Written by
Ayase and based on the short story Fanfare for Frieren by Jirō Kiso, the song expresses the protagonist
Frieren's emotions and memories towards the hero Himmel. Commercially, "Yūsha" peaked at number two on the
Billboard Japan Hot 100, and number three on the
Oricon Combined Singles Chart, and was certified platinum for streaming by the
Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ).
Background and release
In September 2022, an
anime adaptation of manga series by
Kanehito Yamada [
ja] and
Tsukasa Abe [
ja], Frieren: Beyond Journey's End, was first announced.[2] One year later, on September 1, 2023, the anime released the third trailer, teasing its first opening and ending themes, "Yūsha" by
Yoasobi and "
Anytime Anywhere" by
Milet, respectively.[3] On the same day, the duo also announced their third EP The Book 3, set to be released on October 4, which "Yūsha" appears as the first track.[4]
Prior to the release of "Yūsha", Yoasobi, alongside Milet, appeared via a screen at the completed screening event of Frieren: Beyond Journey's End on September 23, talking about the themes.[5] On September 27, the duo announced that the song would be released as a single to
digital music and
streaming platforms the next two days, the same day as the two-hour first four episodes premiere.[6] The
buried treasure-styled limited
CD single was released on December 13,[7] including the English version, "The Brave", translated by Konnie Aoki, which was released ahead of on November 24,[8] and appeared on the duo's third English-language EP E-Side 3, released on April 12, 2024.[9]
Lyrics and composition
A source for "Yūsha" is the short story Fanfare for Frieren (奏送, Sōsō), written by Jirō Kiso and supervised by the manga writer Yamada. It tells about protagonist
Frieren visiting a small town called "Music City" five years after the death of the hero Himmel. She receives a difficult request from an old woman whom she meets in a place filled with music.[10] Despite
funky and
upbeat sounds,[11] the song incorporates the main character Frieren's emotional changes and memories towards the hero Himmel,[12] expressing the lonely and melancholy atmosphere of the anime.[13] Originally, the opening theme would focus on the worldview of Frieren's journey, but
Ayase and Shuya Yamamoto, the duo's creative director, were not satisfied due to the song's "little too much emphasis on the atmosphere". So, Ayase decided to rework the song though he submitted the song to the anime team.[14]
Critical reception
Rockin'On Japan's Mie Sugiura praised "Yūsha" for the structure expressing the story of Frieren: Beyond Journey's End itself densely and interpreted to have a connection with Yoasobi's 2022 single "
Shukufuku", an opening theme for Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury, highlighting the "meaning of life" and "the miracle that we have met".[15] Writing for Real Sound [
ja], Eriko Ishii admired the lyrics that look like the words popping out one after another from the anime's story and
oriental-styled
phrase. She also complimented
Ikura's vocals, which "keeps running to the next melody without leaving any trace, and conveys a tremendous sense of speed, independent of the actual
tempo."[16]The Nerd Stash ranked the song as the sixth-best anime opening song in 2023.[17]
Music video
An accompanying music video for "Yūsha" premiered on September 29, 2023, at 23:00
JST, shortly after the first four episodes of Frieren: Beyond Journey's End premiere.[18] It was directed by
Keiichirō Saitō [
ja], and produced by
Madhouse studio, who both worked on the anime. The visual depicts an adventure of the heroic group consisting of Frieren, hero Himmel, warrior Eisen, and priest Heiter with the same visuals as the anime.[19] The music video of the English version was uploaded on November 24.[20]
Commercial performance
With three days of tracking, "Yūsha" debuted at number nine on the
Billboard Japan Hot 100 for the issue dated October 4, 2023,[21] with 22,086 digital sales, 2,426,245 streams, and 5.2 million video views.[22] In its full-tracking second week, the song ascended the peak at number two, behind only
Ado's "
Show". The song's digital sales slightly decreased to 21,267 units, while the audio streams and video views were increased to 8,139,175 and 9 million, respectively.[23] The song also peaked at number one on the component Download Songs for two consecutive weeks,[24][25] and number four on the Streaming Songs.[26] Additionally, the song landed at number four on the Hot Animation[27] and ascended to number one the next week.[28]
For
Oricon charts, "Yūsha" entered the Digital Singles (Single Track) Chart at number one for the issue dated October 9, 2023, with 25,958 downloads, becoming Yoasobi's thirteen chart-topper, the second most behind only
Kenshi Yonezu (14);[29] and topped the chart for three-consecutive weeks.[30] The song also peaked at number four on the Streaming,[31] number three on the Combined Singles,[32] and number seven on the
physical Singles charts.[33] In February 2024, "Yūsha" received platinum certification from the
Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ), surpassing 100 million on-demand streams in Japan.[34]