Frieren Beyond Journey’s End Episode 16 had the most heart-breaking cliffhanger of the season. With the second part scheduled to be released on the 5th of January 2024, fans have to wait with an anxious heart to know the fate of the party moving forward. Will Sein break out from the party and go his separate ways or will he sacrifice his reason for being with them in the first place?
It’s too much on the kokoro to wait for the next episode, so here’s what I believe will happen moving forward. This article is from the perspective of someone who has not delved into the manga and should ease the pain of fellow anime-onlys (We are in this together folks!). Another way to ease your kokoro would be to read Spiel Anime’s Newsletter, which brings fascinating recommendations along with some crazy insights into all things anime, twice a week!!
Frieren Beyond Journey’s End Episode 16 Recap
The episode starts with Sein reminiscing about his friend and seamlessly flows into the party visiting Frieren‘s old friend, a dwarf named Voll. Voll is a strong warrior who has protected his village for more than 400 years and is the only person alive who can freely chat with Frieren about their shared past. From the get-go, this meeting hinted at what motivates one to persevere.
Old man Voll protects the village that his wife loves and adores. He had a human wife who passed away in time, and he continues to protect her memory. For over 400 years, that has been the sole reason for his fight against demons. After their brief stay, the party moves forward in their journey toward Auβerst, where they stumble upon a village with information about Sein’s friend.
After carrying out errands of a Stubborn Old lady, Sein finally gets a solid clue of where his friend has been heading. This is where the episode ends with a gut-wrenching cliffhanger, not showing what Sein’s choice is. Is he going his separate ways or will he stay with the party but give up on his goal of meeting his friend?
Sein’s Decision – A Result of his true desires
Sein has been in the party mainly to reunite with his friend and share his experiences with him. In Episode 16, we are shown more of the Duo’s early ambition. They desired to set their names in the passage of time, never fading away as Heroes. With his friend picking the name of Gorilla Warrior to set an impression, what bothers him now is the crossroad he finds himself at now.
There are three ways he could go about this.
- One, he chooses to reunite with his friend. This would mean that the party breaks and both parties go their separate ways. We know for a certain that Frieren won’t stop anyone from doing what they want [Luffy moment]. This means that if Sein chooses to go toward Tür, she lets him go. A decision that would be respected by both Stark and Fern.
- Two, the party goes along with him. By now, the party has become somewhat of a close-knit sweater and so if Frieren decides to put a hold on their main objective to not have Sein break out, Fern and Stark would follow her wishes. What happens after Sein reunites with Gorilla Warrior is even more heartbreaking to think about.
- Three, Sein gives up on his goal. He decides to stay with the party and continue onward to Auβerst. The only way for him to meet his friend again will be after their main journey, which could potentially take another decade. This would also mean that he will have to start from scratch in finding his whereabouts and hope that he’s still alive.
All three routes are quite painful in their outcomes. There’s no happy ending in the decision that Sein has to make a choice from. The best possible way would be Route Two, however, that would mean that their main goal of the journey gets pushed back even further down time. Another painful realization is that this is simply a tip towards his friend, this does not mean that he will meet him there. This could potentially mean a detour of years from their main objective.
Conclusion
Frieren Beyond Journey’s End Episode 16 places both Sein and the viewers in a tight spot regarding how they feel about what’s about to happen and the choice that needs to be made. No journey is without its sad farewell, yet this is too soon for our beloved party of wholesome munchkins. Hoping that Route 2 is how the story goes, despite its devastating outcome.