Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End is expanding with a new prequel, now confirmed for a U.S. release. The announcement was made on August 23 at Anime NYC 2025, held at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City.
The prequel, titled Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End Prelude, will be published in North America by Yen Press.
According to the publisher’s description: “After the legendary elf mage Frieren is forced to confront the cruel passage of time, she sets out on a journey to fulfil the last wishes of her friends and get to know the world a little better. Under the supervision of Kanehito Yamada, writer of the original manga, comes five original short stories. Join Frieren, Fern, Stark, Lawine, Kanne, and Aura in brand new adventures.”
Originally released in Japan on April 17 2024, the novel explores events that take place before the main storyline of the Crunchyroll anime.
The collection expands on the backstory of the central trio while giving more depth to supporting characters Kanne and Lawine, introduced during the “First-Class Mage Exam Arc.” Aura the Guillotine also features prominently, revisiting debates among fans regarding her fate in the main series.
While no specific U.S. release date has been confirmed, the news arrives ahead of the anime’s continuation. Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End Season 2 is scheduled to premiere on Crunchyroll in January 2026.
Director Keiichiro Saito, who led the first season, will return in a supervising role, while Tomoya Kitagawa will step in as series director.
Season 1, which aired from September 2023 to March 2024 across 28 episodes, will be available on Blu-ray this October.
The manga remains distributed in the United States by Viz Media, while Crunchyroll continues to stream both subtitled and dubbed versions.
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