A review of the story arcs that Frieren's first season adapts
One of the biggest surprises that the shonen genre has received has been Frieren: After finishing the tripan anime released in 2023 that is already considered a masterpiece by a large number of people. The most dramatic moments of its first episode were able to move viewers, and its story is characterized by touching on topics as transcendent as death, human emotions and the inevitable passage of time.
In addition to having a deep plot and a protagonist in constant evolutionFrieren: After finishing the trip, he sets his story in a fascinating fantasy world in which there is no shortage of supernatural beings and magical landscapes. Its success has allowed it to have a second season underway, and the 28 episodes of its first season adapted the first 4 arcs of the original mangawhich we will mention in this article.
The following lines include spoilers from the first season of Frieren: After finishing the trip.
Journey's End Beyond Arc (Episodes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and part of 7)
Frieren's companions
Beyond Journey's End is the first story arc and extends to the seventh episode of the anime. It mainly focuses on the end of the 10-year journey they undertook. Himmel, Frieren, Heiter and Eisenconsidered heroes after achieving the feat of defeating the Demon King. After a well-deserved celebration party, the group of friends decides separate their paths and continue with their respective lives.
Several years after this bittersweet farewell, the elf Frieren reunites with her best allies for an emotional reunion. Himmel's inevitable death ends up leaving a huge mark on our protagonist, encouraging her to try to better understand other people's emotions and to use his magical powers to help people. On the other hand, this arc also introduces stark already Ferna young woman educated by Heiter who would later become Frieren's first apprentice.
Aura the Guillotine Arc (Episodes 7, 8, 9, 10 and part of 11)
Aura the Guillotine was the main antagonist of this arc
This arc happens 28 years after Himmel's deatha moment that marked a before and after in Frieren's life. In these episodes we can see that Fern has been traveling the world with Frieren for years, and that she has become one of the people closest to her. During their trip, our protagonists and Stark decide to rest in the Domain of Graf Granat, where they unexpectedly encounter a small group of demons.
As Fern and Stark try to stop a conspiracy started by these demons, Frieren is forced to stop an imminent invasion orchestrated by Aura the Guillotineone of the Seven Sages of Destruction and a villainess of immense power. Our protagonists manage to thwart the plans of these enemies and Frieren manages to defeat Aura with relative ease, leaving us some of the most shocking scenes of the entire season.
Travels to Äußerst Arc (Episodes 11-17)
This arc introduces Sein, one of the most beloved characters in the series
The next destination for Frieren and his companions is Äußerst, a place located in the distant Northlands. During his trip, Frieren coincidentally meets seinan eccentric priest who loves alcohol and card games. This man decides temporarily join the group and lend a hand to Starkwho is unable to understand Fern's feelings.
These episodes mainly focus on giving more depth to the main characters and on show us the day to day life of each one of them while traveling together to different places. The arc doesn't have too many moments of action, but it more than makes up for it with comic situations and even the occasional romantic moment between Fern and Stark.
First Class Mage Exam Arc (Episodes 18-28)
Frieren and Fern faced incredibly powerful mages in this arc
After arriving in Äußerst, Frieren is forced to take the First Class Wizard exama test divided into 3 stages that brings together some of the most promising magicians today. Thinking about his apprentice's future, Frieren encourages Fern to sign up, which will bring with it unexpected adventures for the young woman.
This arch is one of the most controversial of the entire worksince it added to Frieren's story several characteristics typical of the most classic action shonen and left characters like Stark in the background. On the other hand, the arch has great confrontations between magicians and very creative tests.
