Do we like them?

Do we like Frieren?

A character from Frieren: Beyond Journey's End (2023–present)

Our score: 8 out of 10. Yes, we'd back her. She's aloof and hopelessly bad at feelings, but she's kind in what she does and her heart is gradually opening.

Frieren is an elf mage whose party of heroes defeated the Demon King after a ten-year quest. Elves live for millennia, so when the adventure ends she carries on as if little has changed. The series begins with the celebration after their victory and follows her life in the decades afterward.

Her defining trait is a long-lived person's sense of time. Fifty years pass like a short stretch to her, and she realises too late how little she learned about the friends who shared her journey. The story is her slow, quiet effort to make up for that by understanding people and honouring their memory.

We score her an 8. She is dry, a bit lazy, obsessed with collecting odd spells, and often tactless. But she is loyal, gentle with the people she mentors, and powerful without being cruel. Her growth is gradual and believable, which is why she is easy to root for.