The difference between stupidity and courage

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This is one of the video ideas that inspired this entire series. Exploring Frieren wouldnt be here without being heavily inspired by stark's introduction as a character. At some point I plan on diving deeper into his character and maybe make some comparisons to other characters in anime.

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[benjaminstiles]

I never even thought about how Stark is a male support character to the two female leads, lol they are all so well written that I never even noticed.

[besttank]

The chad stark
-admit he is a coward
-still solo a dragon
-prank a demon
-has a dwarf adoptive father
-there can't be bravery without madness

[batteriesnotincluded]

"A fool knows no fear, but a hero shows no fear."
stark is neither a fool nor a hero, he is somewhere in between.
i guess that makes him really a good supporting character.

[ngokhang]

"The dragon ran but Stark didn't."

[mr_nn]

The Dragon ran away 3 years ago while Stark trained. In hindsight, its impressive the dragon lasted 30 seconds

[KK-efow]

"My fear has carried me this far" - Eisen

[JoelChang]

When Stark faced the dragon and Linie, he ultimately confronted his opponents and defeated them only after resolving to risk his life. I don't know why, but this moved me deeply.

[reaperandyel]

Frieren while being socially awkward, is surprisingly a pretty good teacher.

[ismlamaroof]

He's the closest one to Himmel. He naturally goes out of his way to help people wherever he goes and is always loved by the regular people, especially the kids. He just lacks the self-confidence that Himmel had.

[arukimania]

"Stark's courage is such an admirable trait because he chooses to put himself in situations where he feels like he's making the right decision despite his fear."

Perfect encapsulation of what I think makes this show's portrayal of the distinctions between fear, reckless bravery, and courage so interesting.

[soggycracker]

Cowardice is surrendering to fear. Courage is facing it and doing as you must anyway.

[nuxxism]

“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.” - Nelson Mandela

[KrulKrukuw]

In my opinion, the best thing about characters in this show, is that no one feels any "less important". Sure that Frieren is the main character and we follow the story through her perspective and flashbacks. But none of the characters feel like side content, that can easily be forgotten. Nearly every character that appears for more than 1 episode is fleshed out and expanded upon better than main / recurring characters in some shows. For example, I feel the need to have some sort of closure as of what happens to Land, Ubel, Kanne, Lawine or Sein. Even though it seems like their arc could just be dropped to make place for new characters and new stories.
I can't even think of who is the support, side, background or whatever character in this show. It's not as straightforward.
They are all just... characters. Interesting and lovable characters at that.

[SaltpeterTaffy]

Stark called Frieren an old hag in this episode. She made a mental note of it. Several episodes (read: -years-) later, she brought it up. To her it was just yesterday. Stark probably didn't even remember that he said that.

[tiger-mtju]

I really appreciate your music choice. There's something about your video cohesiveness that makes them so easy to watch.

[SKULDROPR]

"I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain." - Frank Herbert, Dune

Fear is not to be pushed aside or fought; it is to be used as a guide. You are capable of imposing your will upon it. Then, once you catch up to where it has guided you to, it will be gone.

I think this summarizes Starks arc pretty well.

[dasisif]

Hey man, I just want to say thank you for making this series of videos. You're helping me understand why I love this anime so much in ways I couldn't think of myself.

[DarwinAwardWinner]

It's also interesting to take this principle of "courage is overcoming fear" and apply it back to Frieren herself. I don't think we ever see her show fear in the face of combat, even against enemies that actually pose a legitimate threat to her despite her incredible strength (e.g. the chaos flower, which she admitted could have spelled the end for her party if not for Sein). The only time I can think of where she's shown anything like fear is in social situations. Mainly when she has done something to make Fern angry, but also e.g. when buying a birthday present.

[PearseNation]

I’m sure you’ll bring this up when we get there, but my favorite thing with Stark is that it takes multiple instances of overcoming his fear and doubt to become more confident. He doesn’t immediate change after killing the dragon and still struggles when facing the demons. It isn’t until he finds his resolve a second time when facing Linne that he stops outwardly acting like a coward as often.

[KingOpenReview]

Stark fighting the dragon actually almost made me cry.