He managed to fool almost everyone.
Summary:
- Land is one of the exam takers in Frieren, a mage whose ability is to create copies.
- He passed the exam only using clones of himself.
- He never even left his home village.
The First-Class Mage Exam arc in Frieren introduced many new characters. A lot of them were undertaking the namesake exam of the arc, and everyone employed completely different strategies during the time.
Some of them were more successful than others, of course. Still, there wasn’t any strategy as bold or as insane as the one Land used — and it seemingly was just insane enough to actually work.
Copy Magic
Land’s unique ability is to create copies. He uses it mostly on himself, and his own clones are indistinguishable from himself. Among other participants, only Übel was able to tell that the first time he introduced himself was to a clone.
Land is very stoic and pragmatic, rarely showing any emotions. That goes hand in hand with his ability, as it is hard to tell whether his cold behavior is natural for him or if you are looking at a clone right now.
He Passed the Exam Only Using Clones
Never going into action himself and preferring to use clones, Land actually perfected this strategy. In fact, he was so confident in his abilities that he was sure his clones would be more than enough to get the job done throughout the exam.
That culminated in the last episode, where during the final trial, during Land’s confrontation with Serie, he sends a clone instead. Serie mentions that it’s some kind of a sick joke, and Land reveals himself standing behind his clone.
The only problem is that’s a lie again — Serie shows that both Lands are, in fact, clones, and that during the exam, Land never even left his home village in the first place.
It’s Practically Cheating
This entire plan with clones was absolutely insane. It can be considered borderline cheating, but, after all, it also shows how great of a mage Land actually is. He probably never thought he could actually fool Serie, but he certainly did fool other examiners — he passed the entire exam just using clones.
Of all the strategies employed by different exam takers in Frieren, this was by far the most unusual one — and fans actually loved it. In general, anime watchers love characters who break the rules and think outside the box, and Land is a good example of that.