Slayers watch order
Lina Inverse, a teenage sorceress with a huge appetite and an even bigger fireball, wanders a fantasy world hunting treasure and bandits, and keeps getting dragged into fights with demon lords. Based on Hajime Kanzaka's light novels, it's a 1990s comedy-fantasy classic: five TV series, five films and two OVA sets.
First time? Watch the TV series in order: Slayers, NEXT and TRY, then Revolution and Evolution-R. The films and OVAs are standalone prequels starring Lina and Naga; add them whenever you like once you know Lina.
First-timer order
The five TV series tell the main story, so watch them first. The films and OVAs are self-contained comedy episodes with Lina and Naga, best enjoyed once you already know Lina. Premium goes last because it uses the TV cast.
- Slayers
Lina meets the swordsman Gourry, then Zelgadis and Amelia. The first part pits them against Rezo the Red Priest and the Demon Lord Shabranigdo; after some lighter one-off adventures, the second half brings a copy of Rezo and the fall of Sairaag. Start here.
- Slayers NEXT
The second series adds the trickster priest Xellos. The group hunts for the Claire Bible, crosses paths with the Demon Dragon King Gaav, and ends with the Hellmaster Phibrizzo arc. Often called the high point of the franchise.
- Slayers TRY
With the demon barrier gone, the golden dragon priestess Filia hires the group to travel into the outer world, where they face Valgaav and a prophecy around the Dark Star. Ends the original 1990s run.
- Slayers Revolution
The revival, eleven years later, picks up after TRY (Gourry no longer has the Sword of Light). Lina and friends meet Pokota, a small talking creature after a jar said to hold Rezo's soul. The story runs straight into Evolution-R.
- Slayers Evolution-R
The direct sequel to Revolution and the final anime so far: the jar, Pokota's lost kingdom of Taforashia, the assassin Zuuma, Zelgadis's search for a cure, and one more clash with Shabranigdo.
- Slayers Excellent (optional)
Three comedy episodes from Lina's days travelling with her self-declared rival Naga the Serpent. The first shows how the two met, which makes it the earliest point in the story. Standalone and not needed for the TV series.
- Slayers Special (The Book of Spells) (optional)
Three more Lina and Naga misadventures (a chimera plot, a boy who wants to be a knight and a magic mirror), adapted from Kanzaka's Slayers Special side novels. Set before the TV series. Optional.
- Slayers: The Motion Picture (optional)
The first film (also called Slayers Perfect): a hot-spring holiday on Mipross Island turns into a fight with a demon. A Lina and Naga prequel, set about two years before Lina meets Gourry. Optional.
- Slayers Return (optional)
Lina and Naga are hired to protect a village from a wizard after a powerful orihalcon weapon. Standalone prequel film. Optional.
- Slayers Great (optional)
A golem-making father and son feud, and Lina and Naga end up as models for giant golems in a war between two lords. Standalone prequel film. Optional.
- Slayers Gorgeous (optional)
A lord and his daughter go to war with dragons over her allowance, with Lina and Naga caught in the middle. The last of the Naga-era prequels. Optional.
- Slayers Premium (optional)
A half-hour film with the TV cast (and a quick Naga cameo): cursed octopus in a seaside town leaves everyone speaking only octopus. Fans and databases place it between NEXT and TRY. Assumes you know the TV characters. Optional.
Story order
The Naga films and OVAs are prequels, set before Lina meets Gourry. Excellent's first episode shows Lina and Naga meeting; beyond that, each one is a standalone adventure, so the order inside that block is the usual fan convention rather than a fixed timeline. Premium is generally placed between NEXT and TRY.
- Slayers Excellent (optional)
Three comedy episodes from Lina's days travelling with her self-declared rival Naga the Serpent. The first shows how the two met, which makes it the earliest point in the story. Standalone and not needed for the TV series.
- Slayers Special (The Book of Spells) (optional)
Three more Lina and Naga misadventures (a chimera plot, a boy who wants to be a knight and a magic mirror), adapted from Kanzaka's Slayers Special side novels. Set before the TV series. Optional.
- Slayers: The Motion Picture (optional)
The first film (also called Slayers Perfect): a hot-spring holiday on Mipross Island turns into a fight with a demon. A Lina and Naga prequel, set about two years before Lina meets Gourry. Optional.
- Slayers Return (optional)
Lina and Naga are hired to protect a village from a wizard after a powerful orihalcon weapon. Standalone prequel film. Optional.
- Slayers Great (optional)
A golem-making father and son feud, and Lina and Naga end up as models for giant golems in a war between two lords. Standalone prequel film. Optional.
- Slayers Gorgeous (optional)
A lord and his daughter go to war with dragons over her allowance, with Lina and Naga caught in the middle. The last of the Naga-era prequels. Optional.
- Slayers
Lina meets the swordsman Gourry, then Zelgadis and Amelia. The first part pits them against Rezo the Red Priest and the Demon Lord Shabranigdo; after some lighter one-off adventures, the second half brings a copy of Rezo and the fall of Sairaag. Start here.
- Slayers NEXT
The second series adds the trickster priest Xellos. The group hunts for the Claire Bible, crosses paths with the Demon Dragon King Gaav, and ends with the Hellmaster Phibrizzo arc. Often called the high point of the franchise.
- Slayers Premium (optional)
A half-hour film with the TV cast (and a quick Naga cameo): cursed octopus in a seaside town leaves everyone speaking only octopus. Fans and databases place it between NEXT and TRY. Assumes you know the TV characters. Optional.
- Slayers TRY
With the demon barrier gone, the golden dragon priestess Filia hires the group to travel into the outer world, where they face Valgaav and a prophecy around the Dark Star. Ends the original 1990s run.
- Slayers Revolution
The revival, eleven years later, picks up after TRY (Gourry no longer has the Sword of Light). Lina and friends meet Pokota, a small talking creature after a jar said to hold Rezo's soul. The story runs straight into Evolution-R.
- Slayers Evolution-R
The direct sequel to Revolution and the final anime so far: the jar, Pokota's lost kingdom of Taforashia, the assassin Zuuma, Zelgadis's search for a cure, and one more clash with Shabranigdo.
Release order
A film came out each summer from 1995 to 1998, alongside the TV series. Revolution revived the anime in 2008, eleven years after TRY.
- Slayers
Lina meets the swordsman Gourry, then Zelgadis and Amelia. The first part pits them against Rezo the Red Priest and the Demon Lord Shabranigdo; after some lighter one-off adventures, the second half brings a copy of Rezo and the fall of Sairaag. Start here.
- Slayers: The Motion Picture (optional)
The first film (also called Slayers Perfect): a hot-spring holiday on Mipross Island turns into a fight with a demon. A Lina and Naga prequel, set about two years before Lina meets Gourry. Optional.
- Slayers NEXT
The second series adds the trickster priest Xellos. The group hunts for the Claire Bible, crosses paths with the Demon Dragon King Gaav, and ends with the Hellmaster Phibrizzo arc. Often called the high point of the franchise.
- Slayers Special (The Book of Spells) (optional)
Three more Lina and Naga misadventures (a chimera plot, a boy who wants to be a knight and a magic mirror), adapted from Kanzaka's Slayers Special side novels. Set before the TV series. Optional.
- Slayers Return (optional)
Lina and Naga are hired to protect a village from a wizard after a powerful orihalcon weapon. Standalone prequel film. Optional.
- Slayers TRY
With the demon barrier gone, the golden dragon priestess Filia hires the group to travel into the outer world, where they face Valgaav and a prophecy around the Dark Star. Ends the original 1990s run.
- Slayers Great (optional)
A golem-making father and son feud, and Lina and Naga end up as models for giant golems in a war between two lords. Standalone prequel film. Optional.
- Slayers Gorgeous (optional)
A lord and his daughter go to war with dragons over her allowance, with Lina and Naga caught in the middle. The last of the Naga-era prequels. Optional.
- Slayers Excellent (optional)
Three comedy episodes from Lina's days travelling with her self-declared rival Naga the Serpent. The first shows how the two met, which makes it the earliest point in the story. Standalone and not needed for the TV series.
- Slayers Premium (optional)
A half-hour film with the TV cast (and a quick Naga cameo): cursed octopus in a seaside town leaves everyone speaking only octopus. Fans and databases place it between NEXT and TRY. Assumes you know the TV characters. Optional.
- Slayers Revolution
The revival, eleven years later, picks up after TRY (Gourry no longer has the Sword of Light). Lina and friends meet Pokota, a small talking creature after a jar said to hold Rezo's soul. The story runs straight into Evolution-R.
- Slayers Evolution-R
The direct sequel to Revolution and the final anime so far: the jar, Pokota's lost kingdom of Taforashia, the assassin Zuuma, Zelgadis's search for a cure, and one more clash with Shabranigdo.
Explained
Who is Naga, and why isn't she in the TV series?
Naga the Serpent is Lina's loud, self-proclaimed rival from the side novels. The films and OVAs are prequels set before the TV series, when Lina travelled with Naga instead of Gourry and the others. That's why they're standalone, and why Naga only turns up as a cameo in Premium.
Do I need the movies and OVAs?
No. None of them affect the TV plot; each is a one-off comedy adventure. Many fans love them, though, so they're worth watching once you've started the TV series. Slayers Premium needs you to know Zelgadis, Amelia and Xellos, so watch it after NEXT.
Do Revolution and Evolution-R ignore TRY?
No. Revolution came eleven years later but carries on after TRY: Gourry starts it without the Sword of Light, which he gave up at the end of TRY. Evolution-R then continues Revolution's story directly, so treat the two as one 26-episode season.
Is there an English dub?
Yes, two different ones. The first three TV series were dubbed by Central Park Media and later re-released by Funimation, with Lisa Ortiz as Lina; Revolution and Evolution-R brought most of that cast back. The films and OVAs were dubbed separately by ADV Films with a different cast.
Is more Slayers anime coming?
Not as of October 2026. The 30th anniversary brought a film concert in January 2026 and new books, but no new anime has been announced. Evolution-R (2009) is the latest series.