Since it first aired on January 3rd, 2026, Sentenced to Be a Hero has garnered a lot of chatter across the internet, with many people comparing it to Solo Leveling and claiming that it is the next Solo Leveling. This author personally cannot make that claim, as it ends up diminishing the series being compared, and leads viewers to go in with certain expectations. There will not be a series like Solo Leveling because it is its own entity, just like there won’t be a series like Sentenced to Be a Hero, because it faces its themes in a way that no other series will be able to emulate.

Warning: This review will contain spoilers.

Sentenced to Be a Hero follows the story of Xylo Forbartz, a disgraced former Holy Knight who received the hero sentence (a never-ending death penalty) for killing a goddess, and his battle against the ever-encroaching Demon Blight. After meeting the goddess Teoritta (the newly awakened thirteenth goddess of swords), he reluctantly forms a pact with her in order to access her powers to fight the “faeries” (the mutated animals and plants that come into being after contact with the Demon Blight) and Demon Lords.



Along with Xylo, the other sentenced heroes of Penal Hero Unit 9004 are:

1. Venetim – a conman who was sentenced because of a gag article he wrote which turned out to have some truth to it.
2. Dotta – a thief who attempted to save a member of the royal family, and was charged with theft and kidnapping.
3. Jayce – a former nobleman and (still current) dragon-rider who led a revolt to free dragons.
4. His Majesty (real name Norgalle Senridge) – a terrorist and madman who believes himself to be the true king of the United Federation.
5. Rhyno – the unit’s artilleryman who was sentenced for murder, but joined the Hero Unit as a voluntary hero.
6. Tatsuya – the most mysterious of the unit, Tatsuya has been a part of the unit the longest, and due to his many deaths, he seems more like a zombie than a human.

Additional supporting characters are Patausche Kivia, Captain of the Thirteenth Order of the Holy Knights, and Frenci Mastibolt, Xylo’s former fiancée.



Sentenced to Be a Hero takes the concept of being a hero, usually something that is revered and celebrated, and turns it on its head, turning it into something that is feared, hated, and considered the lowest of the low, worse than a full death sentence. The hero sentence is a punishment, one that forces the criminals to serve the Temple and the military while fighting the Demon Blight, and also forces them to fight smartly to avoid dying so as to prevent the loss of their memories and sense of self.

Sentenced to Be a Hero takes the concept of being a hero, usually something that is revered and celebrated, and turns it on its head...

This loss of self comes from the constant cycle of death and reincarnation that the heroes are subjected to, and is part of the reason why the hero sentence is so feared. The concept of losing everything that makes one who they are is a terrifying thought, and one that many heroes in all media grapple with – how far can they push themselves fighting for the ‘greater good’ before they lose all sense of who they are? Outside of this sense of self, it is also revealed in the last episode that the criminal must first die in order to be resurrected to serve the sentence.



Sentenced to Be a Hero does not shy away from these harsh questions and situations – it forces the viewer to directly confront them without offering a place to hide. From Xylo having to mercy-kill his former contracted goddess Senerva to prevent her from being affected by the Blight (a decision that he struggled to make), to Captain Kivia reaching the uncomfortable realisation that the man who had raised her, whom she had looked up to her entire life, was part of the anti-human faction, and making the split-second decision to kill him after he murdered her subordinate and turned his weapon on her.

Sentenced to Be a Hero does not shy away from these harsh questions and situations – it forces the viewer to directly confront them without offering a place to hide.

Each character is placed in situations where they have to make difficult decisions (revealed to be to their detriment in the flashbacks), and make the choices that they believe to be for the best of humanity or the people they are trying to help. But with both a corrupt military and Temple, the true reasons behind their decisions are buried, and new ones fabricated that serve in the interests of the military and Temple.



Sentenced to Be a Hero is an anime that immerses you in the world from the very first second, and very clearly lays out the stakes for the characters. Its 58-minute long first episode is pretty much a 3-for-1 special in terms of time, but that time is needed in order to flesh out the world enough for the viewer to enter it. It is one that doesn’t shy away from difficult choices and the results of those choices, and is a commentary on the state of heroism and what it means for those characters who enter that role.

Season 2 of Sentenced to Be a Hero was announced to be in production at AnimeJapan on March 28th 2026, and will be streaming on Crunchyroll.



Written by Samantha Crerar