 | core | 4.03 (74 ratings) |
 | クリムゾンの妄執 | 1996 | 11 | core | 4.12 (65 ratings) |
 | 覇軍の策動 | 1997 | 12 | core | 3.94 (62 ratings) |
 | 降魔への道標 | 1998 | 13 | core | 3.98 (56 ratings) |
 | セレンティアの憎悪 | 1999 | 14 | core | 4.27 (55 ratings) |
 | デモン・スレイヤーズ! | 2000 | 15 | core | 4.24 (58 ratings) |
 | アテッサの邂逅; Continuation volume published after an 18-year gap, tied to the 30th anniversary of the imprint. | 2018 | 16 | core | 4.18 (33 ratings) |
 | 遥かなる帰路 | 2019 | 17 | core | 4.45 (31 ratings) |
Main novel series following the sorceress Lina Inverse and her companions.
Quick answers
- How many books are in Slayers? Slayers's Core Canon is 17 books.
- What is the reading order for Slayers? Publication order, starting with スレイヤーズ!. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is Slayers finished? Ongoing (1990–present).
- How much reading does Slayers take? High reading commitment (estimated from 17 Core Canon books).
- How is Slayers ranked? #288 in this site's official ranking, based on 3,309 reader ratings across 17 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #288?
Ranked #288 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 4.13 across 17 core books.
- A smaller readership (3,309 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- Uneven reception: its books range from 3.94 to 4.45.
- Less than 0.01 behind #287, Vespertine (a finer tie-break level decides the order).
- Below the top-10 average of 4.46.
Why explore this universe?
Highly rated · 17 books · Ongoing · 3k ratings · Ranks #288 overall
Good choice if you want a long-running comic fantasy universe that's still ongoing, with new books still coming.
Reading order
Publication order (17 Core Canon books)
- アトラスの魔道士 (1990)
- スレイヤーズ! (1990)
- サイラーグの妖魔 (1991)
- 聖王都動乱(バトル・オブ・セイルーン) (1991)
- 白銀の魔獣 (1992)
- ヴェゼンディの闇 (1993)
- 魔竜王(ガーヴ)の挑戦 (1993)
- 死霊都市の王 (1994)
- ソラリアの謀略 (1995)
- ベゼルドの妖剣 (1995)
- クリムゾンの妄執 (1996)
- 覇軍の策動 (1997)
- 降魔への道標 (1998)
- セレンティアの憎悪 (1999)
- デモン・スレイヤーズ! (2000)
- アテッサの邂逅 (2018)
- 遥かなる帰路 (2019)
Documented internal/story order
- スレイヤーズ! (1990)
- アトラスの魔道士 (1990)
- サイラーグの妖魔 (1991)
- 聖王都動乱(バトル・オブ・セイルーン) (1991)
- 白銀の魔獣 (1992)
- ヴェゼンディの闇 (1993)
- 魔竜王(ガーヴ)の挑戦 (1993)
- 死霊都市の王 (1994)
- ベゼルドの妖剣 (1995)
- ソラリアの謀略 (1995)
- クリムゾンの妄執 (1996)
- 覇軍の策動 (1997)
- 降魔への道標 (1998)
- セレンティアの憎悪 (1999)
- デモン・スレイヤーズ! (2000)
- アテッサの邂逅 (2018)
- 遥かなる帰路 (2019)
Awards (verified)
- No awards found for this universe.
You might also like
Suggestions computed from what Slayers and each of these worlds have in common on record (subgenre, audience, shape, reading commitment and score), not a documented narrative connection.
- The Squire's Tales Historical fantasy / Comic fantasy · Complete · High commitment · 4.15
- Little Thieves Fairy-tale retelling / Comic fantasy · Complete · Medium commitment · 4.21
- The Enchanted Forest Chronicles Comic fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 4.17
- The Bartimaeus Sequence Urban fantasy / Comic fantasy · Complete · Medium commitment · 4.14
Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 4.13 across 3,309 ratings on 17 Core Canon books. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Canon Extension: 19 universes from the candidate register; 7 candidates ruled out accepted 2026-11-03
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- Wikipedia Tier 2
- Japanese Wikipedia Tier 2
- Wikipedia: List of Slayers light novels Tier 2
- Slayers series page (English and Japanese editions) Tier 2
- Wikipedia: Hajime Kanzaka Tier 2
Last reviewed: 2026-11-03
Rule: Core Canon = the main Slayers novels, volumes 1-17 (1990-2019). Slayers Special, Smash, Delicious, Select, Anthology, Spirit and crossover/side volumes are excluded.