Yuusha

I like this one. Just get that out of the way. I liked it when I first heard it on the series. The video just cemented that opinion.

The song is up-beat, but the lyrics are kind of melancholy. It's appropriate for the series (and the manga), which is sad and funny and, occasionally, fairly action-packed. The video is beautifully put together, focusing on Frieren's original hero party more than the trio she's part of during the series. This fits with the lyrics of the song.
Altogether, a nice package. I'd probably listen to this if it was just a random song, to be honest. As an ... OP for Frieren, it works well.

Much like the saying; “What is your favorite Disney era?”, being part of the Anime community will surely have you acquainted with how every “generation” is associated with a big music hit, or artist, that made a name after dropping the hardest opening/ending theme song for an Anime, You have your LiSA, TK, Linked Horizon, The Pillows, and so many more great and well established names that are some times the face of the Anime they were involved in one way or another, but certainly, and especially in recent year, a name has been very well present, the kind of presence that managed to overshadow ... even those legendary names. YOASOBI, the talented, very charming artist duo responsible for many generational grade Anime songs. And I’m sure it is there by, no coincidence that whatever show they are involved with turns out to be just as great and grand with many fans backing it and a reputation that seems to escape even the Anime sphere.

With all of that said, it is a shocker to no one that Yuusha, yet another banger, turns out to be just as great and well defined YOASOBI classic that excelled both visually and audibly. The beat is heart racing, emotional and “alive”, the visuals are just as gripping, grim, and bittersweet. Just like every other YOASOBI songs, it feels like an abstract piece of art waiting to be admired and boast about, but too little ink is there to satisfy the deed.

It feels kind of weird sometimes when it’s too difficult if not impossible it is to separate a piece of art from its artist, a very familiar thing with most of YOASOBI’s hits, and it is very apparent here. It is clear that Frieren and YOASOBI are very separate and independent entities but the song feels like it’s part of the YOASOBI universe if that makes sense, it feels home to their work whilst at the same time complementing the bittersweet and slow nature of the Frieren story.

Honestly, for a Yoasobi song, this does exactly what you expected: a catchy beat, interesting chants and lyrics that perfectly captures the themes of the show.

However, when you consider the nature of Sousou Frieren, which is an anime that does not follow the usual fast-paced and excitement of its fellow fantasies and is more of a tranquil and slow journey like Violet Evergarden, the OP really feels out of place here. A rare case for Yoasobi as the band usually has perfect ops or eds for the respective anime (most recently Oshi no Ko or The Witch from Mercury). Compare that to the ED by ... milet, which suits the show way better than the OP.

All in all, while Yuusha is still a solid song and definitely something which can be jammed to, it is just not the right for the atmosphere of vibes of Sousou Frieren.