| Introduction |
“ I promise to blaze a path to the future. I, humanity's greatest hero. The Hero of the South.
—The Hero of the South to Frieren, in Chapter 63
The Hero of the South ｢
Personality[]
The Hero of the South was a level-headed and calm person. Because of his magic to see the future, he was unfazed by the actions of others. Before he even spoke to Frieren, he already anticipated her rejection, and as a result his response to it was nonchalant. Despite knowing his own fate was to die at the hands of demons, he remained committed to fighting for mankind. Though he was disappointed that he would not be the Hero to defeat the Demon King and thus his deeds may be forgotten by the people, he didn't allow it to deter him and he pressed on. He was confident in his own abilities, assuredly proclaiming that he was the strongest hero of mankind. The Hero of the South was calm in the face of death, as he knew that his death would not be in vain. He remained resolved until the very end to cut open a path for the Hero who will defeat the Demon King.
Long after his death, the people of the north, specifically the people of Fabel Village, still remember his heroic deeds for mankind, indicating that even with his precognition, the Hero of the South underestimated the mark he would make on history.
Appearance[]
The Hero of the South possessed neatly combed hair with a bang extending across the right side of his face. His face stands out, as he was a middle-aged man who sported a very finely-groomed moustache, in contrast to the young and beardless Himmel. The Hero of the South was typically depicted as being costumed elaborately. His outfit consisted of a button-up white shirt with a cravat, over which an ornately patterned vest and long overcoat that reached the knee with dark hems, a large collar, and dark patterns scrolling across the sleeves were worn. Two belts strapped his swords to his sides. Beneath the overcoat the Hero of the South wore light colored pants tucked into knee high dark boots. He donned a long, dark cape atop his other pieces of outerwear, held by a corded cloak clasp.
Synopsis[]
History[]
A year before the Hero of the South was killed, he visited Frieren in the forest in the Central Lands that she was inhabiting. He asked Frieren to join him to defeat the Demon King, but Frieren refused. Instead of trying to persuade her more, he casually gave up and admitted that he didn't know the words to persuade her. Frieren commented that his words were as if he already knew the outcome of their conversation. The Hero of the South revealed that she was correct and because he judged that she would never reveal the secret of his magic, he shared with Frieren that the reason he was the strongest was because he could see the future. He told Frieren that one year from their meeting, he would lose his life in the Northern Plateau at the hands of Schlacht the Omniscient and the Seven Sages of Destruction, and die without achieving his goal.
Despite this, he told Frieren to not feel bad, as even if Frieren did come with him, this was an inevitability. He assured Frieren that a young hero would soon come visit her. They would journey together and eventually defeat the Demon King. Frieren expressed her incredulity at his words, and he told her that she would see once she met the young hero, and that he would change her life. Before leaving, he asked Frieren for a favor: to tell the hero that, "I promise to blaze a path to the future. I, humanity's greatest hero. The Hero of the South. Even if my great accomplishments are buried and forgotten in the shadows of history."
The Hero of the South faces off against the Seven Sages of Destruction and Schlacht the Omniscient.
Continued Northern Travels Arc[]
Frieren's Party arrive in Fabel Village, where they are asked to clean up a statue of their hero. However, when they arrive at the statue, Stark is shocked to find that it isn't a statue of Himmel that they're polishing. He asks Frieren whose statue it is, and she tells him that it is a statue of the Hero of the South. The Hero of the South was said to be mankind's strongest Hero. Stark initially believes this to be an exaggeration, but Frieren states that he deserved the title.
The party watches a puppeteer reenact the Hero of the South's story while Frieren tells them about the Hero of the South's feats. He managed to wipe out the Demon King's frontline troops within a year and pushed them back to the northernmost end of the Northern Plateau. There he faced all Seven Sages of Destruction and the Demon King's right hand, Schlacht the Omniscient. Schlacht possessed the ability to see a thousand years into the future, and the Hero of the South knew he was beaten. However, he still managed to kill three of the Seven Sages of Destruction and managed to slay the Omniscient Schlacht with his final strike before he fell.
Many people in the region were saved from the control of the Seven Sages of Destruction because of the Hero of the South. Their faith in him is strong, and there are some who believe that the Hero of the South is still locked in battle against the Omniscient Schlacht up to this day since his corpse was never found. However, because the demons he fought were man-eaters, Frieren states that it is likely they simply ate him instead. As they begin to clean up the statue, Frieren remembers her meeting with the Hero of the South a year before he fell at the hands of the Seven Sages of Destruction and the Omniscient Schlacht, where he revealed his magic to see the future to her and predicted that she would have an encounter with Himmel and his party that would change her life.
After cleaning up the statue, Frieren watches as the villagers gather around it. She reflects on how they haven't forgotten the Hero of the South, noting that he has definitely made his mark on history.
The statue of the Hero of the South surrounded by the villagers of Fabel.
Abilities[]
The Hero of the South was immensely powerful and lived up to his title as the strongest of mankind. He was able to take down three of the Seven Sages of Destruction as well as the Omniscient Schlacht in a battle against all of them at the same time. He possessed the tactical knowledge and battle acumen to push back the Demon King's frontline troops to the northernmost end of the Northern Plateau in just a year.
- Dual-wielding proficiency: The Hero of the South used two longswords as his main weapons.
- Precognition: The Hero of the South possessed a secret magic that allowed him to see the future. This prescience extended beyond his own death, as he foresaw that Himmel would be the Hero to defeat the Demon King.[1] According to him, this magic was what made him the strongest of mankind.[2] This magic is considerably unique, with the only other noted individual to possess something similar to it being Schlacht the Omniscient.
Manga Appearance[]
| Chapter 1: The Journey's End | Absent |
| Chapter 2: The Priest's Lie | Absent |
| Chapter 3: Blue-Moon Weed | Absent |
| Chapter 4: The Mage's Secret | Absent |
| Chapter 5: Killing Magic | Absent |
| Chapter 6: New Year's Festival | Absent |
| Chapter 7: The Land Where Souls Rest | Absent |
| Chapter 8: One One-Hundredth | Absent |
| Chapter 9: Phantoms of the Dead | Absent |
| Chapter 10: Solar Dragon | Absent |
| Chapter 11: The Hero of the Village | Mentioned |
| Chapter 12: The Northern Checkpoint | Absent |
| Chapter 13: Liberation Festival | Absent |
| Chapter 61: Magic-Nullifying Crystal | Absent |
| Chapter 62: Why I Set Out on This Journey | Absent |
| Chapter 63: The Hero of the South | Flashback Debut |
| Chapter 64: The Demon with a Sword | Absent |
| Chapter 65: The Secret Hot Spring of the Etwas Mountains | Absent |
| Chapter 66: The Places She Would Like | Absent |
| Chapter 67: Peaceful Time | Absent |
| Chapter 68: Northern Plateau | Absent |
| Chapter 69: Boshaft-The Emperor's Spirit | Absent |
| Chapter 70: The Norm Company | Absent |
| Chapter 77: A Thunder of Dragons | Absent |
| Chapter 78: Lake Korridor | Absent |
| Chapter 79: The Great Tor Canyon | Absent |
| Chapter 80: Holy Snow Crystals | Absent |
| Chapter 81: The Golden Land | Absent |
| Chapter 82: Diagoldze—The Spell to Transmute All Creation into Gold | Absent |
| Chapter 83: The Stone Bracelet of Servitude | Absent |
| Chapter 84: Daredevil | Absent |
| Chapter 85: Malice | Absent |
| Chapter 86: Discussions | Absent |
| Chapter 87: Affection | Absent |
| Chapter 88: Solitär | Mentioned |
| Chapter 89: Guilt | Mentioned |
| Chapter 90: Glück | Absent |
| Chapter 91: Onstage | Absent |
| Chapter 92: The End of Weise | Absent |
| Chapter 93: The Great Barrier | Absent |
| Chapter 94: Analysis | Absent |
| Chapter 95: Nameless Great Demon | Absent |
| Chapter 96: Master and Apprentice | Absent |
| Chapter 97: Observation | Absent |
| Chapter 98: Retribution | Absent |
| Chapter 99: Offense and Defense | Absent |
| Chapter 100: The Fundamentals of Mages | Absent |
| Chapter 101: Breakthrough | Absent |
| Chapter 102: A Tie | Absent |
| Chapter 103: Time for Retribution | Absent |
| Chapter 104: A Visit to Her Grave | Absent |
| Chapter 105: Golem | Absent |
| Chapter 106: Sky-Mountain Dragon | Absent |
| Chapter 107: The Monument of the Goddess | Absent |
| Chapter 108: Reunion | Absent |
| Chapter 109: Zart the Remnant | Absent |
| Chapter 110: The Party of Heroes | Mentioned |
| Chapter 111: Escort Mission | Absent |
| Chapter 112: Faith | Absent |
| Chapter 113: Abyssal Dragon | Absent |
| Chapter 114: The Sword of the Hero | Absent |
| Chapter 115: Best Friend | Absent |
| Chapter 116: Spell to Return | Absent |
| Chapter 117: Miraculous Illusion | Absent |
| Chapter 118: Vialathor | Absent |
| Chapter 119: Memories | Absent |
Anime Appearance[]
| Episode 1: The Journey's End | Absent |
| Episode 2: It Didn't Have to Be Magic... | Absent |
| Episode 3: Killing Magic | Absent |
| Episode 4: The Land Where Souls Rest | Absent |
| Episode 5: Phantoms of the Dead | Absent |
| Episode 6: The Hero of the Village | Mentioned Debut |
| Episode 7: Like a Fairy Tale | Absent |
| Episode 8: Frieren the Slayer | Absent |
| Episode 9: Aura the Guillotine | Absent |
| Episode 10: A Powerful Mage | Absent |
| Episode 11: Winter in the Northern Lands | Absent |
| Episode 12: A Real Hero | Absent |
| Episode 13: Aversion to One's Own Kind | Absent |
| Episode 14: Privilege of the Young | Absent |
| Episode 15: Smells like Trouble | Absent |
| Episode 16: Long-Lived Friends | Absent |
| Episode 17: Take Care | Absent |
| Episode 18: First-Class Mage Exam | Absent |
| Episode 19: Well-Laid Plans | Absent |
| Episode 20: Necessary Killing | Absent |
| Episode 21: The World of Magic | Absent |
| Episode 22: Future Enemies | Absent |
| Episode 23: Conquering the Labyrinth | Absent |
| Episode 24: Perfect Replicas | Absent |
| Episode 25: A Fatal Vulnerability | Absent |
| Episode 26: The Height of Magic | Absent |
| Episode 27: An Era of Humans | Absent |
| Episode 28: It Would Be Embarrassing When We Met Again | Absent |
Trivia[]
- His real name is not known. He was only called "the Hero of the South" or "the strongest of all mankind."
- The Hero of the South ranked the following in the official popularity polls:
- 8th in the first popularity contest with 1,685,786 points.
- 42nd in the second popularity contest, where multiple votes per character were counted.
- In this same contest, the Hero of the South ranked 29th when counting only unique votes (one vote per character per person).
References[]
- ↑ Frieren: Beyond Journey's End Manga: Chapter 63 (p. 13-14).
- ↑ Frieren: Beyond Journey's End Manga: Chapter 63 (p. 12).