"This is the coolness of a number-one winner!" "What is this beauty...?" Congratulations, Genau! The newly drawn commemorative illustration for his 1st place win in the Frieren: Beyond Journey's End popularity poll is making waves.

The official Frieren: Beyond Journey's End X account has sparked a buzz by sharing an image of a commemorative illustration board (shikishi) featuring Genau (CV: Tarusuke Shingaki), drawn to celebrate his first-place victory in the character popularity poll.

The released image is a sample of the illustration depicting Genau's profile and a black crow perched on his arm. Against a clean white background, the piece is a striking work of art, capturing Genau’s quiet gaze and the delicate detail of fluttering feathers.

In the third Frieren: Beyond Journey's End character popularity poll held in March 2026, Genau took the top spot, overtaking Himmel (CV: Nobuhiko Okamoto), who had secured first place in both the first and second fan polls. The final results placed Himmel in second and Aura the Guillotine (CV: Ayana Taketatsu) in third.

Fans reacted to the post with an outpouring of praise, with comments such as: "Genau-san is so cool," "The texture of the illustration is incredible," "I love how Genau’s gaze meets yours," "What is this beauty...?" and "This is truly the coolness of a number-one winner."

Frieren: Beyond Journey's End is a fantasy series set in a world "after" the Hero and his party defeated the Demon King. It follows Frieren (CV: Atsumi Tanezaki), an elven mage who has lived for over a thousand years, as she embarks on a journey to understand humans following the death of her former companion, the Hero Himmel. The original manga, serialized in Weekly Shonen Sunday (Shogakukan), is immensely popular and has garnered widespread support through its TV anime adaptation.

(C)Kanehito Yamada, Tsukasa Abe/Shogakukan/ "Frieren"Project