Settling the Score with the Hero is a title that lies in the kindest way. Elmesia and Gazel fix the money. Gobta fumbles a fusion. Masayuki forfeits the trophy and then, over lunch, asks to work for the slime. The score is a handshake.
Previous: Season 3 Episode 21 — The Martial Arts Tournament · Hub: That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime
Hook
Settling the Score with the Hero is a title that lies in the kindest way. Elmesia and Gazel fix the money. Gobta fumbles a fusion. Masayuki forfeits the trophy and then, over lunch, asks to work for the slime. The score is a handshake.
This page is the sequential stop after Episode 21 — not a random recap dump. Scores below are for this 24 minutes only.
Quick Information
- Anime: That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime
- Season / Episode: Season 3, Episode 22 (overall #70)
- English title: Settling the Score with the Hero
- Japanese episode title: 勇者との決着
- Runtime: ~24 minutes
- Studio: 8bit
- Original air date: September 13, 2024
- Kagex score: 8.9 / 10
- Where to watch legally: Crunchyroll (region-dependent)
Should You Watch It?
Watch it. It is the Masayuki payoff and the gold dump that saves the festival. If you skip, Gobta’s Elite Four seat and the labyrinth open lose their why. Light combat, heavy talk. One of the second-half character wins.
Beginner-friendly? No as a start point. Watch from Season 1 Episode 1. This installment assumes you already know Tempest’s core cast — Rimuru at minimum.
Bottom line: sequential viewers should not skip “Settling the Score with the Hero.” Fight-only watchers may feel the talkier stretches; nation-building fans will not.
Spoiler Warning
Spoilers for Season 3 Episode 22 (“Settling the Score with the Hero”) follow. Stop above for a clean first watch. This page does not spoil later episodes.
Story Recap
Adults with a mint
Rimuru called Gazel Dwargo about the coins. Elmesia joins and drops a pile of gold. They smell a Western Nations hand in the sabotage. Souei goes hunting. Elmesia pacts with Rimuru, side-eyes Diablo, and makes Rimuru promise to stop the demon if he goes feral. Gazel pledges future aid. Elmesia says she will try to stop Rimuru if he turns evil. Then they ally anyway. That is what peer states look like: gold, terms, and a kill-switch conversation over drinks.
The final that isn’t
Gobta versus Masayuki. Masayuki is terrified. Gobta has a new fusion with Ranga, botches it, and misses so hard he hits the wall. Masayuki wins by default and forfeits because he is not ready for Rimuru. The crowd still loves him. Rimuru clocks the fame skill in real time and has Souei book lunch. Gobta is declared winner and Elite Four. Milim offers to train the fusion so it stops being a suicide gag. The title’s “score” is a mutual tap-out.
Two isekai kids at lunch
Masayuki admits he is an otherworlder who hates the hero job. Rimuru admits he is a human who became a slime. Masayuki signs up as a subordinate. They talk about opening the dungeon to the public. The West’s favorite hero just joined the monster nation because the slime treated him like a person instead of a sword. That is the festival’s stealth victory, bigger than a trophy.
Gold as a shield
Elmesia’s bullion is not charity. It is Thalion betting Tempest should not be bought by Western coin tricks. Gazel’s presence is Dwargon’s stamp on the same bet. Souei on the money trail is the spy plot under the sports plot. The tournament was the commercial. This meeting is the actual defense of the founding.
Open the hole tomorrow
Elite Four complete. Hero hired. Dungeon about to go public. The score with the hero is that there was never going to be a satisfying punch. There was going to be a hiring packet. Tensura remains Tensura.
Story Analysis
Lying title, honest episode. The forfeit would be cheap without Episode 17’s fame-skill homework. With it, Masayuki quitting is character. Comedy is Gobta’s fusion disaster. Emotion is two tired otherworlders recognizing each other. The Elmesia/Gazel scene is the season’s best “countries, not adventuring parties” writing.
World-building is currency rescue as alliance, Diablo as a clause in a treaty, and a hero’s skill as measurable PR. Pacing is meeting, flop, lunch. Clean. The labyrinth open now has a celebrity spokesman and a goblin champion.
Character Analysis
Rimuru is treasurer, commissioner, and recruiter. Elmesia is the queen who can move a mint. Gazel Dwargo is the other adult. Souei is the investigator. Gobta is champion by chaos. Ranga is the fusion that needs school. Masayuki is the hero who opts out. Milim is the trainer you get when you embarrass yourself in public. Diablo is the treaty hypothetical. The crowd is Masayuki’s accidental army.
World Building
Western coin sabotage can be overwritten by Thalion gold. Treaties can include “we will kill our own demon / we will stop you if you go evil.” Hero fame is a public-safety issue in an arena. Fusion skills can be real and still fail on debut. Elite Four is now a four-person fact. A Chosen Hero can legally work for a Demon Lord, which will break Western brains later. The dungeon’s public opening is a scheduled national product launch.
Nothing here is later-arc homework. If a name or rule is only teased, it stays a tease.
Animation
Gold-table politics, one botched fusion gag, crowd reactions. The miss-into-the-wall needs to be funny, not cinematic. Lunch is two-shot character acting. Elmesia’s presence should still feel expensive. A talk-heavy payoff week with one slapstick spike.
Kagex animation score for this episode: 8.3 / 10 — peaks vs average cuts, not a sakuga clip ranking.
Music and Voice Acting
Score 8.4. 8bit’s TV mix leans on Elements Garden sting + silence. Japanese track is the reference for Rimuru’s dual register (cute slime vs office-brain). Dub timing varies by season; don’t wait on it to judge the episode.
Hidden Details
- Elmesia demanding a Diablo kill-switch is Thalion treating primordials as WMD.
- Masayuki forfeiting while the crowd cheers is the fame skill serving him and trapping him.
- Souei invited to “investigate Western money” is the Muese/Rosso thread getting a hunter.
Best Moments
- Elmesia casually covering a national cash crisis.
- Gobta’s fusion hitting architecture.
- Masayuki asking for a job instead of a rematch.
Pros & Cons
Pros: Specific to “Settling the Score with the Hero” —
The kindest bait-and-switch in the season: no hero-killing, just gold, a fumble, and a hire. Watch it. It is the festival’s heart.
Cons: Requires earlier episodes. Viewers who only want climax fights may call the political / logistics scenes slow even when they are load-bearing.
Final Verdict
Kagex overall: 8.9 / 10 —
The kindest bait-and-switch in the season: no hero-killing, just gold, a fumble, and a hire. Watch it. It is the festival’s heart.
- Story: 8.8
- Characters: 9.1
- Animation: 8.3
- Music: 8.4
- Enjoyment: 8.9
Masayuki joining Tempest made me happier than a super-move would have. Gobta’s wall shot is immortal. Elmesia writing a check is queen behavior.
What to Expect Next
The dungeon goes live, Gaiye tries to speedrun, and a dryad teaches him the rules.
Next: Season 3 Episode 23 — The Labyrinth Is Opened. Watch legally on Crunchyroll.
FAQ
Do I need to watch Season 3 Episode 22?
Yes if you are watching the TV series in order. Skipping “Settling the Score with the Hero” leaves a hole later episodes assume you have.
What is the Japanese title?
勇者との決着 — Crunchyroll English title is “Settling the Score with the Hero.”
When did it air?
September 13, 2024 in Japan. ~24 minutes. Studio 8bit.
Is this Season 3 filler?
No. Tensura’s “quiet” hours are usually nation, diplomacy, or setup — not recap filler.
Where does this sit in the overall count?
Overall TV episode 70 of the main series (S1–S3 are 72; Season 4 continues from 73).
Should I watch Slime Diaries first?
No. Diaries is optional comedy. This review is the main TV track.
Where are character guides?
Tensura characters — Rimuru, Veldora, Milim, and the Tempest officers.
Where are facts / spoilers for the franchise?
Fact and Spoilers on the hub. This episode page stays inside Episode 22.
Keep exploring
- Tensura anime hub
- Season 1 review
- Overall review
- Previous: Season 3 Episode 21 — The Martial Arts Tournament
- Next: Season 3 Episode 23 — The Labyrinth Is Opened
- Characters
- Fact and Spoilers
Your turn
Was “Settling the Score with the Hero” a continue episode or a skip-risk for you? Favorite beat? Who should get the next character page?
Sources: Crunchyroll episode titles; Wikipedia list of Tensura episodes; official Tensura anime site.
