"There’s a stick through Lady Frieren’s ear...!" Fans react to "Koinobori-ren" celebrating Children’s Day in Frieren: Beyond Journey's End.

On May 5th, the official X account for Frieren: Beyond Journey's End posted an image of a Frieren (CV: Atsumi Tanezaki) plushie wearing a magnificent helmet and holding a carp streamer to celebrate Children’s Day (Tango no Sekku), which has since gone viral.

In the released image, the Frieren plushie sits perched atop a Mimic plushie. She wears an impressive samurai helmet (kabuto) featuring a distinct crest on her head and holds a blue carp streamer (koinobori) in her hand. However, the placement makes it look as though the stick of the carp streamer is piercing through Frieren’s pointed left ear, creating a somewhat surreal atmosphere.

In response to this post, fans have shared various reactions, including witty remarks about the cute yet surreal situation such as "The helmet suits you well, Lady Frieren," "Koinobori-ren is too cute," and "There’s a stick through Lady Frieren’s ear...!" Others suggested alternative nicknames similar to "Koinobori-ren," such as "Gogatsu Ningyo-ren" (May Doll-ren).

Frieren: Beyond Journey's End is a fantasy series set in the world "after" the Demon King has been defeated by the Hero and his party. It depicts the journey of Frieren (CV: Atsumi Tanezaki), an elf mage who has lived for over a thousand years, as she travels to learn more about humanity following the death of her former comrade, the Hero Himmel. The original manga, currently serialized in Weekly Shonen Sunday, boasts immense popularity, and its TV anime adaptation has garnered support from a wide range of audiences.

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