11 Anime to Watch if You Like Frieren

Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End is unlike anything else. Madhouse’s anime adaptation of Kanehito Yamada’s manga has delivered two brilliant seasons, with a highly anticipated third season still to come. The series embraces shonen fantasy conventions before subverting them in moving ways. Its story considers the ephemeral nature of time, the depth of human connection, and the importance of savoring the journey itself. The series remains far more interested in quiet moments shaped by tranquility and nostalgia.

While Frieren remains singular, a handful of anime come close to capturing its laid-back atmosphere. Series like Delicious in Dungeon and The Apothecary Diaries share its comforting spirit. Here are 11 anime worth watching before season 3 of Frieren arrives.

11. Kino’s Journey

Kino’s Journey adapts Keiichi Sigsawa’s light novel series. The story follows Kino, a stoic teenager traveling through strange countries alongside a talking motorcycle named Hermes. The anime centers on a long journey, while Kino remains detached from much of the surrounding world. The traveler never stays anywhere for more than three days to prevent the temptation of settling down. Loneliness and pain permeate the narrative, but the protagonist learns to appreciate the world’s beauty.

10. Haibane Renmei

Yoshitoshi Abe created Serial Experiments Lain and Texhnolyze, and his Haibane Renmei is a surreal 13-episode treasure. Rakka, a newly hatched angel-like being known as a haibane, falls from the sky before emerging from a giant cocoon. Rakka gradually learns to navigate her new existence in the walled city of Glie. The melancholic tone complements its patient exploration of time and mortality.

9. Natsume’s Book of Friends

Yoshitoki Ōima created A Silent Voice, and shonen gem To Your Eternity follows an immortal being who spends centuries discovering what it means to be human. Fushi begins as a mysterious white orb and assumes the forms of different living things, including a white wolf. A lonely child mistakes that wolf form for his missing pet, and the two share a precious stretch of time before tragedy strikes. To Your Eternity examines the agony of outliving mortal companions as Fushi’s emotional intelligence develops.

8. To Your Eternity

Yoshitoki Ōima’s A Silent Voice companion work To Your Eternity details Fushi taking on the forms of various lifeforms. A lonely child mistakes Fushi’s wolf form for his lost pet, and the two bond until an unimaginable tragedy strikes. To Your Eternity dissects the pain of outliving mortal companions. While Frieren focuses on cherishing fleeting bonds, this series dwells on the devastation of loss.

7. The Faraway Paladin

Stories about feral children raised by animals appear in works ranging from Princess Mononoke to Children of the Sea. The Faraway Paladin puts a supernatural twist on that idea. A child named Will is raised in the city of the dead by three undead guardians consisting of a skeletal warrior, a mummified priestess, and a spectral wizard. Will must understand the passage of time to appreciate human experience.

6. Mushi-shi

A wandering man named Ginko stars in Mushi-shi, which mimics Frieren in its melancholic storytelling. Ginko extends empathy to primitive creatures called Mushi, who influence human behavior like invisible parasites similar to curses in Jujutsu Kaisen. Ginko changes countless human lives through fleeting encounters as he works to maintain ecological balance.