Release Date and Time
Frieren: Beyond Journey's End is going on a short break before releasing episode #17, but it leaves fans with a lot to think about during that time. The previous episode left off on a major cliffhanger that could change the central party going forward. This could completely shake up the series’ status quo and character dynamics.
Voll looks up in Frieren
Frieren: Beyond Journey's End episode #17 will be airing in Japan at 11 p.m. Japanese Standard Time (JST) on January 5. It will be simulcast on Crunchyroll on January 5 at 9 a.m. Pacific Time (PDT), 11 a.m. Central Time (CT), and 1 p.m. Eastern Time (EST). For Frieren fans in the UK, the episode will be released at 18:00 British Summer Time (BST). The release date for the dubbed version of the episode is unknown at this time, but it will likely premiere on Crunchyroll or Funimation at a later date.
Statues of Kraft and his friend in Frieren
Episode #16 Recap
Episode #16 featured two stories concerning friends from the past. The first saw Frieren reuniting with an old dwarf near the end of his life. The second and more notable story sees Sein continue his search for his lost friend. The priest asks some villagers at a fork in the road which way he went and they direct him towards an old lady who seems to know the answer. This old woman has Sein and his friends perform a bunch of errands for her before telling them what she knows. Unfortunately for the unity of the party, she tells them that Sein's friend went to the city of Tur, which is in the opposite direction Frieren needs to go.
Sein thinks in Frieren
The episode also hinted at more of Kraft's backstory.
Episode #17 Preview
Sein now faces the important choice of whether to leave Frieren's party to pursue his friend or to press on with their adventure and potentially lose his trail. Given he hasn't been traveling with them for that long, this may be an easy choice for him on an emotional level. However, the North can be dangerous to explore alone, so leaving the party may not be a practical choice for him. He could also try and convince Frieren, Fern, and Stark to accompany him to Tur. This would delay their own quest by quite a bit but Frieren's immortality has caused her to delay the party multiple times in the past anyway.
Whatever choice Sein makes, it will have a major impact on the series going forward. The search for his friend has added another potential detour to Frieren's journey, but as fans know in Frieren: Beyond Journey's End these detours can be just as enjoyable as the main plot. Fans will just have to wait until Frieren: Beyond Journey's End episode #17 airs on Crunchyroll on January 5 to see what Sein decides.