Himmel is a fascinating character from the manga/anime “Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End” written by Kanehito Yamada and illustrated by Tsukasa Abe. Known as Himmel the Hero, he is one of the four original protagonists of the series. This blog post will delve into the life and legacy of Himmel, providing a comprehensive understanding of his character.
Overview of Himmel (from “Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End”)
Himmel is a brave man who has waged great adventures with his childhood friend Heiter, a monk, Eisen, a strong dwarf warrior, and Frieren, an elf wizard who has lived for over 1,000 years, and has defeated the Demon King with his divine swordsmanship.
He has shown excellent qualities as a swordsman since childhood, and after being teased by Heiter, he decided to become a real hero. He, Heiter, Eisen, and Frieren set out on a journey to defeat the Demon King, and over the course of 10 years, they finally defeated the Demon King and returned triumphantly to the royal capital.
Fifty years later, he is reunited with Heiter, who has also become an old man, Eisen, who has decided to retire from active service, and Frieren, who remains exactly the same as she was 50 years ago. After seeing the once in 50 years meteor shower with them, he passes away with many people watching over him.
Himmel’s adventures are in the past in terms of the main storyline, and his death sets in motion a new story of Frieren’s “learning about humans”.
Himmel’s Personality
Although he has a narcissistic streak, as evidenced by the statues of himself he left in various places, he is a good and noble man who helps those in need whenever he sees them, even while on his journey. His attitude of always being there for the people in front of him has endeared him to many people, and even after his death, he is respected as “the great hero who saved mankind”.
On the other hand, he continues to be regarded as one of the greatest threats by the demon tribe, and until his death, the remnants of the Demon King’s army refrained from any overt action.
He had feelings for Frieren that were a mixture of fondness and admiration, but he died without revealing them, perhaps in consideration of the difference in life expectancy between himself and Frieren. He left statues of himself in various locations, perhaps with the hope that Frieren would remember their adventures together in the future, and that she would not be alone.
Frieren, for her part, did not understand Himmel’s feelings at all, but she found him “a strange man, but a kind, fun, respectful and brave man,” and cried tears of regret when she realized that she knew nothing about him when he died. She then set “learning about humans” as a new goal for her own quest, and set out for the “Land of the Souls”, where it is said to be possible to speak with the souls of the dead.
Himmel’s History
Childhood
He was born and raised in a rural village. At that time, mankind was engaged in a fierce battle against the army of demons led by the Demon King. The Demon King’s stronghold was at the northern end of the continent, and mankind was being driven southward.
One day, he became lost in the forest and was at a loss to find his way back to his village. Then an elf girl appeared and magically showed Himmel a beautiful flower garden and showed him the way to the village. This incident left a strong impression on Himmel, and he continues to remember that he was saved by a beautiful and kind elf (who was Frieren).
Even as a child, Himmel showed glimpses of being an excellent swordsman, fighting off a demon that was attacking a peddler with a single dagger. As a reward, the peddler gave him a replica of the “Sword of the Hero”, which is said to be pulled out by the chosen heroes in times of world crisis.
However, when his childhood friend Heiter ridicules him, saying that he can only become a fake hero with a fake sword, he decides to become the real thing. He hones his skills as a swordsman and leaves his home village with Heiter, who has shown excellent qualities as a monk.
Reunion with Frieren
After Eisen the dwarf joins his party, he decided that it would be better to have a magic specialist as well, so he searched for a powerful mage. Following a rumor, he meets an elf mage named Frieren, and realizes on the spot that she is the elf who saved him when he was a child, but she has forgotten all about it and invites her to join him without confiding that they’ve already met.
He goes to the royal capital and receives 10 copper coins from the king as preparation money, which he grumbles that it is “too little by any means” and is almost executed for disrespect, but he sets out for the demon king’s castle. However, his journey was delayed by his style of helping those in need even if it meant taking a detour, which Eisen complained, “The threat of the Demon King is growing stronger by the day, and you can’t afford to do this”.
Even so, he insists, “Going on fun adventures, exploring dungeons, defeating monsters, seeking out treasure, and then finally realizing you actually saved the world… That’s the kind of journey I want to lead”. He repeatedly helps people, thoroughly explores dungeons, and is admired by many people as “a brave man who never abandons those in need”. He has feelings of both affection and longing for Frieren, but he does not reveal these feelings to her, perhaps because of the difference in life expectancy between humans and elves.
He battles powerful enemies such as Qual the Elder Sage of Corruption, Aura the Guillotine, and Böse the Immortal one after another, and gradually moves northward, defeating or sealing them, until finally, after 10 years, he arrives at the Demon King’s castle.
Farewell to friends
After defeating the Demon King, his party returns triumphantly to the royal capital. He receives a grand welcome as the hero who saved mankind. At this time, the night sky is decorated with the meteor that occurs once every 50 years, and he promises his friends that they will gather together in 50 years to watch this meteor once more.
He parts with Heiter, Eisen, and Frieren and continues to live in King’s Landing. At this time, Frieren entrusted him with a horn of the dark dragon which emanated a suspicious aura, But he carefully kept it.
After that, he spent his life as a brave man helping others, and at the same time, he continued to serve people such as checking every year to see if Qual remained sealed properly. He remained single for the rest of his life, perhaps because of his busy schedule, or perhaps because he could not give up his feelings for Frieren.
The big demon clans of the remnants of the Demon King’s Army, such as Aura the Guillotine, were afraid of Himmel’s presence and power, and refrained from any outward activities during his lifetime. Thus, he fulfilled his life as a guardian of peace in direct and indirect ways.
The Last Journey
Fifty years after their reunion promise, Frieren is the first to show up. She mentions “I’ve come to fulfill my promise, and I want my dark dragon horns back,” and is surprised to see his completely bald head. Soon after, Heiter and Eisen joins them, and the four of them set out on their first trip in a long time. It is not an easy journey for an old man, but together with his friends, they visit a hill with a beautiful night sky view, which Frieren had secretly found, and look up at the meteor for the first time in 50 years.
He was truly happy to see his old friends again and deeply grateful for the fulfillment of his promise, and a few days after returning to King’s Landing, he died of old age. Many people wept at the death of the hero who had continued to serve humanity, and a grand funeral was held.
Realizing that Himmel was dying, his friends who had stayed in King’s Landing also attended the funeral, but Frieren was shocked to realize that she knew nothing about him.
She regrets that she should have known more about Himmel, since people die quickly, and sets out on her journey with the new goal of getting to know people. Eventually, she hears rumors of a “place where souls sleep”, where it is possible to talk with the dead, and sets off for this place to talk with Himmel once more.
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