Frieren: Will Fern Surpass Frieren?

Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End is a story of emotions. The anime is primarily concerned with talking about human feelings and how we are affected by them. But even such a story can’t escape aspects of knowledge and power. Fern is Frieren’s bright student who, through the show, has shown incredible growth and potential. As their journey continues, will she surpass her powerful master?

After Himmel’s death, Frieren decided to go on a journey to understand humans better. Twenty years later, she started looking for Heiter, who she assumed was dead by then. But she was pleasantly surprised to find he was still living. He also had adopted a war orphan named Fern. As one of his last wishes, he requested Frieren to take Fern as her apprentice. But aware that Fern would get in her way and also at the risk of danger, she refused. In order to convince Frieren, Heiter tricks her by asking her to decipher a book about immortality. Frieren spends the next six years doing so while also teaching Fern in her free time. Heiter, nearing his death, convinces Freieren to take Fern along with her, since she has become a proper mage who won’t get in her way.

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With the battle over, Frieren’s party continues their journey to Aureole and weathers a harsh winter alongside a new acquaintance.

Why Frieren Chose Fern As Her Student?

Frieren realized that taking a young mage like Fern, would not only slow her down but also put Fern at risk. But once she was convinced to decipher a book by Heiter, she also started teaching the little prodigy. In Episode 1, when Frieren had a hard time looking for Fern, Fern asked “Was finding me difficult even for you?” Frieren admitted that it was indeed difficult and also realized how good Fern’s control over her mana was. She was already startled by how good she was for her age.

Fern was aiming to blast a rock with her magical power to prove to Heiter that she is a capable mage now. By the time Frieren was done deciphering the book, Fern was able to blast the distant rock with her magical power. Convinced by Heiter to take Fern along with her, Frieren asks him why he saved Fern. To which he replied, “It’s what Himmel the Hero would’ve done”. This helped Frieren finalize her decision to help Fern because Himmel would have done the same.

How Strong is Fern Currently?

Frieren has been seen in action in Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End multiple times so far. From the looks of it, she is definitely strong. In Episode 9, she outskills and kills Lugner. Lugner noted that Frieren was exceptionally fast at casting spells, and he could not keep up with her. Even Frieren admitted that Fern is faster at casting spells than her. In Episode 19, During the first stage of the First-Class Mage Exam, she was also able to catch the Stille with ease. She was also able to deflect Wirbel’s surprise attack and again emphasized her spectacular speed to react and cast spells. She also defeated Ehre, a second-class mage, with ease.

In Episode 27, Fern meets Serie for the first time and immediately can tell that Serie is suppressing her mana. This was the first time that someone was able to see fluctuations in Serie’s mana. This impressed her so much that she immediately offered Fern to become her student. Even though Fern declined, she still passed her as a First-Class mage.

Can Fern Beat Frieren?

By the end of the first season, Fern has already grown into a powerful First-Class mage. Her strengths include her phenomenal mana control, mana detection, and her unmatched speed at casting spells. In Episode 25, Serie declared that if anyone is capable of killing Frieren, it’s either the Demon King or a human mage. By this, Serie meant that the age of humans is coming, and they’re rapidly getting closer to the potential of powerful mages like Serie and Frieren. Fern is one such mage.

But keeping that in mind, Frieren is still a legendary mage who has lived for over a thousand years. Frieren’s knowledge, experience, and mana still surpass Fern’s. In Episode 26, even with Frieren’s help, Fern is unable to kill Frieren’s replica. The replica also used an attack that Fern was neither able to detect nor react to. This proves that a lot of Frieren’s own strength is a mystery. At least at the moment, Fern can’t beat Frieren.

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As their journey goes on, Fern will continue a lot from Frieren. It is quite possible that she might become the greatest human mage. But comparing her to Frieren or even Serie still feels impossible.

Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End is available to watch on Crunchyroll.