The Highest-Rated Anime Is Back: Frieren Beyond Journey's End Return Date Revealed
Frieren: Beyond Journey returns January 16 with season 2.
Winter 2026 just got busier: Frieren is back, and the date is finally locked.
When it lands
'Frieren: Beyond Journey's End' season 2 premieres January 16, 2026. New episodes will roll out on Fridays after that. The official site revealed the date alongside a new key visual that puts Frieren, Fern, and Stark in a cavern of eerie, glowing crystals. The announcement hit on September 26, 2025.
"Fridays at 11:00 pm on the NTV network across 30 stations in Japan as part of 'FRIDAY ANIME NIGHT'."
Why this is a big deal
There is already a pile-up of heavy hitters that season (hello, 'Jujutsu Kaisen' season 3 and 'Fire Force' season 3), but 'Frieren' is not exactly easy to overshadow. After that 28-episode first season, it climbed to the top spot on MyAnimeList — the big fan-voted aggregator that basically functions as anime's Rotten Tomatoes — which is a little inside baseball, sure, but it tells you how loud the fan enthusiasm is.
What season 2 covers
If you are new to it: the show follows Frieren, an ancient mage who helped take down the Demon King, then had to live on while her human companions aged out. Season 2 is expected to adapt the manga's Continued Northern Travels arc. Now that Fern is a fully certified mage, the crew can push further north toward Aureole — a place known as "Heaven" — where Frieren is aiming to finally say goodbye to the hero Himmel. Quiet premise, huge emotional swing.
- Premiere: January 16, 2026
- Airs: Fridays at 11:00 pm in Japan on NTV's nationwide 30-station network under "FRIDAY ANIME NIGHT"
- Release cadence: New episodes each Friday
- Announcement date: September 26, 2025, via the official site and social
- New visual: Frieren, Fern, and Stark surrounded by mysterious crystals
- Season 1 count: 28 episodes
- Winter 2026 crowd: 'Jujutsu Kaisen' S3, 'Fire Force' S3
- Story focus: Continued Northern Travels arc; Fern is now certified; the journey pushes to Aureole ("Heaven") so Frieren can say farewell to Himmel