Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End Season 2

After a painfully brief 10-episode run, this season of Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End has come to an end, as our party of adventurers reach another checkpoint in their journey to the resting place of souls. To say that Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End is a cultural phenomenon would be an understatement. Since releasing its first season in 2023, the series quickly rose to be the highest-rated anime of all time on MyAnimeList, a spot that the first season has held onto steadfastly, with this second season’s score following not far behind. So, what did I think of this long-anticipated Season 2?

Today, we’re reviewing Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End Season 2, and for this review, we’ll be avoiding spoilers completely. I think that this review is likely to be a little controversial, so make sure you watch the season for yourself after reading, and let me know if you agree with my thoughts! With that being said, let’s get into this review!

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Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End Season 2 Review

Image by Madhouse

The first season of Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End was a real moment in time in the anime fandom. It quickly won over the masses with its undeniable charm, and overwhelmingly cozy feeling. The writing was concretely solid, characters were beautifully developed with strong pacing, and the visuals were top-tier. With the release of this second season, I’m happy to report that Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End Season 2 retains most of these strengths, and remains a consistently solid and enjoyable comfort anime. Much like the first season, there are some really impressive action-oriented episodes scattered throughout Season 2, which is always great to see for a shonen fan like myself. So, why isn’t this season quite as good as Season 1?

Well, before I dive into my criticisms of Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End Season 2, let’s talk about what worked well here. This anime boasts a loveable cast of characters, and with much of the cast being pre-established from the first season, Season 2 is able to get right into the character moments that make this cast so beloved. Plenty of side characters from the first season return, and fit neatly into the ongoing narrative, never feeling shoehorned in, which speaks well to Frieren‘s worldbuilding. Our core trio is, of course, the main focus on the season, and my favourite character in the show, Stark, gets some great time to shine this time around. He boasts some almost superhero-like moments in Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End Season 2, so I was more than satisfied with his portrayal this time around.

Fans of the first season will no doubt remember how often Frieren would reminisce on her past journeys with Himmel, Heiter, and Eisen through frequent flashbacks, often tying together Frieren’s past and her present with graceful ease. Well, the flashbacks are back in full force in Season 2, and though the back half of this season scattered them throughout its episodes with much more moderation, they appear with borderline comical frequency during the first 5 episodes. I think that these flashbacks, particularly those focused on Himmel, are much more poignant and effective when we see them every now and then, so it was a little off-putting for them to be so involved in the first half of Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End Season 2. However, they’re a reliable way of eliciting emotion from the audience, so it’s unsurprising that the series turns to them so often.

Image by Madhouse

Unfortunately, the flashbacks in this season of Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End are not nearly as compelling, or relevant to Frieren’s adventure, as they were in the first season. In fact, if anything, this season’s flashbacks actually make Himmel come across as quite generic, almost stripping him of his mischievous charm from the first season. Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End Season 2 frequently uses Himmel to make connections between Frieren’s past and present, where there really isn’t any connection to make. Frieren, Fern, and Stark will help someone in a town, Frieren’s helpful actions will be questioned, a flashback of Himmel saying ‘helping people is good’ will play, and Frieren will smile and say, ‘Himmel would have helped this person’. The connections in this season to Frieren’s past are often flimsy at best, and often leaves the season tainted by a feeling of false profoundity.

Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End Season 2 is undoubtedly a touching season of anime, and though they sometimes elicit eye-rolling, the flashbacks to Himmel are always heartfelt. Outside of a few demon-focused episodes that are filled with genuine tension, this second season is bursting with tenderness, and filled with episodes that highlight this anime’s sweet and cozy vibe. However, I think that the length of this season was a real problem. Clocking in at only 10 episodes, this is one of the shortest anime seasons I’ve seen in a seasonal line-up in a while, and I think that this length hindered the series a little by highlighting one of its otherwise overlookable issues – the feeling of pointlessness.

Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End makes itself and its purpose very clear – the series is all about the journey, not the destination. There’s an episode here in Season 2 that focuses almost entirely on how important it is to appreciate the mundanity of everyday tasks, and the people around you while you complete them. So, with this in mind, it’s not lost on me that Frieren is purposefully choosing to focus on minutia, as opposed to a grand goal. If my favourite anime of all time, Hunter x Hunter, taught me anything, it’s to appreciate the little detours. However, when you make a season of television, there has to be something going on for the viewer to feel like it’s worth spending their time on an adventure, and because Frieren Season 2 is so short, it ends up feeling like a footnote in a series that is already so slow-paced and introspective.

Image by Madhouse

All of the pieces are here for Frieren to be an incredible anime, and the first season did so much to set all of that up. I’ve heard from fans online that there are some incredible arcs set to come down the line in future seasons of this anime, but when I look back on this season, it’s clear that Season 2 is designed to be transitional, a short detour between the introductory first season, and a third season that will likely kick things into a higher gear. There are some great moments to appreciate in this season – Fern and Stark have a really enjoyable storyline early in the season, and the action-oriented episodes this time around are extremely well put-together. However, I can’t shake the feeling that when I look back on Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End as a whole, Season 2 will feel a little pathetic in comparison to the show’s other outings.

It’s hard to come by a show with the same mature, well-paced, and sensible writing that Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End has. This show is, of course, worth a watch, purely for how enjoyable it is to consume as an anime fan. It’s just refined, in a way that very few other anime out there are. It’s so polished in fact, that I’m still scoring it as high as I am, despite my glaring issues with a couple of the season’s aspects. It’s near impossible to criticise the show’s visuals, its character writing, and in particular, its music. However, Season 2 made it hard for me to shake the feeling that, beneath its refined surface, there’s very little going on at this point of Frieren’s journey. I doubt I’ll remember anything that happened in this season of Frieren, which is a shame, considering the first season boasted numerous moments that have stuck in my mind in the years since watching it.

So ultimately, Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End Season 2 was a pleasant experience. I have little to no complaints that would encourage me to advise you against watching it for yourself, and I do think that it’s a solid enough season to continue to please the series’ fans. At the end of the day, it was an inoffensive season of anime. However, to add one final speck of controversy to the end of this review… yes, I do believe that this season, in particular, is overrated. The first season can continue to hold onto its crown with no objection from me, but to score this season alongside the likes of Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Steins; Gate, and Hunter x Hunter? Well, that just doesn’t sit right with me personally. But enough about me! What did you think of this season of Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End? Be sure to let us know in the comments, and thank you for reading!

See also: The Top 10 Best Anime of 2025

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Where to Watch Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End Season 2?

Image by Madhouse

You can stream all episodes of Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End Season 2 now on Crunchyroll, alongside all episodes of the first season. You can also stream the first season in its entirety on Netflix in select regions.

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