I want to talk about an unofficial(?) trope of isekai anime that I've seen in action like six times... the 'Slimes are somehow OP' thing!
Either by killing, taming, or being a slime you can become OP. That's fucking hilarious to me, and it'll probably never stop being fun to me!
Slimes are your typical low level enemy that you see in the start of the game that probably won't be able to kill you. Like goblins, but usually not even sentient. So when an anime decides to subvert the 'slimes are a weak nuisance' thing it has the potential to be really funny!
With That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime our protagonist is reborn as a slime, aka the weakest monster to exist. They may not be strong or smart, but actually have some decent advantages to being one. They don't need food as they can just eat magic, so no need for hunting or buying food. Their entire body is their brain, so they don't have one specific weak spot. They also don't sleep, don't breathe, and have temperature resistances. That means no time wasted on sleep, can go to places a human can't, and don't need to work about heat or cold. They also can regenerate their body's and absorb and dissolve things. Provided you have a way to level them up and give them sentience, they could actually be useful to you. Rimuru is one of the strongest beings alive despite being a slime, so if you have skills to go well with it reincarnating into one may not be a bad idea.
In the anime/manga 'I've Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years and Maxed Out My Level' you definitely wouldn't want to be a slime, but they can still help you along quite a bit. Azusa is reincarnated as an unaging witch, and lives a peaceful life killing the local slimes. They are somewhat incapable of doing damage and take a single hit by a level one adventurer to kill. By killing 25~ a day and selling their loot, Azusa's casual lifestyle is enough to not only buy food and necessitys, but also enough to level her up to the maximum level. If you have time and want to level up with no risk to yourself, find an area with a high density of slimes and kill as many as you can every day, and slowly but surely you'll be able to level up and learn more magic.
Now we move on to the uses of taming slimes for power!
In 'My Isekai Life: I Gained a Second Character Class and Became the Strongest Sage in the World!' a man named Yuji is reincarnates as a 'Monster Tamer', which is widely regarded as the weakest class. He tames a bunch of friendly slimes, and quickly figures out that he can learn skills and cast magic through his new companions. He can also communicate with them through long distances to use them as scouts and mobile weapons, and he can store items inside of them. Tame some slimes, find some magic books, and get learning to be able to have an OP army at your disposal!
'By the Grace of the Gods' is my least favorite on this list, enough that I never finished it. An adult man named Ryoma is reincarnated as a small child, and spends a few years breeding different varieties of slimes. (The reason I dislike it is unrelated to this, I can talk about that in another post if anyone is interested.) By figuring out their potential to evolve, Ryoma is able to have 37 different types of slimes at his disposal. There's ones that can clean, another that can grow plants, make medicine, and one that seems to just be made out of blood.
Last one I've got for you is called 'Black Summoner' and though it only has one slime, it still proves my point. Tamers are the rarest class in the world, but if your somehow fortunate to end up as a tamer I would highly recommend adding a slime to your team. Kelvins first tamed monster is a slime named Clotho. Clotho started out with 5 HP but quickly level up by fighting and absorbing other weak slimes. Eventually he evolves into a 'Slime Gluttonia', a monster known for being extremely rare and dangerous. Even on his own Clotho is a powerhouse, but his abilities to assist the team make him even better. He can store items in his body, and he can also split into smaller pieces. Tamers in this world have a special ability that allows for telepathic communication between monster and master. By splitting himself into pieces and clinging to other people, he can give them access to the telepathic chat room.
Rimaru is a slime who's one of the most powerful beings in their world. Azusa got so powerful by casually killing slimes. Yuji is strong because he was able to use his slimes to their full potential. Ryoma is strong on his own, but by using his slimes he has an army of useful companions. Kelvin isn't powerful because of his slime, but by using him the way he did, it was able to kickstart his adventuring career and more.
Tell me, are slimes pathetic now?
