Storyboards: Hiroyuki Takashima
Episode direction: Hiroyuki Takashima, Taisuke Tsukuda, Ouri Yasukawa
Script: Kenta Ihara
With the number of protagonists who get unjustly cast out of hero parties these days, the word “hero” has certainly taken a pummeling to its image, while also becoming overly linked to current light novel tropes. That’s what makes Sentenced to Be a Hero interesting on paper — it takes the word “hero” and makes it the term for penal soldiers comprising the worst criminals (I do hope there’s a nice lore reason for this ironic naming choice, though).
These heroes have to fight Demon Kings who lead infected hordes of creatures against humanity, and when they die, they can be forcibly resurrected. To make things extra grimdark, the process causes the heroes to lose a bit of themselves and their memories, which reminds me a little of the Stormcast Eternals from Warhammer: Age of Sigmar.
Protagonist Xylo, weary and angry yet committed to the job, is one of these heroes, along with the kleptomaniac Dotta. The anime’s hour-long first episode, which I watched via an online screener from Crunchyroll, follows them on a mission that introduces the basics of the setting and sees Xylo forming a pact with the superpowered, childlike Goddess of Swords Teoritta.
Sentenced to Be a Hero’s first episode works as an introduction, but I didn’t feel deeply interested in the setting and premise due to certain story elements not making a strong first impression. The explanation of the heroes’ unholy resurrections, for instance, has the air of an instructor-type video game character explaining things during the tutorial. Meanwhile, the disdain that the penal forces receive from their allies, which complicates our heroes’ support mission, definitely helps establish the heroes’ public image, but Episode 1 doesn’t go beyond that and leaves the discrimination aspect feeling like a formality. When it comes to the action, Xylo being a one-man army with his explosive knives strips the horror of the corrupted faeries that can overpower regular humans, although I won’t complain too much given the cool factor.
Story-wise, the first episode only grabbed me towards the end, when we return in time to witness the trial that set Xylo on the path of a hero. Sinister higher-ups who frame the protagonist and cover up inconvenient truths, as well as the resulting desire for justice, aren’t more original, but they gave me a reason to start caring about Xylo and his place in the world.
While I wasn’t much interested in Xylo until the trial, Dotta and Teoritta piqued my interest earlier. Dotta hasn’t done enough to make him a favorite yet, but I appreciate the fact that he’s so klepto-brained that he basically stole the coffin carrying Teoritta from its doomed escorts without really being aware of his actions. As for Teoritta, her fiery (somewhat literally) ahoge instantly commands attention, and she’s given a strong vocal performance by Mayu Izuka. Izuka makes the Goddess sound youthful and juvenile, befitting her appearance, but also marries these traits with convincing regality and solemnity.
Even with these two characters, I might have felt a bit disconnected during the first episode if it weren’t for the animation and visual style. While the anime’s premiere delay from October 2025 to January 2026 makes me wonder about the animation quality in the long-term, Sentenced to Be A Hero’s first episode capably showcases strong movement in and out of combat. There may have been one or two moments where the in-betweening felt iffy to me, and maybe there are other cracks I missed, but the episode’s animation floor felt solid on the whole. The flourishes are numerous too: Teoritta’s dramatic mannerisms during her self-introduction, a dynamic running cut with animated backgrounds and Xylo’s flapping cape, and vivid depictions of explosive fire and smoke.
These technical displays capably immersed me in the anime’s world where Episode 1’s narrative could not. The stylized visual approach, which has less in the way of shading details, helps draw attention to the movement, although the grim personality of the colors and post-processing means that the lineart doesn’t pop as much as, say, the also stylized Fate/strange Fake.
The other thing that stood out to me for good reasons is the music. There isn’t a specific tune that’s particularly memorable, but the epic or solemn feeling the soundscape evokes, especially when choral singing is brought into play, stayed with me.
Depending on how it develops and makes use of its setting, particularly the hero system and the affirmation-seeking Goddesses, Sentenced to Be a Hero could be an interesting dark fantasy with strong themes or questions. The first episode is watchable, but I’m hoping for more narrative bite later on.
Sentenced to Be a Hero premieres on Crunchyroll on January 3.
Adaptation or original: Based on the Dengeki no Shinbungei light novels written by Rocket Shoukai and illustrated by MEPHISTO
Series staff
• Director: Hiroyuki Takashima (Symphogear XV co-action director, The Idolmaster Cinderella Girls U149 assistant director)
• Assistant director and creature designer: Yoshiki Nakaoji (Symphogear XV co-action director)
• Series composer and scriptwriter: Kenta Ihara (Ishura)
• Character designer: Takeshi Noda (DAN DA DAN sub-character designer on Episode 1, 5, 6 et al.)
• Setting designer: Nobutaka Ike (Belle background art director)
• Music composer: TRYTONELABO’s Shunsuke Takizawa (Studio Apartment, Good Lighting, Angel Included)
• Animation production: Studio KAI
Cast
• Yohei Azakami as Xylo Forbartz
• Mayu Izuka as Teoritta
• Shizuka Ishigami as Patausche Kivia
• Shun Horie as Dotta Luzulas
• Shunichi Toki as Venetim Leopool