The production committee behind That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime confirmed on September 25, 2026, that Slime Season 4 will officially return for its third cour in July 2027 [1]. In addition to that broadcast date, the franchise revealed a television anime adaptation of the spinoff manga That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime: Clayman’s Revenge, which premieres three months earlier in April 2027 [2]. Both projects expand an expansive fantasy universe that began as a web novel and grew into a massive multimedia property [1].
Slime Season 4 Returns in July 2027
The production team announced that the fourth television season will resume broadcasting in July 2027 with its third cour (quarter of a year) [1]. Season 4 originally premiered on April 3, 2026, airing on Nippon Television Network’s Friday Anime Night programming block at 11:00 p.m. JST. The season also aired on BS11 on April 4 at 10:00 p.m. JST before streaming across global digital platforms [2]. Broadcast executives structured the fourth season as a continuous five-cour run, airing the first two cours consecutively from April until September 25, 2026 [1].
Fans will experience a nine-month broadcast hiatus before the television series resumes its narrative arc in the summer of 2027. Studio executives planned this production pause to maintain visual consistency across upcoming military confrontations [1]. That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime Season 4 represents the most ambitious television run in the franchise, spanning sixty episodes across five quarters [2]. This continuous five-cour run allows the adaptation to faithfully depict the complicated territorial negotiations surrounding the Jura Tempest Federation [1].
The television narrative adapts the intricate political developments and military confrontations established in the light novel series [1]. Crunchyroll streams the episodes as they air in Japan for international viewers across North America and Europe [2]. The Muse Asia YouTube channel and iQIYI distribute the broadcast across Southeast Asian territories [1]. Studio Eight Bit will maintain consistent animation quality across all sixty planned episodes [2].
Clayman’s Revenge Manga Receives Television Anime Adaptation
Before the main series returns, the franchise will debut a television adaptation of That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime: Clayman’s Revenge in April 2027. Manga artist Wataru Kajika launched the spinoff manga in Kodansha’s Monthly Shonen Sirius magazine on April 26, 2022, following serialization of the main story [1]. Kodansha released the ninth compiled volume in Japan on August 7, 2026. Kodansha’s K MANGA platform publishes the digital English edition for international readers [2]. Wataru Kajika launched the manga adaptation.
The spinoff narrative follows the villainous Marionette Master after his defeat at the Walpurgis banquet. Clayman wakes up in the past with memories of his demise, attempting to rewrite history and avoid execution by Rimuru. The official synopsis notes: “After that final scream rang out during the Walpurgis Festival, the dreams of the Marionette Master were thought to be done for good. But either through the vagaries of fate or the decision of the world at large, Clayman’s theater has opened up for one more act” [1].
Takehito Koyasu returns as Clayman. Eight Bit animates both productions under a unified schedule [1].
Production Staff and Animation Team at Eight Bit
Director Kentaro Sugimoto takes the helm for the spinoff anime project at animation studio Eight Bit [1]. Sugimoto previously directed episode eight of Blue Lock and contributed episode direction to Laid-Back Camp TV 3. Yuji Haibara oversees series scripts after managing graphic design on earlier franchise projects [2]. Character designers Asumi Hashimoto and Hideki Sakai lead visual development, drawing on Hashimoto’s work on The Irregular at Magic High School and Sakai’s experience as chief animation director [1].
Meanwhile, the main series maintains seasoned creative leadership for the remaining cours of the fourth season. Director Naokatsu Tsuda, acclaimed for directing JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders and The Darwin Incident, directs the core storyline under supervisory guidance from Atsushi Nakayama. Kenji Yasuda serves as assistant director following his work on Hakata Tonkotsu Ramens. Former series director Atsushi Nakayama supervises the production, while Hitomi Ogawa oversees series composition alongside character designer Ryoma Ebata and monster designer Takahiro Kishida [1].
Voice actor Miho Okasaki portrays Rimuru Tempest throughout the extensive production cycle [1]. The production committee organized overlapping animation teams at Eight Bit to ensure both projects meet broadcast standards [2]. This studio arrangement allows Eight Bit to handle pre-production on cour three while animating the springtime spinoff. Slime Season 4 relies on this unified scheduling to maintain detailed creature animation across extended battle sequences [1].
Slime Anime Season 4 Broadcast and Streaming Schedule
The broadcast distribution plan covers domestic terrestrial television and worldwide on-demand streaming services. In Japan, Nippon Television Network anchors the late-night broadcast slot through its dedicated Friday Anime Night programming hour. Satellite broadcaster BS11 airs each episode on Saturday evenings at 10:00 p.m. JST. Domestic streaming services begin distribution an hour later at 11:00 p.m. JST across licensed digital networks [2].
Global viewers can watch Slime anime Season 4 on Crunchyroll with Japanese audio and localized subtitle options [2]. Crunchyroll streams the television broadcast. The platform provides comprehensive simulcast distribution and will stream the third cour in July 2027 as part of its summer schedule [1]. Japanese broadcast networks continue lining up high-profile fantasy programming for that broadcast year, including the reincarnated elf anime debuting in 2027 ahead of the summer animation slate [2]. Slime Season 4 will eventually span five distinct cours to complete its adapted story arc [1].
International distribution also extends through regional digital partners across Asia. The Muse Asia YouTube channel streams episodes for viewers across South and Southeast Asian territories without subscription paywalls. Streaming platform iQIYI offers licensed simulcasts across East Asian territories with multiple localized subtitle tracks. Slime Season 4 maintains these global streaming channels so international audiences follow Rimuru’s diplomatic expansion without regional delays [1].
Franchise History From Web Novel to Global Franchise
Author Fuse began serializing the original fantasy narrative on the Shōsetsuka ni Narō (Let’s Become Novelists) website between February 2013 and January 2016, where the web novel generated more than 400 million page views across its online run [2]. Publisher Micro Magazine subsequently acquired the work for physical print publication with illustrations by Mitz Vah, launching the first volume on May 30, 2014, and completing the main saga with its 23rd volume on November 29, 2025 [1]. Micro Magazine also shipped a side-story volume titled Toaru Kyūka no Sugoshi-kata with that final book [2]. Yen Press publishes the English editions. Micro Magazine published 23 volumes. Volume 23 marked the finale.
Taiki Kawakami launched the primary manga adaptation in Kodansha’s Monthly Shonen Sirius in March 2015, which Kodansha USA publishes in English [1]. The franchise expanded into television animation in October 2018 when the first season debuted on Tokyo MX and Crunchyroll. FUNimation Entertainment produced an English dub for western streaming audiences. In 2021, the franchise achieved nine continuous months of television broadcasts by sequencing season two’s first cour in January, spinoff anime The Slime Diaries in April, and season two’s second cour in July [2].
Feature films further broadened commercial reach between television runs [1]. The first theatrical feature, That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime: Scarlet Bond, opened in Japanese theaters in November 2022. The three-episode original video animation Coleus’ Dream debuted in November 2023. The second film, Tears of the Azure Sea, opened in Japan on February 27, 2026, before Crunchyroll screened it across North American and European theaters on May 1, 2026. This multimedia expansion reinforces Slime Season 4 and the broader franchise as Fuse prepares another print side-story series for release later in 2026 [2].
- ONLINE NEWS Moo, W. (2026, September 25). That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime Season 4’s Third Cour Debuts in July 2027, Clayman’s Revenge Gets Anime. Anime Trending. [Article Link]
- ONLINE NEWS Hodgkins, C. (2026, September 25). That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime Season 4 Anime Returns for 3rd Part in July 2027, Clayman’s Revenge Spinoff Anime Debuts in April. Anime News Network. [Article Link]
- ONLINE NEWS Anime News Network. (2026, September 25). That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime Season 4 Anime Returns for 3rd Part in July 2027, Clayman’s Revenge Spinoff Anime Debuts in April. Anime News Network Newsroom. [Article Link]
