After a mysterious force wipes out a classroom in Japan, the students reincarnate into a fantasy world of elves, monsters, and demons. One student, referred to in the show as Shiraori and by the fandom as Kumoko, is reincarnated as a spider in the lower levels of a dungeon. Kumoko must fight her way through the dungeon to freedom, leveling up as she goes to heighten her chances of survival.
Kumoko's struggles to survive, and the dungeon are intense, with her special brand of comedy keeping the pace of her episodes fast and fun. As she becomes more experienced, Kumoko uses her speed, magic, and skills to battle foes ranging from frogs to demon lords. The use of wonky or awkward CGI that doesn't quite hold up in some of the fights lets them down, but some CGI is used very effectively.
A Frog Gets Caught In Her Web
One of the very first enemies that Kumoko encounters is a frog that gets caught in a web she has spun out from her home base. Kumoko thinks that the fight will be easy, as the frog is a low level, but she quickly finds that even low-level enemies have deadly skills, and the frog takes out one of her eyes with its poison.
With part of her vision obscured, Kumoko gets angry and defeats the frog with her speed. Although Kumoko secures a victory, she states that the future looks grim if these are the kind of enemies she will encounter in the dungeon. This fight is great because it demonstrates that Kumoko can be hurt and has flaws she must overcome, unlike a lot of other isekai protagonists that start over-powered and unbeatable.
A Snake Sneaks Up On Her
The CGI looks great in this fight in which a snake slithers up to Kumoko and towers over her. Kumoko uses her agility and speed to overcome the enemy, as well as strengthening her web skills to clamp its mouth shut. The snake doesn't go down easily, smashing Kumoko against the dungeon walls, but Kumoko demonstrates her determination as she clings on and earns a win.
Kumoko's personality shines in this fight, as she celebrates her victory by screaming "how you like that?" at the dead snake. As the series progresses, the CGI becomes a lot shakier and not as well-executed, but this fight uses the technology well and gives a realistic feeling to the danger Kumoko is in.
She Finds An Eel In The Lava Room
Kumoko drops into a dungeon full of lava and finds several enemies including a seahorse, some catfish, and a giant eel. The eel is the toughest of these opponents, using high-speed fireballs to catch Kumoko while "camping out" where it has the most advantage in the lava. Kumoko can develop her Foresight ability thanks to this fight, and she has a few close calls, being set on fire at one point.
The CGI is consistent, and camera angles prevent potentially awkward moments in the animation. Compared with the previous fights in the series, which take place in a dark dungeon, the location of a lava room is a nice change of pace and a new challenge for Kumoko.
Potimas The Elf Tries To Kill The Baby Vampire
In the final episode of the first season, Kumoko has evolved into a half-human half-spider and protects Sophia Keren, a student that has been reincarnated into this new world. Potimas, the elf leader and potentially the most powerful enemy so far in the anime, attempts to kill Sophia, but Kumoko intervenes and dispatches Potimas' entourage.
Tthis is one of the better fights from the latter half of the show as Kumoko remains witty and charming, and the animation is good albeit very darkly-lit. The sudden intervention of Ariel the demon lord is a welcome surprise, as Ariel has absorbed a lot of Kumoko's personality via a previously established mind-meld.
A High-Ranking Fire Dragon Rises From Lava
Kumoko navigates a dungeon full of lava and encounters a fire dragon that has half its flesh burned off. Although the dragon has less than half its health left, it still outclasses Kumoko and makes her really work to survive this fight. One of the best shots in the fight is the dragon bursting out of the lava with its wings splayed out, lava splashing up around it.
The fight is kind of slow, mostly due to Kumoko's Thought Acceleration skill slowing down the fight to enable her to think her way out of situations. However, the fight is made better by the climax, where Kumoko uses Abyss Magic to break down the dragon's defenses. There is also a reference to the classic anime trope of the sword wielder facing away as their opponent is cut in half behind them.
Her Mother Sends An Army After Her
Kumoko's mother is a giant spider that is well-established as a formidable foe right from the beginning of the show. The army of spiders that Mother sends after Kumoko is intimidating, but Kumoko faces them with her usual wit, taunting them and trying to avoid their skills, which are very similar to her own due to being the same species.
Kumoko wins this fight quite quickly, teleporting the bigger enemies into the dungeon lava room to separate them from the group and kill them faster. The enemies' skills are on par with Kumoko, so the action could get boring, but the changing locations make this a great fight as the scenery does not stay in one place for too long.
A Horde Of Bagragratch Ambushes Her
Kumoko fights a monkey one-on-one at first and adapts to his powerful hits, but, after he is defeated, he screams to attract his family. Kumoko climbs to a high place, but she can't climb further than a narrow ledge and is forced to defend herself against a swarm of angry monkeys.
The character's determination to overcome the odds brings out the best in Aoi Yuki's voice acting, showing Kumoko's survival skills and quick wit as she finds a way to combat the monkeys.
Three Bagragratch Attack Her
This is the leveled-up version of the fight between Kumoko and the horde of monkeys, with three evolved enemies showing greater dexterity and power to counter Kumoko's attacks. The CGI is quality, and the scene makes use of dynamic camera angles to mask any awkward animations and showing enough battle scenes to keep the audience satisfied.
Kumoko almost loses this fight, with half of her body being chewed off by an evolved monkey, demonstrating that Kumoko will truly be challenged as she struggles to survive.
The Puppet Spider Jumpscares Her
The creepiest enemy and one of the best animated villains so far in the show is the puppet spider, a humanoid creature with six arms that wield swords and is controlled by a spider inside the creature using its web strings. This fight is one of the best animated in the show, demonstrating the puppet's speed and creepiness through quick editing and good CGI.
Kumoko is closer to dying in this fight than she ever has been before, especially as the spider enemies have a lot of the same skills as her. However, Kumoko uses illusion magic and her dexterity to come out with a win.
Araba The Earth Dragon Earns Her Respect
The showdown between Kumoko and Araba had been foreshadowed for a few episodes before the actual fight, showing the giant dragon Araba—arguably one of the coolest dragons in anime—taking down a giant snake that far outclassed Kumoko, almost disheartening her.
Their actual fight was just as exciting as fans expected it to be, with Kumoko showing off her enhanced magic skills to create a barrage of attacks right at the very start.