Among the hotly anticipated slate of new Winter 2026 anime, two series based on the work of Rocket Shokai are ready to blast off: Sentenced to Be Hero , which will stream on Crunchyroll , and Scum of the Brave . The pair come together to butt heads in the below video, along with a collaboration illustration by Scum of the Brave manga artist Nakashima723. Sentenced to Be a Hero x Scum of the Brave Collaboration Video Sentenced to Be a Hero x Scum of the Brave Collaboration Illustration RELATED: Crunchyroll Winter 2026 Anime Season Lineup Announced! Hiroyuki Takashima ( Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation animation director) directs the Sentenced to Be a Hero anime 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. Crunchyroll describes the story: In a world where heroism is a punishment, Xylo Forbartz, a condemned goddess killer, battles endless hordes of monstrous abominations as part of Penal Hero Unit 9004. Death is no escape, only a cycle of resurrection and relentless combat. But when Xylo encounters a mysterious new goddess, their unlikely alliance sparks a rebellion that could shatter the chains of eternal punishment. Source: Comic Natalie
