To Be Hero X

Episode 9

In this episode, we see Cyan free but alone. Separated from Luo, she has nothing but the clothes on her back and his guitar. Yet even at zero believers, Cyan's luck powers are completely unaffected.

Barefoot and alone, singing her sorrows away on the street to make herself feel better, she gets a coin from the sole passerby in the night—the man who will in just three years take the title of X. This may be the luckiest moment in her life because when she tries (and fails) to win the lottery the next day, she remembers what X did the previous night. It inspires her and she starts street performing for tips. Soon she can make ends meet. And then, just as the cult finds her, she comes under the protection of a major superhero agency.

All this shows us that Cyan's luck works to facilitate her desires. She doesn't win the lottery because winning it isn't what she really wants—it wouldn't make her happy. Rather, her luck sets up the proper environment for her to find success and joy in life. Through hard work, she can take performing in front of people, which was once something she hated, and turn it into something she loves.

However, there is one weakness to her powers—and we see this in the fact that the two-year time jump happens at all. Her luck only affects things in her proximity. Thus, Luo is left trapped and alone for two years in the orphanage despite her attempts to find him and free him. This also allows the orphanage director to whisper words of poison in his ear—likely in an attempt to turn Luo into a villain and Cyan's archrival.

Why he, a former hero, would do this is a bit of a mystery. The obvious motive is spite and revenge. In the Orphanage Director's mind, he raised Cyan to be a hero and do good by playing the role he built for her and spreading luck to the members of the cult. And despite this, she ran away and chose the selfish life of a singer.

Another possibility would be that while Cyan is now technically spreading her luck to an even greater audience than when she was with the cult, she is a superhero in name only. Having a supervillain archrival could force her to become a true superhero—and help even more people. Thus, the Orphanage Director is aiming to fulfill his original plan of making her a hero by force. We'll have to wait until next week to see what his motives truly are—and if Luo is going to be able to break free of the tragic fate that seems to be in store for him.

Rating:

Random Thoughts:

• To the Orphanage Director's credit, he did shield Luo from the crashing truck with his powers.

• Come to think of it, X is the only hero we've seen so far with a secret identity (all the rest are heroes 24-7). I wonder if that's a way of obtaining free will while keeping your trust high. In the costume, you act as expected. Out of it, you're free to do what you will.

• Today I found out that the ending moments of the opening showcase all the heroes that have become X in order—starting with E-Soul and ending with X.

• I wonder if Yang Cheng would had gone to the Lucky Cyan concert, her luck would have affected him and he would have found a happy ending with Xia Qing. But perhaps going to the concert alone was what was luckiest for Xia Qing as it forced her to accept what Yang Cheng had become and set off to make a new life on her own.

To Be Hero X is currently streaming on Crunchyroll on Saturdays.