The Council Arc Reaches Its Turning Point
Episode 79 picks up after a major crisis averted — Elric's assassination has been stopped, and the Jura Tempest Federation's membership in the council is officially confirmed. With the political dust settled, Rimuru and company head home to deal with unfinished business: getting answers out of Glenda, the person who carried out the assassination attempt.
The episode title, "The Mastermind's Identity" (黒幕の正体), makes it clear this isn't just a mop-up episode. Someone was pulling Glenda's strings, and Rimuru's interrogation should finally put a face to the threat that's been lurking behind the council chaos.
According to v-storage's official preview, the episode is scripted by Akiko Waba with storyboard and direction by Mai Suzuki. Chief animation directors for the episode are Hideki Yamazaki, Masayori Komine, and Serika Yamada.
Season 4's Massive 5-Cour Structure
For anyone jumping in mid-stream: Season 4 is an ambitious split 5-cour project produced at 8bit, the studio that has handled the franchise since its 2018 debut. Director Naokatsu Tsuda returns at the helm with Hitomi Ogawa on series composition.
The first two cours began airing back-to-back on April 3, 2026, in NTV's FRIDAY ANIME NIGHT programming block. That's 24 episodes running consecutively before any break — a rarity for TV anime that speaks to the production's confidence and the remaining source material to adapt.
The original light novel by Fuse and its manga adaptation illustrated by Taiki Kawakami (serialized in Kodansha's Monthly Shōnen Sirius) provide the foundation. The manga wrapped its run in November 2025 with 30 volumes, meaning the anime is now working through the story's later arcs with the full roadmap in hand.
Looking Ahead
Episode 79 airs Friday, May 22, 2026, at 11:00 PM JST on NTV's 30-station network, with BS11 following on May 23. Streaming begins simultaneously on May 23 at 11:00 PM JST across multiple platforms.
Internationally, Crunchyroll is simulcasting Season 4 with both subtitles and an English dub, available every Friday at 7:00 AM PT across North America, Europe, Latin America, Oceania, and more. The remaining three cours of the 60-episode project are expected to continue into 2027.
The source manga is published in English by Kodansha USA, and the light novels are available from Yen Press — so fans looking to read ahead have options on both fronts.