Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today we\u2019re returning to the frost-tipped forests of the northern lands, as Frieren and her new allies continue their first-class mage trials. In attempting to capture a supersonic Stille, a sparrow-like bird highly attuned to the presence of magic, Frieren used the creature\u2019s own sensitivity against it. By directing her allies to \u201ccontaminate\u201d all sources of water with magic, she ensured the birds would come to drink at the final remaining pool, thus making them easy to capture with even the shortest of ranged spells.<\/span><\/p>\n Unfortunately, though pretty characteristically for Frieren, it doesn\u2019t seem she put much thought into the second-order effects of this gambit. Thus we find ourselves with the first-class prospects poised on the verge of conflict, hoping to steal one of the already-captured Stilles now that Frieren has poisoned the well. Though these challenges were initially framed as staid tests of formal aptitude, it seems that Frieren has grasped their true nature; such trials only ever lead to violence, particularly when a number of their entrants actively wish it so. As both the warriors and politicians of this contest well understand, one cannot rise ever upward without stepping upon the dreams of others. With their fangs now bared, let\u2019s see how these mages fare!<\/span><\/p>\n Episode 20<\/strong><\/p>\n Our episode title \u201cNecessary Killing\u201d seems like an inherent critique of this exam system. What about any of this is \u201cnecessary,\u201d given the exam template is entirely in the hands of its proctors? The fact that this challenge so swiftly, obviously resolves into violence seems like it\u2019d be an inescapable deduction for its designers \u2013 which in turn means they actually <\/span>want<\/span><\/i> the violence. Do they wish to bind all first-class mages to their own system through their complicity in murdering their way up? Do they want to ensure any first-class mages possess the necessary killer instinct? Or are they even simply desiring a winnowing of the overall number of mages, such that magical power within human society is easier to control? Regardless, the nature of this challenge makes it clear that the proctors are to some extent hostile to their own contestants<\/span><\/p>\n A cold open draws us in over the frozen lake, as \u00dcbel continues to approach Wirbel. Her stance projects total confidence; she\u2019s not even holding a battle pose, simply walking with her arms hanging at her sides as she somehow summons invisible blades for Wirbel to deflect<\/span><\/p>\n Wirbel attempts to project confidence as well, but his injuries are stacking. The lack of contrast in their affect quietly points towards one of Frieren\u2019s persistent weaknesses: how basically everyone acts like they\u2019re two NyQuil deep. It works for Frieren due to her sleepwalking-esque lack of engagement with the world, but you gotta have some contrast!<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cAre we going to whale on each other with basic spells again?\u201d I do like how both these opponents understand the terms of their battle, and how killing magic is given the proper respect. Magic in this world is astoundingly powerful relative to the physical limitations of the human body; if either of these two were to land a clean blow, they would instantly kill their opponent. Thus focusing on defense and learning the limitations of your opponent\u2019s abilities is paramount, placing us somewhere between a JoJo battle and a samurai duel<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cHis magic is devoid of character. It\u2019s underhanded, for the sole purpose of winning.\u201d The reflections of Wirbel\u2019s ally seem to demonstrate she doesn\u2019t really understand the terms of this contest. Anything that <\/span>isn\u2019t<\/span><\/i> \u201cfor the sole purpose of winning\u201d is extraneous here \u2013 if you\u2019re looking for spectacle in a fight to the death, you won\u2019t last long. No one cares what the dead find distasteful<\/span><\/p>\n As always, I appreciate how magic in this world is portrayed as explicitly not <\/span>of<\/span><\/i> this world, like a fuzzy filter placed upon reality itself<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThis is an absurd reliance on strength! It doesn\u2019t have a shred of character!\u201d Unsurprisingly, she soon finds herself disappointed with Fern\u2019s preference for victory over spectacle as well. Defeat comes just as swiftly<\/span><\/p>\n Wirbel hits \u00dcbel with a binding spell, then has the consideration to reveal \u201cas long as I keep looking at you, you can\u2019t move.\u201d That\u2019s a pretty important limitation to just give away! When it comes to these sorts of JoJo or Hunter x Hunter-adjacent conflicts, the acquisition of information like this essentially <\/span>is<\/span><\/i> the conflict itself<\/span><\/p>\n Ah, I see. He\u2019s taking it easy on her, still trying to avoid a mortal conclusion. As The Big Short put it, he wasn\u2019t confessing, he was bragging<\/span><\/p>\n What\u2019s more, he offered partial information in order to avoid giving away his weakness \u2013 that his opponent\u2019s entire body must be in view for the spell to work, thus preventing him from approaching too close while maintaining the binding<\/span><\/p>\n Wirbel reveals that as a member of the Northern Mages\u2019 Association, he is technically tasked with fighting demons, but can also be commissioned to fight in wars between men. There is no weapon we won\u2019t turn on each other<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe fiendish act of sending women and children to war wasn\u2019t uncommon.\u201d Humanity doesn\u2019t really have any moral high ground here<\/span><\/p>\n But we can still make a choice, still hold certain things sacred. As \u00dcbel points out, Wirbel\u2019s reliance on binding magic demonstrates his fundamental preference for non-violent means<\/span><\/p>\n And ultimately, his delays mean Fern arrives in time to rescue \u00dcbel. While these exam proctors seem intent on making monsters of these mages, Wirbel held onto his values, and seems quite happy to avoid being forced to kill \u00dcbel. None of this was \u201cnecessary killing,\u201d and it seems Wirbel has already eaten his full of that<\/span><\/p>\n It\u2019s an optimistic framing \u2013 that being forced to engage in senseless violence might not simply desensitize us, but instead make us all the more determined to live by our values whenever possible<\/span><\/p>\n A telling twitch of the eye from Wirbel when Fern states she killed his partner Ehre. Nonetheless, he remains committed to no unnecessary killing<\/span><\/p>\n It seems Fern read him truly from the start, knew he\u2019d abandon violence the moment it was unnecessary, and thus lied about his partner being killed to peacefully remove him from the field<\/span><\/p>\n Fern\u2019s actions resonate with both Ehre and \u00dcbel\u2019s thoughts on how magic reflects its caster. Fern is the most pragmatic of all; her style of magic echoes her general affectation, betraying minimal ego or\u00a0 personality of any kind, simply a desire to make the most efficient possible action. It seems appropriate that one of her signature abilities is now the ability to conceal her magic entirely; she is the opposite of Ehre, seeing magic not as an expression of self, but merely a tool to be sharpened<\/span><\/p>\n Meanwhile, Land faces his own opponent in a field of flowers<\/span><\/p>\n Once again, I appreciate how the overwhelming power of magic is reflected in the anticlimax of its execution. Just one brief flourish of conjured blades, and it appears like Land has suffered a mortal blow. People can\u2019t shrug off blows like that \u2013 as Brennan Lee Mulligan said, \u201cit turns out, when you stab most people with a sword, they die right away\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Land notes that custom-made spells like this \u201coften lack in the fundamentals.\u201d Once again, this contrast of expressing personality through spellcasting versus understanding what spellcasting fundamentally is: a tool to enact your will upon the world. Guns aren\u2019t for threats, they\u2019re for killing<\/span><\/p>\n It turns out the injured Land was only an illusion. The real one treats magic with respect \u2013 he appears only once the battle is won, and offers a single light strike to incapacitate his opponent, employing no flourishes and leaving nothing to chance. Once you start prioritizing flash over effectiveness, battles can become messy enough to provoke a great degree of unnecessary killing<\/span><\/p>\n Wirbel has harsh words for the defeated Ehre, but he\u2019s a soldier; he understands it was not luck that led to Fern\u2019s victory, but rather luck that she wasn\u2019t interested in killing either of them<\/span><\/p>\n He even carries Ehre on his back (unlike our own party\u2019s \u201clevitating a sack of potatoes\u201d method), revealing he\u2019s truly a softy at heart. Quite an optimistic character portrayal; as \u00dcbel acknowledged, he\u2019s worked hard to maintain his humanity<\/span><\/p>\n And now he\u2019s floating Land\u2019s opponent along too. Extremely efficient work in making Wirbel this story\u2019s most adorable character<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIs that kindness the reason you fight demons? You saved my village, too.\u201d In spite of the horrors he\u2019s suffered, he has truly made a difference in this place. It takes great kindness to endure what he has and still be committed to protecting the alleged innocence of humanity<\/span><\/p>\n Wirbel states his motives were much more mundane \u2013 he made a promise to the girl he liked as a young child, to clear out the demons so she could return safely to the north. Of course, a promise like that would never propel a lifetime of service to the people \u2013 as with Frieren\u2019s focus on Himmel, these touchstones are simply useful markers in memory, ways we choose to simplify the complexity of self-definition and personal transformation. Wirbel might have started off with that motivation, but he became far more than just an avatar of that hope over time<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t even remember her face or name anymore.\u201d The memory is just a marker, the feeling it instilled in him is what remains<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cYou can\u2019t be serious. What was all that effort for?\u201d In the end a Stille basically falls into their lap, making the violence from earlier feel all the more arbitrary<\/span><\/p>\n Elsewhere, Frieren\u2019s group faces off with the dwarf Denken\u2019s team<\/span><\/p>\n Then to the proctors, where the second trial\u2019s director Sense chastises Genau for \u201ckilling a few promising test-takers\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n His response is \u201cFirst-class mages are just that valuable.\u201d As seemed clear in the initial explanation of this exam, first-class mages are clearly political tools of great worth, their title seemingly even more important than their abilities<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThis is a battle masquerading as a competition.\u201d She\u2019s not wrong<\/span><\/p>\n It seems clear that Genau is basically selecting for mages who think like him<\/span><\/p>\n Frieren and Denken meet directly at last, each aware of the other\u2019s reputation<\/span><\/p>\n Funny contrast here in Denken\u2019s \u201ceveryone from my generation knows your name\u201d to Frieren\u2019s party members responding with surprise that Frieren is famous. Just goes to show the limitations of history and legend \u2013 Frieren fell from inescapable to unknown within one generation<\/span><\/p>\n Denken\u2019s compatriot Richter chastises him for his apparent sentimentality, his desire to win without killing one of Frieren\u2019s companions. Another contrast of those who kill for convenience versus those who prize the distinction of \u201cnecessary killing,\u201d one of the few ways to retain a sense of civility or humanity in an uncivilized world<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI simply don\u2019t believe being a first-class mage is worth killing someone.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n It seems becoming a first-class mage comes with the privilege of learning any one spell you desire from their overseer, the elf mage Serie<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cSo modern first-class mages are all monsters who barely resemble humans.\u201d Serie\u2019s promise seems to echo Genau\u2019s view of these exams, as merely a device for cultivating monsters<\/span><\/p>\n And Done<\/strong><\/p>\n Ooh, that was an excellent one! I had figured this episode might genuinely focus on combat interplay, given the way pairings were set up in last episode\u2019s conclusion, but instead we got this delightful, multifaceted reflection on the nature of violence \u2013 how easy it can be to misconstrue the fundamental nature of magic, and how difficult it is to maintain humanity with full knowledge of the monstrous resources at your disposal. For these mages, the challenge is not about acquiring the \u201cmagic power\u201d necessary to cast some great sorcery; from Ehre\u2019s misunderstanding of mortal combat to Wirbel and Denken\u2019s crystal-clear acceptance of what killing represents, what is more important than the capacity to do harm is the application of such ability, and coming to terms with how you want your magic to change the world around you. Ultimately, Ehre was indeed right that magic reflects your personality; but in a situation such as this, the only truth found in sorcery is what you are willing to destroy.<\/span><\/p>\n This\u00a0article\u00a0was\u00a0mad<\/a><\/em>e possible by reader support<\/a>. Thank you all for\u00a0all that you do.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today we\u2019re returning to the frost-tipped forests of the northern lands, as Frieren and her new allies continue their first-class mage trials. In attempting to capture a supersonic Stille, a sparrow-like bird highly attuned to the presence of magic, Frieren used the creature\u2019s own sensitivity against […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7047953,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12036],"tags":[13211,16981,4374],"dealstore":[],"offerexpiration":[],"class_list":["post-7047952","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-anime","tag-episode","tag-frieren","tag-journeys"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wrongeverytime.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/November25112134.jpg?resize=584%2C329&ssl=1\")
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<\/p>\nRelated<\/em><\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"