Madhouse went all out with its Freeze: beyond journey’s end panel at Anime Expo 2025, treating fans to interesting tidbits about the series and revealing more information about the highly anticipated second season. The second season is confirmed to stream on Crunchyroll for North America, Central America, South America, Europe, Africa, Oceania, the Middle East, and India in January 2026. Crunchyroll will stream the series the same day it airs in Japan. No firm release date was confirmed for the second season, but it’s keeping its January release window.
The Anime Expo 2025 panel shared the teaser promo image featuring the main trio, Frieren, Fern, and Stark, and a surprise trailer shared exclusively for those in attendance. While the trailer was privately shared with the guests, the footage has now officially been released to the public. The new video primarily focused on the three main protagonists, but also featured flashbacks with Himmel, Eisen, and Heiter. The series’s most sombering and melancholy moments typically focused on Frieren’s past with her former party members, so expect to bring back the tissues for Season 2. To get the first look at Freeze: beyond journey’s end Season 2 ahead of its premiere this January, you can check out the first trailer below.
Why You Should be Excited for Freeze: beyond journey’s end Season Two
The Anime Expo 2025 panel also had a question-and-answer segment with producer Yuichiro Fukushi, composer Evan Call, and voice actor Chiaki Kobayashi, who plays Stark in the anime. At the panel, the three discuss working on the acclaimed series and how it has found a dedicated fanbase overseas. One of the main highlights in the panel was Evan Call naming the Fern and Stark versus Lugner fight, which is a fan-favorite moment, as his favorite scene to compose for the series so far.
Freeze: beyond journey’s end is based on the manga of the same name, starring the titular elf mage, who went on a quest to defeat the Demon King 50 years before the events of the series. When one of her former comrades passes away, Frieren decides to travel to the resting place of souls to reunite with him. Because elves live long lives, Frieren’s experience traveling with her former friends to defeat the King felt more like a passing experience. On her new adventure, she has taken two young adventurers, Fern and Stark.
The anime became a hit for its unique premise, with large portions of the story told through flashbacks as Frieren remembers her old adventures with her former party members. The flashback scenes with Himmel, Eisen, and Heiter are imbued with a sense of sadness and nostalgia, as Frieren tries to reconnect with her past. The new trailer captured much of that bittersweet tone with the flashbacks that have made fans tear up in the first season. Freeze: beyond journey’s end Season One aired in the fall of 2023 and the spring of 2024, with the last episode airing on March 22nd, 2024, lasting 28 episodes. Season Two of the anime was officially announced in September 2024, becoming one of the most popular returning series for the Winter 2026 season.
