Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End Season 2 Episode 1 Review – The Legendary Anime Returns in Winter 2026

For every Frieren fan worldwide, I’m sure the excitement is high because Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End Season 2 is finally here, with the first episode having aired on January 16, 2026. Although there are a lot of great anime waiting for us in Winter 2026, just knowing that Frieren has returned must have brought fans together worldwide!

I can totally understand why fans worldwide are so excited about the return of Frieren. Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End Season 1 ended on March 22, 2024, with its 28th episode, "It Would Be Embarrassing When We Meet Again." Since it has been almost two years since then, how could fans worldwide who love Frieren not be excited?

For those who loved the first season or count themselves as fans of Frieren, believe me—you definitely don't want to miss Season 2 and its premiere episode. So, if you haven’t watched it yet, you should watch it now—or as soon as you can. 

On the other hand, for those who haven’t watched Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End before, or who have forgotten almost everything from Season 1—after watching Season 2, Episode 1 myself, I can responsibly tell you that you don’t need to rewatch the whole of Season 1 to enjoy Season 2. Although Frieren: Beyond Journey's End Season 2 is a continuous anime and the timeline follows Season 1, the first episode can be watched independently, so we don't need to force ourselves to revisit the whole of Season 1.

After finishing the first episode myself, I think it’s a strong comeback and have some thoughts to share in this post. Since there will be many spoilers ahead, please stop here if you want to avoid them—otherwise, keep reading!

Source: 『葬送のフリーレン』Official X account

Frieren & New Journey:


Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End Season 2 Episode 1 is just like other episodes in the series: it starts and ends with slow-paced storytelling. The whole episode doesn’t have any intense battles, extremely high-quality animation, or dialogue full of mysterious keywords like other anime. Instead, the first episode progresses with its own unique pacing, yet it still manages to keep people watching without skipping a single part.

Instead of starting with fights, battles, or explosive effects, the first episode of Season 2 begins with Frieren, Fern, and Stark continuing their journey peacefully. It was truly calm, but despite being experienced travelers, they don't have a stable income, so they immediately face financial problems in the first episode.

What would you do if you faced financial problems? Since this is a peaceful anime, illegal jobs aren't an option. You would try to find legal work—or, if you lived in a world full of mysterious items, you might do what Frieren does and try to find something valuable. Frieren did help the team find something valuable, but because of that "something," they ended up falling into a place that looked dangerous.

Well, the "finding" part isn't short, and how it feels will be different for everyone. Personally, I found it a little boring, since it really was all about the search. If we only look at the “finding” part, I might have stopped watching and suggested everyone else do the same; however, that part was actually just setting the stage for a much greater story.

What makes Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End special and a worldwide hot topic isn't the battles or effects, but the everyday moments of her journey. A journey will naturally be boring at times, but when those everyday parts are fused with emotions, memories, and character growth, that boredom turns into excitement very easily.

The whole "finding" part wasn't setting the stage for Frieren and her team to become super rich—honestly, I really thought that was where the story was going! Instead, the search was actually a setup for Stark’s growth.

Source: 『葬送のフリーレン』Official X account

Frieren & Stark & Eisen:

Stark, is one of the main characters of Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, although he is strong and was the apprentice of the strongest—Eisen—Stark is actually a guy who is quite easily scared and has a low level of self-confidence. Throughout the anime, Stark does look like a weak and pathetic man sometimes, but I can actually understand why he became that way.

Despite his current appearance, Stark has been compared to his brother by his father since he was a little boy. Stark’s brother was quite talented, and because young Stark looked like a weak boy, his father logically favored his brother instead of him. This caused great emotional damage for a child; after being emotionally abandoned and being the sole survivor to flee the destruction caused by demons, it’s only natural that Stark developed his current personality.

It isn't necessarily a terrible thing to be a man who is easily scared and lacks self-confidence. However, since Stark lives in a world full of monsters and has decided to continue his journey with Frieren and Fern, he will eventually need to grow—which is exactly why we had this episode.

From Stark’s perspective, because of his history and memories, he always thought he was a man who was not worth trusting; he felt he wasn't good enough because he had run away from his hometown. Since Stark was his own harshest critic and doubted himself, he couldn’t understand why Frieren believed in him so much.

In Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End Season 2, Episode 1, Stark, Frieren, and Fern are dropped into a mysterious underground area. Normally, just being dropped underground wouldn't be a big deal to them, but this time, the area contains an item that seals magic. This meant that once they entered, Frieren and Fern became virtually useless, as they could no longer use their magic.

In this situation, it would be more appropriate if Frieren panicked or desperately tried to find a way out; in fact, Fern was quite worried. However, Frieren just seemed to be enjoying every moment in her own way, which confused Stark. From Stark’s perspective, he was just a guy who would run away when things didn't go right, so he felt Frieren shouldn’t believe in him so much; however, Frieren actually had a very different point of view.

In a world full of mysteries, dangers, and monsters, running away from a battle is not a shame; in fact, it is a brilliant move for survival. On the other hand, fighting an opponent you have no chance of defeating isn't bravery either; it is simply a suicidal act. To someone like Frieren, running away was not a problem—it was just an action, as long as you were thinking and acting for the sake of the team.

Stark was a brave, kind-hearted, and talented person; there was nothing wrong with his personality. It was simply that the way he looked at his past traumatized him. In fact, in Episode 1, after a few words from Frieren, Stark immediately knew what to do and took the best actions for the team's survival.

Just as Frieren and Eisen noticed and believed, Stark does have many 'shining' qualities, and they will continue to grow and become brighter throughout the upcoming journey. Stark’s story won’t come to an end so quickly; sooner or later, he will transform into someone he can be fully confident in.

Source: 『葬送のフリーレン』Official X account

Frieren & Stark & Fern:

Stark truly loved the long journey he shared with Frieren and Fern. In the final part of Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End Season 2, Episode 1, Stark and his team coincided with Wirbel’s team by chance. Wirbel had teamed up with Stark once before in Season 1; since then, Wirbel has acknowledged Stark’s power and has wanted to team up with him again.

Stark was a kind hearted and talented frontline warrior, so for someone like Wirbel, who was fighting in the northern frontline with the demons all time, he definitely needs Stark. To Stark, this is actually a great opportunity; since fighting on the frontlines can gain him a lot of experience and fame, he would be famous in no time if he joined Wirbel.

But since Stark truly loved his team and enjoyed their journey, he declined Wirbel's offer to stay with them. Others might think this is a bad decision, as staying with Frieren doesn't offer much in the way of traditional benefits; it requires a lot of daily chores, meaning the rewards and the hard work aren't in a very good ratio.

Stark is not a stupid person; he definitely knows the pros and cons of staying versus leaving, and despite all of that, he decided to stay. From a viewer’s perspective, I am really happy that he stayed, because it means Frieren’s journey will continue in a playful and joyous way.

X post you may like:

『葬送のフリーレン』第2期
第29話「じゃあ行こうか」
ピックアップシーンの動画をアップ🪄

「俺はどこにも行かないよ」

▼YouTubehttps://t.co/wVzMqlZLHe

▼公式TikTokhttps://t.co/p3kFoYPuvD

今後も順次アップしていきます。
ぜひご覧ください。#フリーレン #frieren pic.twitter.com/rbpsbxBcQU

— 『葬送のフリーレン』アニメ公式 (@Anime_Frieren) January 20, 2026

Conclusion:


Personal Rating: 8/10

Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End Season 2, Episode 1 started and ended in a harmonious and peaceful way. The entire episode doesn’t contain any intense battles, unique magic, or explosive effects, but it does show significant character growth, and we can really feel the warmth of the characters.

This is Frieren’s journey, and although some people may find it boring at certain points, the anime won’t change its tone—because that is exactly what makes this series so special. I strongly recommend Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End Season 2 to everyone. However, if you are someone who really can’t stand slow-paced stories or quiet moments, it might be better to wait and watch the whole season once it is finished.

Frieren’s journey will continue. Although Episode 1 has only just aired, I am already incredibly curious and eager for the next installment. Please stay tuned, as I’ll be back to share more thoughts with you soon!

Where to watch: Youtube

You can watch Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End Season 2 for free on YouTube, so remember not to miss your chance!

X post you may like:

『葬送のフリーレン』第2期
第29話「じゃあ行こうか」
ピックアップシーンの動画をアップ🪄

「それ別のおっさんもよく言っていたな」

▼YouTubehttps://t.co/Yg6UkrWmQ5

▼公式TikTokhttps://t.co/p3kFoYOWG5

今後も順次アップしていきます。
ぜひご覧ください。#フリーレン #frieren pic.twitter.com/xbSq503ERA

— 『葬送のフリーレン』アニメ公式 (@Anime_Frieren) January 20, 2026