Slayers REVOLUTION

Slayers REVOLUTION (スレイヤーズREVOLUTION / スレイヤーズレヴォリューション) is the first half of the fourth Slayers TV anime series. The first episode originally aired July 3, 2008 in Japan on TV Tokyo, and its 13th and last episode was aired September 25. The series seems to take place after and in the same time line as Slayers TRY.

A manga series of the same name was released in the Dragon Age magazine, and it will be published on December 9th. A sequel will start that same day in said magazine, possibly following the events that will take place in Slayers EVOLUTION-R.

Plot
The kingdom of Ruvinagald and its inspector, Wizer Freion, are searching for Lina Inverse in connection with the destruction of several of the kingdom's mage tanks. Amelia Wil Tesla Saillune and Zelgadiss Graywords, the latter of whom has been appointed Amelia's official bodyguard, inadvertently lead Wizer to Lina.

The true culprit of the mage tank destruction is Pokota, a prince of the kingdom of Taforashia and a powerful sorcerer who has been sealed in the form of a small animal. Pokota created the prototype for the mage tanks and wants to destroy them to prevent Ruvinagald from using them for war, which is suspected to be imminent because of Ruvinagald's ongoing military build-up near its border with the kingdom of Saillune. Nevertheless, Wizer manages to find Lina at the scenes of destruction right after Pokota has disappeared.

Xelloss, the priest of Greater Beast Zelas Metallium, is working with Ruvinagald, but for an as-of-yet unknown reason. He appears when Lina, Pokota, and friends arrive in Taforashia, which is filled with mist meant to hide the kingdom from the rest of the world. The residents of the kingdom were sealed and put to sleep by Rezo when a plague, Durum sickness, spread and was not curable. A cure for the sickness has since surfaced, but Pokota explains that only Rezo can awaken the kingdom. Lina tells Pokota that she and her friends had supposedly killed Rezo, but Pokota says if that is the case, then the seal should have been broken already.

Lina and the others discover that Gioconda, a marquess of Ruvinagald, assisted by her maid, Ozel, has taken control of the king's mansion in Taforashia. Duclis, a Taforashian beastman and acquaintance of Pokota, is helping Ruvinagald take over Taforashia in the hopes that Ruvinagald's resources will eventually revive his people. Xelloss is also assisting Gioconda, but he advises that while he is acting as her ally, he does not have to take orders from her.

Duclis attacks Lina, Pokota, and the others while he is wearing Zanaffar armor, which is nearly invincible against magic. Pokota, who engineered and carries a replica of the Sword of Light, manages to crack the armor, and Duclis and Gioconda retreat on the advice of Xelloss. The Zanaffar armor is incomplete, and Xelloss taunts Gioconda and Duclis with a copy of a page from the Claire Bible that explains how to make a complete copy, eventually incinerating it before they can use the information. Gioconda, feeling that she has no better defense against Lina and her friends, tells Ozel to summon the famed assassin Zuuma.

Trivia

 * Official information before the series began stated that Slayers REVOLUTION would be divided into two different story arcs, each taking 13 episodes for a total series count of 26. It was later announced that the second story arc would be titled Slayers EVOLUTION-R. The plot of both story arcs will be roughly based on the novels not already adapted for anime. (They were initially thought to be from novels 9-15, the second novel story arc, but ended up coming from mostly the first arc, with some adapted stories from the Slayers Special series as well.)
 * Following the end of Slayers TRY in 1997, rumors circulated about a fourth Slayers TV anime series called Slayers AGAIN. According to this rumor, the project was abandoned due to conflicts in Megumi Hayashibara's schedule, resulting in a lack of interest. No official sources confirm this.
 * Perhaps because of the errors present in the first season's Zanaffar plot compared to novel canon, and because of the show's partial aim to introduce Slayers to a new audience, Slayers REVOLUTION conveniently glosses over the aforementioned section of the anime. It is only said that Zanaffar destroyed Sairaag 120 years ago, but there is no mention that they already fought one before.