Highlights
- Frieren explores the distortion of history and legends, revealing that the story of Himmel pulling the Hero’s Sword from the stone was a lie.
- The episode delves into Stark’s perceived failings as a warrior and his reflection on trauma, leading to a heartfelt moment of understanding and bonding with Fern.
- Stark’s backstory reveals a toxic portrayal of heroism, emphasizing the importance of kindness, compassion, and being recognized for one’s efforts in being a true hero.
Warning: The following contains spoilers for Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, episode 12, “A Real Hero”, now streaming on Crunchyroll & Prime Video.
The main trio of Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End is so good that it’s hard to pick favorites, but every time that Stark takes center stage, he makes a very strong case for himself. After encountering the truth behind a legend, Stark begins to think inward, resulting in a lesson about what it means to be a hero, and one of the most emotional episodes yet.
Last week, following the defeat of Aura, Frieren and the gang ventured north only to be caught in a harsh winter that held them up for six months alongside an elven monk named Kraft. Once winter passed, and they said goodbye to their new friend, they headed to the Village of the Sword, the place where Himmel is said to have pulled the Hero’s Sword from the stone.
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The Lie of the Hero’s Sword
Frieren has repeatedly used falsehoods to make statements about stories, history, and society. For instance, the titular elf collects grimoires which are attributed to her master yet are, by her own admission, fakes. This is just one instance where the series observes how history becomes distorted over time and turns into legend.
Usually, though, this distortion is framed as a natural process over many decades, whereas Episode 12 shows an instance where the distortion was willful on the part of the cast. Much to Stark’s surprise, the story about Himmel pulling the sword out of the stone was a lie to cover up that he didn’t. It’s foreshadowed in the beginning, when Frieren remembers him brandishing a replica of that very blade when they started their journey.
The buildup to this reveal is very well done and, upon rewatch, the framing is very clever, as demonstrated below. Notice how, in the first shot, the young chief who preaches the legend dominates the foreground while Stark, the one clearly fond of the story, is in the background. After Fern reveals that she never heard the story – much to Stark’s surprise, the shot changes, and now Frieren dominates the foreground, silent, because she knows the truth.
It’s this kind of subtle directing that makes the storytelling so captivating and each revelation that much more rewarding. Turns out, Himmel never pulled the sword out and the lie was created to romanticize his story, as history is one to do with its heroes, yet the truth is far more inspiring precisely because Himmel still defeated the Demon King.
In the Monogatari Series, the character of Kaiki Deishu makes a very good point about fakes. In Nisemonogatari, he says “The fake is of far greater value. In its deliberate attempt to be real, it’s more real than the real thing.” It can be easy to be cynical about heroes, and there is no shortage of stories that treat heroism as an ideal for the naive. As they say, don’t meet your heroes. The hero becomes an idea rather than a real person.
By Kaiki’s reasoning, that desire to become a hero – to follow that idea in earnest – makes the imitator more authentic than the story itself. Himmel carrying around a replica of a great sword seems silly until one remembers that the same sword he brandished at the start was the same one he clutched on his way to the grave. It didn’t matter if it was the real Hero’s Sword or not, because it had become one by force.
This realization is the start of a big moment for Stark – one that causes him to reflect on his perceived failings as a warrior and the trauma accompanying that. The latter half of the episode unpacks it all while offering some long-overdue bonding between him and Fern, who hasn’t always been the kindest to him.
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Stark’s Gift
Fern can be such a tsundere toward Stark. The text would suggest this is because of his cowardice, but after such a big deal was made about him finding his resolve in Episode 6, that feels like a hollow justification. He’s a strong fighter who simply isn’t afraid to admit that he’s afraid, which is an admirable and nuanced trait for a male character.
Granted, it isn’t as though Fern is completely heartless to him either. Upon hearing that it’s his birthday, she immediately thinks about how she hasn’t gotten him anything. This also leads to a hilarious and unexpectedly well-animated scene with Frieren. She’s so proud of the perverted gift she got from Flamme, having been led to believe it will be the greatest gift ever, that she gets uncharacteristically giddy.
Fern goes looking for Stark and encounters everyone around town who he has helped with chores or even just spent some time with. His capacity for lending a hand surprises her, and it is plain to see how she’s slowly gaining more respect for him. When she finds him and – deciding it’s best to be forthright – asks him what he wants for his birthday, everything comes full circle. He’d never really celebrated his birthday before because he never thought anyone cared.
Stark’s backstory had been hinted at during his debut, but all these episodes later, it can be easy to forget that he ran away from his home when it came under attack. His shame over this follows him, but it’s finally explored more deeply here. Growing up in a village of warriors, the expectations placed upon him were steep, so much so that he was considered a failure. But his brother, the standard by which others were judged, was kind to him.
From just the briefest glimpse of Stark’s childhood home, there is a very toxic portrayal of heroism being presented. It’s a philosophy obsessed with strength, perfection, and the absence of any weakness, a standard that Stark grew up believing he had to hold himself to. However, as he has demonstrated, he’s the model of what a hero should be; kind, compassionate, and always eager to lend a helping hand. He simply hasn’t received the praise he deserves.
It ties in beautifully with the theme from last week – the idea that it is necessary to be rewarded for having lived well. Stark spent so long thinking that his birthday was never celebrated and that his efforts to become stronger would go unnoticed, only to realize that both his brother and Eisen always recognized him. It is a heartbreaking and beautiful moment.
His brother was a hero, not because he could kill monsters without dirtying his white robe or any stupid thing his father said, but because he was kind. As for Eisen, his mantra that “everyone who works hard is a warrior” cuts to the core; a wholesome message befitting any inspirational quote wall. Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End was quite the tear-jerker this week, but it’s the kind of episode that leaves one smiling, and that’s what’s most important.
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