REVIEW: ‘Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End’ Episode 12 — “A Real Hero”

With winter passed, the party once more set out heading north. As they travel across the mountains, Frieren’s (Atsumi Tanezaki) thoughts once more wander back to Himmel (Nobuhiko Okamoto, My Hero Academia), and in particular, the Sword of Heroes that hung at his hip. As the group arrives at The Town of the Sword, a story will be told that reveals a secret about Himmel and shines a light on the nature of heroes in Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End (Sōsō no Furīren) Episode 12, “A Real Hero.”

This episode opens with Frieren, Fern (Kana Ichinose), and Stark (Chiaki Kobayashi) once more trudging through snow as they continue their journey north. While walking, Frieren falls asleep. This doesn’t seem due to anything like hypothermia or exhaustion, she just simply falls asleep. As the party continues on with Fern bearing the weight of her master, Frieren dreams of her time with the Hero’s Party. In particular, the sword that Himmel always carried with him.

In this memory from their early journeys, the blade Himmel wielded was a replica of the legendary Sword of Heroes, which was enshrined in a stone in the Town of the Sword the party now heads towards. How Himmel got his replica and the part it plays in inspiring him to become a real hero is a charming opening for Frieren Episode 12 that continues to build out Frieren’s old companions and their histories.

When the trio arrives at The Town of the Sword, they are greeted by the town’s surprisingly young mayor who welcomes them, as well as scolds Frieren for being late. It turns out that the elf was expected to return 50 years after the heroes defeated the Demon Lord, nearly 30 years in the past now, to help deal with a recurring monster problem the town faces. But late is better than never, and the party quickly gets to work clearing out the monsters around the town. The combat in Frieren Episode 12 is brief but skillfully done. Both Stark’s athletic axe handling as well as Freiren and Fern’s magic attacks are delivered skillfully, with all the elegance and flair the series has showcased before.

But when the dust settles and the monsters are slain, Stark makes a startling discovery. The Sword of Heroes still rests in the stone it was supposedly pulled out of by Himmel. Frieren then explains that the truth about Himmel, that he failed to draw the sword from the stone, was hidden to make his place as The Hero more secure. People love to romanticize heroes and it was decided it would be embarrassing to have this awkward story as part of Himmel’s mythos.

This surprising revelation feels like an accurate commentary on how such a thing would be handled in the real world. Rather than allow Himmel to be an imperfect being, the legend would embellish his story, making him more than he was. This need to elevate those we are expected to look up is always ultimately damaging, as the truths are always revealed in time, causing more harm than if they were just there all along, as well as giving people the sense that heroes are something “normal people” cannot be. That perfection they attained isn’t for others. If there was less emphasis on heroes being perfect, probably more people would try to be better, believing the greatness of their heroes could actually be achieved.

Once the monsters are cleared out, the party settles in for a relaxing stay in town. While settling in, Frieren mentions to Fern that it is Stark’s 18th birthday. Surprised by this, Fern sets out to learn what Stark may want, after dissuading Frieren from gifting him a particularly curious potion.

This moment stands out in the episode due to Frieren’s oddly energetic actions. When Fern inquires what she is giving the warrior, Frieren springs from the bed she was reading on, practically giddy to show her gift to Fern. Frieren displays a spring to her movement that we’re not shown prior. While it seems out of character to a degree, it also leads the viewer to wonder if either birthdays or the gift itself brings this energy out in Frieren. Whichever it is, hopefully, the series will explore the whys of its nature more later.

After tracking Stark down by following the trail of kind acts he does on behalf of the locales, Fern inquires about his birthday and what sort of gift he might want. As it turns out, Stark had forgotten about his birthday, not realizing it was a notable thing due to the neglect he had suffered as a child.

The rest of Frieren Episode 12 dives into Stark’s early life before he became Eisen’s student. It turns out that Stark originally hailed from a town that valued martial prowess above all else. Given the young man’s immense fears, he was viewed as a failure and shunned by his parents, even though he was only a small child. Only his older brother, Stoltz (Takuya Eguchi, Spy x Family) was ever kind to him before the town was destroyed, leaving Stark as the lone survivor.

This emotional origin story deepens the viewer’s understanding of Stark in a meaningful way. It illuminates much about the young man’s self-esteem issues, despite his continued recent successes. The harsh treatment of his parents and the kindness of his brother are both presented in impactful ways that help inform the young hero’s personality.

When the duo finish their shopping and return to their quarters, they find that Frieren has cooked a special birthday dinner for Stark, using a recipe that had been given to her by Eisen. This kind gesture that serves to link Stark’s present-day good fortunes with some of his few happy times from his past ends the episode with a poignant moment that mixes heartfelt emotion with genuine good cheer.

Frieren Episode 12 brings together everything that fans have come to love about the series. Emotional storytelling, both happy and sad, serves as the center of the narrative, with a dash of combat to sweeten the deal.

Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End Season 1 is streaming now on Crunchyroll.