The “Frieren looking up” meme, affectionately dubbed the “Friangle challenge”, has taken the anime community by storm in November 2025. What started as a simple Reddit post by aspiring artist SpaceDev1 has exploded into a global phenomenon, inspiring professional animators, manga artists, and even Frieren’s English voice actor to create their own versions.
What Is the Frieren Looking Up Meme? (Friangle Explained)
Fans of the anime series Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End are currently having a field day on social media as bad drawings of the show’s title character, Frieren, looking up are taking over feeds everywhere.
The trend features artists flexing their talents in fan art of the show’s protagonist looking up into the sky and while some of those works are, in fact, pretty impressive, they are all based on a piece of art that has received negative reviews on Reddit.
So, where did the “Frieren Looking Up” or “Friangle” trend come from and how is it inspiring people to draw Frieren at different angles? Here’s all you need to know.
What is the ‘Frieren looking up’ Origin?
The trend began when Redditor SpaceDev1, an aspiring artist, shared a sketch of the show’s main character, Frieren, looking up at the sky on the /r/Frieren subreddit. While the artist is certainly talented, users of the subreddit, including the artist themself, pointed out one key flaw: the chin and jawline. Frieren’s chin is flat and weirdly shaped in the art, pointing forward at an awkward angle.
The original post was titled, “I practised drawing faces in a different angle, but it looks kinda weird lol” and it quickly started spreading to subreddits such as /r/animation as other users stole and reposted it, with some getting tens of thousands of upvotes in short order. Shortly after, the image was reposted on X/ Twitter, inspiring people to try out drawing Frieren at the same upward angle.
Original post:
How ‘Frieren looking up’ Became Popular?
Between that first Reddit post and the resulting redraw trend, “Frieren Looking Up” has become a big meme on social media. It involves drawing and posting your own takes on the original artwork, either in an attempt to make the art look right or make it look even more absurd. Professional animators, illustrators and manga artists have started putting up their own low-angle perspective drawings.
Some of the most popular examples are those redrawing images in new styles and with new characters. Some people refer to the trend as a “fan art challenge” and the name “Friangle Challenge” combining the words “angle” and “Frieren”, has gained some spread on X. Overall, the trend is not supposed to belittle the work from which it originally came but rather pay homage to it for being not only hilarious but incredibly memorable.
Frieren Looking Up by Professional Artists and Animators
Kenichiro Aoki: Key Animator (One Punch Man S2-3)
Akira Yasuda: Game Character Creator (Chun-Li, Morrigan)
Satoru Akahori: Original Creator (Sabre Marionette)
Jae-Uk No: Character Designer (Brave Bang Bravern)
Toshinao Aoki: Character Designer (Hisone and Masotan)
Yuu Yamashita: Storyboard Artist (Naruto Shippuden ED15), Character Designer (Paris ni Saku Etoile), Key Animator (Frieren OP)
Aiu: Key Animator (Frieren Ep 23,26)
Kazuaki Mouri: Key Animator (Robot Carnival)
Dana Terrace: Original Creator (Knights of Guinevere, The Owl House)
John Fountain: Father & Storyboard Artist (My Life as a Teenage Robot, Invader Zim, The Fairly OddParents)
Tsukasa Kotobuki : Co-Character Designer (Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin and Mobile Suit Gundam: Cucuruz Doan)
Shinobu Take
Manga Artist (Guns and Girls, Hidan no Aria-chan)
Fujifuji: Animator (Frieren Ep 19)
Yuugen: Animator (RB’s Frieren)
Masato Anno: Animator & Character Designer (Flying Witch, Slow Start and some The Idolmaster Cinderella Girls Starlight Stage commercials)
BANILIZO: Illustrator
Kono Tsubasa: Contemporary Artist
Bonkara: Manga Artist
Oda Takashi: Artist (Kyoto Seika University’s Faculty of Manga and the Japanese Society of Artistic Anatomy)
Tenten: Artist
Mallorie Rodak: English VA (Frieren)
Various Other Examples
Redditor ProfBubbles1
Redditor Gibbs_xx
Redditor Bobbest_Bob
X user @say_nri
X user @rrrroch1
X user @SpaceDev1158
X user @NotFuji_
X user @Soemy_Yuka
