Arifureta season 3 episode 1 review: Hajime and co's journey towards Hoelscher Empire showcases the franchise's strongest start

Arifureta season 3 episode 1 was released on October 14, 2024. Despite the series having a history of poor CGI animation, the first episode of the third sequel was surprisingly well-animated. Moreover, the brief flashback to the previous season made the first episode understandable, even though flashbacks are considered unnecessary in sequels.

Arifureta season 3 episode 1 commenced with Hajime and company traveling towards their destination when they encountered some members of the Haulia tribe. These members had been trained by Hajime before, but they still wanted the protagonist's help. After convincing Shea to help her clan, Hajime and company decided to abandon their destination and help the Haulia tribe.

Disclaimer: Any opinions expressed in this article solely belong to the author.

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Arifureta season 3 episode 1 review: Hajime and company abandon their quest to the nearby dungeon to help the Haulia tribe

Hajime's party as seen in the anime (Image via asread)

Arifureta season 3 episode 1 was titled, Haulias Assemble, and commenced with a brief flashback from season 2. This was followed by Hajime's party on their way towards the Haltsina Sea of Trees. They were accompanied by Princess Liliana and the Hero's Party who were to drop them at the Hoelscher Empire.

As they reached the Hoelscher Empire, everyone witnessed a bunch of Haulia tribe members getting attacked by the Empire's imperial soldiers. The hero's party wanted to interfere but Hajime recognized these Haulia members and advised the party not to interfere. These Haulia tribe members had met Hajime in the past and were overpowered enough to take care of themselves.

Shea as seen in the anime (Image via asread)

Not only did they massacre the imperial soldier pretty easily but they also saved their trapped friends from them. After their battle settled down in Arifureta season 3 episode 1, Hajime's party descended and picked them up. The Haulia tribe members then gave an update on their current situation as their leader, Shea's father, was kidnapped by the Hoelscher Empire.

They were indirectly asking for Hajime's help but Shea showed revolt, saying that Hajime's quest was more important. Hajime then pinched Shea's cheeks, saying that she should be more honest with herself. Arifureta season 3 episode 1 ended with Shea complying with her clan members' request and asking Hajime to divert from their quest and enter the Hoelscher Empire to save her father.

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Arifureta season 3 episode 1 review: A new start with a better animation and better pacing

Lana and Mina as seen in the anime (Image via asread)

First things first, the brief flashback at the start of the episode did wonders because the previous season was a mess. Hajime and his party visited a lot of places in the second sequel so a flashback made it easier to comprehend the events.

Moreover, the animation quality, more specifically the fighting style, was enhanced, unlike in the past when the animation style was more centered around below-average CGI animation.

The Haulia Tribe as seen in the anime (Image via asread)

The animation during the fight sequences between the Haulia tribe members, Lana and Mina, and the imperial soldiers was praise-worthy because of how much detail went into the episode. The satisfactory animation also enhanced the character designs which looked more impressive than the prequel.

Lastly, the pacing of Arifureta season 3 episode 1 looked decent as the season might not see Hajime and his party visit too many places. The sequel might only see them inside the Hoelscher Empire, or go to the Haltsina Sea of Turtles at most after saving the Haulia tribe.

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Final Thoughts

While Arifureta season 3 episode 1 did set a standard for the upcoming episodes, the studio asread and the production team now need to be more consistent with the animation to satisfy the fandom.

Ultimately, this article is based entirely on Arifureta season 3 episode 1, and there is no telling what the series holds for the future. So, for now, it is better to hope that the production team remains consistent (especially regarding the animation of monsters) in the future.

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