When you make the main character the boogeyman

This week we're exploring duality in character writing. Both in how it's used in many different stories across genre and how Frieren: Beyond Journey's End used it to enhance their protagonist. Leading to arguably one of the coldest moments in the series so far.

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[leyrua]

One thing I love about her duality is how you can SEE a switch flip whenever she encounters a demon. She goes cold, and doesn't hesitate, because she knows that hesitation costs lives.

[ostensiblyaverage]

God I love the scene where Stark is literally just putting on a coat but the animators decided that they should literally draw straight flames on the canvas.

[theparadoxicaltouristtrave]

One of the under-appreciated aspects of the Aura fight was that it sets up exactly how powerful Serie is. Her fluctuating mana looks as big as frieren's mana let loose.

[kayakMike]

Frieren not being a morning person and oversleeping a lot... Very endearing.
She does have the discipline to consistently suppress her true mana.

[tric]

Her timelessness imo is why she sleeps in. she's never in a hurry for anything, until she stars to travel w/Fern, so why would she be in a hurry to wake up? The show in so many ways does things right. Great writer great artists. Show was just a simple joy to watch, even in dub, which allowed me to enjoy the art even more.

[antonk.]

In the anime, Frieren often chooses not to fight at first if it is unnecessary, she is rarely the first to incite conflict. This also perfectly fits into the trope "fear the wrath of a kind man".

[Buridan]

when saying "she is so capable but also falls prey to silly habits" you should have shown her being trapped in a mimic - even if is not yet known because it is in a later episode

[GrassPokeKing]

There is NOTHING I love more than terrifying or horrifying protagonists, extra bonus points if they're also the good guys.

[RaylightSilver]

The name 'Frieren' is perfectly chosen, and although it might initially seem like a simple, stereotypical choice, it’s much more nuanced. In German, 'frieren' doesn’t just mean 'cold'; it describes the feeling of freezing—a sensation that goes beyond discomfort and isn’t purely negative. It evokes associations of goosebumps, the search for warmth, and the coziness of winter. It’s the feeling of coming in from the cold to a warm home, finding comfort. Frieren is not just a sad or distant character; she is someone who learns what it means to feel cold and, in doing so, discovers the value of warmth and comfort on her new journey.
As a native German speaker, I’m simply speechless at how perfectly Kanehito Yamada captured the essence of the manga and its story with the protagonist’s name.

[giantWario]

The most amazing part of it for me is that all of the ''silly'' and ''charming'' elements of her personality complement very well the ''terrifying'' and ''badass'' elements of her personality because they're all because of the same things. She's very powerful and experienced as well as someone who constantly procrastinates and sleeps in for the exact same reason: she's nearly immortal. So she's had a lot of time to become a great mage but she's simply never in a hurry to do anything because, as Series said, elves can postpone important decisions even for a millennia if they want to without much trouble. She's cold and hates demons for the same reason that she's awkward and actually becomes deeply attached to her companions, her people were slaughtered by demons which led to her living in isolation for centuries. It's just perfect characterization.

[monologistics]

I actually love that Freieren is soo sleepy in the morning, I mean if elves live thousands of years then their sleep cycle is probably a few days, her 8 hours is likely a small nap for an elf and not a full rest for her. She's been burning the candle at both ends for years and I can just imagine her takinga real elvish sleep for a week and the other character freaking out thinking she's in a coma.

[blazinglava]

Being a bilingual in german and english I went down the rabbit whole after you mentioned frierens name being german, because I picked up on some many other names I didn't think about the same one. Just some names that were mentioned in the show:
Stark = strong,
Fern = distant,
Flamme = fire,
stolz = proud,
himmel = heaven,
Eisen = iron,
Heiter = bright,
Lawine = avalanche
Denken = thinking (a smart character name)
Richter = Judge
Ubel = Evil (that's too bad)
Laufen = running ( a character with speed)
Kanne = Can (potentially saying her potential is there)
Wirbel = turmoil/ whirlwind (a character caught between kindness and violence)
Scharf = sharp (needle magic)
Ehre = Honor
Lugner = Liar
Lernen = learning

[lens_hunter]

Just watching a one second clip of Frieren breaking down over Himmel's death made me cry.

[XiaoPan]

I like the literal translation for Frieren's nickname and series title. Since the title denotes Frieren going to a funeral and her nicknames denotes Frieren the one that brings you to your funeral. (This is why I wished they just said Frieren the Undertaker but that will bring other issues)

Its funny how perspectives work.

[MartyrPandaGaming]

Frieren's relationship with Fern also showcases dualities that are very difficult to have play out in a story organically. The relationship of a Mother and Daughter.

From when Fern was still young, through a large portion of the first season, Frieren was her surrogate/adoptive mother. While it isn't explicit, that relationship existed for much of Fern's early time with Frieren. As their journey continues, with Fern starting to come in to her own woman, the relationship flips for a bit; Fern takes on many of the roles of a mother herself in dealing with Frieren. A great way to show contrast for the characters, but also showcasing a duality for Fern as well. That of a girl who had to grow far too quickly, but is still well within her youth; still a child even.

I'm a fan of Parent-Child stories and most are told from the Father-Daughter perspective. Frieren may not have been overtly about the subject, but it is, nevertheless one of these kinds of stories. That was one of the things that kept me coming back.

[Badmunky]

I love the fanart that depicts Frieren and Doom Slayer as friends over their mutual love of killing demons.

[silverdust]

-- "he stole John wick's car sir . And killed his dog"
-- "Fuck"

[MrDoubleJ]

Something that makes Frieren’s duality work is knowing that her long lifespan makes her maturity complicated. She succeeded in accomplishing tasks that require decades of experience, but in an elf’s eyes she’s barely an adult. She’s practically a child that has seen everything that the world has to offer, and that leads to her fluctuating between acting like an adult and acting like a child so much.

[pretentiousname]

“Best animation Ive seen”

Jacket intensifies

[Driftingsiax]

My favorite example of this is Rurouni Kenshin. The main character is (secretly) a legendary swordsman and REALLY SCARY. It’s never a question of him winning a fight, the conflict for him is maintaining his morals when (for him) killing people is the easier (if morally wrong) choice.