What happens when Rimuru stops simply gaining new abilities and starts rebuilding the entire architecture of his Ultimate Skills?
That is the real story behind Rimuru’s power progression.
Great Sage becomes Raphael. Raphael becomes Ciel. Predator evolves into Gluttony and eventually Beelzebuth. Uriel emerges from Infinity Prison. Veldora and Velgrynd’s powers become part of a far larger system.
Then Ciel changes everything.
Here at Shonen Vortex, we’ve been tracking Rimuru’s evolution from the earliest Great Sage and Predator days, and one thing becomes obvious when you follow the progression closely: Rimuru’s Ultimate Skills are not a static collection of powers.
They are an evolving system.
This article tracks what each major Ultimate Skill originally did, how it evolved, what happened to it, and which functions survived into Rimuru’s final configuration.
As of September 2026, the anime is airing Season 4, while the completed light novel has reached Volume 23, giving us the clearest possible picture of Rimuru’s endgame power. Volume 23 was released as the main story’s conclusion on November 29, 2025. ORICON confirms the final Volume 23 release.
Rimuru’s Ultimate Skills Explained: The Evolution Starts Here
Rimuru’s Ultimate Skills are the highest class of abilities in Tensura, but their importance comes from how they interact, evolve and combine. Rimuru’s final power is built from several earlier abilities rather than one isolated Ultimate Skill.
The easiest way to understand the progression is:
- Great Sage evolved into Raphael.
- Raphael eventually became Ciel.
- Predator evolved into Gluttony.
- Gluttony evolved into Beelzebuth.
- Infinity Prison became part of Uriel.
- Uriel’s remaining core contributed to Shub-Niggurath.
- Veldora’s abilities became part of Rimuru’s final system.
- Velgrynd’s abilities were also integrated.
- Beelzebuth became part of Azathoth.
- Shub-Niggurath became Rimuru’s skill-management powerhouse.
If you’re following the larger timeline, start with our Rimuru Deaths: The Powerful Truth in Each Timeline. The timeline mechanics become increasingly important when discussing Rimuru, Chloe and Chronoa.
The biggest mistake in power-scaling discussions is looking at each skill independently.
Rimuru eventually stops fighting with a toolbox.
He starts fighting with an operating system.
1. Great Sage to Raphael: Rimuru’s Most Important Evolution
The first Ultimate Skill evolution that truly changed Rimuru’s trajectory was Raphael.
But Raphael did not appear from nowhere.
Rimuru’s original Unique Skill, Great Sage, was already doing something extremely unusual. It could analyze situations, accelerate thought, provide calculations and assist Rimuru with decision-making.
The Rimuru power evolution timeline makes this early progression easier to appreciate because Rimuru’s advantage was initially information rather than overwhelming destructive force.
During the Harvest Festival, Great Sage evolved into Raphael.
That was a massive technical upgrade.
Raphael could perform much more advanced analysis, parallel processing and skill manipulation. More importantly, Raphael could begin optimizing Rimuru’s abilities rather than merely explaining them.
This is why Raphael is arguably more important to Rimuru’s eventual strength than many of the flashy combat skills.
Raphael is the bridge between Rimuru’s original skill set and Ciel’s final architecture.
The manga and anime present this evolution during Rimuru’s Demon Lord awakening. The light novel establishes the same fundamental progression.
And once Ciel appears later, we realize what Raphael was really building toward.
2. Raphael to Ciel: The Ultimate Skill Becomes a Manas
This is where Rimuru’s skill system stops looking normal.
Raphael eventually evolves into Ciel, a Manas.
Ciel is not simply “Raphael with better stats.”
That distinction matters.
Raphael was an Ultimate Skill.
Ciel is a sentient information-processing existence that can actively manage Rimuru’s increasingly ridiculous collection of abilities.
The difference is similar to having an incredibly powerful computer versus having an intelligent system that understands how to redesign the computer while it is running.
That is why Ciel becomes central to Rimuru’s endgame power.
Our Truth About Chronoa article is particularly relevant here because Chronoa, Chloe and Rimuru’s timeline are deeply connected to the same information and temporal mechanics that make Ciel so important.
The connection becomes even clearer when you read our Chloe O’Bell power breakdown and Hinata Sakaguchi and Chronoa connection.
These aren’t separate lore islands.
They are pieces of the same enormous Tensura power system.
3. Predator to Beelzebuth: Rimuru’s Devouring Engine
If Raphael represents Rimuru’s intelligence, Predator represents something much more primal.
Consumption.
Rimuru’s original Predator skill allowed him to consume targets, store them, analyze them and acquire useful characteristics.
That ability eventually evolved into Gluttony and then Beelzebuth.
Beelzebuth took the original Predator concept and turned it into a vastly more sophisticated ability.
Its major functions included consumption, storage, isolation, analysis and the Food Chain system.
The Food Chain ability is especially important because it links Rimuru’s own power with his subordinates.
That means Rimuru’s growth is not entirely individual.
His nation becomes part of his information network.
This is one reason the Strongest Primordial Demons in Tensura article matters when discussing Rimuru’s Ultimate Skills.
Diablo and the other Primordial Demons aren’t simply powerful servants.
They are part of the larger network surrounding Rimuru.
The same principle becomes increasingly important during the Eastern Empire conflict. Our Eastern Empire Army breakdown covers why the Empire represents such a massive escalation in the story.
And once the Eastern Empire Generals enter the discussion, Rimuru’s ability to analyze, consume and reorganize power becomes even more important.
4. What Happened to Beelzebuth?
Here’s where a lot of Ultimate Skill rankings become misleading.
Beelzebuth eventually stops existing as an independent Ultimate Skill in Rimuru’s final configuration.
But its powers don’t simply vanish.
They become components of Azathoth.
This is a crucial distinction.
Rimuru doesn’t lose an ability just because the original name disappears.
He often absorbs the function into something more advanced.
Beelzebuth’s consumption-based functions therefore become part of Rimuru’s later power architecture.
That is why saying “Rimuru lost Beelzebuth” is technically misleading.
The name disappears.
The functionality survives.
And this is the same pattern we see repeatedly throughout Rimuru’s evolution.
5. Uriel: The Ultimate Defensive System
Uriel is one of the most interesting Ultimate Skills because it evolved from Infinity Prison rather than simply appearing as a completely new ability.
Uriel was acquired during Rimuru’s Demon Lord evolution and became one of his primary defensive and control-oriented Ultimate Skills.
Its abilities included Absolute Guard, Spatial Domination, Law Manipulation and Infinity Prison.
The reference material places Uriel’s light novel debut in Volume 5 and its manga debut around Chapter 72, while the anime introduced it in Episode 37.
That gives us a useful receipt for the progression rather than simply relying on fandom memory.
Uriel’s biggest advantage wasn’t raw destruction.
It was control.
Rimuru could establish barriers, manipulate space and impose rules on the battlefield.
This becomes particularly important when looking at the broader Tensura power system. Our Holy Ark breakdown provides additional context for the kind of sealing and defensive mechanics that exist at the highest level.
Likewise, our Seven Days Clergy article gives useful context for the wider Lubelius power structure.
6. Why Uriel Eventually Disappears
Uriel’s disappearance is one of the most misunderstood parts of Rimuru’s evolution.
Rimuru eventually gives Uriel to Velgrynd.
But the remaining core of Uriel becomes extremely important.
That remaining structure contributes to the creation of Shub-Niggurath.
So Uriel’s evolution is not:
Uriel → gone.
It is closer to:
Uriel → functions reorganized → Shub-Niggurath.
This is where Rimuru’s skill architecture becomes almost technological.
Instead of maintaining dozens of separate Ultimate Skills, Ciel reorganizes their functions into more efficient structures.
And that is exactly why Rimuru’s final build cannot be understood by simply counting how many Ultimate Skills he has.
The architecture matters more than the number.
7. Veldora’s Power Enters Rimuru’s System
Rimuru’s relationship with Veldora is one of the biggest reasons his final power set becomes so ridiculous.
Veldora is not simply Rimuru’s best friend.
He is a True Dragon.
And Rimuru eventually gains access to Veldora’s power through their soul connection and skill architecture.
If you want the full power context, read our How Strong Is Veldora Really? Full Breakdown.
That article provides the missing piece when discussing why Veldora’s authority matters so much inside Rimuru’s final configuration.
Veldora’s Ultimate Skill, Faust, is eventually integrated into Rimuru’s larger system.
The important concept here is True Dragon Nucleation.
Rimuru’s final power allows True Dragon authorities to be represented and utilized through his own system.
That takes Rimuru beyond simply copying a dragon’s attack.
He is incorporating the underlying authority.
And that distinction is huge.
8. Velgrynd’s Power Changes the Equation Again
Velgrynd creates another major jump.
Her True Dragon authority is associated with Scorch and an extremely powerful set of abilities involving acceleration, space and dimensional movement.
Our How Strong Is Velgrynd Really? Full Breakdown goes much deeper into her individual power.
For this article, the important part is what happens after Rimuru gains access to her abilities.
They become part of his increasingly unified system.
That means Rimuru’s final skill configuration isn’t simply based on abilities he personally invented.
It incorporates power originating from multiple True Dragons.
This is one of the reasons the comparison between Rimuru and other top-tier Tensura characters gets so complicated.
For another perspective, compare this with our How Strong Is Velzard Really? Full Breakdown.
Velzard’s position among the True Dragons helps show just how insane Rimuru’s final access to True Dragon authority actually is.
9. Azathoth: Rimuru’s Most Powerful Ultimate Skill
Now we reach the monster.
Void God Azathoth.
Azathoth is the result of Ciel restructuring Rimuru’s accumulated power into a far more advanced Ultimate Skill.
Its major abilities include:
- Soul Gluttony
- Nihility Collapse
- Imaginary Space
- Space-Time Domination
- Multidimensional Barrier
- True Dragon Release
- True Dragon Nucleation
This is why Azathoth sits at the top of our ranking.
It isn’t simply powerful.
It is absurdly versatile.
Soul Gluttony provides an upgraded form of Rimuru’s original consumption concept.
Imaginary Space gives Rimuru an enormous internal space for containment and processing.
Space-Time Domination pushes his control over spatial and temporal mechanics to another level.
True Dragon Release lets him access the authorities connected to the True Dragons.
And then there is Nihility Collapse.
That’s the part that makes the entire system terrifying.
Nihility Collapse is connected to the ultimate destructive energy of the Void and becomes one of Rimuru’s defining endgame weapons.
The light novel reaches this level of power well beyond the anime’s current progression.
That distinction matters because the anime-only Rimuru and Volume 23 Rimuru are operating at radically different points on the power curve.
10. Shub-Niggurath: Rimuru’s Hidden Superpower
If Azathoth is Rimuru’s ultimate weapon, Shub-Niggurath is his workshop.
And honestly, this skill might be even more interesting mechanically.
Shub-Niggurath provides functions such as:
- Skill Creation
- Skill Duplication
- Skill Gifting
- Skill Storage
This means Rimuru can treat abilities almost like information objects.
He can store them.
Analyze them.
Recreate them.
Distribute them.
Modify their application.
That is completely different from simply possessing a powerful attack.
The surviving core of Uriel is associated with the creation of Shub-Niggurath, while the skill becomes responsible for organizing Rimuru’s enormous collection of ability information.
This also explains why Rimuru’s relationship with his subordinates matters so much.
The Labyrinth of Tempest breakdown gives another excellent example of how Tempest’s larger infrastructure fits into Rimuru’s power strategy.
The nation itself becomes part of his larger tactical ecosystem.
11. Michael: The Skill That Rimuru Absorbed
Michael is different from the other abilities because it developed its own will.
The Ultimate Skill Justice King Michael eventually becomes associated with the Manas Michael.
That makes the confrontation fundamentally different from Rimuru simply defeating another character with a powerful skill.
Michael’s accumulated information and abilities become available after Rimuru defeats and consumes him.
This becomes especially important because Michael had access to a huge amount of information about the Virtue Skills and the world’s power structure.
The Eastern Empire Army article is worth reading alongside this section because Michael’s influence over the Empire is one of the biggest reasons the conflict escalates so dramatically.
The Eastern Empire Generals breakdown adds another layer by showing the strength of the individuals operating within that system.
Rimuru isn’t merely defeating powerful opponents.
He is continuously adding their information to his own growing architecture.
12. Rimuru Ultimate Skills Ranked
Here is the ranking based on final usefulness, versatility, authority and contribution to Rimuru’s endgame power, rather than simply destructive output.
| Rank | Ultimate Skill | Evolution / Status | Core Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Azathoth | Final Ultimate Skill | Void, consumption, space-time and True Dragon authority |
| 2 | Shub-Niggurath | Final Ultimate Skill | Skill creation, duplication, storage and gifting |
| 3 | Raphael | Evolved into Ciel | Analysis, calculation and skill optimization |
| 4 | Beelzebuth | Integrated into Azathoth | Consumption, storage and Food Chain |
| 5 | Uriel | Core contributed to later system | Defense, spatial control and law manipulation |
| 6 | Veldora’s Ultimate Skill | Integrated into Rimuru’s system | Storm and True Dragon authority |
| 7 | Velgrynd’s Ultimate Skill | Integrated into Rimuru’s system | Scorch and True Dragon authority |
| 8 | Michael | Absorbed by Rimuru | Angelic authority and accumulated skill information |
But there is an important caveat.
Ranking Raphael below Azathoth doesn’t mean Raphael was somehow useless.
Quite the opposite.
Without Raphael, Rimuru’s path toward Ciel and the final skill architecture becomes almost impossible to explain.
Likewise, Beelzebuth isn’t “weak” because it ranks below Shub-Niggurath.
It became part of Azathoth.
The old skill effectively became a component of the new one.
That’s the pattern you need to remember.
13. The Evolution Tree Explains Everything
If you want the simplest possible representation of Rimuru’s skill progression, look at it this way:
Great Sage → Raphael → Ciel
Predator → Gluttony → Beelzebuth → Azathoth
Infinity Prison → Uriel → remaining core → Shub-Niggurath
Veldora’s power → Rimuru’s True Dragon system
Velgrynd’s power → Rimuru’s True Dragon system
This is why a simple “Rimuru has X Ultimate Skills” article misses the point.
Rimuru’s power is evolutionary.
The system repeatedly takes older abilities and compresses their useful functions into something more advanced.
That is the information gain most Ultimate Skill lists miss.
And once you connect this with the Tensura Time Travel and Chloe breakdown, the bigger picture becomes even clearer.
Time.
Information.
Souls.
Skills.
True Dragons.
They are increasingly interconnected.
14. The Current Anime Rimuru vs the Final Light Novel Rimuru
This distinction is extremely important in September 2026.
Season 4 is currently airing on Crunchyroll, with the simulcast calendar showing episodes continuing through September.
But the light novel story has already concluded.
Volume 23 released on November 29, 2025 and completed the main story. ORICON reported that the final volume brought the main novel series to its conclusion.
So anime-only viewers are still watching Rimuru’s power system develop toward the final state.
Light novel readers already know where it ends.
That creates an interesting fandom split.
The anime shows us the pieces.
The completed novel shows us what those pieces eventually become.
And this is why current power discussions should always specify whether we’re talking about anime Rimuru, manga Rimuru or endgame light novel Rimuru.
Otherwise, the comparison gets messy very quickly.
15. Why Azathoth and Shub-Niggurath Work Together
This is the part I think deserves more attention.
Azathoth and Shub-Niggurath are not really competitors.
They complement each other.
Azathoth handles Rimuru’s extreme combat authority.
Shub-Niggurath handles the information and skill infrastructure behind his enormous arsenal.
Think of Azathoth as the weapon.
Think of Shub-Niggurath as the workshop.
And Ciel is the intelligence running both.
That’s why Rimuru’s final power feels so different from the abilities he had during the Demon Lord awakening.
Back then, Rimuru had several powerful tools.
Later, he has an interconnected system.
That difference is everything.
The same pattern can be seen when comparing Rimuru’s growth with the strongest Primordial Demons and the abilities of characters such as Luminous.
Top-tier Tensura characters don’t simply have “more magic.”
Their abilities operate at increasingly fundamental levels.
16. The Real Reason Rimuru Is So Difficult to Power Scale
After tracking this debate across the fandom, here’s what holds up:
The biggest mistake is treating Ultimate Skills like RPG equipment.
You cannot simply say:
“Skill A is stronger than Skill B.”
You have to ask what happened to Skill B.
Was it absorbed?
Was it evolved?
Was its core transferred?
Was its function reproduced?
Was it integrated into another Ultimate Skill?
That’s the key.
Beelzebuth didn’t become irrelevant.
Uriel didn’t simply vanish.
Raphael didn’t get discarded.
They were transformed.
And that makes Rimuru’s final system far more complicated than a normal ranking chart suggests.
Manga readers will fight us on this, but Rimuru’s real endgame advantage isn’t any single Ultimate Skill.
It is Ciel’s ability to make the entire system work together.
FAQ: Rimuru Ultimate Skills
What is Rimuru’s strongest Ultimate Skill?
Azathoth is Rimuru’s defining endgame Ultimate Skill. It combines several major functions inherited from earlier abilities and adds overwhelming Void, consumption, space-time and True Dragon capabilities.
What happened to Raphael?
Raphael evolved into Ciel. Ciel is no longer merely an Ultimate Skill function. It becomes a sentient Manas capable of managing Rimuru’s increasingly complex abilities and optimizing his skill architecture.
Is Beelzebuth still Rimuru’s Ultimate Skill?
Beelzebuth no longer exists as an independent Ultimate Skill in Rimuru’s final configuration. Its major functions are incorporated into Azathoth, meaning its abilities survive in a more advanced form.
What does Shub-Niggurath do?
Shub-Niggurath focuses on skill management. Its major functions include Skill Creation, Skill Duplication, Skill Gifting and Skill Storage, making it extremely important to Rimuru’s final arsenal.
Does Rimuru still have Uriel?
Uriel does not remain as an independent Ultimate Skill in Rimuru’s final configuration. Its remaining core contributes to Shub-Niggurath, while useful functions from its original architecture survive through Rimuru’s reconstructed system.
Final Verdict: Rimuru’s Ultimate Skills Are One Giant System
Rimuru’s Ultimate Skills aren’t simply a collection of increasingly powerful abilities.
They are an evolution tree.
Great Sage becomes Raphael. Raphael becomes Ciel. Predator becomes Beelzebuth. Infinity Prison contributes to Uriel. Uriel’s remaining core contributes to Shub-Niggurath. True Dragon powers become part of the final architecture.
Then Ciel turns the whole thing into something far bigger.
Azathoth is the weapon. Shub-Niggurath is the arsenal. Ciel is the intelligence connecting everything.
That is why endgame Rimuru feels completely different from the slime we met in the cave.
The fascinating part isn’t that Rimuru kept getting stronger.
It’s how intelligently his powers were reorganized every time he reached a new ceiling.
So here’s the question for the Tensura fandom:
Where does each Rimuru Ultimate Skill rank for you?
Drop your own tier list in the comments. I want to see where you put Raphael, Beelzebuth, Uriel, Azathoth and Shub-Niggurath.
