Ryoma Takebayashi isn't your typical power-tripping hero. Most isekai protagonists land in a new world and immediately start nuking demon lords or building harems. But the By the Grace of the Gods characters operate on a different frequency. It's slower. Gentler. Honestly, it’s mostly about cleaning latrines and researching slime mutations. If you’ve watched or read Kami-tachi ni Hirowareta Otoko, you know the appeal isn't the combat—it's the weirdly wholesome chemistry between a reincarnated middle-aged salaryman and the noble family that adopts him.
Ryoma died in his sleep after sneezing and hitting his head. Talk about a rough way to go. In his past life, he was a black-company worker named Takebayashi Ryoma, a man whose physical toughness was only matched by his emotional isolation. When the three gods of Galdardile—Gain, Lulutia, and Kufo—bring him to their world, they don't give him a "Save the World" quest. They just want him to be happy. That's the hook.
The Core Dynamic of By the Grace of the Gods Characters
You can’t talk about this series without talking about the Jamil family. After Ryoma spends three years living alone in the forest with nothing but thousands of slimes for company, he runs into Reinbach, Reinhart, and Eliaria. This encounter changes everything.
Reinhart Jamil is the Duke, but he doesn't act like a stuffy aristocrat. He’s more like a doting uncle. He sees this small kid (who is actually a 42-year-old man inside) living in a cave and his first instinct is, "We need to get this boy some decent food and a bath." It's refreshing. Most anime nobles are either mustache-twirling villains or plot devices to give the hero money. The Jamils are just... nice people.
Eliaria Jamil is the one fans usually gravitate toward. She’s the daughter of the house and roughly Ryoma's age in his new body. Her character arc is tied heavily to her struggle with taming monsters. In this world, monster taming is a status symbol for her family, and she feels the weight of that legacy. When she meets Ryoma, she doesn't see a rival. She sees a mentor. Their friendship is the emotional spine of the first few arcs. It’s not a forced romance; it’s a mutual respect between two kids trying to figure out their magical potential.
Ryoma Takebayashi: The Slime Obsessive
Ryoma is the heart of the By the Grace of the Gods characters. He is incredibly overpowered, but he uses his power for the most mundane things imaginable.
- He uses "Break" and "Create" magic to make waterproof cloth.
- He trains slimes to eat literal poop to clean public toilets.
- He opens a laundry shop.
It’s bizarre. And yet, it works because his trauma from his previous life is real. He’s used to being used. When he realizes people in this new world actually value his hard work without exploiting him, his growth is genuinely moving. He’s not trying to be a king. He just wants to run a successful business and maybe find a new species of slime.
The Gods of Galdardile: More Than Just Quest Givers
Gain, Lulutia, and Kufo are probably the most "human" gods in anime. They’re basically Ryoma’s cheerleaders.
Gain is the god of creation and looks like an old man with a long beard. He’s obsessed with the slimes Ryoma creates. Lulutia is the goddess of love, and she treats Ryoma like a grandson. Kufo, the god of life, looks like a young boy but has the wisdom of aeons.
They don't pop up every five minutes to drop lore. Instead, they manifest during Ryoma's prayers to share some tea and gossip. They admit they brought him to their world partly because they were bored and partly because they felt bad for how much his previous life sucked. Their presence adds a layer of cosmic safety to the story. You know Ryoma is going to be okay because the literal creators of the universe are rooting for him.
Supporting Cast and the Bamboo Forest Atmosphere
As Ryoma moves into the town of Gimul, the roster of By the Grace of the Gods characters expands. We meet people like Serge Morgan, the merchant who helps Ryoma navigate the world of business. Serge is a great example of the series' grounded nature. He doesn't try to scam Ryoma. He sees a talented kid and realizes that a fair partnership is more profitable in the long run than a one-time heist.
Then there are the employees at the Bamboo Forest laundry shop.
- Carla and Carum: These twins handle the day-to-day operations.
- Fei and Li Jiao: Former assassins who Ryoma hires because... well, he needed someone who could fight and clean.
The fact that Ryoma hires ex-assassins to work in a laundry shop is peak By the Grace of the Gods. It highlights his pragmatism. He doesn't care about their past; he cares if they can follow instructions and treat customers with respect.
Why the Slimes Are Technically Characters Too
It sounds silly, but the slimes are some of the most important By the Grace of the Gods characters.
They aren't just blobs. Ryoma evolves them based on what he feeds them. You have the Sticky Slimes, the Acid Slimes, the Cleaner Slimes, and the Scavenger Slimes. Later, he gets into more specialized versions like the Bloody Slimes and the Metal Slimes. Each type has a specific "personality" or at least a specific function that Ryoma relies on. They are his first friends in this world. When he’s lonely in the forest, the slimes are his family. Watching him treat a Scavenger Slime with the same care a person might treat a dog is what makes Ryoma so likable.
Real World Appeal: Why We Care
The reason people keep coming back to these characters is "healing." It’s a subgenre called iyashikei.
In most fantasy stories, conflict drives the plot. In this one, competence drives the plot. There's something deeply satisfying about watching Ryoma solve a public health crisis by using his slimes to deodorize a sewage system. It hits that same part of the brain as those "satisfying power washing" videos on TikTok.
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The characters don't have many "dark secrets." There’s no betrayal lurking around the corner. While some critics argue this makes the story boring, fans argue it makes it a sanctuary. In a world of grimdark fantasy and high-stakes drama, Ryoma and his slimes are a breath of fresh air.
Misconceptions About the Character Growth
Some viewers think Ryoma doesn't change. That's a mistake.
His growth isn't about getting stronger—he was already strong. It's about his social evolution. At the start of the series, he’s terrified of being a burden. He doesn't know how to accept a gift. By the time he's running his second shop, he’s a confident leader who knows how to delegate. He learns to say "no." He learns that his value isn't just in how much work he can do, but in who he is as a person.
Eliaria also goes through a significant shift. She starts as a girl paralyzed by the fear of failure. Through her time with Ryoma, she learns that magic isn't just about raw power; it's about the bond you share with your familiars. Her departure for the academy at the end of the first season is a bittersweet moment because it shows that both she and Ryoma have grown enough to walk their own paths.
Practical Insights for Fans
If you're looking to dive deeper into the By the Grace of the Gods characters, keep these things in mind:
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- Read the Light Novels: The anime is great, but the light novels go into much more detail about Ryoma's internal monologue. You get a better sense of his "salaryman" brain and how he applies Earth's management techniques to a fantasy world.
- Watch the Slime Evolutions: Pay attention to what the slimes eat. Royma’s discovery of the "Deodorant Slime" is a masterclass in fantasy world-building.
- Follow the Gods' Conversations: Don't skip the scenes in the divine realm. They often drop hints about the history of the world and why Earth souls are brought there in the first place.
The series is a reminder that being kind is its own kind of superpower. Ryoma wins not because he has the biggest sword, but because he’s the guy everyone wants to help. That's a rare thing in fiction.
To truly appreciate the depth of this world, start by tracking the specific slime evolutions in the early chapters of the manga or light novel. It provides the necessary context for Ryoma's later business successes and his standing with the Guild. Pay close attention to the interactions between Ryoma and the commoners in Gimul, as these moments define the social fabric of the series more than any high-stakes magic battle ever could.