The Mightiest Warrior Was the Best Brother... The Taste of the "Hamburg Steak" Experienced by Stark in "Frieren: Beyond Journey's End"

Food featured in anime often becomes a popular element among fans, and in "Frieren: Beyond Journey's End," the "ridiculously large hamburg steak" is well-known. The scene where Stark (voiced by Chiaki Kobayashi) learns the meaning behind the delicious-looking hamburg steak given to him and recalls his brother Stolz (voiced by Takuya Eguchi), the "mightiest warrior," is truly moving.

The anime "Frieren: Beyond Journey's End," currently being streamed, is based on the manga of the same name written by Kanehito Yamada and illustrated by Tsukasa Abe, serialized in "Weekly Shōnen Sunday." Set in the world "after" the Demon King has been defeated, it follows the story of Frieren (voiced by Atsumi Tanezaki), an elf magician who has lived for over 1000 years, as she embarks on a journey to "understand humans" with her apprentice Fern (voiced by Kana Ichinose) and the warrior Stark.

The original comic, which has received numerous awards and widespread acclaim, has surpassed 22 million copies in circulation with 13 volumes currently published. The TV anime, which aired from September 2023 to March 2024, became a huge hit, with related keywords trending on X (formerly Twitter) after each episode aired. The production of the second season of the anime has also been announced.

In Episode 12, there is a scene where Stark, who hails from a village of warriors, reminisces about his family. As a child, Stark was unable to fight monsters properly and was scorned by his father, who called him a "failure." On the other hand, his brother Stolz was the strongest warrior, whose strength was such that his cloak would remain spotless even after a battle, and he was considered the pride of the village. Stolz was kind to Stark and would secretly make him hamburg steak on his birthday, saying, "Don't tell Dad and the others."

As time passed, Stark celebrated his 18th birthday while traveling with Frieren. Frieren served Stark a "ridiculously large hamburg steak." This hamburg steak was something Stark's mentor, Eisen (voiced by Yoji Ueda), would make for him every birthday. While Stark thought it was just a birthday celebration, Frieren, who had heard the recipe from Eisen, also knew that it was meant as a gift to commend a warrior who had done their best.

Upon learning the true meaning of the "ridiculously large hamburg steak" for the first time, Stark reflected on the feelings of his mentor, which were never directly conveyed due to his awkwardness, and also remembered his brother who had made hamburg steak for him on his birthday.