The upcoming dark fantasy light novel to TV anime adaptation Sentenced to Be a Hero: The Prison Records of Penal Hero Unit 9004 announced today that the series broadcast has been pushed back from October 2025 to January 2026 in an effort to improve the overall quality of the work. Additionally, the series production committee also revealed that the first episode will be an extended, hour-long special. Sentenced to Be a Hero: The Prison Records of Penal Hero Unit 9004 Trailer ASCII Media Works publishes the original Sentenced to Be a Hero: The Prison Records of Penal Hero Unit 9004 light novels in Japan under their Dengeki no Shin Bungei imprint. Rocket Shokai writes and MEPHISTO illustrates the series. An English language version of the series is also available from Yen Press. Hiroyuki Takashima directs the TV anime adaptation at Studio KAI, with Yoshitake Nakakoji providing assistant direction and creature designs, Kenta Ihara providing the series composition and scripts, Takeru Noda providing the character designs and Shunsuke Takizawa providing the music. Sentenced to Be a Hero: The Prison Records of Penal Hero Unit 9004 key art RELATED: Sentenced to Be a hero Anime Reveals New Trailer and Visual, October 2025 Release Yen Press describes Sentenced to Be a Hero: The Prison Records of Penal Hero Unit 9004 : 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 Sentenced to Be a Hero: The Prison Records of Penal Hero Unit 9004 TV anime home page
