A Darker than Black Veteran Storyboards Episode 19
The preview, published by the Japanese entertainment news site Dengeki Online, pairs the episode synopsis with nine new scene stills. Episode 19 of Season 4 is the 91st episode of That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime overall.
The credits are worth a look. Storyboards come from Tensai Okamura, the creator and director of Darker than Black, with a script credited to 和場明子 (likely Akiko Waba) and episode direction shared by 徐傳峰 and Kōji Sasaki. The episode also lists four chief animation supervisors.
Season 4 as a whole is directed by Naokatsu Tsuda (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure) at Eight Bit, the studio that has animated the series since its 2018 debut, with Season 3 director Atsushi Nakayama staying on as supervisor.
Granbell, Mariabell, and the Stakes of Cour 2
In the episode itself, Rimuru crosses swords with the demon lord Leon to take the measure of Granbell's true objective. The synopsis cuts away to Luminous mid-battle with Maria, right as she notices that whatever was sealed inside the ark at her palace, the Nocturnal Court, is gone. What that seal was holding, and where it went, we'll find out when the episode airs.
Season 4 picks up with Rimuru's monster nation of Tempest working toward a world where humans and monsters can live side by side after opening its borders to neighboring countries. Standing in the way are Granbell Rosso, a former Hero who heads the Five Elders of the Kingdom of Siltrozzo, and his granddaughter Mariabell. The pair preach protecting humanity through domination, and their scheming puts them on a collision course with Rimuru. Leon, meanwhile, has started moving in the golden land of El Dorado for reasons of his own, and the season's introduction teases that another Hero is about to awaken.
Miho Okasaki returns as Rimuru, with Daisuke Ono voicing Granbell, Inori Minase as Mariabell, and Lynn as Luminous. Eir Aoi performs the season's opening theme "Esoragoto," with CiON on the ending theme "Katsubou."
Looking Ahead
"Death and Disappearance" airs Friday, August 21, 2026 at 11:00 p.m. on Nippon TV's FRIDAY ANIME NIGHT block, carried by 30 stations nationwide, with a BS11 broadcast following Saturday at 10:00 p.m. Internationally, Crunchyroll simulcasts Season 4 on Fridays at 7:00 a.m. PT with English subtitles, and an English dub is rolling out alongside the broadcast, per Final Weapon's schedule coverage.
Season 4 is planned as a five-cour run, with the first two cours airing back to back: cour 1 premiered April 3, and cour 2 began July 3. The source manga, drawn by Taiki Kawakami from Fuse's original story with character designs by Mitz Vah, runs in Kodansha's Monthly Shonen Sirius.