The elven mage Frieren is known as one of the strongest mages in the “Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End” anime and manga.
Despite being ancient and mighty, Frieren has mentioned that humans have defeated her in battles. This raises the question how did these humans manage to beat someone as powerful as Frieren?
Frieren, like many others, has weaknesses that can be used against her. One of these weaknesses is especially dangerous for her as a mage.
This weakness holds her back from using all her mage powers. Because of this, Frieren has to think of different plans to beat an enemy or get past something she could easily destroy.
Fans of the series often see her figuring out these strategies. Even if fans don’t mind how Frieren handles things, her student Fern does. She often asks Frieren why she bothers with all these complicated plans.
Frieren’s Character and Magical Abilities
As a young child, the elven mage Frieren was taken in by the human mage Flamme. Over the course of a thousand years of practice, Frieren has undeniably become much stronger, solidifying her position as one of the most formidable individuals in the series.
Frieren’s skill as a mage is so remarkable that even prominent mages like Denken are reluctant to confront her in battle and would prefer to escape.
In addition to her vast array of battle techniques and experience, Frieren possesses a large reservoir of mana and shows resistance to tactics such as hypnosis and mind control.
Frieren, as a mage, holds immense power, but she keeps a low profile about it. Unlike Serie, who commands authority like an overlord, Frieren has a different approach.
Instead of being a warmonger, she opts for a cunning strategy to defeat demons by luring them into underestimating her.
While Frieren is undoubtedly powerful as a mage, she does lack certain social skills and has room for growth in that area.
Despite this, she has been able to maintain and attract loyal friends because deep down, she is a kind-hearted individual.
Despite her immense power, the elven mage Frieren does have vulnerabilities that her enemies can use against her.
One notable weakness, despite her fame as a mage, is something even beginner mages might face. Right after casting a spell, Frieren’s ability to detect mana temporarily fades.
This split-second vulnerability can be exploited by opponents, especially for mages who rely heavily on precise timing and accuracy in battle. Interestingly, even after years of training and experience, this weakness persists in Frieren’s abilities.
Another weakness of Frieren’s is her perception of time and how it affects those around her, except herself. Being an elf, Frieren has an incredibly long lifespan.
Having lived for over a thousand years and still appearing like a teenager, fans often speculate about the true extent of an elf’s lifespan.
Due to her vast amount of time, Frieren can delay making important decisions for years, decades, or even centuries.
While this might be manageable for her, it can cause suffering for her human companions if her choices affect them.
Frieren’s Vulnerabilities
Frieren’s most critical flaw lies in her imagination. As a mage, her powers and thought processes are deeply rooted in logic.
While this approach has its advantages, especially in terms of precision and predictability, it also limits her in significant ways.
Unlike some other magic users, like Ubel, who have been observed using spells without fully grasping their core concepts or principles, Frieren tends to struggle with spells that require more imaginative and less logical approaches.
However, for Frieren, who practices structured magic she uses magic only when she fully understands its principles this poses a significant challenge.
While some fans might argue that Frieren was being logical, the truth remains that Serie failed Frieren in the final first-class magic exam not just because she disagreed with Serie’s beliefs, but also because she couldn’t envision Serie passing her.
Due to her structured approach to magic, Frieren lacks the flexibility that comes with imagining the seemingly impossible.
After her battle with Denken during the concluding stages of the first-class mage exam, Frieren remarked that she doubted Richter could envision defeating Kanne, a mage who controls water in the rain, just like she couldn’t.
Despite Frieren being a far superior mage compared to Kanne, it’s uncertain if she would lose in a battle fought in a water-based environment during rainfall.
However, if we consider the idea that a mage can only materialize what they can visualize, then Frieren might face difficulties.
It’s possible that situations like this have led to Frieren’s defeat by several humans in the past. This limitation in her ability to imagine and visualize in certain scenarios could have been a factor in her losses.
The Significance of Frieren’s Fatal Weakness in the Series
Frieren us one of the strongest mages, but she can still be beaten by much weaker mages if they can stop her from winning. This shows that battles in the mind can be more important than physical fights, highlighting how a mage’s thoughts matter a lot.
It also shows that mages who can imagine things well will always be on top. Their magic lets them do amazing things, like turning the world upside down.
But, even with this strong imagination, mages still need to be really powerful to make impossible things happen. They also need to believe in themselves a lot.
So, Frieren’s big weakness tells us a lot about how the magic world works. It shows how important it is to win the mental battles, the magic of imagination, and the need for both power and self-confidence for mages to succeed.
