Frieren: Who Is Übel & How Strong Is She? Is She a Villain?

Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End has perfectly combined Japanese fiction’s artistry with Western fiction’s tropes to create a wonderful fantasy work that is extremely popular worldwide, and for a good reason. While the protagonists are the story’s focus, in this article, we are going to discuss another intriguing character from the series, who is – incidentally – also a very powerful Mage. Her name is Übel, and she was introduced as a Third-Class Mage who wanted to become a First-Class Mage. In this article, we are going to tell you all you need to know about Übel and tell you whether she is a villain in the series.

Übel is a powerful and dangerous Mage

As we’ve said on more than one occasion, the characters of Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End are quite colorful, and even the secondary ones, those who did not leave a permanent mark on the plot, are interesting, and we have a reason to talk about them. Übel is one such character, and that is why we are going to dedicate this article to her.

Übel is a secondary character who appeared in Frieren. She was first seen on the pathway to Äußerst, sitting alone and resting when she was ambushed by a group of bandits who wanted to attack her. She feigned innocence, and as they were about to attack her, Kraft appeared and warned them to stay off. Everyone was confused, including Übel, but Kraft then said that he wasn’t there to protect her and that he was actually there to save the lives of the bandits. He explained to them that Übel was dangerous and that they better stay away, or she would kill them. Luckily for them, they listened to Kraft and ran away.

Übel scolded Kraft for ruining her fun, but as Kraft left, she decided to continue to Äußerst. There, it was revealed that Übel is a skilled and powerful Third-Class Mage, and she wanted to pass the First-Class Mage Exam in Äußerst. We’re not going to provide you with all the details here, as we don’t want to spoil everything, but we’ll let you know that she did pass the exam.

She has the powerful ability to copy other Mages’ spells, which is how she was able to copy Wirbel’s Sorganeel spell, and is also skilled in cleaving magic, with her signature spell being Reelseiden. Now that we have told you this, we can analyze her role in the story.

She is self-centered, but she is not really a villain

Now that we have presented her story to you, we can actually tell you whether Übel can be considered a villain in the series. We have explained that she is a notorious troublemaker, and while she didn’t directly kill anyone, she was never a team player, and from the first scene she appeared in, it was obvious that she only thought of herself. When the bandits ambushed them, she was ready to play coy so she could kill them, but luckily for them, Kraft saw through her plan and saved their lives.

During the exam, she did work with her team, but only because it was necessary. Collaborating with them served her own purpose, so she did it, but she never really became friends with them, nor did she develop any kind of bond with them. But, still, we wouldn’t really call Übel a villain. She doesn’t have the intrinsic need to hurt those around her – she is a troublemaker, but that’s not really something that is bothersome in such a way. She looks out for herself and is selfish, but that does not make someone a villain in a series.

Übel is not evil per se (despite the meaning of her name), but she is also not a hero. She cannot be considered a protagonist, which is also a fact, but – as we have said – we cannot label her as a villain in the series either. She isn’t that much of a threat, really, like Aura the Guillotine.

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