Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End has returned for a second season. The first season landed as IGN’s Best Anime of 2024, so expectations are (deservedly) quite high. Fortunately, Kambole Campbell's review of the premiere says that the new season “follows up the excitement and complex world-building of its magic exam arc with a simpler, more grounded story." I am personally preparing for more existential crises.

Though reports suggest the new season may be significantly shorter than the first, Frieren is one of the anime I was most looking forward to in 2026 and certainly a highlight of this winter anime season. If you’re planning to tune in, here’s everything you need to know.

Frieren Season 2 Episode Release Schedule

The new season of Frieren will be streaming on Crunchyroll in the U.S. and UK. The first episode arrived on Crunchyroll on January 16 at 7am PT (3pm GMT). Subsequent episodes will be released on the anime streaming service at the same time every Friday.

How many episodes will there be total?

Some reports are indicating Frieren’s second season will only have 10 episodes, a pretty significant reduction from the previous season’s 28. The reduction, if true, could be a response to the manga being on an indefinite hiatus, giving the animation studio more leeway for future seasons. There’s also the chance that it’s the result of demanding production timelines, but there’s been no official confirmation.

Where to Stream Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End

Frieren Season 2 is releasing new episodes exclusively on Crunchyroll in the U.S. and UK. However, you can also stream the first season on Hulu, Disney+, and Netflix. The first season landed on Netflix around 18 months after airing, so it’s likely the second season follows a similar (very long) timeline.

Frieren Voice Cast and Characters

Frieren Season 2 continues to be produced by studio Madhouse, with Tomoya Nagataki taking over Keiichiro Sato’s role as director. While the studio has not announced a new voice cast for the second season, here’s the main Japanese voice cast from the previous one:

• Atsumi Tanezaki as Frieren
• Kana Ichinose as Fern
• Nobuhiko Okamoto as Himmel
• Hiroki Tôchi as Heiter
• Yôji Ueda as Eisen
• Chiaki Kobayashi as Stark
• Sayumi Suzushiro as Lawine
• Jirô Saitô as Denken
• Eiji Hanawa as Richter
• Haruka Terui as Sense
• Azumi Waki as Kanne

Amazon’s live-action Prime Video God of War TV show is charging forward, as Teresa Palmer (Warm Bodies, A Discovery of Witches) has joined its cast as Phoebe/Sif.

Deadline reports that the actress has officially signed on to star alongside Ryan Hurst, who joined the PlayStation series adaptation as Kratos earlier this week. The Earth goddess plays a somewhat smaller role in the video games the new show is based on and is most known for appearing during segments from God of War Ragnarok that feature the Ghost of Sparta’s son, Atreus, who has yet to be cast.

Palmer is the second actor to join Amazon’s latest video game adaptation and is probably best known for her involvement in 2013’s zombie romance movie, Warm Bodies. Although her experience in other films, such as Lights Out, The Fall Guy, and The Grudge 2 see her filmography date back to the mid-2000s, viewers may have caught her on TV more recently. Highlights from her time in television include A Discovery of Witches, The Last Anniversary, and The Family Next Door.

Although Sif is largely seen as a side character in Ragnarok, there’s no telling how her part may be featured in the God of War TV show. At the least, her presence in the story suggests her husband, Thor, could be just around the corner. Palmer’s inclusion also likely has players expecting to see her children – Magni, Modi, and Thrud – show up in some capacity, too.

We know little about what direction the Prime Video video game series will take, so it’s possible all or none of these iconic names from Norse mythology will appear. Other characters who have not been confirmed for the show but play a part in both God of War (2018) and its 2022 Ragnarok sequel include Freya, Mimir, Sindri, Brok, Odin, and Baldur.

“In God of War, the live action series, his story will closely follow the path of the last two games as he deals with something new: his ten year old son Atreus,” an official description for the show says. “This father and son dynamic began a whole new chapter in the legendary series and will be the heartbeat of the new show.”

Hurst’s inclusion as Kratos made waves for a few reasons. While the announcement allowed audiences to finally put a live-action face to the iconic name, fans of the games were also happy to see the star join following his role as Thor in Ragnarok. It's unclear who may follow Palmer's casting as Sif, with the show's release date also still a mystery.

We will (hopefully) know more about how casting for the series will shake out in the months ahead. In the meantime, you can read about composer Bear McCreary and his thoughts on the live-action God of War show.

Photo by Amanda Edwards/Getty Images.
Michael Cripe is a freelance writer with IGN. He's best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).