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 - 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.
#2 - 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...
#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 - 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...
#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 - 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.
#8 - 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.
#9 - 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.
#10 - 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.
#11 - 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.
#12 - 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.
#13 - 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.
#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 - 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.
#16 - 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.
#17 - 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.
#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 - 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.
#20 - 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.
#21 - 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.
#22 - 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.
#23 - 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.
#24 - 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.
#25 - 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.