Anime Expo ignited its own fan-driven excitement this weekend in Los Angeles with a flurry of thrilling announcements for beloved series and eagerly awaited titles. Among these was a Crunchyroll panel honoring the critically praised series Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End. The session showcased an exclusive global premiere of its first Season 2 trailer and confirmed Crunchyroll’s acquisition for worldwide streaming rights, excluding Asia — but including India and the Indian Subcontinent — which will be simulcast from Japan in January 2026.
Taking place in the Peacock Theater in downtown L.A., the panel featured guests including the Japanese voice actor for Stark, Chiaki Kobayashi (Hell’s Paradise), producer Yuichiro Fukushi (One-Punch Man), and composer Evan Call (Violet Evergarden). Each shared their experiences on the show and expressed their enthusiasm for Season 2.
Alongside the new trailer, Fukushi revealed to fans that Tomoya Kitagawa will be directing Season 2. Kitagawa contributed to storyboards and directed several episodes in Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End Season 1. The trailer also indicated that Season 1 director Keiichiro Saito (BOCCHI THE ROCK!) will be supervising Season 2 as its supervising director. Additional staff for Season 2 will include assistant director Daiki Harashina (takt op. Destiny); series composition penned by Tomohiro Suzuki (One-Punch Man); character design by Takasemaru (Violet Evergarden), Keisuke Kojima (100 Meters), and Yuri Fujinaka (key animation on SPY x FAMILY CODE: White); concept art by Seiko Yoshioka (background art on Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo); with Evan Call returning to compose the music.
Based on the popular, ongoing manga written by Kanehito Yamada and illustrated by Tsukasa Abe, Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End is produced by the animation studio Madhouse, renowned for their work on Yu Yu Hakusho, Trigun, Cardcaptor Sakura, Paranoia Agent, Death Note, One-Punch Man Season 1, OVERLORD, and Sonny Boy.
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The Season 1 characters and voice cast (Japanese and English) consist of the following:
- Frieren voiced by Atsumi Tanezaki | Mallorie Rodak
- Fern voiced by Kana Ichinose | Jill Harris
- Stark voiced by Chiaki Kobayashi | Jordan Dash Cruz
- Himmel voiced by Nobuhiko Okamoto | Clifford Chapin
- Heiter voiced by Hiroki Tochi | Jason Douglas
- Eisen voiced by Yoji Ueda | Chris Guerrero
- Flamme voiced by Atsuko Tanaka | Lydia Mackay
- Sein voiced by Yuichi Nakamura | Christopher Wehkamp
- Übel voiced by Ikumi Hasegawa | Morgan Berry
- Denken voiced by Jiro Saito | Ben Phillips
- Serie voiced by Mariya Ise | Anastasia Munoz
Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End was nominated for Anime of the Year and won Best Drama, Best Director (Keiichiro Saito), Best Background Art, and Best Supporting Character at the 9th Annual Crunchyroll Anime Awards held earlier this year.
Season 1 is currently available for streaming on Crunchyroll and can be purchased on Blu-ray from the Crunchyroll Store, along with various franchise merchandise, as well as the manga.
