REVIEW: ‘Sentenced To Be A Hero’ Season 1 Is One Of The Best Anime In Its Genre

Sentenced to Be a Hero was one of the most anticipated anime of the year, and in its first season, it went above and beyond in meeting and surpassing fan expectations. The first season succeeds in being captivating and engaging thanks to its immaculate animation, direction, and stellar cast.

Sentenced to Be a Hero, as the name suggests, is set in a world where criminals are sentenced to be heroes. However, unlike the traditional sense, these heroes are not righteous warriors who put their lives on the line to protect the weak, but rather are indentured and enslaved soldiers who work under the order of the Holy Knights. Despite being equipped with weapons, they are constantly sacrificed as foot soldiers.

When they die, they are revived to continue their sentence, and this cycle continues as many times as possible throughout their eternal sentence. For years, the Knights and Heroes fight the forces of several Demon Lords who use a mind-altering mass known as the Demon Blight to control monsters called Faeries.

What makes a hero? Well, in Sentenced to Be a Hero, it’s the criminals that have to step up to the plate.

The story follows Xylo Forbartz (Yôhei Azakami), a recently sentenced hero, his Goddess  Teoritta (Mayu Iizuka), one of the many powerful weapons created by humanity to fight against the Demon Lords’ threat, along with several other penal heroes and Captain Kivia (Shizuka Ishigami), captain of the twelfth order of Holy Knights. The narrative follows these groups of fighters as they fight off Faeries, Demon Lords, and the Demon Blight.

The story starts by introducing the two lead characters, taking time to showcase the world and provide background on how the war with the Faeries and Demon Lords began, and how high the stakes are. However, as each episode’s events unfold, the overarching narrative begins to expand, and the anime does an excellent job of showing and explaining the true nature of the battle against humanity’s enemies.

We learn the truth about the Demon Blight and its oppressive growth, and how advanced, powerful, and capable the Demon Lords can be. We also learn why humanity is rapidly losing against them and who the members of the Holy Knights and the royal family working against humanity’s interests are.

The series’s worldbuilding is what makes the immersion so seamless.

Every revelation and plot twist is shocking yet captivating, and through them, the anime puts the audience in a chokehold, engaging them enough to want to see more right to the very end. The final episode alone, while lacking the grandeur and explosive fights seen in the previous episode, remained wholly engaging thanks to the big payoff from narrative hints littered throughout previous episodes.

The revelation of how the heroes came to be and how they are all individuals sentenced to be silenced yet kept to serve, to prevent them from becoming a larger threat, is just one example. The final episode also excellently displayed the progression of Kivia’s story arc, culminating in a pivotal yet heartbreaking moment, through immaculate direction.

One of Sentenced to Be a Hero‘s best features is its worldbuilding. Every element is explained in a dynamic, captivating way, including the goddesses and their origins, the royal family, Holy Knights, Demon Lords, and more. Most characters are given their moments to shine, and the first season has episodes dedicated to showing several areas in the world, its culture, citizens, and more in a way most fantasy anime don’t, cementing what makes it so excellent.

Sentenced to Be a Hero rides and survives on the strength of its characters.

The characters are another of the anime’s best features. There are no dull or shallow characters in Sentenced to Be a Hero. Each character showcases excellent depth, and no two characters are the same. As each episode unfolds, more of their layers are peeled away, revealing who they really are and what their motivations are. The episodes showing each hero’s past and why and how they were sentenced are especially a treat.

Narrative aside, Sentenced to Be a Hero showcases impeccable animation and direction from start to finish. The framing, different camera angles and shots, especially POV transitions during high-octane moments, are applaud-worthy and are another element that makes the anime stand out from its counterparts. The animation, especially during fights, is explosive, intricate, and colourful.

Beautiful, intricate animation makes it so that we can’t look away.

Sentenced To Be A Hero also isn’t shy of showing detailed, brutal, and gory scenes that elevate the viewing experience. Outside combat, the character motions are beautifully precise and detailed. The production is further enhanced by the anime’s excellent soundtrack, which elevates both calm and high-octane moments.

Sentenced to Be a Hero has proven itself as one of the best fantasy anime in recent years. Its incredible narrative, production, and endearing cast make it a must-watch for fans of the dark fantasy genre.

Sentenced to Be a Hero is streaming now on Crunchyroll.