The WORST episodes of Free!
Every episode of Free! ever, ranked from worst to best by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The worst 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 - First Swim in Another Country!
Season 3 - Episode 3 - Aired 7/26/2018
Rin, now living in Australia, trains hard every day with swimmers from all around the world. Then a Japanese guy shows up where his team is training, challenging each of his teammates to races and beating them one by one. Even Rin is surprised when this newcomer reveals his identity...
#2 - Eternal Summer of Beginnings!
Season 2 - Episode 13 - Aired 9/25/2014
Upon returning from Australia, Haruka gives his thanks to Rin and rejoins his teammates, deciding that he will start focusing on times and winning for the sake of reaching his new dream to swim in the wide open world. He then apologises to Makoto, who explains he is going to a Tokyo university in order to become a swimming teacher. On the night before the national tournament, the group reminisce about the past two years together, with Nagisa and Rei becoming emotional about Haruka and Makoto's impending graduation, though Haruka assures them will always be connected. Following a memorable experience at the nationals, in which Iwatobi manage to win, it is graduation time. Rin passes on the position of Samezuka's captain to Nitori, before telling Sousuke that he'll wait until he returns to the world of swimming.
#3 - A Promise on a Shooting Star!
Season 3 - Episode 2 - Aired 7/19/2018
Haruka and his relay teammates decide to hold a training camp in the summer of their second year of middle school. During the night, Haruka heads out to the pool and finds Ikuya looking up at the stars.
#4 - Sprouting Dive Start!
Season 3 - Episode 1 - Aired 7/12/2018
Haruka has entered Hidaka University, where he's now training with the swim club to prepare for a newcomer tournament. One day, he runs into Asahi, a swim teammate from middle school. Haruka is later joined by Makoto, who also moved to Tokyo, at a coffee shop to catch up with Asahi... and the topic quickly turns to Ikuya, another teammate they swam with in middle school. On the day of the newcomer tournament, Haruka and Asahi are in the same race for the first time in years... and the spectacle is watched by Hiyori, who calls Haruka an "inferior copy of Ikuya." After the race, as Haruka is walking through the halls with Asahi, he catches sight of Ikuya passing by...
#5 - Interference of Loss!
Season 3 - Episode 4 - Aired 8/2/2018
Haru, Makoto, and Asahi visit Shimogami University in hopes of talking to Ikuya, but even after looking all over campus, they can't find him. Hiyori, however, notices them and makes it his mission to keep them from seeing Ikuya.
#6 - An Ominous Workout!
Season 3 - Episode 5 - Aired 8/9/2018
The Iwatobi High School Swim Club is participating in a joint training camp with the Samezuka Academy and Soufuukan High School teams. Sousuke is also participating as an alumnus. In the midst of the excitement, Rei and Nagisa notice that something is odd about Romio's swimming. Then Shizuru tells them the story of what happened to Romio in middle school...
#7 - A Solitary Medley!
Season 3 - Episode 7 - Aired 8/23/2018
With the college championships approaching, all the swimmers are training hard on their own in addition to their official club practices. Haruka is also undergoing some extra training, with coaching from the mysterious man they've been seeing around campus. Makoto is concerned about the arrangement, but Haruka assures him that he asked for the help himself.
#8 - The Mermaid of the Abyss!
Season 3 - Episode 6 - Aired 8/16/2018
Hiyori still remembers the first time he saw Ikuya smile. Both boys grew stronger through rigorous training while they studied abroad in America... but seeing Haruka threw Ikuya off his stride. Now Hiyori wishes Ikuya would just forget about Haruka for good.
#9 - Crouching Start of Revenge!
Season 2 - Episode 7 - Aired 8/14/2014
After Rin choose his team for the medley relay event, which includes Sousuke and Momotarou, Nitori feels downhearted over not making the team, but receives some encouragement from Sousuke. The next day, as the relay gets underway, Samezuka manages to win the race, though Iwatobi manage to make it through to the regionals as well. Afterwards, as Haruka and Rin are both scouted, Rin confronts Sousuke about his recent behaviour, to which he responds that he hasn't yet found what he is looking for. After receiving some encouragement from Rei, who tells him to be true to his 'free' self, Haruka comes up with a training regime to improve their relay times. Later, Gou spots Sousuke as he skips his team practise.
#10 - Somersault Turn of Promise!
Season 2 - Episode 4 - Aired 7/24/2014
With the prefecturals approaching, Gou takes it upon herself to make balanced nutritional bento lunches for the team. Meanwhile, Sousuke recalls a promise that he had yet to ask of Rin before he left for Australia, before asking Rin what happened whilst he was away, hearing about how Haruka and the others helped pick himself up. When Gou's attempt at a nutritional bento proves to be effectively inedible, she compensates by putting together a tough training regime. Later that night, Sousuke tells Rin he should give up relays in order to focus on his dreams, but Rin states his determination to accomplish both. Despite having always preferred swimming individually, Sousuke asks to join Samezuka's relay team in order to find something he's missing, challenging Rin to a butterfly race to earn his spot. Admiring Sousuke's passion, Rin changes the way swimmers are selected for relays, asking only those who are serious about being in a relay team to step forward.
#11 - Furious All-out!
Season 1 - Episode 11 - Aired 9/19/2013
After hearing about what happened in the past, Rei goes to Samezuka Academy to ask Rin what he wants. The night before Iwatobi and Samezuka leave for regionals, Rin calls Rei to explain how he feels about the relay. And then, Samezuka announces its lineup for the relay.
#12 - Head-Up of Decision!
Season 2 - Episode 5 - Aired 7/31/2014
After the others notice him behaving oddly and insisting on sleeping over, Nagisa reveals he has run away from home, eventually explaining that his parents told him to quit the swim club because of his poor grades. Wanting to avoid his mother, Nagisa and the others hide out at the swimming center to come up with a plan, where Nagisa laments how he doesn't find studying fun, having been forced to do it endlessly during middle school. As the group move further into the school when someone approaches, Rei tries to convince Nagisa to tell his parents how he really feels. Moved by everyone's words, Nagisa vocalises his true feelings to the pursuer, who turns out to be their teacher, Miho Amakata, who came after Haruka told her to let them handle it and gives Nagisa the courage to talk to his parents.
#13 - 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.
#14 - 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.
#15 - 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.
#16 - 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.
#17 - 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.
#18 - 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
#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 - 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.
#21 - 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.
#22 - 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.
#23 - 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.
#24 - 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.
#25 - 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.