Episode 26 of Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End takes us to new heights, both in magic and storytelling. There was quite a bit to unpack in this episode as it further showcased how complex or interesting the magic system is in Frieren’s world. Regardless, it didn’t just continue the amazing epicness of this arc but also raised the bar for the last two episodes that this season has in store for us.
Initially, the anime portrayed mana as the ultimate factor in a mage’s power, as seen when Frieren tricked demons before and with Aura’s concealed mana in episode 10. However, the magic system is actually far more nuanced than what was depicted at first. Even Frieren herself admits that she’s nearly been defeated by mages with lower mana or less experience.
In this episode, we get to see similar. Despite being a third-class mage facing off against a first-class opponent who is safe to say also possesses more mana and experience, Übel manages to handle Sense with ease. How? It’s all because of the core aspect of Frieren’s magic system: visualization. Sense’s magic is intricately woven into her hair, which she wields skillfully.
However, Übel’s specialization in cutting/cleaving magic allows her to visualize severing Sense’s hair, thus defeating her instantly. But it’s not as simple as it sounds. The magic system in Frieren is far from straightforward or linear. You can’t just visualize the weakness of your opponent or imagine a technique to defeat them. It requires immense concentration, a clear mind, and unwavering confidence to achieve feats like Übel’s. As Sense would’ve phrased it, “You can’t make something happen with magic unless you can visualize it perfectly.” In essence, one needs to be either mentally insane and unhinged, or skilled to do such a thing, and Übel seems to be the former.
This isn’t the first time Übel has defeated a mage of Sense’s caliber. She previously killed a second-class mage examiner with similar swiftness, slicing him in half despite his immovable cloak. This ruthless display not only showed Übel’s lethal prowess but also led to her disqualification from the exams. At the very beginning of this arc, Kraft already warned us the viewers that Übel has the eyes of a killer, a mage who has violent tendencies. Luckily we got to see a bit of her flashback to give us at least some insights about Übel.
Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End consistently excels in its interpretation and storytelling, and Übel’s flashback in episode 26 is no exception. The shift from her past to present, shown with her reflection on the scissors, smartly illustrates her descent into madness over time and this is where she gets her insane visualization powers. In a way, her descent into mental instability has become her unexpected superpower. She cuts through the impossible and shifts them to reality which is what the essence of visualization is all about.
However, the main highlight of this episode wasn’t Übel’s clash with Sense or her story, but rather the ongoing battle between Frieren, Fern, and Frieren’s clone. It’s clear that defeating the clone won’t be a stroll through a low-level dungeon; after all, it wouldn’t be a final boss if it could be taken down with a single spell. While it may have looked epic in the last episode, it barely made a scratch.
What’s truly intense about this fight is seeing Frieren pushed to her limits. The piercing glare of Frieren’s clone was hands down in the making of “screenshot of the year,” and after that moment, we witness the pinnacle of magic. No chants, no wands, no hand gestures—just a death stare and raw visualization. I sure wish there were more fights like this. While I wanted to see the fight between Methode and Fern or the synergy between Denken, Übel, and Land, let’s not forget that Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End is not an action-shonen anime in the first place. However, I could confidently say with how Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End is right now, this series is the height of shonen anime.
Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End episode 26 screenshots were taken via Muse Asia
© Yamada Kanehito, Abe Tsukasa /Shogakukan / “Sousou no Frieren” Production Committee
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