While ten years is a huge amount of time for others, its but a drop in the bucket in Frieren’s extremely long lifespan of over a thousand. Upon disbanding after a decade-long quest to defeat the Demon King and returning to her everlasting hobby of traveling to collect spells, outliving two of her former companions, Frieren realizes how the time spent with them truly impacted her and regrets having taken the bonds and precious memories for granted. So, she journeys beyond what was once a task completed to forge stronger bonds with people and strive to create and understand personal connections.
Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End has made its way into the hearts of fans and is at the top of MyAnimeList as one of the most beloved anime of all time. Created by Madhouse, the 28-episode series has enchanted many with the fantastical viewpoint of an elf mage’s long-lived, relaxed yet adventurous life. And deservedly so, with its messages of making meaningful connections and savoring what life has to offer. But with so many beloved characters on Frieren’s journey, which ones have become favorites of the series’ staff themselves?
Frieren Series Producer and Composer Tackle this Difficult Question
Although Frieren herself is an obvious fan favorite with her calm, unassuming demeanor subverting expectations for her contrasting, absolutely dominating sheer unadulterated power, both Fern with her responsible, composed disposition and Stark with his pure-hearted and earnest perseverance are also beloved in the fandom. But there are other characters absolutely adored by fans like Flamme for her wisdom, Heiter for his cheerfulness, or Übel for her… um… Anyway, while the fans themselves have a wide variety of characters to choose their favorites, which characters do the series’ staff favor themselves?
ComicBook Anime Editor J.R. Waugh conducted a staff interview with Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End animation producer Yuichiro Fukushi and composer Evan Call courtesy of Crunchyroll at Anime Expo 2025 to discuss the anime’s impact, its dominant position in the fandom’s collective eyes since its 2023 debut, their particular impressions on what has worked for the series, and, of course, their favorite characters in the anime. Waugh asked, “With regards to creating for the series or seeing them come to life, do you have any particular favorite characters either in creating music for or seeing how fans have reacted to?”
Fukushi answered, “That’s a really difficult question because each episode and each character has their own set of emotions. They’re all cute and it works for every single character and I can’t pick one. But after the broadcast, there’s one particular character that left an impression, and that would be Aura, who was super popular. I think the staff did such a great job to grasp the hearts of all the fans, so I’d say that’s the one character.”
Aura was a captivating villain whose moniker, The Guillotine, was brutally effective in striking fear into the hearts of her enemies. Her incredible Auserlese ability allowed her to weigh her opponents’ magic against her own, forcing those weaker into total submission whenver they fell short; a common occurrence with her immense power. Aura left a strong impression on the viewers with her dominant position as one of the Seven Sages of Destruction in Frieren. Her overconfidence was emblematic of her demonic traits, and contributed to a particularly memorable downfall against a mage, a profession she foolishly, and fatally, misjudged.
Call stated, “For me, it’s not really a major character, but one that really stood out for how short he was on the screen, is Old Man Voll. To me, it’s a bit of a personal story arc as well, and seeing it on screen, how Frieren has a friend from a long time ago, somebody she can talk to, and to see that slip away a little bit, it’s something that resonated with me emotionally.”
Old Man Voll, a Dwarf Frieren met long ago in her travels, is a powerful warrior who has defended the village that was home to his late human wife for around 400 years. His story, while fantastical, has a truly humanistic perspective in its DNA: that of an elderly man with a failing memory who clings to his lifelong routine, whose memory tragically fails him as he loses sigh even of the image of his long-deceased wife. Call’s composition choices when providing the background music for scenes featuring Voll are full of his usual folkish, Celtic charm, evoking a sense of peace, upheld by Voll’s steadfast protection. But diving into his past through flashbacks, the choice of gentle, solo female vocalizations as he remembers his wife’s face becomes evident of why Call loved this character. Call’s work evokes the romantic sensibilities of a Dwarf whose loyalty to his wife is lifelong, whose love for her pushes him forward, even if it means his memory of her occasionally fades in the process.
Voll is still full of vitality, however, which is astonishing given he has outlived the typical Dwarf lifespan by approximately 100 years, using his vast skills to teach Stark a few vital combat lessons, defend the village from monsters, and still make time to speak with old friends. Old Man Voll teaches Frieren fans to understand, appreciate, and never to underestimate our elders. Finally, it teaches us to cherish those who remain in our lives, so that we can hold onto our memories of them should they ever depart from us.
Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End is loaded with wonderful characters who leave varying impressions in terms of relatability, memorability, or quotability. There’s nothing wrong with loving smaller or even more villainous characters, be it for design, their story, or just how it can leave an impression on us as the viewers, or even the show’s creative staff.
Who’s your favorite character in Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End? Let us know in the comments!
The post “A Really Difficult Question”: Frieren Staff Talk Favorite Characters in the Anime (Exclusive) appeared first on ComicBook.com.
