English Dub Season Review: To Be Hero X Season One

Overview:

This is a world where heroes are created by people’s trust, and the hero who has received the most trust is known as “X.” In this world, people’s trust can be calculated by data, and these values will be reflected on everyone’s wrist. As long as enough trust points are obtained, ordinary people can also have superpowers and become superheroes who save the world. However, the ever-changing trust value makes the hero’s path full of unknowns…

Our Take:

If you’re only reading this to decide on whether you should watch this show or not, then read no more! You should definitely watch this show, and I think it might be my anime/donghua of the season. The things this show does are so interesting that I want to see more shows experiment with things like this. To Be Hero X is essentially a somewhat interconnected anthology series, and I think it will benefit from rewatches in the future. I don’t know if this will become a franchise-type series, but I hope it does because the last episode left me wanting a whole lot more.

I’m usually not a fan of CGI art styles in anime, but the one they use in this show is becoming a popular style. Netflix’s Arkane is the one that popularized it the most, I believe. But if, for whatever reason, you don’t like that style, then a good portion of the show has a more traditional style.

Corrupt superheroes aren’t a story that’s unique anymore, but certain wrinkles to this show make it interesting. Having a superhero’s abilities be reflective of the trust the public places in them is a fascinating idea. It also shows how it can have negative repercussions, for example, with the hero’s Ghostblade and Firm Man. Ghostblade is viewed as a quiet hero, so he’s unable to speak, and Firm Man is known for standing tall, so he’s not able to sit or lie down. It’s a little weird but interesting.

My only complaint about this series is how it ends. It feels like a huge cliffhanger, and I have a lot of questions. It’s going to knock off a bit for my final score, but the rest of the show is so amazing that I still have to recommend this to everyone. Every character’s arc was enjoyable, and I think there’s something here for everyone.