He is important to the plot despite being dead.
Summary:
- Himmel is one of the best characters in Frieren, despite not having much screen time.
- He loved Frieren, but couldn’t confess to her because of concerns for her.
- His death was very important for the plot.
Himmel is one of the key characters in Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End. While his screen time was incredibly short — he died at the very start of the series from old age — he still continues to influence the series and its characters past his death.
Fans seem to love Himmel. Although he is absent for most of the series, his absence actually changes the narrative. In that way, he’s one of the most important characters in the series — and one of the best ones.
Himmel loved Frieren, but couldn’t possibly tell her that
We don’t know much about Himmel’s backstory or origins. In fact, after his death, we only see him through flashbacks — mostly through the flashbacks of Frieren herself. Frieren, who spent years with Himmel as a party member, was influenced by him far greater than she herself ever realized.
Himmel, obviously, was in love with Frieren. While he expressed his affection toward her, he never actually confessed to her — a fact that confuses some fans. After all, why wouldn’t he even try to see how she feels about him? The answer, however, is not that simple.
Himmel not confessing to Frieren actually shows how good of a person he was. Frieren’s different perception of time and reality would make a relationship between them nearly impossible for many reasons.
Not only would Himmel grow old and die in a very short (for Frieren) timespan, she would very likely feel weird and uncomfortable — for her, she had met Himmel mere moments ago. Not to mention the fact that Frieren doesn’t even understand relationships and love very well.
Himmel’s absence is important to the plot
Despite Frieren seemingly not feeling much when Himmel died, her time spent with him and other party members greatly influenced her. She keeps thinking about Himmel later and finds herself in a peculiar situation — she sees parallels between how Himmel treated her and how Stark treats Fern.
Fans even suspect Frieren understood that Himmel loved her — and doesn’t know if she felt the same or not towards him.
This just shows how great of a character Himmel was. Think about it: despite being long dead and not having any screen time outside of flashbacks, he continues to influence the story and the development of other characters. His past interactions are crucial for the story, and his death was what started the plot in the first place.