Did Moon truly die in To Be Hero X episode 4? Ending explored

To Be Hero X episode 4, released on April 27, 2025, has left the anime community shell-shocked with a soul-shattering ending, which saw Moon's death. Now, as fans would remember, the show's first episode did indeed end with a similar cliffhanger, where Lin Ling/Nice witnessed the Moon's bloodied corpse lying on the bed after entering the Hero Tower.

However, the next episode revealed that it was a fake-out; It was an "imagination" or a "nightmare" that Lin Ling experienced. However, To Be Hero X episode 4 revisited the same narrative and conducted the move in front of Lin Ling this time. The episode saw someone resembling E-Soul, the 9th-ranked hero, shoot a lightning bullet through Moon's head.

So, fans may wonder, did Moon truly die this time in To Be Hero X episode 4? Unfortunately, given how the narrative has panned so far, Moon will likely be dead unless a greater hero (referring to X) can alter the reality. It's no longer an illusion but an event Lin Ling experienced firsthand. However, the series has yet to explain the motive behind E-Soul's act.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers from To Be Hero X episode 4 and the series. It's also speculative in nature and reflects the author's opinions.

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Exploring Moon's death in To Be Hero X episode 4 ending

It's not the first time that Li Haoling shocked a fan to the core with an unexpected plot twist. Those who have seen the Link Click series and the previous iterations of the To Be Hero series would know that the esteemed director is a master at connecting the dots and surprising fans with gobsmacking twists and turns in the narrative. Undoubtedly, his recent project hasn't been removed from this wide spectrum.

To Be Hero X episode 4 was truly the pinnacle of Li Haoling's creative choices, as he added a marvelous twist at the end to completely flip the narrative upside down. Illusions and reality collide as fans begin to question Moon's fate even after the latest episode's explicit ending. The episode's final moments focused on Moon spending her lonely days on an uninhabited island.

Even though she secretly wanted to go to a place where no one would recognize her, she didn't expect to land on an uninhabited island. Suddenly, a portal opened, and she saw Lin Ling emerge from it. Moon seemed delighted to see Lin Ling, as she said that she would never go on a vacation again.

Moon, as seen in the episode (Image via Pb Animation/LAN Studio/Paper Plane Animation)

Yet, their reunion moment was cut short as a lightning bullet pierced through Moon's brain, instantly killing her. That's why many fans have been asking on social media: Did Moon truly die in To Be Hero X episode 4? Yet, before we theorize the character's fate, we should look at the events that led to the "tragedy."

After internalizing Nice's identity, Lin Ling was led to the Hero Tower, where the heroes lived. In the first episode's ending, Lin Ling witnessed the corpse of Moon lying on the original Nice's bed. At that moment, fans theorized that maybe one of the enemies of Nice killed Moon. However, the series shattered that narrative with the second episode, which revealed that Moon's tragic fate was a figment of Lin Ling's imagination.

He woke up from a nightmare, where he saw Moon's blood-smeared face. Now, To Be Hero X episode 4 makes us question: Was Lin Ling's vision really a nightmare or an altered reality? Or perhaps it was a reality he perceived in advance? If it's the second or the third option, there's only one explanation: Hero X was the orchestrator behind the vision.

Hero X, as seen in the donghua (Image via Pb Animation/LAN Studio/Paper Plane Animation)

There's a plausible explanation for this when one watches the character promotional videos of hero X — the undisputed champion of the Hero Tournament. According to those PVs, hero X possesses powers that can alter reality and bend time and space. Perhaps, Moon's fate is connected to a greater narrative, which the viewers are still unaware of.

Notably, it will be unfurled as we delve deeper into the narrative. Recently, the official X handle of the series shared a Q&A session with Li Haoling, where the director stated that Nice's arc is told in reverse order. In other words, the first four episodes are actually the story's ending. Therefore, many aspects behind Moon's death may remain obscure for now.

Lin Ling witnesses Moon's death in To Be Hero X episode 4 (Image via Pb Animation/LAN Studio/Paper Plane Animation)

Yet, To Be Hero X episode 4's explicit ending clarified one aspect: Moon's death wasn't an "Imagination" this time. Otherwise, Lin Ling wouldn't have seen E-Soul - the perpetrator behind the attack. It's also highly improbable that Moon will get a second fake-out. Moreover, Lin Ling's vision from the first episode is identical to Moon's fate in the latest installment.

All these facts suggest that Moon has truly died in the To Be Hero X episode 4. Unless, of course, X can alter reality, as fans know he can. Now, there's another aspect the episode hasn't mentioned: The motive. E-Soul is essentially a hero, so his eradicating an unarmed ex-hero is rather strange.

Moon's killer, who looks like E-Soul (Image via Pb Animation/LAN Studio/Paper Plane Animation)

While it's only a speculation at this point, the character PVs of E-Soul suggest that E-Soul had a trusted partner who went rogue. Since Lin Ling's vision was blurry in To Be Hero X episode 4, the figure who killed Moon might be the E-Soul's partner or another figure disguised as E-Soul.

There's another possibility that the authorities wanted to end Moon's life for a specific reason yet to be disclosed and chose E-Soul - a character who couldn't say "No" to them for a personal reason. However, fans must take these theories with a grain of salt, as the narrative has yet to uncover the real reason behind Moon's death.

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Conclusion

E-Soul, as seen in the series (Image via Pb Animation/LAN Studio/Paper Plane Animation)

Li Haoling's narrative choice in To Be Hero X episode 4 was shocking, as the series all but confirmed Moon's death. What's even disappointing is that it's the most current timeline in the series. In other words, the next episodes will focus on the older timelines.

As for Moon's fate, there's still a ray of hope that she may come to life if X interferes with the reality somehow. However, imagining what Lin Ling witnessed was another imagination is difficult.

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