Ahead of a planned January 2026 broadcast, the Sentenced to Be a Hero action fantasy anime today unveiled a brand-new key visual full of might, magic and desperation. Sentenced to Be a Hero Key Visual RELATED: Sentenced to Be a Hero Anime Premiere Postponed to January 2026 Hiroyuki Takashima ( Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation animation director) directs Sentenced to Be a Hero at Studio KAI, with series composition by Kenta Ihara ( Saga of Tanya the Evil ), character designs by Takeru Noda and music by Shunsuke Takizawa ( Kemono Michi: Rise Up ). Yoshitake Nakakoji serves as assistant director and creature designer, Nobutaka Ike serves as world designer and Kota Sugawa serves as prop designer. Yen Press publishes an official English version of the original light novels and describes the story: Heroism—a punishment for only the worst criminals. Those sentenced to the fate of a hero are forced to fight on the front lines against deadly centers of contagion that rot the land and turn its creatures into roving armies of violent beasts. And if a hero dies, their only reward is being brought back to life so they can continue the never-ending battle. But when Xylo Forbartz, a member of Penal Hero Unit 9004 and a convicted goddess killer, comes face-to-face with a new goddess, the pact they forge might just be enough to change the world… Source: Official X (formerly Twitter)
