frieren manga is battle shonen now

lagom

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Jan 2009

107283

Reply to Infamous_Empire

This isn’t even really a new thing, the Mage Exam and Golden Land arcs were also basically battle Shonen arcs with Frieren characters, and I’d argue the exam arc was even more blatant about it.

Given how all these kinds of arcs are easily the worst part of the series, I’m definitely not okay with it

@Infamous_Empire ye true i wonder if season 2 of the anime will have haters considering the battle shonen arcs are gonna be more shown

Sep 9, 12:20 PM

#4

Krsy

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May 2024

19

deg said:
@Infamous_Empire ye true i wonder if season 2 of the anime will have haters considering the battle shonen arcs are gonna be more shown

absolutely not if it is as well animated as season 1 was.

Sep 9, 1:23 PM

#5

Khym_

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May 2023

40

It’s not really new, we’re in the middle of an arc so it makes sense that’s what the arc is? After it’s over we’ll probably get a similar thing like the others where we have a break for some side stories and character development.

Sep 9, 2:58 PM

#6

Tithain

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Dec 2022

86

So "battle shonen" is the new insult. Nice. Every arc in Frieren has been amazing and there's always been a ton of character work and thematic depth in the more action heavy parts as well, if you don't see it I don't know what to tell you.

Golden Land in particular is pretty much perfect, if season two adapts it it's going to be celebrated and beloved as much as season one, thinking otherwise is delusional.

Sep 9, 4:31 PM

#7

ZXEAN

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Sep 2020

5873

What's wrong with being a battle Shounen ? Some of you act like battle Shounen can't have a good story.

Sep 9, 6:49 PM

#8

ryzxgum

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Apr 2022

7873

has been since the tournament arc so long ago, that's why the rest of the manga hasn't hit the same way as the first few arcs.

Sep 9, 10:23 PM

#9

lagom

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Jan 2009

107283

@Tithain
@ZXEAN

im a battle shonen fan but you know that a lot of frieren fans especially anime only fans do not think its a battle shonen and they hate that label on frieren

Sep 9, 10:28 PM

#10

lagom

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Jan 2009

107283

Reply to Tithain

So "battle shonen" is the new insult. Nice. Every arc in Frieren has been amazing and there's always been a ton of character work and thematic depth in the more action heavy parts as well, if you don't see it I don't know what to tell you.

Golden Land in particular is pretty much perfect, if season two adapts it it's going to be celebrated and beloved as much as season one, thinking otherwise is delusional.

@Tithain to be fair its also delusional to think that popular battle shonens are all fights with no character work and thematic depth too

Sep 9, 11:56 PM

#11

Tithain

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Dec 2022

86

deg said:
@Tithain to be fair its also delusional to think that popular battle shonens are all fights with no character work and thematic depth too

Fair enough. Still, I think Frieren is still pretty different in how it structures itself around its themes rather than its fights. It's evident by how all of these are pretty much side quests for the main characters. I understand that we all like Himmel, but there's always been more than that ever since the beginning. So Golden Land focussing more on exploring demons and how they think, or the current arc focusing on magic and how it's evolving in the world following Serie and Flamme's legacy is not a change of direction.

Still, I also like a good amount of battle shonen, and Frieren is a shonen manga at the end of the day. There are elements in common, but it still sets itself apart quite convincingly.

Sep 10, 4:22 AM

#12

intiharr

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Mar 2024

91

Reply to ZXEAN

What's wrong with being a battle Shounen ? Some of you act like battle Shounen can't have a good story.

@ZXEAN

Which battle shounen has a good story again? Dragon Ball? One Piece? Naruto? Or maybe Demon Slayer, good joke. Long and convoluted story does not equal to good, it could be fun but that's not the same.

Sep 10, 4:58 AM

#13

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Jan 2016

14

1. what even is a battle shonen? if we are defining it as a "shonen series with a lot of battles" then yes friren is a battle shonen. if we define it as "a shonen series where character building is done thru combat" then yes friren is a battle shonen; strak's character is based on overcoming his fear of combat and his character building is done thru combat. a characters personailty is often attributed to combat style in the manga.

2. why is it now considered an insult to be a battle shonen? There are a lot of good meaningful battle shounen @intiharr a few examples: FMA, JoJo, ass. classroom, spy x family.

3. i have no problem with friren being called a battle shonen.

4. (me personally) i dont think friren is shonen it feels more seinen to me due to its themes of age and death. i feel just because a manga is being published in a shonen magazine doesn't mean it is shonen.

Sep 10, 6:12 AM

#14

ZXEAN

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Sep 2020

5873

Reply to intiharr

@ZXEAN

Which battle shounen has a good story again? Dragon Ball? One Piece? Naruto? Or maybe Demon Slayer, good joke. Long and convoluted story does not equal to good, it could be fun but that's not the same.

@intiharr Battle shounen absolutely have good stories — One Piece is literally a masterclass in long-form storytelling with foreshadowing and payoff, Naruto tackles cycles of hatred and legacy, even Dragon Ball revolutionized narrative escalation. Fun ≠ Shallow.

Sep 10, 6:21 AM

#15

Hitagi__Furude

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May 2020

2978

This manga has been a hit or miss since like the Golden Land arc anyway...

If thats the case...

Then thats probably another manga in my dropped section...

" Kindness can sometimes lead you to trouble. "

Sep 10, 10:15 PM

#16

DaveTheRaveyah

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Oct 2017

2

Infamous_Empire said:
This isn’t even really a new thing, the Mage Exam and Golden Land arcs were also basically battle Shonen arcs with Frieren characters, and I’d argue the exam arc was even more blatant about it.

Given how all these kinds of arcs are easily the worst part of the series, I’m definitely not okay with it

Golden Land was one of the best arcs, am I crazy?

Sep 10, 11:18 PM

#17

lagom

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Jan 2009

107283

Reply to ZXEAN

@intiharr Battle shounen absolutely have good stories — One Piece is literally a masterclass in long-form storytelling with foreshadowing and payoff, Naruto tackles cycles of hatred and legacy, even Dragon Ball revolutionized narrative escalation. Fun ≠ Shallow.

@ZXEAN did you use ai chatbot for your reply? because your usual writing style is not pefect like that

Sep 10, 11:41 PM

#18

ZXEAN

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Sep 2020

5873

Reply to deg

@ZXEAN did you use ai chatbot for your reply? because your usual writing style is not pefect like that

@deg Lol nah, that was all me. I just put some extra effort this time 😅

Sep 11, 12:41 AM

#19

lagom

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Jan 2009

107283

Reply to ZXEAN

@deg Lol nah, that was all me. I just put some extra effort this time 😅

@ZXEAN ah ok good to know

Sep 11, 12:46 AM

#20

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Jan 2016

14

bro really said "that's too well spoken must be ai."

Sep 11, 12:50 AM

#21

lagom

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Jan 2009

107283

Reply to TheAnimeConno

bro really said "that's too well spoken must be ai."

@TheAnimeConno because you do not know his post history like me

Sep 11, 12:59 AM

#22

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Jan 2016

14

deg said:
@TheAnimeConno because you do not know his post history like me

i know I'm just messing. i just thought it was funny. after lurking for basically forever I've decided to start posting.

Sep 11, 1:00 AM

#23

lagom

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Jan 2009

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Reply to TheAnimeConno

deg said:
@TheAnimeConno because you do not know his post history like me

i know I'm just messing. i just thought it was funny. after lurking for basically forever I've decided to start posting.

@TheAnimeConno this forum is dying fast because of reddit so any more active posters are welcome

Sep 11, 1:03 AM

#24

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Jan 2016

14

deg said:
@TheAnimeConno this forum is dying fast because of reddit so any more active posters are welcome

reddit is a trash heap. it got so much worse now that reddit is trying to use the data for ai training. so many ppl have left.

IMO redditers don't even feel like real ppl to me.

Sep 11, 6:54 AM

#25

Infamous_Empire

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May 2021

257

Reply to DaveTheRaveyah

Infamous_Empire said:
This isn’t even really a new thing, the Mage Exam and Golden Land arcs were also basically battle Shonen arcs with Frieren characters, and I’d argue the exam arc was even more blatant about it.

Given how all these kinds of arcs are easily the worst part of the series, I’m definitely not okay with it

Golden Land was one of the best arcs, am I crazy?

@DaveTheRaveyah loving Golden Land is the fandom consensus so you’re not, plus in theory “Battle Shonen” isn’t derogatory at all, it’s a genre shift that can be used well or poorly & in a lot of the fandom’s eyes it is used well for the longer arcs like Golden Land, but I personally don’t enjoy them at all and find the Golden Land arc in particular emblematic of a lot of my issues with the series

Barely catching my breath!
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Gonna square up to all of the heat that is left!
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Sep 11, 10:01 AM

#26

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Jan 2016

14

Infamous_Empire said:
@DaveTheRaveyah loving Golden Land is the fandom consensus so you’re not, plus in theory “Battle Shonen” isn’t derogatory at all, it’s a genre shift that can be used well or poorly & in a lot of the fandom’s eyes it is used well for the longer arcs like Golden Land, but I personally don’t enjoy them at all and find the Golden Land arc in particular emblematic of a lot of my issues with the series

what are your issues with the series?

Sep 11, 10:16 AM

#27

DaveTheRaveyah

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Oct 2017

2

Infamous_Empire said:
@DaveTheRaveyah loving Golden Land is the fandom consensus so you’re not, plus in theory “Battle Shonen” isn’t derogatory at all, it’s a genre shift that can be used well or poorly & in a lot of the fandom’s eyes it is used well for the longer arcs like Golden Land, but I personally don’t enjoy them at all and find the Golden Land arc in particular emblematic of a lot of my issues with the series

I particularly loved how much depth Macht and his backstory got. Exploring a very unique relationship with the constant burning question of how much of it is a ruse?

What exactly didn’t you like about it and what was battle Shoneny to you?

I can understand not liking the exam arc if you don’t like tournament arc style stories, as that’s what it felt like to me. But I like tournament arcs so I didn’t mind it

Sep 12, 9:15 AM

#28

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May 2021

62

Tithain said:
So "battle shonen" is the new insult. Nice. Every arc in Frieren has been amazing and there's always been a ton of character work and thematic depth in the more action heavy parts as well, if you don't see it I don't know what to tell you.

Golden Land in particular is pretty much perfect, if season two adapts it it's going to be celebrated and beloved as much as season one, thinking otherwise is delusional.

fr

i don't see what the issue is. this arc has been straight fire and people still complain..

its same old same old... switch things up and people complain its not the same, don't switch it up and all people will complain its boring and nohing happens...

Sep 12, 9:19 AM

#29

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May 2021

62

its not battle shonen. its still frieren and they just hbe a battle phase like they already did before. i don't see the issue or why people act like battles are out of place.. wtf? its called an arc of suspense in literature. we currently experiencing a climax. this is ok. If it's too high for your comprehension go read shonen.. i heard mid slayer is pretty peak for normies...

Sep 12, 9:37 AM

#30

Magpareddi

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Aug 2025

108

FlowVonD said:
i heard mid slayer is pretty peak for normies

implying Frieren isn't normie material 🤦

Sep 12, 11:07 AM

#31

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May 2021

62

Magpareddi said:

FlowVonD said:
i heard mid slayer is pretty peak for normies

implying Frieren isn't normie material 🤦

i never said that.. frierens mainstream af since the manga award.. what i was implying was the utter void of literary education in ops statement hence why i recommend midsalyer because the story is catered to such amoebae's taste

Sep 12, 11:10 AM

#32

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May 2021

62

Magpareddi said:

FlowVonD said:
i heard mid slayer is pretty peak for normies

implying Frieren isn't normie material 🤦

jokes aside

thats not what i was trying to imply.
i just feel like often when a mangaka tries to mix things up for keeping things interesting some dude on mal is gonna have an issue and ima fight these hoes

Sep 13, 1:31 AM

#33

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Jan 2016

14

dibindibi said:

FlowVonD said:
If it's too high for your comprehension go read shonen.

Frieren is published in Weekly Shōnen Sunday which makes Frieren a shounen manga, but don't let me stop you from coping so you could feel superior for reading Frieren.

lol wanted to point this out as well. friren is shonen.

also why the strays at demon slayer? i enjoyed the manga.

Sep 13, 9:02 AM

#34

Deadlyskooma

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Sep 2024

9

I’m not even a fan of battle shonen arcs outside of like sakamoto days, but Frieren doesn’t even make it feel like a bs. It’s simply natural that in that world and story they’re going to have to fight occasionally and it’s all handled very well. We get plenty of slice of life so I don’t mind

Sep 13, 9:07 AM

#35