Sein takes amassive step forward in finding his adventurous childhood friend and Frieren goes to meet an old friend. Strap up for another deeply introspective episode!

Recap & Reaction

Many of the themes in Frieren are left up for interpretation. While the show provides some lessons here and there, it’s true value stems from presenting the realities of our living circumstances and showing how these characters are just like us, the ordinary person. Even when the show provides solutions, there are always downsides to everything in life. This episode brings full circle Kraft the Monk’s lesson, as Frieren, Sein, Fern & Stark meet a senile dwarf & eventually reveal Sein’s childhood friend’s backstory.

Opener

The episode starts off with a flashback with young Sein fishing at a pond and his adventurous childhood friend comes to fetch him to take a picture with a mage. Sein doesn’t know what pictures are and refuses the request, but the adventurous childhood friend does what he’s always done, do the adventure. He grabs Sein and states that this is where “their legend begins.”

Suddenly, it flashes back to Sein smoking a cigarette at a campfire, while the other party members are sound asleep.

The creative direction is always in the hook at the beginning of the episode. The past few episodes focused on Sein, so it makes complete sense to go back to the reason why he started journeying in the first place. It’s the makings of some inner dilemma.

Old Dwarf Man Voll

Frieren decides to take the party on a side quests to catch up with an old friend. Turns out dwarfs have an expected lifespan of around 300 years.

A good story has many in-depth characters and Frieren is a master at it. While it does seem out of place sometimes within the story, new characters are absolutely needed to help paint the entire picture.

The party approaches the village where Voll lives and is seen sitting on a rock. Frieren sees him and says hi. Voll shows his senile act with his eyes closed and Stark reacts in his misjudgment of him. She brings up the fact that Voll always plays ‘senile,’ and that is when he purposefully trips Stark to the ground.

This is a great scene that definitely catches you off guard. I guess they won’t let go of the Flamme lesson. Who the heck wants to live on guard like that all the time anyways?

Furthermore, he warns people that demons & humans always die on the battlefield due to ‘carelessness.’ Like the teachings of Flamme’s ‘underhandedness’ with the element of surprise, Voll echoes the same lessons. Frieren, Sein and Fern go further into the village as Voll gifts his hospitality. Stark begs to be helped off the ground due to not being able to walk from Vol’s attack. In Frieren’s response, she tells him to train with Voll. In which, Stark reluctantly accepts.

First, train to pretend to be someone’s son due to being broke and now getting his head scar PTSD from another Dwarf. Stark is quite the punching bag, but a very durable one. Someone has to be young and dumb in order for there to be something to learn.

Sein and Fern help with some of the farming as Frieren catches up with Voll. The farmer mentions that “Old Man Voll” is actually pretty senile and doesn’t maintain many conversations at all. Due to Frieren’s unlikely visit, it most have reinvigorated some old brain cells. Voll has protected this small village for years on his own volition, but it remains a mystery as to why. This begins another classic slice-of-life montage. Most importantly to note is Stark carrying a massive boulder on a dirt road, showcasing his training. Next thing you know, a week passes by.

Once again, slice-of-life montages looks beautiful.

Frieren & Old Man Voll Backstory

Frieren and Voll take a stroll through the woods to catch up some more. She shows her appreciation for him, since he helped her get closer to Himmel, Eisen and Heiter.

It is in this backstory flashback that Voll reveals why he has been incredibly dedicated to protecting this village. Himmel asks this question because no one would actually go to the lengths of doing such a thing without purpose. The answer is a lady. More specifically, it’s sentimentally for his late human wife that he made a promise to. However, he refuses to contextualize further.

It’s always about doing things for the ladies. That is a sense of dedication that I can personally say that I would have moved on long ago from.

Seeing that keeping a promise to a long dead person may sound ridiculous, but Himmel chimes in that she’d still be ecstatic that he’s still doing so. Voll had no doubt that Himmel will take down the Demon King, so he hopes that he can carry on that memory of future peace. Of course, the person that can prolong that memory of the great triumphant victory that lead to the age of peace, is Frieren. Himmel pulls out how he’ll show Frieren to display his memory with his ‘handsome’ poses.

Make memories. Prolong memories. Cringe, but yep.

Frieren & Vol flashback

It flashes back to the present and Voll asks if Frieren remembers how Himmel looked and what he sounded like. Frieren felt slightly flustered that he would ask such a thing due to how important it is to her. Although implied, she finally says that it is Himmel whom inspired her to want to build these meaningful relationships.

She’s finally said “the thing” out loud. Due to awkwardness, this is where it’s one of those things where the audience wants outright romance, but it’s not actually about that. However, it’s a part of it.

Like the reason Frieren cherishes her memory of Himmel, Voll has the same reasoning. Voll says it bluntly that he can’t even remember what his wife looks like anymore. But for some reason, he continues carrying on this defense of the village for “some reason.”

This was one of those scenes where maybe it should be taken more at face value without thinking deeply about ti? A reason to do something and cherish a fond memory.

Voll begins asking Frieren of the purpose of her journey. Aureole is her destination, which is in Ende, where the Demon King castle resides. Old Man Voll mentions that “she’s finally going out to defeat the Demon King.” Frieren pauses for a second and was about to correct him, but stops. Just like the flashback, she will carry on Voll’s memory.

Ponder that old age. If you are under 30, you won’t really start understanding until you hit that big 3-0.

Frieren and the party move on from their mini sidequest. As Frieren says her goodbyes, Voll tells her that he dreamed of his wife, likely due to their ‘reminiscing.’

It’s just one of those scenes where you realize in your old age, you’re just holding on.

Sein’s Journey

As the party travels through another small farming village, Sein has been asking about his adventurous friends from 10 years ago. He pulls out a pocket watch with a picture of the both of them in it, likely from when they took a picture with the mage.

It’s Sein’s journey time.

Luckily, there has been people that have seen his friend. 10 years sounds like a longtime for people to remember strangers, but Sein references his peculiar name that would stand out to people. The “Gorilla Warrior.”

It turns out that no one knows his childhood friend’s real name because he made everyone call him that nickname. In which, Sein shares that his name is “Goatee Priest.” The conversation continues with them all agreeing that his childhood adventure friend is indeed weird.

Let’s be real. If you have a weird name in real life, you will be known, but for a really bad reason.

Another Village Stop

Still traveling along a road, Frieren mentions that they are only about a week away from reaching their destination of Auberst, where they need a high enough mage certificate to gain access to a dangerous area to reach Ende. In an ongoing theme of Fern making a remark about this journey taking quite a bit of time, Frieren denies being in the wrong. All of the sudden, Sein makes a request to make a stop at a nearby village.

Gorilla Warrior’s Whereabouts

Sein asks a villager about the Gorilla Warrior and to Stark’s shock, he remembers very well who this person is. After the Gorilla Warrior defeated a monster, he’s not quite sure where he went. However, the villager sends him to see a ‘stubborn’ old woman whom the Gorilla Warrior developed a good relationship with.

Using her knowledge as her leverage, the ‘stubborn’ old lady requests Sein & company to do some tasks in exchange for info on the Gorilla Warrior. They take on the task to deliver mail to a blacksmith. This side task reminds Frieren of Himmel, as he took on random tasks like these everyday to help the ordinary person. These were no simple tasks as it turned out to be very dangerous ones. And so, another Frieren montage begins once again as they go through various tasks to try to get the stubborn old woman to help Sein.

A character like the “stubborn old lady,” is another new character to follow up on another lesson that Himmel displayed. Being kind and winning over the people’s trust is what the “people’s champ” would do. If you are doing things on ground like any ordinary person, then that goes a long way in the eyes of the people.

One task after another, the old woman still refuses to bless Sein with the information he needs. If Himmel or Heiter were present, they would have been able to help, but everyone in this party has poor social skills. Just when all hopes seemed lost to get through to this stubborn old woman, she hands Sein a bucket of water with a towel to go polish the hero’s statue. This shall be the final task given to them.

Personally guiding the party to the statue herself, the stubborn old woman answers Frieren’s question about the statue. Carrying on the theme of “forgetting memories,” the old woman refers to them as statues of heroes that “saved the world a long time ago.” Like Voll’s old age fading away his memories, the villagers have forgotten about the specifics of these heroes like their names. Then, the stubborn old woman brings up that Sein is the Goatee Priest, hinting at the Gorilla Warrior’s closeness to the stubborn old woman.

The Hero’s Statues

In a huge twist, there stands a statue of these two great warriors. One of these statues is Kraft the Monk. In the statues’ appearances, this duo looks just like Sein & the Gorilla Warrior.

In another flashback, Heiter brings both Sein & the childhood friend to gosee these two statues. Even Heiter is unaware of these two ancient heroes’ names. The childhood friend scoffs at being a hero that everyone forgets, but Heiter corrects him, stating that “even the great hero Himmel will be forgotten one day.” Sein’s childhood friend ends up agreeing and it was this day where the grand journey of “Gorilla Warrior” was born. He named himself “Gorilla Warrior” during this statue scene, so that people “can remember an unforgettable name.” Then, Heiter bestows the name “Goatee Priest” upon Sein.

Make a name for yourself that will be remembered positively! Don’t be cringe..

Besides Kraft the Monk, it’d be cool to get the lore behind Kraft the Monk’s partner here. Still, we don’t even know about the specifics of Kraft the Monk either. The purposes of these characters at this point, is to leave them as these mysterious legends. That is what Kraft the Monk’s lesson has been about. Also, Frieren’s follow up point that humans tend to make up stuff about heroes in that following episode—makes sense for these characters to be treated this way.

The stubborn old woman asked Gorilla Warrior before Sein to polish the statues, but it still remains pretty beat up. Sein notes that he’s just known for fighting, but the stubborn old woman stops him short to say that his name was ‘unforgettable.’ Even 10 years into his journey, Gorilla Warrior still talks much about Goatee Priest, as he is convinced that they will be “remembered forever.”

No matter how long its been, Gorilla Warrior has had this profound belief in Goatee Priest. This scene will start to put Sein at odds about what he wants to do next.

Chasing Gorilla Warrior

Sein meets back up with Frieren and the others. He figures that Gorilla Warrior is located in a “trading city in the middle of the northern lands.” This place is located opposite of AuBerst, which leaves Sein in a huge dilemma, leaving Frieren’s 1st cour of season 1 to end.

It’s clear here that Goatee Priest & Gorilla Warrior are meant to be duos. At the same time, a hero wouldn’t leave his party with an incomplete mission! What would Gorilla Warrior do? I think we all know the answer.

Kraft the Monk’s Lesson

This episode solidified many of the themes first presented by Kraft the Monk. Being old & forgotten. It’s really a damn shame that great memories that could inspire future greatness is lost.

Theme of Old Age

Voll’s character is the last example that eventually leads us to Kraft the Monk’s statue. There’s nothing more unforgettable than a person hitting that dreaded senile age. Is eventually withering away, dying & being forgotten a shame? These are the realities that we all face.

This episode helps project how you want to go about living your own life. Was it really worth it for Voll to keep his dead wife’s wish to protect the village? Do you really want your life to be centered around that, when you could have moved on to do something more? This anime’s brilliance is presenting these different dilemmas, but leaving the answers up to the viewers to decide for themselves. The reason behind all the things you do as a purpose as you enter into your twilight years, is a question that this episode presented perfectly with Voll’s character.

Theme of Memories

Like a couple of episodes ago with the sentimental items you cherish in gifts, this episode hits home the importance of memories. This echoes Kraft the Monk’s lesson of praise and his own experiences where there isn’t anyone left that can carry on his memories of great deeds. Thus, humanity’s answer of God. God knows everything & will praise those that lived their life the best that they can. Even though Kraft the Monk is living centuries in wandering solitude, there is still God to help ease the pain of lost memories and the praise of past great deeds.

In moving forward as people, the answer here to commend those before us in prolonging our memories in the future is of Frieren’s journey. Build deep relationships, enjoy the fruits of life, and give praise where deserving. These are the essence of Frieren’s journey that essential characters like Himmel, Flamme and Kraft the Monk helped guide her to understand.

Memories Will Eventually Fade

Memories eventually fade no matter what. Even one day, Jesus’s name will be forgotten. This puts into perspective that only the grandest of names are remembered. Like a prior episode with Himmel and the Hero’s Sword, context of your legend becomes warped. Only great heroes of the past like Gilgamesh from The Epic of Gilgamesh are examples of legends that have stubbornly carried on.

Unlike great heroes with magnificent feats that inspires the world, there is no such thing for the ordinary person. While those dear to us share tremendous memories of each other, most of what we know about each other will soon be lost. This episode takes into account of Voll’s lesson. Memories of even your wife will eventually be lost. It is up to those around you to help carry on your memories.

This really puts into perspective of how the brain works itself. Your brain only remembers long-term the instances that matter the most. Are we worthy of being remembered longer? Are we doing something that should be valued enough to leave a long lasting legacy? These are the kinds of philosophical questions this anime helps us put into perspective.

Last Thoughts

This episode is at the heart of what Frieren represents as a story. Being an over century old living being seems farfetched for the ordinary person to comprehend, but many other characters along with her own, face the same struggles of mortality. Memories can be good, bad or indifferent. However, this episode brings the perspective of wanting to be remembered forever. Many of these characters have shown that being forgotten and not being given due praise is such a shame. At the same time, memories do eventually fade, but it is our duty to keep alive those that are the most impactful like Himmel & his party’s triumphant win over the Demon King.

This is another very impactful and deeply ‘introspective-inducing’ one. Like many of the previous episodes, the heart is within the experiences and lessons of these characters like Voll & Kraft the Monk. However, episodes like the previous one, where we got to see some action with Sein fighting against the sleepy monster would help balance out some of these slower paced episodes. That is coming from my ‘shonen-infested’ mind. Either way, the uniqueness of the storytelling is still the main driver of making me come back to watch and that is what matters the most.

If I’m being real, this whole episode can turn into a 25+ page essay, but I won’t do that to you guys. Do something impactful, be remembered and if you need someone to tell you good job, ya’ boy is right here!