The BEST episodes of Free!
Every episode of Free! ever, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of Free!!
Four boys-Haruka, Makoto, Nagisa and Rin-all participated in a swimming tournament shortly before graduating elementary school and later parted ways. Years later, they reunite when Rin challenges Haruka to a race and wins.
#1 - Swim-Off in a Foreign Land!
Season 2 - Episode 12 - Aired 9/18/2014
Upon arriving in Australia, Rin takes Haruka to the beach, where he talks about his experiences in the country before taking him to meet his homestay parents, Russell and Lori. Upon checking into their hotel, the pair find they have to share a double bed for the night, though they manage to get through the night reminiscing about their time together. The next day, Rin takes Haruka to Sydney's Aquatic Center to swim alongside Australia's national swim team, reigniting Haruka's passion for swimming. As Rin states he came to Australia to approach his old coach about joining his team, Haruka states he has also found a dream to aim for.
#2 - Metamorphosis of the Soul!
Season 3 - Episode 8 - Aired 8/30/2018
Ikuya and Haruka face off in the Individual Medley, mending their middle school rift. Hiyori and Ikuya also make amends, swimming the relay as Shimogami U. teammates against Haruka's Hidaka U. team. Afterwards, Natsuya reunites with Ikuya and apologizes to Hiyori while Hiyori, free to be himself, is comfortable seeing Ikuya spend time with his middle school friends once more.
#3 - Dive to the Future!
Season 3 - Episode 12 - Aired 9/27/2018
Nagisa, Rei, and the rest of the Iwatobi Swim Club have come to cheer on their former teammates at the All-Japan Invitational. Makoto tells them the story of how ever since Haruka swam for the first time, he'd been swimming only freestyle.
#4 - Distant Free!
Season 1 - Episode 12 - Aired 9/26/2013
The Iwatobi Swim Club must win to advance to nationals. As the tournament draws near, the members get nervous. Meanwhile, Rin grows increasingly irritated. As it comes time for the medley relay, each member must find their own answer as they step up to the start line
#5 - Streamline of Unity!
Season 3 - Episode 11 - Aired 9/20/2018
Rin and Haruka break from training to attend the high school National tournament, reuniting with old friends.
#6 - The Grab Start of Hope!
Season 3 - Episode 10 - Aired 9/13/2018
Rin reunites with Sosuke and learns about his recovery. Rei and Nagisa qualify for Nationals. Influenced by Nao and Ryuuji, Makoto's future path switches from coaching to professional training.
#7 - Reunion at the Starting Block!
Season 1 - Episode 1 - Aired 7/4/2013
After spending their first year of high school in peace and quiet, Haruka and Makoto run into Nagisa, a new student who was a member at a swimming club with them when they were kids. That swimming club is being torn down, so the three of them sneak in to dig up a time capsule that they buried in the back, which is when they are reunited with Rin, the fourth member of their group who left to study abroad.
#8 - Memories in the Distance!
Season 1 - Episode 2 - Aired 7/11/2013
Makoto and Nagisa watch with their breaths held as Haruka and Rin engage in an intense race. However, they notice that Rin appears to be have changed. At the same time, Nagisa prepares to start up a swim club with help from Rin's sister Gou.
#9 - Revenge in the Medley!
Season 1 - Episode 8 - Aired 8/29/2013
Haruka, Makoto, Nagisa, and Rei swim in their individual events. Rin becomes irritated as he remembers watching them swim back in grade school. Afterwards, the four Iwatobi Swim Club members must prepare for the medley relay.
#10 - One Style Final!
Season 1 - Episode 7 - Aired 8/22/2013
As prefecturals draw near, Haruka and the other swim club members continue to improve. Meanwhile, Rin reveals his motivations for swimming. The swimmers must now show what they have accomplished at the tournament.
#11 - Captive Butterfly!
Season 1 - Episode 4 - Aired 7/25/2013
The Iwatobi Swim Club has a full roster now.As they begin to practice, they run into a little trouble.After a certain member claims that his swimsuit is to blame, the club makes a trip to buy new swimsuits.
#12 - Storm of Dive and Dash!
Season 2 - Episode 1 - Aired 7/3/2014
At the start of a new school year, Haruka and the others meet up with Rin at Samezuka Academy for an event to send off the third year members, where they end up getting roped into a freestyle relay against the school. Afterwards, as the Iwatobi Swim Club struggle to recruit new members, Goro reveals he has reformed the Iwatobi Swimming Club, giving the guys a chance to use the indoor pool prior to its opening. Later, Rin, who has been made captain of the Samezuka Swim Club, participates in a race against Haruka, managing to tie for the lead. Later that evening, Haruka and the others invite Rin to the school pool, which they have cleaned and filled with cherry blossoms so that Rin could swim in it, only for rain to ruin the opportunity. The next day, Rin is surprised to find an old acquaintance of his, Sousuke Yamazaki, transfer into his class
#13 - Hesitant Loosen Up!
Season 1 - Episode 9 - Aired 9/5/2013
Prefecturals are over and the Iwatobi Swim Club members are pleased by the progress they have made. A local summer festival gives them an opportunity to relax. When Nagisa finds out that Rin is also at the festival, he orders Rei to follow Rin and make sure that Haruka and Rin do not meet.
#14 - Shocking No Breathing!
Season 1 - Episode 6 - Aired 8/15/2013
There's trouble at the beach. The four swim club members are forced to revisit their motivation to swim. After Rei asks Makoto about his odd behavior during the training camp, Makoto tells them about his past.
#15 - Theoretical Dolphin Kick!
Season 1 - Episode 3 - Aired 7/18/2013
The Iwatobi Swim Club needs one more member before it can participate in relays. Nagisa has set his sights on his classmate Rei, who is a member of the track team. Despite Rei's refusal to join, but Nagisa appears intent on recruiting Rei into the swim club.
#16 - Interval in the Evening Calm!
Season 3 - Episode 9 - Aired 9/6/2018
Isuzu Mikoshiba brings her high school swim team to meet Seijiro's college team and challenges Haruka to a freestyle race. Rin returns to Japan, reuniting with his Samezuka friends. Makoto arrives late to one of Haruka's informal meets only to find he's lost to the freestyle world record-holder, Albert Wahlander.
#17 - Trial in Open Water!
Season 1 - Episode 5 - Aired 8/8/2013
Haruka and the other club members decide to hold a training camp to prepare for prefectural. Each member follows his own regimen. However, Rei is unhappy about falling behind and heads back into the ocean at night to practice.
#18 - Locomotive of Crisis!
Season 2 - Episode 8 - Aired 8/21/2014
Makoto starts helping Goro at the Swimming Club, acting as a coach teaching children to swim. Meanwhile, Sousuke decides to help coach Nitori to improve his swimming. As Makoto notices one of his students, Hayato, struggling with swimming without a kickboard, he discovers his brother is Kisumi Shinigo, an old classmate from his and Haruka's middle school. As the two reminisce, Kisumi explains to Makoto how Hayato developed a fear of swimming after he nearly drowned after falling off a boat. Told by Haruka to think over his own experiences of learning to swim, Makoto teaches Hayato how to do a backstroke, helping him to overcome his fear. As Makoto's time as a coach comes to an end, he and Haruka learn from Kisumi that Sousuke had recently obtained an injury to his shoulder and had been competing in tournaments in spite of it.
#19 - Six-Beat of Tears!
Season 2 - Episode 10 - Aired 9/4/2014
After being informed by Nitori, Rin becomes aware of Sousuke's shoulder injury, learning that he had been harboring for two years and that all his talk of being scouted was a lie.
#20 - Butterfly of Farewell!
Season 2 - Episode 3 - Aired 7/17/2014
The Iwatobi Festival has begun. Haruka and his friends are excited to get new members by showing a cool place at the club activity counter relay
#21 - Irritated Heart Rate!
Season 1 - Episode 10 - Aired 9/12/2013
Coach Sasabe begins training the Iwatobi Swim Club for the upcoming tournament. Meanwhile, Rei is unhappy about the fact that he's the only one who doesn't know about what happened with Rin in the past. After Rin expresses his frustration, Haruka decides to tell him about what happened when they were in grade school.
#22 - Forming of Disruption!
Season 2 - Episode 9 - Aired 8/28/2014
On the day before the regionals, both Iwatobi and Samezuka end up staying at the same hotel. While Nitori is chosen to swim in Samezuka's relay team thanks to his training, Haruka, who is in deep thought about being scouted, ends up sharing an elevator ride with Sousuke, confirming his shoulder injury. The next day, as Rin manages to pass his heat in the 100m freestyle, Haruka becomes overwhelmed by the pressure of performing in front of scouts and ends up stopping dead in his tracks. When Rin confronts him following the race, Haruka snaps at him, feeling that stuff like dreams and his future are being forced upon him. As Haru tries to assure his friends he will swim in the relay with them, Sousuke continues to experience more pain from his shoulder injury.
#23 - Stroke of Chance Encounter!
Season 2 - Episode 2 - Aired 7/10/2014
Rin reminisces with Sousuke, his classmate prior to transferring to Iwatobi during elementary school, who decided to spend his last year of high school in his hometown before swimming professionally. Meanwhile, Goro plans to put on a swimming festival for the Iwatobi Swimming Club for children, asking Haruka and the others to spread word and come up with a main event, with Haruka suggesting a relay event. With Rin asked to assemble a team of his own to swim against them, Sousuke asks to join on the condition he run in the freestyle leg. On the day of the event, one of Rin's team members is forced to drop out, but they manage to find the former team captain's brother, Momotarou Mikoshiba, to fill in for him. Prior to the relay, Sousuke confronts Haruka, telling him not to get in Rin's way. As the relay gets underway, both teams show strong form with Haruka's team narrowly managing to win.
#24 - Prime of Invincibility!
Season 2 - Episode 6 - Aired 8/7/2014
On the day before the prefecturals, Rin and Gou pay their respects to their father, where Rin gives Gou a photo of him to put up in the Swimming Club. The next day, Nagisa, Makoto, Rei, Rin, and Momotarou all qualify in their respective individual events. Later, Makoto competes against Haruka in the 200m freestyle, wanting to have a real race against him before he graduates. Despite losing due to his pacing, Makoto feels happy to have been able to have a serious race with Haruka. Haruka and Rin then face off against each other in the 100m freestyle, with Haruka narrowly beating Rin by a split second, bringing the first day's events to a close.
#25 - Backstroke Turn of Fate!
Season 2 - Episode 11 - Aired 9/11/2014
As both Iwatobi and Samezuka continue to train for the nationals, Rei worries about Haruka, who is unable to participate in the freestyle event. Later, Haruka is approached by Sousuke, who tells him to move forward so that Rin can improve alongside him. As Obon arrives, Makoto and the others confront Haruka that he isn't being his usual 'free' self, expressing their desire to help him find a dream. However, Haruka refuses to hear Makoto out, becoming further upset when he reveals he plans to go to a university in Tokyo. As Haruka starts to seclude himself, he is approached by Rin, who decides to take him with him to Australia.