‘Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End’ Season 2 Episode 2 review: “The Hero of the South”

Frieren the Slayer, the one we all know and love, is back. Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End Season 2 Episode 2, “The Hero of the South,” does an amazing job of expanding the anime’s world by introducing a new character. It’s an interesting juxtaposition to Himmel, who, up until now, was considered by man to be the strongest – and most vital – character in beating the Demon King.

The worldbuilding in “The Hero of the South” embodies the series ability to depict the passage of time, linking together the past and present in ways the audience would never have thought. While it’s common knowledge throughout the Frieren (Atsumi Tanezaki) universe that Himmel’s party is the one that took down the Demon King, it’s not as well-known that there were other, similarly powerful players in the world as well.

It would be easy to view this as undercutting Frieren but the show is more clever than that. Introducing The Hero of the South as one of the strongest people in the universe grounds the world in reality. Himmel might not be the strongest person in the universe anymore, but he still has qualities that make him a great leader. And, more importantly, shows how one’s strength is bolstered through the acts of others.

The Hero of the South paves the way for Himmel the Hero.

Additionally, The Hero of the South is an intriguing character due to his ability to see the future. Despite knowing that Frieren will reject his proposal, he still seeks her out and reveals his ability to her. He’s aware of his fate as well, knowing that he will die while taking down three of the Seven Sages of Destruction. Whether this is because he fought alone is up to interpretation. But his strength is obvious in how the South still remembers him. Plus, without him, Himmel and the rest of the party might not have been able to handle the Demon King. It’s an exciting concept to add to the lore within the universe.

After so long, it’s nice to see the main trio fighting alongside each other against a single enemy. Last season, we often saw Frieren and Fern (Kana Ichinose) fight side by side because of the battles they faced. However, there wasn’t much of Stark (Chiaki Kobayashi) fighting alongside them. “The Hero of the South” changes that by allowing all three of them face the sword demon.

Finally being able to watch their dynamics in action was, to say the very least, fun. You can tell from that fight scene just how much the trio trusts each other. They know exactly where the others will be during the scene and can figure out what they need to do to take the demon down. Without that level of trust between them, they would never be able to come out of that fight alive.

Frieren Beyond Journey’s End Season 2 Episode 2 emphasizes the power of fate.

A small detail in this scene that speaks volumes to this is when the sword demon tricks Fern and Stark into praying. Frieren catches onto the demon’s plan and, knowing that the other two will close their eyes to pray, she protects them. She trusts them enough to know what they will do and what measures she needs to take to keep them out of harm’s way.

Each week, Madhouse doubles down on the dead wife treatment for Himmel, which only makes the anime that much better. And while this might seem like a silly part of an otherwise serious anime, let’s not forget that Frieren started out as a gag manga. The audience only gets a small glimpse of him in “The Hero of the South,” but it’s enough for our favorite dead wife to make an impact. Without The Hero of the South, the audience would have no clue that Frieren had already been told about him, potentially changing her choice to go with Himmel and changing the future for the whole world.

Frieren Beyond Journey’s End Season 2 Episode 2 reminds the audience exactly why we love watching it: the hits start coming, and they don’t stop coming for the full thirty minutes. The lore expansion only makes the world within the show that much better. Knowing that there are others in this world who are stronger than Frieren opens up many thrilling possibilities for the future.

Frieren Beyond Journey’s End Season 2 Episode 2 is streaming now on Crunchyroll.

Images courtesy of Madhouse and Crunchyroll. 

Kayla Chu

Made up of feminism, sports, and cheap wine.
Questions, comments, inquries please be sent to kaylamchu@gmail.com