Frieren: Beyond Journey's End is one of the best anime of the Winter 2026 season, partly because it features such a cute trio of heroes. The powerful mage Frieren was once one of the four adventurers who saved the world, and now she is the mother figure of a new squad. Fern is Frieren's apprentice and daughter, while Stark is a nice son who doesn't get along with Frieren as well as Fern does. This is a pleasing trio that sticks Frieren anime together, but some anime have even better trios.
Not all useful anime trios do the same thing better than the Frieren/Fern/Stark trio, with some trios being stronger for completely different reasons. Interestingly, some of these trios are more impressive because their members No get along, with friction, drama, and rivalry defining these groups rather than found-family dynamics. Some of these anime trios are legendary in the medium, and others are instant classics that won't be forgotten anytime soon.
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Loid, Yor, and Anya Forger have perfected the found family trope
Mother, father and daughter keep a secret
The found family trope is always heartening when strangers trust each other with their happiness and even their lives. What the three forgers found Spy x Family it is simply a joy to watch and surpasses Frierenown found family story. Both animes handle this trope well, with Frieren and Fern having a lot of precious moments together, but the found family trope is stronger and more thematically relevant with Spy x Familythe main trio.
Loid is a Westalis spy who once thought he only needed his wits and mission to have a complete life, and Yor Briar felt a little lonely even with her co-workers and younger brother around. When they meet and adopt Anya, everything changes, to the point where Yor and Loid worry about their feelings too strong. A clash of duty and personal commitment, it's a challenge for the foster mother and father to show anime fans what they're really made of and what they really stand for.
Deku, Shoto and Bakugo have come so far as heroes
They have also come a long way as humans
Main trios and quartets are popular in the world of action shonen anime, with members of the shonen “big three” often using the concept. Newer like anime My Hero Academia also love trios, although it could be more loosely defined. It's just as well so Deku, Shoto, and Bakugo can team up with other characters to enrich the narrative. Thematically, though, there's no denying that Deku, Shoto, and Bakugo are quite the trio.
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These three UA students went through plus Ultra in amazing fashion, each refusing to dwell on their abilities or let vanity take over. Such a process challenged the trio to face their inner doubts, demons or guilt, from Deku's constant tension to Shoto's family woes and Bakugo coming to terms with his own toxic ways. By the end of the year My Hero Academiathese three heroes became true stars and earned it beyond the amazing quirks they were given or born with.
Guts, Griffith and Casca are tragic figures in a blood-soaked fantasy realm
Romance and betrayal are at the heart of this Seinen trio
Some anime trios are defined by comedic antics and fighting together as inspirational heroes, but it's not just shonen anime that can use this trope to good effect. For every Team 7 or Forger family, there is also a trio like Guts, Griffith and Casca from the cult Crazy franchise. Various anime adaptations have explored the trio in some detail, but the original by Kentaro Miura Crazy manga is the best way to appreciate the best trio of the fantasy genre.
These three characters have been through a lot – sometimes together and sometimes because of each other. The personal nuances and plot twists with this trio are too numerous to name, from Casco's unrequited love with Griffith to Casco and Guts finding love in each other's arms as scarred warriors. And even after Griffith's nightmare betrayal that scarred Guts and Casca again, Griffith remains a big part of their lives, even if they can't stand it.
Eren, Mikasa and Armin have been through so much together
Each shone and suffered in different ways
Attack on Titan is another dark fantasy series that features a grim main trio. Not dissimilar Crazythe story of Attack on Titan features a trio of heroes who sometimes fight together like a found family, while other times they are each other's worst enemies. Eren Yeager is the Griffith of the trio, a powerful warrior who led Armin and Mikasa to glory in battle before betraying them as their worst enemy in Season 4.
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Attack on Titan fans yearn for the good old days before the arrival of the Colossal Titan, when Armin, Eren and Mikasa were carefree kids whose worst problem was Eren's habit of getting into street fights. While these days were marked by minor violence, they feel special compared to what these seasoned heroes have experienced since, and it makes the characters feel that much more real. Their innocence is lost and only violence remains.
Luffy, Zoro and Sanji sailed from one end of the world to the other
These three pirates would give their lives for each other
Pirate captain Monkey D. Luffy has built quite a crew over the course of the story One pieceso much so that there's a decent chance that Prince Loki of Elbaph could join the crew. Like Frieren the elf, Luffy is an adventurer who is ready to explore anywhere and everywhere to see what the world can throw at him, and he has friends to support him. Luffy is not a parental figure like Frieren, but his heart is just as big.
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Luffy, Roronoa Zoro and Vinsmoke Sanji are the “monster trio” on board A thousand sunsand they were the top three fighters of the Straw Hat crew for quite some time, even before One pieceskip time These powerful pirates may sometimes annoy each other, but they are also brothers in arms who are ready to fight side by side and even risk their lives for each other if it comes down to it. Beneath the banter and jokes is a great deal of mutual respect that helps set the Straw Hat crew apart from the likes of Baroque Works and Navy.
Ai, Aqua and Ruby Hoshino formed a strange yet loving family
Ai's death threatens to destroy more lives than one
Not all trios in anime last long, with the Hoshino family Oshi no Ko be a prominent example. This bizarre little family had only been together for about three years, yet it meant the world to Ai Hoshino and her twin son and daughter. Having her two children was what finally let true love into Ai's life, just when she feared love was impossible for her. Ai's life was grim and painful under the glamor of her idol career, so fans were overjoyed that Ai found the real deal before her untimely murder.
This trio is a fascinating one that goes far beyond a party of fantasy adventurers Frieren. Frieren entertains fans with her maternal role in this small group, but Aia's own maternal arc is even stronger. The power of Aia's love in her dying moments had a mixed effect, inspiring Ruby to emulate her while also turning the brother and sister into chronic liars with their own stars. It's hard to tell if the Hoshino family is primarily built on love, truth, lies, or pain, because there's a little bit of each in this tragic trio.
Frieren: Beyond Journey's End
- Release date
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September 29, 2023
- Network
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Nippon TV, YTV, FBS, Chukyo TV, RNB, FCT, STV, KNB, HTV, YBS, RAB, TVI, YBC, UMK TV Miyazaki, TSB, MMT, TeNY, RNC, NIB, KKT, KTK, NKT, ABS, JRT, Daiichi-TV, FBC, RKC, KYT
- directors
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Kento Matsui, Kota Mori, Takahiro Natori, Morio Asaka, Lim Ka-hee, Taku Kimura, Ken Ando, Hirotaka Mori, Ayaka Tsuji
- Writers
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Tomohiro Suzuki
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Atsumi Tanezaki
Frieren (voice)
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Kana Ichinose
Fern (voice)
