Free!–the Final Stroke– the second volume

Free!–the Final Stroke– the second volume (劇場版 Free!–the Final Stroke– 後編 Gekijou-ban Free!–the Final Stroke– Kouhen) is an animated film produced by Kyoto Animation and ANIMATION DO. The film is the second and final film in the Free!–the Final Stroke– duology and released on April 22, 2022.

Overview
The movie is one of two in a pair of films that continue the events of the Free! anime's third season, Free!-Dive to the Future-. The movie's title was revealed as part of the livestream held for the Free! series' eighth anniversary on April 26, 2021.

Tatsuhisa Suzuki, the vocalist for OLDCODEX and the voice of Makoto Tachibana, announced that he would be taking a temporary hiatus from all singing and acting activities until further notice as of August 4, 2021, due to health concerns. KyoAni released a notice on August 19, 2021, assuring fans of the series that due to Tatsuhisa's attachment to the series, his nuanced portrayal of Makoto, and his good relationship with the other cast members and the series' fans, he will not be replaced as the voice of Makoto for the movies.

Following the successful release of the first film, the first promo materials for second film were release via the series' official Twitter on October 4, 2021. This included the first main visual for the movie, the first trailer, and the movie's tagline: 'This is my "free"──' (これが俺の“フリー”だ── Kore ga ore no "Furii"da──).

With the release of the final trailer for the film on April 1, 2022, it was revealed that OLDCODEX would be providing the movie's theme song along with the title of the song, This Fading Blue. This song also serves as the band's final musical release prior to their disbandment in late April, 2022.

Synopsis
"After his first appearance on the competitive world stage, Haruka is held captive by the swimming of the unmistakable champion, Albert, and feels like he's lost his way. "What do you swim for?" With the current state of things, his swimming and what the water means to him are called into question. Haruka begins to sink to the bottom of the murky water as he struggles on his own.

Pushed on by a restless urge in his heart, Haruka purposefully puts himself through a rigorous and intensive training regiment, relentlessly devoting himself to practice. In his heart, Haruka knows that he's pushing himself beyond his limits both physically and mentally. His friends can do nothing but watch over and have faith in him.

Memories of Albert's cold, dry swimming keep replaying in his mind. I have to get faster, I have to become stronger. I have to compete against Albert again.

Haruka unleashes his stroke to cut through the heavy, indifferent water. His friends draw closer to watch.

What scenery will Haruka see at the end of this struggle＊──！"

＊ Translation Note: the exact kanji choice here (泳いだ oyoida) was quite meaningful as it can be read as either swim or struggle depending on the context.

Main

 * Haruka Nanase (CV: Nobunaga Shimazaki (Japanese) )
 * Makoto Tachibana (CV: Tatsuhisa Suzuki (Japanese) )
 * Rin Matsuoka (CV: Mamoru Miyano (Japanese) )
 * Ikuya Kirishima (CV: Koki Uchiyama (Japanese) )
 * Asahi Shiina (CV: Toshiyuki Toyonaga (Japanese) )
 * Nagisa Hazuki (CV: Tsubasa Yonaga (Japanese) )
 * Rei Ryugazaki (CV: Daisuke Hirakawa (Japanese) )
 * Hiyori Tono (CV: Ryohei Kimura (Japanese) )
 * Sosuke Yamazaki (CV: Yoshimasa Hosoya (Japanese) )
 * Natsuya Kirishima (CV: Kenji Nojima (Japanese) )
 * Nao Serizawa (CV: Satoshi Hino (Japanese) )
 * Aiichiro Nitori (CV: Kouki Miyata (Japanese) )
 * Momotaro Mikoshiba (CV: Kenichi Suzumura (Japanese) )
 * Kisumi Shigino (CV: Chihiro Suzuki (Japanese) )
 * Gou Matsuoka (CV: Akeno Watanabe (Japanese) )
 * Romio Hayahune (CV: Atsushi Abe (Japanese) )
 * Shizuru Isurugi (CV: Yoshitsugu Matsuoka (Japanese) )
 * Ayumu Kunikida (CV: Ryo Hirohashi (Japanese) )
 * Miho Amakata (CV: Satsuki Yukino (Japanese) )
 * Goro Sasabe (CV: Hiroshi Yanaka (Japanese) )
 * Ryuji Azuma (CV: Takeshi Kusao (Japanese) )
 * Mikhail Makarovich Nitori (CV: Hidenobu Kiuchi (Japanese) )
 * Albert Volandel (CV: Jeff Manning (Japanese) )
 * Kaede Kinjo (CV: Daisuke Ono (Japanese) )
 * Seijuro Mikoshiba (CV: Kenjiro Tsuda (Japanese) )
 * Isuzu Mikoshiba (CV: Rina Satoh (Japanese) )
 * Takuya Uozumi (CV: Nobuyori Sagara (Japanese) )
 * Kazuki Minami (CV: Masayoshi Sugawara (Japanese) )
 * Shouta Nakagawa (CV: Jun Yokoyama (Japanese) )
 * Toru Iwashimizu (CV: Koutaro Nishiyama (Japanese) )

Production Staff
Studio: Kyoto Animation, Animation DO

Director: Eisaku Kawanami