Frieren Season 2: Episode Count Revealed And When Every Episode Drops
Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End returns January 16, 2026, but the long-awaited season 2 will be a lean 10 episodes—down from season 1’s 28—setting up a tighter run that’s bound to ignite fan debate.
Quick update for the Frieren faithful: Season 2 finally has a date, and yeah, it comes with a catch. The show returns January 16, 2026, but this run is just 10 episodes. After Season 1 delivered a massive 28 episodes across two cours, that shorter count is going to sting a little. The flip side: expectations are sky-high thanks to the show sitting at the top of MyAnimeList and pulling raves across the board.
When and where to watch
Episode 1 drops in Japan on Friday, January 16, 2026, at 11:00 pm JST on the Nippon Television Network System. New episodes roll out weekly from there.
Outside Japan, Crunchyroll is doing the simulcast as the episodes air. In Southeast Asia, Muse Communication will stream it. If you rely on Netflix, plan on waiting a while; like last time, Netflix tends to get Frieren months after the simulcast window in most regions.
The weekly rollout
- Episode 1 - January 16, 2026
- Episode 2 - January 23, 2026
- Episode 3 - January 30, 2026
- Episode 4 - February 6, 2026
- Episode 5 - February 13, 2026
- Episode 6 - February 20, 2026
- Episode 7 - February 27, 2026
- Episode 8 - March 6, 2026
- Episode 9 - March 13, 2026
- Episode 10 - March 20, 2026
What Season 2 is actually covering
Season 1 adapted around 60 chapters of the manga, which is a lot. With only 10 episodes to work with now, expect a tighter slice of the story: roughly 17–20 chapters that line up with the Continued Northern Travels Arc and the Divine Revolte Arc.
The plan (based on the manga’s structure) is pretty straightforward:
Frieren, Fern, and Stark head into the Northern Plateau, where the mana is thick and the monsters are not messing around. Fern is now a First-Class Mage, so she will be more front-and-center this time while the trio pushes toward Aureole. The Continued Northern Travels Arc is short in the manga (about 10 chapters), which leaves room for the Divine Revolte Arc right after it. That pacing should let the show do what it does best between set pieces: slow down for those quiet, reflective beats that hit harder than most battle scenes.
By the end of Season 2, expect the story to land right before the Golden Land Arc. Translation: this season is likely setting the table for that heavy-hitter, either as a movie or a longer future season.
Why the hype (and why the 10-episode thing might be fine)
Even with fewer episodes, this show has the receipts. It has held the number-one spot on MyAnimeList, sits at 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, and clocks an 8.9/10 on IMDb. Studio Madhouse is back in the chair, so the animation quality should be exactly what you want from this world: crisp, atmospheric, and precise.
Also worth noting: it is still Frieren: Beyond Journey's End, based on Kanehito Yamada’s manga, heading into Season 2 with the same core team and the same measured tone. Less bloat, more focus. I am not mad at that.
The bottom line
Frieren: Beyond Journey's End Season 2 premieres January 16, 2026, with weekly episodes at 11:00 pm JST in Japan on NTV, simulcast on Crunchyroll in most regions (and via Muse Communication in Southeast Asia). Netflix viewers should expect a delay, as usual.
Shorter season, bigger stakes, and a runway that stops right before a fan-favorite arc. Are you into the leaner 10-episode approach, or would you rather they went long again?