The upcoming anime series “To Be Hero X,” a co-production between Aniplex and bilibili, has officially announced its premiere date as April 6, 2025. The series will air on Fuji TV in Japan, taking over the Sunday 9:30 a.m. JST timeslot previously held by “One Piece,” which is moving to a late-night block. A new key visual has also been revealed, showcasing the top 10 heroes.
“To Be Hero X” Plot and Setting
“To Be Hero X” is a superhero action drama set in a world where a hero’s power is directly correlated to the public’s trust in them. This trust is quantified as data and reflected on an individual’s wrist. Ordinary people can gain superpowers and become heroes if they accumulate enough trust points. The hero who has earned the most trust is known as “X.” The ever-changing nature of public trust makes the path of a hero unpredictable. Every two years, the top heroes compete in a tournament to update their trust values and rankings.
Trust as a Source of Power
In the world of “To Be Hero X,” belief is a tangible force. If the public believes a person can fly, that person gains the ability to fly. Conversely, even a hero with extraordinary abilities will lose their powers if they lose the people’s trust.
The Hero Tournament
The bi-annual hero tournament is a crucial event. It is where heroes compete and the results of which directly influence their “trust value” and subsequent ranking. The hero who stands above all others is simply known as “X”.
Key Characters and Voice Cast
The anime boasts a star-studded voice cast, featuring:
- X: Voiced by Mamoru Miyano, X is the top-ranked hero, shrouded in mystery and operating independently.
- Queen: Voiced by Kana Hanazawa, Queen is a solitary heroine striving to bring order to the world by winning the hero tournament.
- Nice: Voiced by Natsuki Hanae
- E-Soul: Voiced by Nobunaga Shimazaki
- Ahu: Voiced by Koichi Yamadera
- Lucky Cyan: Voiced by Inori Minase
- Loli: Voiced by Ayane Sakura
- Little Johnny: Voiced by Yoshitsugu Matsuoka
- Ghostblade: Voiced by Yuichi Nakamura
- Dragon Boy: Voiced by Koki Uchiyama
Character Story Videos
Leading up to the premiere, character story videos are being released daily. These videos give fans a closer look at each hero’s personality, abilities, and individual theme songs. For example, the video for E-Soul features the song “NEON RAIN” by Hidefumi Kenmochi. The video for Nice features the song “PARAGON” composed by Hiroyuki Sawano and performed by Benjamin and mpi.
Production Staff and Music
“To Be Hero X” is directed by Li Haolin (known for “Link Click” and “Heaven Official’s Blessing”) at BeDream. The music is a collaborative effort from:
- Hiroyuki Sawano (“Attack on Titan”)
- Kohta Yamamoto (“86 Eighty-Six”)
- Hidefumi Kenmochi (“ID: INVADED”)
- DAIKI (AWSM.)
- Shuhei Mutsuki
- Hideyuki Fukasawa
- Misaki Umase
- Ryuichi Takada (MONACA)
The opening theme song, “INERTIA,” is performed by SawanoHiroyuki[nZk]:Rei, and the ending theme song, “KONTINUUM,” is performed by SennaRin.
Streaming Information
Crunchyroll will stream “To Be Hero X” worldwide, excluding Asia. The series will also be available on Netflix and Amazon Prime Video in Japan.
The “To Be Hero” Franchise
“To Be Hero X” is the third installment in the “To Be Hero” series, following “To Be Hero” (2016) and “To Be Heroine” (2018). Crunchyroll currently streams the previous two series.
