When I tuned into To Be Hero X, all I knew was that it’s a superhero series with awesome animation. I had a hunch, just a small one, that it would take me down the same path The Boys did, and I also wholeheartedly believed that Nice would be just another Homelander. While it is too early for me to form any conclusions on either of those, I can say with great assurance that the first episode was everything I had hoped for and more.
The animation caught me off guard in the best way possible. What do you mean this is an anime? I need more anime like that. I know Lord of Mysteries is another donghua to get an upcoming anime, and if anything, this just gave me more confidence.
At first, I thought it would be just another Isekai. At least, that is the impression I got with Lin Ling climbing on top of the railing. With so many Isekai released recently, it does make sense why my mind would jump to it immediately. However, why would you need to go into another world when you can simply replace the hero of all heroes?
To Be Hero X doesn’t fool around
I can easily say that To Be Hero X is one of the most gripping anime I have seen in 2025. It took only one episode for me to have my jaw on the floor because of the twist I didn’t see coming. If you think Nice jumping off the rooftop was the big twist, then you would be like me, a fool who fell for bait. The story follows Lin Ling, a man who is like any of us, an ordinary man chained in the shackles of corporate life.
The dream, naturally, is to be a hero and let everyone believe they can be heroes too. What makes a hero? Is it a man with a cape or someone with laser eyes? Perhaps it is someone who can fly or even someone who can crush a boulder with their bare hands. Do extraordinary abilities make you a hero, or do simple, everyday things make you a hero?
That is the pitch Lin Ling also wanted to bring forward, one that his publicist found to be useless. His intentions were the same as Nice’s, even though their reasons may have differed. The only difference was that one was faster and perhaps even more traumatized. Lin gets pulled into a world he had seen only from afar, living as the ideal replacement for the hero who no longer lives out of his despair.
When Lin Ling is forced to replace and pretend to be Nice, he is thrust into a world of lies, deception, and the utter inconvenience of fitting into the shoes of someone who was always perceived as perfect. In this journey, though, he gets to fulfill his dreams of finally not being ordinary. No matter how much we may preach, there is a certain joy in the light that befalls you once you get the title of being extraordinary.
Animation is expression
I always love it when animation is used not just as a medium of visual storytelling but also as one of expression. The most obvious example of this is Spider-Man: Into and Across the Spiderverse. Each character and their perspectives get individual animations. Something similar is done with To Be Hero X. There is a constant switch in visuals every time Lin’s personal perspective gets taken into consideration.
I can go on and on praising this gem of an episode for its story and its animation, but the soundtrack also deserves its own compliments. Using different animations and music, one episode was able to put forward the story of more than just its protagonist. It told the story of two men who were drowning in themselves, one who found his escape in finally not having to fly, while the other learned how to fly.
The story is but the beginning, so there is a lot I could be wrong about in terms of theories and even speculations but that is what makes it so much better. Moon seemed like a character who would play a much bigger role in the coming episodes so I surely hope that ending was a misdirect and not the actual dead body of the very girl who is our hero’s biggest inspiration.
Rating: 9/10
To Be Hero X is available to watch on Crunchyroll.
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