Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End is a fantasy anime series whose first season aired in fall 2023 as a continuous two cour broadcast. Season two is scheduled to air from January 2026. This article introduces Fern, one of the central characters of the series, covering her profile, background, abilities, and voice actor, along with a summary of her role and actions throughout the story.

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About Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End

Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, based on the manga serialized in Weekly Shonen Sunday since April 2020, tells a post-epic fantasy story of the elf mage Frieren after the Hero’s party has defeated the Demon King. The manga has earned critical acclaim, winning the Manga Taisho 2021 Grand Prize, and has surpassed 30 million copies in circulation.

Fern Profile

Fern (JP: フェルン) is a young mage who becomes Frieren’s apprentice and later her traveling companion. Despite her calm demeanor, she possesses exceptional magical talent and steadily matures throughout the story.

■Basic Information
Name: Fern
Name Origin: Derived from the German word “Fern,” meaning “far” or “distant.”
Voice Actor (CV): Kana Ichinose
Occupation: Mage, and Frieren’s disciple

■Age and Timeline
Fern grows as the story progresses, and her age is closely tied to the timeline after the hero Himmel’s death.
Age 20: By 31 years after Himmel’s death, Fern has reached 20 years old.
Birthday Estimate: It is inferred that she was born 11 years after Himmel’s death.

Age References During the Story:
16 years old: 27 years after Himmel’s death
18 years old: She is the same age as Stark, though Fern’s birthday comes later, meaning she turns 18 slightly after him.
20 years old: She reaches 20 by 31 years after Himmel’s death, though Volume 14 still lists her as 19.

Voice Actor (JP)

Fern is voiced by Kana Ichinose, a Japanese voice actress who has gained widespread recognition for her emotional range and natural acting style.

In 2020, Kana Ichinose received the Best New Actress Award at the 15th Seiyu Awards, marking her as one of the most promising young talents in the industry.

Her career reached a major turning point in 2022, when she starred as Suletta Mercury, the protagonist of the TV anime Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury. Her performance as the emotionally complex lead drew significant attention both in Japan and overseas.

Background

As a child, Fern lost her parents due to warfare in the Southern Lands and became a war orphan. Overwhelmed by despair, she attempted to take her own life. At that moment, she was rescued by Heiter, the priest who had traveled with the hero’s party and was living in retirement after the Demon King’s defeat.
Training to Become a Mage

Raised by Heiter, Fern gradually came to deeply respect and love him. Wanting to repay his kindness and gain the ability to survive on her own, she began training to become a mage.

Her talent proved extraordinary. Even at a young age, she mastered advanced mana control techniques. Later, when Frieren visited Heiter, Fern asked to become Frieren’s apprentice. After four years of intense training, she gained enough power and skill to rival a fully trained mage.

After witnessing Heiter’s final moments, Fern leaves on a new journey together with Frieren. Based on the anime’s depiction, it is confirmed that the two set out 25 years after Himmel’s death.

Appearance

Fern is known for her deep bluish purple eyes and long hair of the same color, reaching down to her waist. At the beginning of the story, she was short and had a bob haircut, but she grows significantly over time. Eventually, she becomes taller and physically more developed than her mentor Frieren.

She typically wears an oversized traveling robe, but beneath it she has a slender silhouette. Still, she is notably well endowed, and one scene highlights this when Frieren rests her head on Fern’s lap, prompting Fern to complain that she could only see half the sky.

When dressing formally, Fern tightens her corset so much that she insists it makes fighting impossible, showing her strong commitment to appearance and presentation during special occasions.

Personality

■The “Caretaker” of Frieren
Fern is extremely serious and diligent. Since Frieren is lazy and lacks practical life skills, Fern naturally becomes her caretaker. Because of this role, she is often called “mom” by fans and even by characters in the story.

■Calm but Intimidating When Angry
Fern rarely shows strong emotion. Even when she is angry, she does not explode. Instead, she becomes quietly furious, which makes her even more frightening. Frieren and Stark both describe her anger as “scarier” precisely because she stays calm.

However, she also has an adorable side. When she is upset, she puffs out her cheeks and makes a visibly sulky face, making her emotions suddenly easy to read.

■Harsh Toward Stark, Then Gradually Changes
Fern initially treats Stark harshly after meeting him. One of her bluntest remarks is when she sees his body through a spell and simply says, “Small.”

However, as she begins to see him as a boy her own age, her behavior slowly shifts. Over time, she becomes more physically affectionate and shows gestures that suggest romantic feelings are growing stronger as the story progresses.

■Cherishing Belongings
Fern takes great care of her staff, hair ornament, and other tools, often cleaning them with a gentle smile. Frieren suggests this habit comes from Fern’s painful past. Having lost her home and family as a war orphan, Fern feels happiness in gaining more precious belongings and protecting them.

Abilities

Fern possesses an innate talent that is acknowledged not only by her mentor Frieren, but also by Serie, the great mage who has lived since the mythological era.

■Combat Style
Fern’s combat style is remarkably simple. She fights using only two foundational spells taught by Frieren:

1. Basic Offensive Magic (Zoltraak)
2. Defensive Magic

While this approach is considered an older style compared to modern magic combat, which often emphasizes physical mass based attacks, Fern overwhelms most opponents through the following strengths:

■Overwhelming Rapid Fire Casting
Fern’s spell firing speed is considered exceptional, to the point that she is explicitly stated to surpass even Frieren in casting speed.

■Massive Mana Output and Sheer Volume
With an unusually large reserve of mana, Fern can unleash an overwhelming number of attacks, crushing opponents even through their defenses.

■Absolute Mastery of Fundamentals
Because she polishes basic magic to its highest level, her fighting style leaves almost no openings and is extremely difficult to counter. During the First Class Mage Exam, she defeated Ehre, the top graduate of a magic academy, through direct force. Her performance was so overwhelming that the examiner Wirbel described her as a “monster.”

Related Characters

■Frieren
Frieren is Fern’s magic mentor and traveling companion. While their relationship is formally that of master and disciple, the reality is quite different. Frieren is lazy and lacks basic life skills, so Fern ends up taking care of her daily needs. Because of this dynamic, both fans and characters within the story often view Fern as a mother like figure. This attachment becomes especially clear when Methode shows affection toward Frieren.

■Heiter
Heiter is the priest from the hero’s party who saved Fern when she was a war orphan attempting to take her own life. Fern deeply admires him and chose to study magic as a way to repay his kindness and gain the ability to live independently.

■Stark
Stark is a young warrior and one of Fern’s traveling companions. They are the same age, though Fern’s birthday comes later than his.

A well known early episode involves Fern using a see through spell on Stark and bluntly commenting, “Small.” The remark instantly shattered his pride and became one of the series’ most infamous moments.

Fern is generally harsh toward Stark, and when angry, she sometimes resorts to lightly hitting him. However, as the story progresses, she begins to see him strongly as a member of the opposite sex. Her behavior gradually changes, with increased physical contact and more affectionate gestures, making her romantic feelings increasingly difficult to hide.

■Sein
Sein observes Fern and Stark’s frustratingly awkward relationship from close range. Watching the two argue and reconcile repeatedly, he eventually blurts out in irritation, “Just start dating already!”

Fern’s Role in the Story

■VS Qual
Early in the journey, Fern joins Frieren in the battle against Qual, the Corrupt Sage Elder. Although Qual had only just awakened from his long seal, he immediately analyzed that the Basic Offensive Magic Zoltraak, which he himself developed, had become a standard spell in the modern era. He then adapted by acquiring defensive capabilities to counter it and launched a fierce counterattack.

■First Class Mage Exam

During the First Class Mage Exam arc, Fern demonstrates the overwhelming strength of her fundamentals. In a direct duel, she faces Ehre, an elite mage who graduated at the top of her magic academy.

Using no tricks or advanced techniques, Fern relies solely on Basic Offensive Magic and Defensive Magic, overpowering Ehre head on through sheer force. Her abnormal mana capacity and spell intensity shock everyone present, leading the examiner Wirbel to describe her as a “monster.”

Frieren Characters List

■Frieren Party
Frieren: フリーレン
Fern: フェルン
Stark: シュタルク
Sein: ザイン

■Hero Himmel Party
Himmel: ヒンメル
Heiter: ハイター
Eisen: アイゼン

■Demon king & The Seven Sages of Destruction
Demon King: 魔王
Aura: アウラ
Macht: マハト
Grausam: グラオザーム
Böse: ベーゼ

■Demon
Schlacht: シュラハト
Solitär: ソリテール
Tot: トート
Rivale: リヴァーレ
Qual: クヴァール
Lügner: リュグナー
Linie: リーニエ
Draht: ドラート
Revolte: レヴォルテ
Zart: ツァルト

■Continental Magic Association
Serie: ゼーリエ
Sense: ゼンゼ
Genau: ゲナウ
Methode: メトーデ
Falsch: ファルシュ
Lernen: レルネン
Lineal: リネアール

■First-Class Mage Exam Arc
Denken: デンケン
Übel: ユーベル
Land: ラント
Wirbel: ヴィアベル
Kanne: カンネ
Lawine: ラヴィーネ
Edel: エーデル
Richter: リヒター
Scharf: シャルフ
Laufen: ラオフェン
Ehre: エーレ
Blei: ブライ
Dünste: ドゥンスト

■Others
Flamme: フランメ
Kreis (Gorilla Warrior): クライス（戦士ゴリラ）
Granat: グラナト
Kraft: クラフト
Hero of the South: 南の勇者

Source : Frieren: Beyond Journeys End Official Web Site