Hitting theaters this May 1st, 2026, in a limited run sponsored by Crunchyroll, is the newest film spinoff of the That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime (aka TenSura, for short), Tears of the Azure Sea. The film’s between the third season of the show (from 2024) and the recently started fourth season Tears of the Azure Sea takes place just after the events of the Opening Ceremony of the Demon Kingdom Federation Tempest which unfolds in the last episodes of season three. Many have wondered about the timing of this release, however the fact that the fourth season is on hiatus this week as the film hits theaters hints that the events of this film will likely come to play within the next episode on May 8th.

After the Grand Opening ceremony, Elmesia (Amber Lee Connors/Hisako Kanemoto) invites Rimuru (Brittney Karbowski/Miho Okasaki) and his crew to her private resort island for a slice of rest and relaxation. Shortly after arriving, the group divvies up into smaller subgroups. Particularly, Rimuru setting out with Shuna (Tia Ballard/Sayaka Senbongi), Shion (Michelle Rojas/M.A.O.), Eren (Natalie Rose/Akane Kumada) and Gobta (Ryan Reynolds, {not THAT Ryan}/Asuna Tomari). As the group frolic along the beach they are interrupted buy a magical nuclear targeted blast that erupts miles off shore. Shortly after this event, as the subgroup reunite and heads into town to link back up with the rest of the party, Gobta quickly spots that they are being followed.

After confronting the would-be stalker, Gobta learns it to be a beautiful young lady, Yura (Allegra Clark/Saori Oonishi). Yura turns out to be a princess of a lost town called Kaien which is situated at the bottom of the Azure Sea, protected by the mighty Water Dragon. But thanks to a dastardly plot uncovered by Yura, Kaien is in trouble and she has fled to find help. Shortly after meeting Gobta, Yura and him find themselves on the run from forces looking to drag Yura back to Kaien. This leads Rimuru and his formidable team to put their vacation on pause and jump into action to save the day.

As far as story formats go, That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime The Movie: Tears of the Azure Sea isn’t that much different from the previous spinoff film Scarlet Bond. In both cases, Rimuru and crew leave the kingdom of Tempest only to come across a member of a foreign nation that needs their help as there is an interior plot to overthrow everything underway. Pretty standard setup that gets all of Rimuru’s crew into action and at the end leads to a new trading partner and friend of Rimuru’s ever expanding nation. But the main difference between the two films comes in the nature of its lead, as for all accounts and purposes, it’s not Rirumu who’s main focus of this story – it’s fan favorite Gobta. In fact, halfway through the film I had already dubbed this film “Gobta gets a girlfriend”. And while not everything works out exactly as you expect in a TenSura story, and Gobta’s love affair seems doomed from the start, it’s a fun twist that serves the storyline well.

That said, the story does play out almost exactly as you’d expect, baring one major twist that’s likely predictable for some and underwhelming for the rest. Thankfully the animation is top notch here as 8Bit outdo themselves. The action sequences work out extremely well and the new location of Kaein is beautifully rendered. Knowing that this would play out theatrically, the team has filled the screen with exceptional visuals that should show well in the cinema. The visuals and always solid voice acting raise this spinoff over the land of retread to a visual spectacle that should appease fans of the series and beyond.

Without spoiling anything here, I will encourage all patrons to stay through the credits of the film in cinemas because the after credits scenes (yes there are two) serve to set up something very important for the series going forward, and something that should play out in the new season, possibly as early as the next episode of season four. It’s a big reveal that fans have been waiting for. And should leave fans of That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime leaving their screenings of Tears of The Azure Sea with the biggest of grins.