Freiren Was Almost Very Different (And So Much Worse)

Anime and manga fans are renowned for calling their favorite series the greatest of all time. But, when that series sits at the number one spot on MyAnimeList, and many other anime ranking sites, it’s hard to argue against it. Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, by Kanehito Yamada and Tsukasa Abe, is such a lauded series that few can argue against its GOAT status. When Madhouse debuted its anime adaptation in 2023, Frieren‘s place in the pantheon of all-time great anime was firmly cemented. But, the series nearly turned out very different as relayed by DDNavi in a recent interview with the editor-in-chief of the manga’s home publication, Weekly Shonen Sunday.

Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End puts a unique spin on the D&D-style “party goes off to save the world” story trope. The series follows the titular Frieren, an elf who is nearly a thousand years old after she has saved the world from the Demon King with her adventuring party. We follow Frieren over several decades after the adventure, as her former party members are aging around her, and she finds herself in the care of a young apprentice mage. Over the course of the series (and beyond into the upcoming second season), Freiren slowly learns to appreciate each moment of her prolonged life. But, editor Kazunori Ohshima initially wanted to scrap that part of her character arc.

Frieren’s Personality Was Nearly Very Different

Having lived for hundreds of years, and expected to live for hundreds more, it is hard for Frieren to enjoy and embrace the small moments in life. As a result, in the show’s early episodes, she is a nonchalant, tsundere type character who rarely smiles. But, in an interview with DDNavi, Weekly Shonen Sunday editor-in-chief Kazunori Oshima revealed that he was initially very skeptical about the character when Frieren was first pitched to him. “I didn’t foresee it would get this far,” the editor said about Frieren‘s tremendous success.

Ironically, One of Oshima’s biggest criticisms about the draft for Frieren was the characteristic that would define her entire story arc. “It was already very interesting at the planning stage, but when I was writing my thoughts on the serialization project, I said, ‘I wish the elves were a bit more charming.’” Thankfully, the change wasn’t implemented, and Oshima can now admit to his own mistakes, calling it “a really off-base comment considering how popular Frieren is now. I think [my former editor] Ogura must have thought, ‘Are you kidding me?’”

[RELATED – Frieren Season 2 Will Reportedly Get New Information in March]

Oshima’s Critique Could Have Ruined Frieren

You can’t blame Kazunori Oshima for having his own opinion about Frieren‘s initial concept. But, thank goodness his notes weren’t implemented. While the series covers many themes, including mortality, aging, what it means to be a hero, love, friendship, idolization, and masculinity, at its core, Frieren is a story about time. In the early chapters and episodes, Freiren is apathetic to the passing of time and can’t comprehend how humans cling so preciously to each day, even though she knows they live for a fraction of the years that she will. That apathy is mainly expressed through her body language and facial expressions more than her words.

Turning Frieren into a more typical smiling, friendly anime elf girl would remove the beating heart of the story and her character arc. During her new adventure with Fern and Stark, not only does Frieren allow herself to slowly embrace the sentimentality of the humans around her in the moment, but she also appreciates and grieves the time that has already passed and her experience with Himmel the Hero and her old party. Over the season, as she grows emotionally, so too does her smile as a physical indicator of her newfound emotional intelligence and sentimentality.

Frieren Season 2 Is In the Works

It’s slightly ironic that Frieren fans were left waiting for news about the anime’s second season, given the themes of the series. Season 1 came to a close in March 2024. Despite being an immense critical success, and growing the manga’s fan base exponentially, Studio Madhouse waited five months before announcing Season 2, leaving fans feeling like Fern as she waited for Frieren during their adventure.

Season 2 has been given an official release window. Frieren, Fern, and Stark will be back on our screens in less than a year, as Season 2 will debut in January 2026.

H/T: DDNavi