All the News and Reviews from Anime NYC 2025
Sentenced to Be a Hero Anime is Worth the Wait
by Kalai Chik,
On paper, the staff is rock solid with experienced industry names like Kenta Ihara working on the series composition, Takeshi Noda working on character design, Yoshitake Nakakōji as the co-director, and Hiroyuki Takashima leading the charge as director. On screen, their work came to beautiful fruition as the viewer is dropped into the chaotic throes of battle. An infected beast viciously eviscerates a knight while Dotta, a thief, runs away with a large coffin. Right off the bat, the action starts at level ten and never simmers down lower than a boil. No movement is wasted, and no shortcuts are taken as every little detail comes to life.
In the world of Sentenced to Be a Hero, heroes are considered criminals who are forced to battle at the dangerous front lines to hold back the demon king's army that ravages the land. However, even death can't free them as they can be revived and compelled to continue where they left off. There are stipulations to revival, but the simple fact that a soul can't ever lay to rest is hell on earth. Xylo, an anti-hero archetype whose past is shrouded in mystery, stands as the antithesis of a standard hero and embodies an outlook that's been beaten down and toughened by a harsh reality. He's rough around the edges, but he has a good heart and holds steadfast to his own sense of morals and ethics. Rather than listen to the reckless request to kill his thief partner and then revive him, the blood-splattered knight straightens him out by punching the injured youth in the face.
“Resurrecting Heroes like us means dragging the souls of the dead back from hell, and jamming them back into their bodies. It comes with nasty side effects on your memory and sense of self,” yells Xylo. Though the ability to revive easily exists, there is a price, so the cowardly thief has to painfully take out the wooden stake from his stomach by himself. Coupled with impressive voice acting by Shun Horie as he screams in pain, a first-person view of Dotta taking out the pole adds to the agonizing sight before a fade-out spares the viewer from seeing it.
The movie-level quality of animation sets the series apart from other fantasy titles and gives this highly anticipated title the attention it deserves. Versatile camera work and angles create an additional level of sophistication to the visuals and story. There's plenty of character acting as well, as seen by Teoritta's fanciful twirl in her introduction, which adds to her childlike appearance and upbeat personality.
One area of frustration is that the entire episode is centered around Xylo's evasive past experience with goddesses, which is his sole holdback from powering up and preventing further deaths by the Demon Blights. The tension between Xylo and other Holy Knights is disappointing to watch as demons and faeries cut their stagnant conversations. They should all be more concerned with the blighted creatures that are going to kill them, rather than continually arguing about how Xylo is a criminal and how he refuses to explain anything because it's a waste of time. In any case, he overcomes his prejudice against goddesses once his back is against the wall, and everyone will die if he doesn't.
Overall, Sentenced to Be a Hero's attention to detail allows action to land every slash and every blow. There's never a moment to rest your eyes from the screen, as they'll remain glued in anticipation for what happens next. This dark fantasy title will be on my list when it comes out next year.
ANN's coverage of Anime NYC 2025 is sponsored by Yen Press!
Disclosure: Kadokawa World Entertainment (KWE), a wholly owned subsidiary of Kadokawa Corporation, is the majority owner of Anime News Network, LLC. One or more of the companies mentioned in this article are part of the Kadokawa Group of Companies.
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