Sentenced to Be a Hero anime confirms 2025 premiere and main cast with new visual

On Tuesday, January 14, 2025, the official website and X (formerly Twitter) account for the Sentenced to Be a Hero anime unveiled the second visual and the main cast. According to the latest information, dark fantasy anime is set to premiere in 2025.

Fully titled, Sentenced to Be a Hero: The Prison Records of Penal Hero Unit 9004, the anime serves as an adaptation of author Rocket Shokai and illustrator Mephisto's eponymous dark fantasy light novel series. Kadokawa's ASCII Media Works has been serializing the novels since September 2021.

The light novel series will release its seventh volume on January 17, 2025. Notably, the series has a manga adaptation with Natsumi Inoue's art on Kadokawa's Dengeki Comic Regulus site. Yen Press publishes the novels in English, while BookWalker releases the manga version in English.

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Sentenced to Be a Hero anime reveals 2025 release window, new visual, and main cast

According to the latest information shared by the official staff on Tuesday, January 14, 2025, Sentenced to Be a Hero anime will premiere in 2025. An exact release date will be revealed in the future. Along with the release window's information, the official staff has unveiled a new visual.

The second key visual for the Sentenced to Be a Hero anime features the protagonist, Xylo Forbartz, the former commander of the Holy Knights, facing off against a formidable opponent. The illustration captures the anime's intensity and teases the quality of animation for the series.

Additionally, the details regarding the main staff have arrived on the anime's official site. Yohei Azakami stars as Xylo Forbartz, who was convinced for killing a Goddess. The other cast member is Mayu Iizuka, who voices Teoritta, a Sword Goddess, who has forged a pact with Xyo Fortbartz.

Notably, the anime's site has shared comments from the main cast members. Yohei Azakami urges fans to watch the teaser PV first. He also reveals the joy and the pressure he felt while voicing Xylo. On the other hand, Mayu Iizuka mentions how she was drawn into the world of the series when she read the original work.

Studio KAI is producing the dark fantasy anime. However, the details regarding the anime's main staff members haven't been shared yet. Aside from the main project, the official staff for the Sentenced to Be a Hero anime is working on another project, titled Explanatory Records, to explain the terminology used in the series. Additionally, a project centered on the behind-the-scenes of the production will be launched.

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About the anime

Xylo, as seen in the teaser trailer (Image via Studio KAI)

Based on Rocket Shokai's light novels, Sentenced to Be a Hero anime follows a dark fantasy narrative, centered around the fierce battle between the Penal Hero Unit and the Demon King's army.

Interestingly, the Hero Unit is led by Xylo Forbartz, the ex-commander of the Holy Knights, who was convinced for slaying a Goddess. However, when he forges a pact with another Goddess, the world's fate changes.

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