Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End Season 1 Director Reveals Why He Stepped Out: “I Was Unable to Keep Up”

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Fans are eagerly awaiting the return of Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End with Season 2, which is just around the corner. The anime, based on the popular manga by Kanehito Yamada and Tsukasa Abe, quickly became a worldwide success when it premiered in 2023. It was praised for its original story and charming characters, and even surpassed Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood to become the highest-rated anime of all time on MyAnimeList. The first season, consisting of 28 episodes across two parts, finished in March 2024 and was considered a standout series. Due to the first season’s popularity, a second season was announced immediately after the finale and will premiere on January 16, 2026.

The new season will follow our three main characters as they continue their quest to reach Aureole, the afterlife. This anime is famous for both its compelling story and stunning visuals, which truly bring the series’ detailed world to life. The beautiful scenery and smooth animation, seamlessly shifting between heartfelt scenes and exciting battles, are what make it so special. However, Season 2 will have a new director, and the reason for this change has now been revealed.

Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End Has a Different Director in Season 2

I’m so excited about the upcoming season! Keiichiro Saito was the director for the first part, and he did an amazing job setting the stage. Now, Tomoya Kitagawa, who directed some fantastic episodes like 2 and 8, is taking the helm for the second cour. The good news is Saito isn’t leaving the project completely – he’ll be assisting Kitagawa! I just read a really interesting interview with Saito, Kitagawa, and the series composer/writer, Tomohiro Suzuki, where they talked about their experiences with Season 1 and gave us a little peek at what’s coming up. It sounds like they’re really building something special!

Saito explained that he chose Kitagawa as director because of their strong skills and vision. He’d already relied on Kitagawa’s help during the first season, feeling that Kitagawa could handle aspects he was struggling with. He felt Kitagawa was the only person he could trust with the job.

Kitagawa confirmed that many of the key creative staff from the previous season—including the art director, color designer, cinematographer, and editor, as well as those involved in directing and animation—will be returning for the new season. He also mentioned the addition of some new team members, praising the returning staff as highly dependable.

You can watch the second season of the anime on Crunchyroll, and they also have the first season available. The manga is currently paused, but all released chapters are free to read on Viz Media’s Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End website. There, you can also find links to purchase the manga volumes in physical and digital formats. Fourteen volumes are currently available in English, and the newest volume (number 15), released in Japan last month, doesn’t have a release date for other regions yet.

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2026-01-06 00:47