Lina Inverse
Bandit Killer, Dragon Slayer, Dragon Spooker, リナ・インバース
Lina is the primary protagonist and the only character that appears in all incarnations of Slayers. She is an adolescent but very powerful sorceress, with a great love of money, treasure (especially the magical sort) and food. In the anime and manga (but not the light novel) Lina uses overly destructive magic recklessly (but comically), often with little provocation. She is reputed to be an evil, powerful, destructive, diminutive sorceress (the evil part isnt true). She has an older sister, Luna, who is a powerful swordswoman. Although Lina has faced down dragons, monsters, and even Dark Lords with little fear, the mere mention of Lunas name sends her into terrified hysterics. She also suffers from a fear of slugs. In the first episode of the TV series, she introduces herself by destroying a gang of bandits known as the Dragon Fangs. She steals a large portion of their treasure, then sets off towards the nearest town to cash it in for a sizable profit. On the way to the town she is ambushed by the remainder of the Dragon Fangs. However, mere seconds before she would have blasted them to bits, Gourry Gabriev valiantly comes to her "rescue" and they begin their adventures together. In manga, anime and novels, Lina and Gourry do fall in love, but acting on these feelings is an entirely different story. Lina has many different nicknames, one of them being "Dragon Spooker", a name that she isnt too fond of. This is rumored to have appeared because of an incident in the first episode, in which the Leader of the Dragon Fangs’ pet black dragon escapes. Just when it appears that the beast is going to crush Lina (and Gourry, who was knocked out on top of her in a compromising position), it blanches in disgust and steps over her, a blush along its snout, much to her shock, and thereafter rage. However, the nickname was mentioned before the black dragon met her, thus leading to a possible earlier incident. Another nickname Lina encounters is the "Dragon Nester." This comes from a rhyme "Little girl with little breasts, scares the dragon from its nest." This takes off from a running gag, in which characters constantly comment on the small size of Linas breasts. She generally takes offense to these comments, and often responds with violence. This nickname only appears in the English dub but small breast jokes are a staple of the franchise. In Slayers TRY, Gourry, Amelia and Zelgadis find out that Lina has an elder sister named Luna. Luna is a skilled and powerful warrior, who later retired and became a waitress in Linas hometown. When Lina refused to accompany Filia on her quest, Filia handed Lina a letter from Luna that said, "Shut up and do it!", prompting Lina to cower in fear.
