Yuusha-kei ni Shosu: Choubatsu Yuusha 9004-tai Keimu Kiroku

Sentenced to Be a Hero is a deeply misunderstood anime. (NO SPOILERS AHEAD).

A lot of the negative criticism I’ve seen approaches the show as if it were trying and failing to simulate "realistic" systems. I don’t think that’s what the series is attempting to do at all. This isn’t a story about optimal warfare or rational institutions in a fantasy world. It’s a story about a world at a moral breaking point, and it deliberately asks the viewer to interrogate their assumptions about power, heroism, and structure the way we traditionally understand them.

The premise is not simply “heroes are criminals instead of volunteers.” That would ... be pretty shallow. What the show actually explores is what happens when a society externalizes survival onto expendable people, and then builds religious, political, and cultural dogma to justify that decision. The system is not inefficient by accident, it's inefficient BY DESIGN. Its purpose is not to save the most lives, but to preserve a moral narrative that allows the rest of the world to sleep at night.

The so-called “incompetent authority” isn’t a plot hole; it’s a thesis. The knights aren’t useless because the writer forgot how armor works; they’re ineffective because the world they live in values symbolic purity over results. That tension is the point. The show repeatedly asks whether honor, ritual, and dogma are worth anything when measured against actual human cost.

Likewise, the criticism that Xylo’s effectiveness invalidates traditional training misses the theme of the character. He isn’t dangerous because he’s a better soldier; he’s dangerous because he understands the system itself. His power isn’t just magical output, it’s strategic thinking in a world that has replaced strategy with belief.

As for the “fanatical religious state” trope: yes, it’s present, but I wouldn't call it lazy. The soldiers’ refusal to accept help from criminals isn’t meant to be rational, it’s meant to be a critique to institutionalized irrationality, the kind that REAL societies exhibit when ideology becomes more important than survival. We have historical examples. The discomfort is intentional.

Finally, a quick word on production: the animation, including its use of 3D, is far more deliberate than it’s given credit for. Rather than feeling cheap, it reinforces the harshness and alien nature of the world. It fits the tone and enhances the atmosphere instead of undermining it.

Sentenced to Be a Hero is not a power fantasy, nor is it trying to impress with surface-level “cool.” It’s a story told at a critical juncture in its world — one where the old rules are visibly failing, but still fiercely defended. If you go in expecting conventional fantasy logic, you’ll probably bounce off it. If you go in willing to question why those conventions exist in the first place, the show has a lot to offer.

High-five if you also feel baited by episode 1! This anime presented us with great potential in the first episode and then went directly downhill. Wasted potential!

Animation: The high budget animation of this anime is definitely eye-catching, but as other people have pointed out in their reviews, the animation is often choppy. Also, the difference between the overall design of the characters and the design of enemy monsters is awkward.
TLDR: Even tough the animation is a positive point of this anime, animation alone can't carry this anime because it's lacking in other points.

Characters: I'm on episode 5 and so far we had zero character ... development. The anime keeps introducing characters one of after another, almost trying to develop their story, and then imediately pushes them away as background characters. At the end of the day we can't really immerse in any of the character's personalities, nor empathise with them because there's not enough development.
TLDR: Too many characters, too little actual character development.

Story: This is the most concerning point of this anime - it's where it's going directly downhill. This anime throws a lot of information but it fails to actually wave them into a developing story. For example, we understand that the MC got framed on purpose by the church, but it doesn't develop the story around it! Instead, we keep watching the MC being the church's hound dog alongside other random heroes, with zero actual objetive or action to avenge himself against the church. Also, after you watch episode 1, if you watch the next ones in random order you wouldn't even notice that it's the wrong order... that simply shows how bad is the lack of story.
TLDR: The story doesn't develop after episode 1, we keep watching action scenes and the MC's situation stays the same.

I'll keep watching because I'm a completionist, and I might change this review if the story starts to actually happen, but nothing will change the fact that eps 2 to 5 are not enjoyable.

"OH GOODNESS, NOT ANOTHER "THAT TIME I BECOME A HERO" FANTASY SLOP WITH EUROCENTRIC SETTING" - boy was i wrong !!!!!

this anime is so crazy and in the best way possible, the visuals are striking !!! bad day for epileptic people (RIP), it is too soon to say much about the sound design although the character design look phenomenal, its clean and neat. the plot is nothing new, its your very generic fantasy plot but with underlying secrets; which i am definitely seated for.

ALSO THE ANIME TALKS ABOUT THE HYPOCRICY AND SHADINESS OF THEOCRACY AND CLERGY ?? LESSGOOOOOO WE LOVE POLITICS WITH POW ... POW POW !!!
the main lead looks amazing *lip bite* and the female lead aka that kid who is not really kid, a loli then ? ew that word sounds nasty - let's just call her a short girl - she is cute as hell and i would love to see more of her
and hey we also have a ERWIN FROM SHEIN sorta character who is amazing in giving speeches !!! SO FUN !!!

i cannot wait to see more of these characters and the story unfold, lesssgooo !!! *praying no siscon brocon lolicon shit*

OKAY HAVE FUN !!! XOXO

The dark adventure fantasy 'Sentenced to Be a Hero' did something I was not expecting: satisfying the needs for a unorthodox fantasy. Written by Rocket Shōkai, he brings together a medieval world of science, magic, and survival themes together, stitched for a hero. But unlike traiditional heroes viewed as saviors, the heroes in this show are branded as criminals and looked down upon by society. We follow the story of Xylo Forbartz, a hero sentenced and set up as part of a larger conspiracy.

Set in a land of a fictional Kingdom, we learn how Xylo became a "hero", and also quickly find out why he ... was being set up. But it doesn't take long for him to get a partner named. a Goddness named Teoritta. Reluctantly, the two develop a bond and become a formidable duo as they fight against the demonic faeries, the main antagonists that threatens the existence of humanity. The Goddesses in this show are unconventionally protrayed. The most prominent among them is Teoritta for her witty personality but also a brave heart. Xylo on the other hand, tries to keep his distance because of his dark past. The two formed a pact that benefits them both as they take on the world.

But they are not the only main characters. Patausche Kivia, a military commander who was originally supposed to be partners with Teoritta develops a complicated relationship with Xylo. Initially, he treats Xylo with hostility and discontent. It isn't until she witness his actions firsthand that she sees him in a different light. However, this season appears to only scratch the surface of their relationship. Much more of it is focused on Xylo and Teoritta. Xylo's story encompasses revenge themes because of the story's setup. Through flashbacks, it became known why he is sentenced to be a hero. Watching his personality grow colder is justified from his initial character introduction. Xylo himself is not without flaws however. He has a brutal approach to solving problems that sometimes puts others in jeopardy. Deep down, he is fundamentally a kind person although his actions can be interpreted at times as brash and crude. On the other hand, Teoritta explifies the characteristics of a Goddess for being proud and noble. She's an energetic light bulb who always speak her mind and reminds of others who she is. Despite her childish manners, Xylo comes to slowly trust her skills and abilities. The two exists because it works, like two opposites attract.

For a dark fantasy, the show had to hit the right buttons to be what it's trying to be. From the first episode, we see how Xylo's life spiraled and sentenced to be a hero. The heroes in this show are also gifted with immortality but this is a far cry from a gift. In reality, this immortality allows the heroes to be resurrected so they can fight over and over against the demonic fearies. It's a sentence worse than death itself, and Xylo knows. Nonethless, he continues to fight against the corruption, demons, and obstacles that threatens his goals. The corruption is far more about Xylo himself and runs within deeper roots within the Kingdom's system and their connection with the Goddesses. However, 12 episodes is not long to explore the depths of its plot. We are treated more with the concepts and ideas, than the juicy story within.

Sentenced to Be a Hero uses a combination of dark, cell-shaded art style, while adapting its violence, and medieval setting. The violence is designed to look fluid and crude, reflecting in the harsh environment of its world. The demonic fearies are made with gruesome look highlighting their dangerous nature. Xylo's character designs looks anything but heroic. Instead, he has the look of a warrior who has been through a dark past. This contrasts with Teoritta, who is designed to look more graceful and childish. Likewise, characters in this show are fantasy-like with a variety of demeanors. The action fuses its cell shaded battle chereography with lighting and motions. This may honestly be Studio Kai's most impressive work yet.

Ultimately, a dark fantasy anime like this may not be suited for everyone. Xylo is more of an anti-hero than a hero, a term deconstructed in this show that is synonymous with criminal. His journey has not been an easy one and neither is the circumstances of his world. This 12-episode adaptation is only the beginning, and there's much more to be told.

It's very mediocre honestly, like if one were to ask chatgpt to generate them an anime that the modern anime fan would enjoy, it would probably generate something like sentenced to be a hero.

Sentenced to be a hero really doesn't have any qualities that stand out, that's the issue with it. It's not necessarily a trash anime but not necessarily a great one either, the characters are extremely dull, the plot is uninteresting, the fights are too fast paced and barely comprehensible, it just doesn't have anything going for itself.

Normally I would mark this anime as not recommended, but if you're a chibi ... reviews fan or someone who only cares about pretty animation and fights, then you would probably love sentenced to be a hero and call it peak for a month until the next viral anime comes out.

Wowzers this is generic.

I like three things about Yuusha Kei. The first episode being 60 minutes long is so so nice. The fact that the information is so dispersed with fight scenes that slowly get bigger and bloodier makes the introduction very easily digestable. I think the first episode is something a lot of other animes could learn from.
The second thing I like is the Goddess' hair. It's like a little flame and sometimes it's even animated. really cute and rad.
And finally, the show is bloody. This is cool, suffering and hurting brings out emotions and break the monotony of mainstream shows... However, ... it has a very easy and "cheap" get out of jail card where the show can bring back any hero. So even though its bloody the deaths and injuries don't matter, thus don't carry any weight. So idk. I will always cheer on as someone cuts their own leg off to win a fight though.

Everything else is mid. The story is mind numbing. Criticizing a fanatical church in the big 2026? daring today aren't we.
The animation is too much and too little at the same time. It suffers from the classic pitfall of fight centric animes where the action is choppy, and to hide that choppyness they use way too much dust and explosion and repetitive frames. Also the amount of neon colors reminds me of old school animes for some reason... nevermind that, the enemy design is ugly for me.
The characters and voice acting make me sleppy.
The world building is... fuck the worldbuilding. Fuck anyone that makes a female soldier and gives hear high heels (at least she doesn't have boob armor). You know you could perhaps build it into her character so she fights with said heels but NAAAAAAAAAAH we are sexist not creative.

Bro all he does is throw exploding knives.

And holyyyy those lines at the end of episode 2 were abysmal. "I don't give a damn about the civilians. But I'm mad as hell now. At the commanders who formed this garbage plan, and at the people eagerly awaiting my death. I've dug a grave already. Time to march in as far as I can go." It's nauseatingly edgy and is the poopiest explanation I've ever heard for a character's motivation to save people when he "doesn't care" about them.

Animation was decent and I liked the first episode being ... long, but characters, writing, and power structure sucked.

Aside from the known Mushoku Tensei touch, Sentenced to be a Hero takes an approach to alienate a heroic term (intended) to something akin to a punishment, thanks to the author's odd and keen desire to write about heroes' destiny in a moral discussion. What could have been just a weird, cynical projection with just good animation turned out to be quite a sleeper hit, despite the show being delayed one time until this Winter.

Like Sentenced to be a Hero, this show has an affinity for marks; I like to call it the Mushoku Tensei mark. Similar art backgrounds and color palette, Teoritta's face art ... and design are drawn in a style similar to that of the girls in Mushoku Tensei. And my god, there is an excessive amount of explosions in this anime; it might be for showing off, but it did confirm that the first episode was only just the beginning. As I did have some worries for the show after the initial hour premiere in terms of quality and pacing, I'm glad to say they were just mere worries. Thanks to the staff behind it, they have pretty much confirmed this light novel adaptation to be of excellent quality. While the work is under Studio KAI's helm, this adaptation cannot have been done with this much justice without the talented staff from the people who made Mushoku Tensei.

Regarding the characters, they are particularly good to see. If I were to pick a favorite amongst these heroes, I would opt for our charismatic, blonde king, Norgalle, with his amazing delivery of a speech monologue that managed to captivate the hearts of those who lost hope. Not to say the other heroes are not bad, but it is extraordinary what they did with this character, often demanding attention and taking the spotlight once they appeared. So much so, it left a hole that cannot be fulfilled by the other heroes, as the others are either as cynical and pessimistic as our main protagonist Xylo, or perhaps too much of an oddball to discuss with, like Tatsuya, Tsav, or even Rhyno, having these titans of voice actors that demand presence. But we cannot forget about our prize goddess of the show, Teoritta, who shines with much personality and charm, not much of grace, mind you. As she chooses to be with the most cynical of all those heroes, Xylo Forbartz himself.

The anime does a great job at showing the current status and obstacles of our heroes (both in context and outside), with most of its attention stemming from the military of this show. Thanks to the immortality that has been bestowed upon these heroes, most of the heroes' tasks are downright suicidal, often pitting a massive disadvantage upon them to try and work around a horde of monsters the author likes to call the Blight, which are led by a Demon Lord (not THE Demon Lord). With the solid foundation of the story and frequent happenings of impossible tasks, it allows the story to shift into action mode and drama mode back and forth without losing momentum, also allowing character development to take place, with Patausche Kivia taking the spotlight for most development found in this anime.

In terms of progression and character development, I am somewhat critical of the ensemble cast's progression, especially towards Xylo Forbartz. As he had a goddess who both acts as his literal emotional support and a powerful summoner of weapons, paired with a dark and moody personality, the kind of growth you might expect for our protagonist may not be as sufficient and satisfying as you expected. As if it did happen, it's mostly little and too light to be called good character development. Due to the circumstances involved, you're often seeing the same person over and over again in the later episodes, just talking to these remarkable characters that end up taking his spotlight. In my own words, this means that I'm not too keen on Xylo Forbartz's character, as there is still too little for us to root for him other than his revenge plot. Patausche Kivia, on the other hand, has exemplary moments of character development. While I did write her off as a simple, arrogant, and incompetent character, she has since grown on me, and with the later episodes having her take more initiative than being a lady commander, she became another favorite in the cast.

Despite my being a little late for the party, I am fascinated by how a show like this managed to catch the eyes of such talented staff, and that commands a little parting conclusion of mine. For those who love excellent adaptations and charismatic figures, you may want to take a look at our Winter 2026's biggest sleeper hit, Sentenced to be a Hero. Otherwise, I think about what the show has to offer, and I'm afraid that it might not be able to offer as much for lore and storytelling, depending on how it's only gaining reputation from the so-called Mushoku Tensei touch. If you are willing to look past these preconceptions, then you should still give Sentenced to be a Hero a try.

Thank you for reading.

Yeah...so straight away, the first episode is a stellar 9/10 episode, but everything after that is like a 5. I'd go as far as to say that it hurt more being served that one great episode and then following it up with mediocrity. I wouldn't be writing this review if it were just mid from the beginning.

While the art style did not change, the animation took a noticeable hit---the first episode had clean, fluid and full animations during fight scenes, whereas after that, we would have near-powerpoint level animation. Animations were no longer full. They would often use the trick of only animating the beginning ... and the end of each action, overrelying on stock slash and explosion effects.

The characters never feel like living, breathing humans; they’re just reskins of classic anime archetypes (His Highness was one bright point, though). Attempts to make the audience connect with the heroes fall flat because there’s nothing beneath the surface, they're cardboard cutouts. As a result, the flashbacks feel misplaced, ham‑fisted efforts to force emotional investment. There’s simply nothing about them that inspires sympathy. They don’t feel like real people; they’re caricatures, and I can’t bring myself to care.

The world-building isn't any better. The show did not make me any more interested to learn more about the demon blight the goddesses or the kingdom, I think largely because it tries to dump all of that information too early. Instead of the plot slowly unfolding as Xylo and the gang travel, the lore is shoved into flashbacks and clunky dialogue with no buildup. New characters are introduced just to keep the show going, chiefly because the core of the show is extremely weak. The MC is one-dimensionally angsty, whilst Teoritta is just praise-gimmick ad-nauseum. Their dynamic gets old fast, and so do the cardboard extras they keep introducing.

The enemies don’t even qualify as one‑dimensional. They have no presence, no aura, and generate zero narrative tension. Despite what the lore suggests about the danger they pose, demon lords die like every other episode. Yes, they kill people here and there, but they're simply not interesting nor threatening at all. They come across like generic RPG mob trash spawned in as disposable fodder for the hero to hack and slash.

It feels as though the author or studio didn’t trust the story enough to believe viewers would stick around if it were properly paced and developed. Instead, they keep dumping information and characters to make each episode feel artificially fresh. What we end up watching is the protagonists moving from checkpoint to checkpoint, which is very trash‑isekai plot in that regard. To be frank, this show only grew as big as it did because of its amazing first episode. Everything that followed it is extremely forgettable, imo.

Do not be baited by the 8.20 rating, shit is ass.

First of all, the “goddesses” are artificial, man-made living superweapons. For some reason, they’re all designed as lolis, yet you’re supposed to call them “goddess,” pray them, worship them. Meanwhile, these annoying loli goddesses constantly demand love, attention, praise, and head pats, like they’re needy mascots which gets irritating fast. They also keep praising themselves “I’m so great, amazing, right?” and then go “I’ll allow you to praise me now, you can pat my head” which makes them even more irritating.

Then there’s the so-called “action-adventure” part in the tags. What action? What adventure? The only thing you ever see is the protagonist hopping around, ... floating and throwing exploding swords and daggers at everything. That’s it. No variety, no creativity. He just keeps spamming knives over and over again, and it gets boring really fast.

The magical weapon system is also ridiculous. You slap a “magic magazine” onto a spear, cannon, wand, and it just goes pew-pew, firing straight-line magic projectiles. There’s no sense of weight, impact, or actual “magic” to it, it just feels like reskinned bullets. As for the demons, they’re basically just a bunch of bugs and animals with colorful tumors growing on them.

I have to agree, that this ain't it chief.

Episode 1 had movie level production and looked incredibly well polished, yada yada, let the other finish up the glaze that I begun. Even from episode 1 did the actual story part of the show drag it back. Started with a bunch of cliches and was painfully apparent by the end of the very same episode.

This yet another well produced show that's barely above eye-candy. But with a story as boring as this, I don't think I'm gonna be able to finish watching the season before falling asleep. Not that the title filled me with ... hope particularly, the disappointment stings even still.

This show absolutely does not deserve the praise it's getting, it's story is incredibly derivative while also being poorly written and not thought through in the slightest. the author seemingly put all of their effort in trying to make the main character appear cool, instead of making him compelling, interesting or believable.

In addition they gave the protagonist the most irritating small girl "goddess" sidekick that the show desperately tries to present as cute, with the most cliche, off putting traits, such as her constantly asking the protagonist for headpats and praise.
Anyone who likes her should have their hard drives checked.

Don't waste your time ... with this show.

I'll cut right to the chase: Yuusha-Kei is completely adequate.

This is a good-looking, well-produced anime that you will forget about 5 minutes after the episode ends.

The plot is pretty much your conventional anti-hero fantasy story. The dynamic between the hero and tragic goddess character has been done many times before.

My main gripe with this show is that it doesn't offer much to sink your teeth in to. There's no hook that keeps you engaged and eagerly chomping at the bit for the next episode.

It's never a good sign when a show can't get me to anticipate what's going to happen next week by week. ... After 3 semi-decent episodes I still can't muster up the enthusiasm to continue this one.

It's full of tired tropes and archetypes that make you wish it would be bolder and shake up the formula instead of tepidly playing it safe and being as ordinary and dull a possible.

This was a rather poor showing after last year's ''Clevatess''

This anime is rotten. Which is a good thing.

A good thing in the sense of it's grit, and determination. Presentation is key in a lot of these shows, and this series shows it and more so. This isn't some typical show about heroes, or being transported into another world, given hero status, and having some flashy, or more upbeat adventure. This is way more serious then that.

Story and Characters: 9
The characters and the world itself truly make the story what it is. From the first episode, you get the sense that this is all screwed up. The more you watch, the more you ... come terms with how true this is. Even through the second episode, where the more you see of minor characters, seeing the FEAR and HOPELESSNESS in their eyes. Just how screwed the situation seems. This is only the start of it too. Even when our protag gets a 'victory' it's treated as anything but. Or least you don't feel like it is such. Which is something that makes this show so widely appealing, and interesting. A sense of dread, a sense that no one is safe, which only makes you want to watch more.

As if being a hero isn't all sunshine and rainbows. As it may be thought about to be. Instead, it and the world it's presented in. Seems like the biggest red flag possible. Giving more engagement value, not only in it's story, but the characters too. You'll be wanting to see how their journey progresses, who they are, what they are, in general, but to see if they even can survive such a fucked up world.

Art and Sound: 9
This is another major highly, not only cause of the flow of animation. But more cause how it's shot and presented. As even at points, you'll find bright colours, but as if they look darker then they seem. As if done on purpose in order to set the scene, which makes it look great honestly. Cause this isn't a show for it. Match that with a great OP, ED, and great sound quality all round that really adds to the tension scene by scene. You've got a hit anime on our hands.

If many anime are talked about when it comes to this season. This show certainly is one of them. I'd watch for sure.

'Sentenced to Be a Hero' came out of nowhere and surprised with a compelling story and excellent production quality. It's without a doubt one of the best new series of this year.

The story is set in a fictional world where humanity is on the brink of collapse in its fight against the Demon Blight. To aid them, a unit comprised of the worst offenders and sinners was formed; they are the heroes. Their punishment is eternal; not even death can save them. And with this premise, we were thrown into this cruel world where the story wasted no time to show that it's brutal ... and doesn't hold back anything. This is how a dark fantasy should be done.

The hour-long opening act made it clear that it's no seasonal fantasy show with a recurring story pattern or character archetype. It got me hooked on this show, which I had previously thought was just another dark fantasy. The story slowly started to unfold from that point. The story is not what it seems on the surface. It shows the heroes' world and their unique motivations, backgrounds, and personalities that enrich the story. The story gradually reveals some fragments of the past of the central characters and a few plot twists, hinting at the underlying narrative and conflict. The season leaves viewers with more questions than answers. It's great to see a story building tensions and intriguing the viewers to guess what's true and what's not.

It's not without flaws, though. As much as I liked how the story progressed, detailed world-building would have added more depth as well as more to the story. A few important aspects of the story are still murky, which might cause confusion. I hope the story's progression will clear these up, given how enigmatic the storytelling is.

It's a great watch for anyone who likes dark fantasy with cryptic storytelling.

At first, I was excited because it seemed to follow a different path compared to others in its genre, but my expectations were disappointed. The anime has almost no originality. For 11 episodes, it was basically just killing monsters like in MMORPG games, and even though we're nearing the finale, the story still hasn’t progressed.

There’s also the constant addition of new side characters. Yes, they each have their own backstories, but how many more characters are going to be added? Instead of focusing on side characters, it would be much better to focus on the villains and the world-building.

I was never fully able to get ... into the anime; it just didn’t affect me. The reason is that while the writer tried to create something different, they ended up producing the simplest and most generic outcome possible.

The anime Sentenced to be a hero is an adaptation of the original material (Light novel) of extremely high quality.
All points, whether conceptual, narrative, or illustrative, are being improved in the anime, and unlike what I imagined, the anime will only cover 2 volumes of the Light novel, which is a slow pace compared to other Light novel adaptations. This exemplifies the extreme care taken in making an anime, not just for the sake of it, but in committing to making something of quality.
In short, the production of Sentenced has several points of very high quality, such as the direction, soundtrack, background scenery, voice ... actors, sound design, character design, monster design, and of course, the animation.

Production Aspects:
Direction: Sentenced's direction stands out in the action scenes.
It's very efficient at setting the right pace before, during, and after the action, whether in moments of respite or in the climax. In particular, the director likes to use a first-person angle in several scenes, either to convey impact or simply to guide the viewer through the scene without needing different cuts. In addition, he also uses the typical scene where a character is reflected in the eyes of another.
Those familiar with the genre know the meaning of scenes like this and also know where he drew this inspiration from. A small addendum would be the scenes where the director uses a "colored frame." This was used a lot recently in OPM season 3, but unlike OPM, this director knows how to use these scenes at the right moment without exaggeration, such as in the scenes in episode 1 where Xylo hears the screams of the Kivian soldiers being killed, and also in episode 3 in the scene where Norgalle manages to break his leg. 
The soundtrack also fits perfectly, regardless of whether the scene is action-packed or just a regular scene like the introductory scenes, world exploration, or silly comedy scenes. Speaking of comedy, this is another point that stood out more than expected; the scenes are funny and well thought out, whether in the cute scenes of Teoritta or in the "dark humor" scenes, like when the joke is absurd.

Soundtrack: It's very competent; it's based on the typical "fantasy soundtrack" archetype, having a harmonious song that fits the medieval period, but in the action scenes it goes from frenetic to epic in a few seconds. The highlight would be the chorus of voices present in some soundtracks; having a chorus of voices is rare in anime, and this is a symbol of quality that was only possible thanks to the music production company belonging to the anime's composer.

Background: The settings are heavily inspired by popular Nordic settings, often consisting of many mountains, dense forests, shallow rivers, and of course, lots of snow.
Watanabe Yuusuke are responsible for this, but the highlight goes to Nobutaka Ike, who is credited as world designer. This role (world designer) is very uncommon in anime, being frequently seen in games. It consists of creating a background setting not just for aesthetics, but also to have narrative weight within the story. This is evident in the anime, demonstrating contexts or questions about the world and the story through the settings. However, Nobutaka Ike's specialty is portraying structures like pillars, walls, or enclosed spaces in an organic way, heavily inspired by real-world structures.

Voice Actors: In an interview for a magazine about Sentenced to be a Hero, the director said he wanted all aspects of Sentenced to be excellent, not just the animation, and this included the voice acting. Initially, the main character, Xylo, had a different voice actor, but after many interviews to select the best voices, the official voice actor for Xylo stood out in his interpretation, so he was chosen for the role of the protagonist, even though it was his first time voicing a protagonist and even though the previous voice actor was much more experienced. This previous voice actor is now voicing the character "Rhyno."
Now, regarding the overall voice acting, it is of extremely high quality, both due to the wonderful interpretations of the "newcomer" voice actors.
Xylo's voice actor demonstrates a realistic interpretation while still being a great delinquent, and is very dedicated in the parts where the character shouts.
Teoritta's voice actress interprets the childlike role very well, giving a touch of typical but satisfying sweet purity. 
The rest of the cast is exceptional: Dotta, Tsav, Kivia, Rhyno, and Jayce, all voiced by experienced and highly acclaimed voice actors.

Sound design: Good and realistic. It might seem silly to highlight this point, but not all anime have good sound design. I would say that Sentenced's sound design is better than good. The power sounds are reminiscent of older anime, but the highlight of the sound design is in simple scenes, such as when a character walks or interacts with the environment.

Character design: The character design is very good. One of the characteristics that the director prefers is that the characters' clothes are detailed, not just detailed, but well thought out. In the anime, you can see that both the functionality of the clothing and the care in showing the folds of the garments are believable but without ceasing to be fantastical. As for the faces, each character has a characteristic face. The best points would be the noses, which have a thick line similar to older anime like The Record of Lodoss War.

Monster Design: Fantastic! The monster designs utilize a single animal as a base for each monster.
The assistant director, who is responsible for this, said that the main objective of the monster designs is to generate repulsion. This was very evident in each fairy design; all the smaller ones have fungi from the demonic plague leaping out of their bodies and transforming them in extreme ways. But the main highlight is the design of the demon kings.
Each one has a very well-crafted design, both in how bizarre they are and in the functionality of their designs in relation to their characteristics, such as the Fortress Insect Demon King or the Seductive Tree Demon King.

Animation: The animation is the highlight of Sentenced.
The kagenashi style (an animation style that uses little or no shading on the characters) is excellent for achieving the most fluid animation possible.
In a time when many have been conditioned to think that anime must be detailed with post-production effects and designs that are not intentionally distorted, the kagenashi style opposes this mass perception, leading many anime productions with quality staff to opt for this style.
Furthermore, the animation is far above average. Nowadays, most well-animated anime only have good animation in action scenes, but Sentenced is consistently well-animated, whether in slice-of-life scenes or in simpler things like characters merely existing. During these moments, the animation ranges from fluid to exaggerated, whether due to its consistency in character acting or its comedic timing in comedy scenes. In action scenes, the animation is dynamic, frequently using creative and very laborious angles to animate, which in itself is a seal of quality.

Story Aspects:
Story/Narrative: The story remains the same, but the narrative in the anime is being changed or improved compared to the light novel. The development of the characters, their relationships, and the build-up before the start of the arcs are the points of greatest improvement in the anime.

Action: The action in Sentenced is very well thought out.
The story uses military battle concepts, whether regarding troop positioning or rationing, as well as food/resources, or the rearrangement and predisposition of weapons of war, involving the environment and political context behind them.

Characters: One of the best aspects of the anime is its characters.
In short, they can range from psychopaths, sociopaths, insane maniacs, or just people with personality disorders.
They all have a certain ambiguity in the irony behind their stories and character concepts. For example, a character might be crazy, but this craziness is somehow beneficial, so these characters win the audience's sympathy, but in reality, they are externally unstable people.
Many of these aspects probably won't be explored this season, so I'm limiting my comments to a few, but what I could highlight for now is the concept behind the goddesses. They are beings whose sole purpose is to serve humanity so they can receive praise. I've seen this concept before – "ancient beings used for the benefit of humans" – but here, the goddesses do it willingly in a desperate search for recognition.

Original screenplay: 10/10
Overall direction: 9/10
Action direction: 8/10
Animation: 9/10
Character design: 9/10
Monster design: 10/10
Prop design: 10/10
Effects design: 10/10
sound design: 9/10
3d: 9/10
Backgrounds: 10/10
Soundtrack: 9/10
Original voice actors (JP): 10/10

Final score: 9/10

Studio Kai have quietly been chugging along as one of the most underrated studios in the industry. I first came across them thanks to shows to like Fuuto Tantei, Super Cub, ShinePost, 7th loop and most recently, a star brighter than the sun. They have consistently turned out great anime and hopefully after the masterclass they delivered in the form of Sentenced to be a hero, they’ll get more attention. I got a chance to check out the first episode of this back in December as part of Crunchyroll’s winter seasonal premiere night and honestly, I didn’t love the first half of the hour long ... premiere. It obviously oozed quality and was an interesting setting, but I thought it was quite slow and uneventful until about the 35 minute mark when Kivia got introduced and the battle against that episode’s antagonist began. From that point onwards, this show never looked back and delivered an amazing combination of storytelling and action, as you’d expect from Takashima Hiroyuki and the Mushoku Tensei staff. What an incredible ride this show was for the last 3 months, I’m glad we’re getting another season of this.

Obviously a lot’s been made about the animation, and it is amazing don’t get me wrong, but I really love the story of sentenced to be a hero. I think it’s one of the most interesting premises and has some of the most interesting world building of any recent fantasy show. Really the only thing that comes close to me is Clevatess. I really like how the show inverts the traditional hero trope and turns it into something to be feared or shunned. In this world, heroes are looked down upon as horrible people who’ve done the most deplorable things. Xylo slowly changing that perception and showing people that 1: not all heroes are bad 2: even if they did do bad things, that doesn’t define them. We are more than our worst decisions was really cool to see. It’s only season 1, so of course the entire world hasn’t changed their mind on heroes yet, but village by village, person by person, he’s making a difference and combatting that stigma. Then there’s the demon blight. I think the way demons are depicted in this series is so interesting. The premiere portrayed them as these giant poisonous insects who spread a malignant rot as they advance, but then over the course of the show we see them portrayed in various ways from indescribable, almost alien looking beings to humanlike forms in the final few episodes. It seems like the demons are growing and evolving, trying to become more like the humans they’re waging war against. There’s still a certain mystery to their origins as well. There’s some plot revelations later on that they might not be working alone either that just made me even more invested in the story. Not to mention the fact Xylo’s been betrayed and set up, blamed for a murder he didn’t commit. It’s such an intriguing dark fantasy with great lore, conspiracies and twists and turns which is right up my alley. I just can’t get enough of these sort of shows

Xylo is such a great protagonist. I’m a sucker for the jaded/bitter guy finds hope thanks to an adopted daughter trope. I think anyone who’s been subjected to the sort of stuff this guy has would give up, but it’s thanks to Teoritta that he regains his will to fight and uncover the truth. Their relationship is the cornerstone of this series and it’s so wholesome. I was pretty scared when I got volume 1 of this a few years ago because the cover is.. a bit questionable, thankfully it’s nothing like it seems and the two of them feel like father and daughter. It’s not always sunshine and rainbows and does take a while to develop, but once it does, it’s a very enjoyable dynamic. That dynamic also translates to combat with them having some of the coolest fight moments this season. The supporting characters are the other big triumph of this series. The fact Xylo isn’t supremely overpowered and has to actually rely on his fellow penal hero party members as well as Kivia, their de facto overseer, makes things much more interesting. Their teamwork is a huge point of emphasis in the show and every single person gets an opportunity to shine. There’s really not a single person in the main cast who isn’t a huge part of the success Xylo’s party has in this first season. I really hope that keeps going in future seasons because they did introduce an OP technique in the second half of the anime, that admittedly seems to have some drawbacks, but I just want this team to keep being the focal point of the fights in the show. It separates the series from other fantasy shows. Speaking of Kivia, I am obviously a huge enemies to lovers fan and well, I like the crumbs they leave us with she and Xylo. It’s not too fast where it feels unbelievable, but there’s definitely something there, at least from Kivia’s perspective and I’m excited to see that develop. Their relationship reminds me a lot of Gabimaru and Sagiri from Jigokuraku so if you’re a fan of that dynamic, you’ll like what’s going on here.

Production values as I said are amazing. It’s the same team behind Mushoku Tensei and they brought the same quality we’ve come to expect from any Studio Bind production, honestly some of the fights in this are probably better than season 1 of Mushoku Tensei. The art style is also gorgeous. One of the best OPs of the year too. Can’t sing enough praise about this show.

In short, believe the hype. This really is that good of a show. I’ve even seen people who aren’t even into dark fantasy enjoy this series because of how well written the characters are and the relationships within the series. I genuinely have a friend on twitter who only tweets apothecary diaries stuff and she’s live tweeting this every week because of Teoritta and Xylo being so wholesome, so yea, give this a try and you won’t regret it. One of the best shows of the season.

Sentenced to be a hero gets 9 out of 10

I'm not used to seeing this kind of theme because I prefer lighter things, but this one surprised me. Although the first episode is practically two, it manages to keep you hooked very well. The explanation is simple; in 3 minutes you already understand everything that's happening, and the melodrama isn't exaggerated or full of crying. The pacing is very good, neither too tense nor too slow. I hope it continues in this vein. The animation is very good, especially in the fight scenes. The knights initially despise the protagonist, but you see that they also respect him after discovering what he's capable of. The ... intrigue has potential if well-developed. So far, it's worth watching, and we'll see if it continues to deliver on its promises.

edit: I watched it in its entirety, and at least for me—I don't know about others who have seen it—but the anime's lore feels very much inspired by the lore of the Dead Space game. The anime is almost like a Dead Space set in the Middle Ages, just without being in space.

Great series! I like the animation and artstyle, which is done by most of the animators behind Mushoku Tensei Season 1.

The story is intriguing. You don't have your usual heroes that you would see in comics or movies, e.g. We have these ones that were criminals in the past and are sentenced to becoming one. So being a Hero in this show is a nightmare! You die, and you're revived, slowly becoming crazy, like Tatsuya.

Xylo is giving me Naofumi vibes from Shield Hero in how he was framed and how he's gonna get his revenge.

My only problem is that Xylo won't give ... Teoritta head pats when she wants it. But overall, great series so far! I hope it won't fall if like Shield Hero and Ninja Kamui in terms of story and animation.

Great show that is overshadowed by other big shows this winter season

So far, a 10/10