How to watch
Free! Watch Order in the correct order
How to watch Free! – Iwatobi Swim Club in order
Last updated: November 11 2026
Written by: ChronoBob
Kyoto Animation's swimming anime Free! spans three TV seasons, a prequel film, recap movies and a two-part finale. Here's how to watch the whole franchise without getting lost.
Free! follows Haruka Nanase, a gifted swimmer who only cares about the water, and his childhood friends as they revive the Iwatobi High School swim club. What began as a 2013 sports anime grew into a long-running franchise that follows Haru, Makoto, Rin and the others from middle school all the way to international competition. With recap films and new movies mixed together, the watch order can be tricky.
🕐 Release Order
Here's every Free! TV season and film in the order it was released.
- Free! – Iwatobi Swim Club (2013)
- Free! – Eternal Summer (2014)
- High Speed! – Free! Starting Days (2015)
- Free! – Timeless Medley: The Bond (2017)
- Free! – Timeless Medley: The Promise (2017)
- Free! – Take Your Marks (2017)
- Free! – Dive to the Future (2018)
- Free! – Road to the World: The Dream (2019)
- Free! – The Final Stroke: The First Volume (2021)
- Free! – The Final Stroke: The Second Volume (2022)
Several of these films are recaps. The two Timeless Medley movies condense the first and second seasons, while Road to the World mostly recaps Dive to the Future with some new footage. That means you can skip them if you've watched the TV seasons.
📖 Story Chronology
Chronologically, the middle-school prequel comes first, followed by the main seasons and new-story films.
- High Speed! – Free! Starting Days (2015)
- Free! – Iwatobi Swim Club (2013)
- Free! – Eternal Summer (2014)
- Free! – Take Your Marks (2017)
- Free! – Dive to the Future (2018)
- Free! – Road to the World: The Dream (2019)
- Free! – The Final Stroke: The First Volume (2021)
- Free! – The Final Stroke: The Second Volume (2022)
Which Order Should You Choose?
Start with the first season, Iwatobi Swim Club, then Eternal Summer. The High Speed! film works best after season one, since it adds depth to relationships you already care about. Skip the Timeless Medley recaps, watch Take Your Marks before Dive to the Future, and finish with Road to the World and both volumes of The Final Stroke for the full conclusion.
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