REVIEW: ‘Sentenced To Be A Hero’ Episode 3 — “Sentence: Clear The Zewan Gan Tunnels Part 2”

Sentenced to Be A Hero Episode 3 provides an epic payoff to the events set up in the previous episode via amazingly animated fights. It also does a great job of making the anime’s characters even more endearing and shows how intriguing the world can be.

Sentenced To Be A Hero Episode 3 picks up where the previous episode left off with Xylo (Yôhei Azakami), Norgalle (Yôji Ueda), and Tatsuya helping the abandoned miners out of the depths of the cave. After fighting off the first wave of Faeries, they group up with the miners who explain they were the last to hear of the evacuations and were left behind because they are expendable. Norgalle, who is adamant on saving the miners and ensuring their safety, begins crafting new sacred seals.

He reveals that seals get their energy from the sun, so in caves they run out of energy more quickly. But due to his skill, the ones he makes last longer and are more effective. He also reveals that humans, especially heroes, can hold seals powered by Luminescence on their bodies. According to Norgalle, Xylo has an unusually high amount of Luminescence, which would explain his strength.

Sentenced To Be A Hero Episode 3 expands on how the world and its magic work.

This first segment of Sentenced To Be A Hero Episode 3 shows off Norgalle’s expertise and another explosive fight with the Fearies. Through scenes like this, the anime expertly develops the world and explains things without resorting to overly long exposition.

Another wave of Faeries appears, and the miners and heroes fend them off. As fatigue sets in, the miners begin to lose hope, but Norgalle is able to inspire them with a speech, and the miners fight back yet another horde with the help of the heroes. This leads to another short but incredibly detailed and gory bout between the heroes and Faeries, with the miners giving it their all to help out. Teoritta (Mayu Iizuka) joins the fight in the nick of time as things get dicier and finishes up the horde of Faeries.

Xylo is understandably upset at Teo’s return, but she asks him to rely on her regardless, and if he’s so concerned, to protect her as much as he can. The dialogue between both leads shows that while Xylo clearly doesn’t want to care for another goddess, he still cares about Teo, and so does she. It’s just a shame Xylo has the personality of your typical gruff dark fantasy protagonist, which makes scenes like these less special than they should be.

Explosive fights between the Faeries and miners show how tumultuous the world is.

Their conversation is interrupted by a final wave of Faeries, this time led by the source of the Demon Blight, the demon lord Lotus. Despite being the second demon lord thus far, it is incredibly foreboding and features a unique humanoid design quite different from the last demon lord.

The demon lord lets out a deafening scream that causes debilitating tinnitus to everyone who is nearby. It affects both the heroes and the miners, all of whom fall to their knees in agony, and the facial expressions by Studio Kai do an incredible job of uniquely portraying that pain in each character. However, Tatsuya, who’s somehow immune to the demon lord’s effects, likely due to his madness, charges ahead. Teo helps Xylo recover, and they assist Tatsuya.

The Holy Knights appear to assist the heroes, but to no avail, while Norgalle has a mental breakdown from the effects of the tinnitus. The fight with Tatsuya, Xylo, and Teo is incredibly visually striking, with excellent details with every strike, slash, and explosive attack, especially Tatsuya’s display of speed and strength.

The more we learn about Xylo, the more stuck in the dark fantasy hero trope he appears.

Norgalle attempts to finish off Lotus with a final attack with his sacred seal lamp, but is captured and immobilized by his foot. He’s then forced to cut his own foot off in gory detail with his sword to deal a decisive blow to the demon lord. The short scene is uncomfortably detailed and immensely brutal. Norgalle’s facial expression also matches the almost horrific display excellently.

His attack gives Xylo and Teo a window of opportunity to finish off Lotus with the lamp, ending the battle and accomplishing the mission. As Norgalle passes out after being patched up, his final ramblings suggest he has some unresolved trauma that’s yet to be fully revealed. However, his actions throughout Sentenced To Be A Hero Episode 3  prove that Norgaelle cares deeply for his countrymen and that there’s much more depth to his character, making him seemingly even more interesting than the one-dimensional leads.

Public perception towards heroes is still not great, but there is hope for change.

The entire party heads back to the village, but the citizens still scorn the heroes despite their bravery. However, the foreman and his family thank the heroes and explain that the citizens will come to understand the heroes one day. Sentenced To Be A Hero Episode 3 ends with a touching scene as Captain Kivia (Shizuka Ishigami) defends the heroes. The final scene suggests that, despite being looked down on, public perception of the heroes may likely change in the future.

Sentenced To Be A Hero Episode 3 is a fantastic episode that provides explosive, well-animated fights and excellently highlights its great characters and interesting world. So far, each episode of the series has gotten better, and hopefully, future episodes maintain the same high quality.

Sentenced to Be a Hero Episode 3 is streaming now on Crunchyroll.

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