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Best Goblin: The Lonely and Great God Episodes, Ranked

All 16 episodes of Goblin: The Lonely and Great God scored and sorted — from the 9.3/10 high of S1E9 to the 8.6/10 of S1E1.

By Mira Vance · Editor & Lead Reviewer

Our rating: 8.98/10 average across 16 episode reviews (best 9.3, lowest 8.6).

Across its single 16-episode run, Goblin is one of the most consistent K-dramas you’ll ever chart — nothing dips below 8.6, and the whole back half lives in the low nines. The shape is a slow swell rather than a spike. The premiere, S1E1 “A Sword, a Birthday, and a Door to Canada,” sits at the bottom (8.6) for the obvious reason: it has the heaviest lifting to do, planting the immortal Kim Shin, the sword in his chest, and Eun-tak’s whole mythology before any of it can pay off. The early stretch (E2-E5, all 8.7-8.8) is lovely but still arranging furniture.

Then it climbs and stays climbed. The peak is S1E9, “Eun-tak Chooses Life With Kim Shin” (9.3), where the romance stops circling and commits — the single most decisive emotional turn in the series. Just below it, three episodes tie at 9.2: E7 “Eun-tak Finally Touches the Sword” and E8 “The Sword Finally Moves,” the one-two punch where the central mystery snaps into motion, plus E13 “The Sword Finally Finds Its Target,” the gut-punch payoff the whole show was built toward.

The one curiosity: the finale, E16 “Love Runs Back Through the Rain,” drops back to 8.7 — gorgeous but a softer landing than the storm before it. That’s the only real dip in an otherwise rock-steady season.

678910S1E1: 8.6/10S1E2: 8.7/10S1E3: 8.8/10S1E4: 8.8/10S1E5: 8.7/10S1E6: 9.0/10S1E7: 9.2/10S1E8: 9.2/10S1E9: 9.3/10S1E10: 9.1/10S1E11: 9.1/10S1E12: 9.1/10S1E13: 9.2/10S1E14: 9.1/10S1E15: 9.1/10S1E16: 8.7/10
Every episode scored on tension, payoff, and rewatch value. Hover a point for the episode.
RankEpEpisodeScore
1S1E9Eun-tak Chooses Life With Kim Shin9.3
T-2S1E7Eun-tak Finally Touches the Sword9.2
T-2S1E8The Sword Finally Moves9.2
T-2S1E13The Sword Finally Finds Its Target9.2
T-5S1E10Sunny's Ring Opens the Past9.1
T-5S1E11Sunny Walks Back Into Goryeo9.1
T-5S1E12The King Comes Home Wearing a Reaper's Face9.1
T-5S1E14Kim Shin Returns to a World That Forgot Him9.1
T-5S1E15Eun-tak Remembers Before Fate Returns9.1
10S1E6The Bride Reaches for the Sword9.0
T-11S1E3Eun-tak Sees the Sword and Asks Him to Stay8.8
T-11S1E4Eun-tak Sees the Sword8.8
T-13S1E2Quebec Makes the Bride Question Hurt8.7
T-13S1E5Love Moves Into the House Before Snowfall8.7
T-13S1E16Love Runs Back Through the Rain8.7
16S1E1A Sword, a Birthday, and a Door to Canada8.6

Scores reflect our episode reviews. Tap any episode to read the full review, or browse the whole Goblin: The Lonely and Great God season recap from the top.