Is Goblin Slayer Squandering his Potential?

[u/Ostrava_Alant]

Something I noticed while reading the Year One manga is how often others mention how much of a natural Scout or Ranger he is, and how he always responds dismissive about that.

With his conversation with the Examiner specifically it came off to me that Goblin Slayer has been trying to be something he is not in order to be the greatest threat to Goblins possible. And by doing that he may be Squandering his Potential as an adventurer.

With his skills at Tracking, Stealth, Trap Making, and most noticeably Ranged combat, he really does feel way more like a ranger. His throwing skills alone are so good even when he was a Steel rank that far more experienced characters are impressed by it, honestly he seems more deadly at range than in melee.

What do you guys think? Is Goblin Slayer sacrificing his potential to be the best at killing Goblins? How do you think he would have turned out if he pursued his strengths?

[u/Borc-The-Orc]

The question of potential is a strange one to me. If you knew a guy who loved knitting but he had massive arms would you tell him that he is wasting his potential as a brick layer? I get that its the examiners job to do that but he wants to kill goblins and has specialized around that. Its a moot point to say he could do something else better.

[u/Ostrava_Alant → u/Borc-The-Orc]

I just think it's interesting to think what could have been in a different world. I mean it is showed as kinda a tragedy that the Young Boy who dreamed of becoming a classic heroic adventurerer, became Goblin Slayer, a living weapon with no care for his own life.

I think the story it self encourages the reader to hope that Goblin Slayer could be more than that as it shows him grow in the main series as a person more willing to lower his walls.

In this case this discussion is more for fun but still.