To Be Hero X
To Be Hero X is a Chinese donghua television series co-produced with Aniplex, and the third installment in the To Be Hero anthology franchise. It premiered on Fuji Television and other channels on April 6, 2025. A co-production between BeDream, Bilibili, and Aniplex, the series was made at production company and studio BeDream in collaboration with three animation studios: PB Animation Company, Studio LAN, and Paper Plane Animation Studio. It is directed by Li Haoling, with music by Hiroyuki Sawano, Kohta Yamamoto, Hidefumi Kenmochi, Daiki, Shuhei Mutsuki, Hideyuki Fukasawa, Misaki Umase, and Ryuichi Takada.
Synopsis
The story of To Be Hero X is set in a world where “faith” turns people into superheroes, i.e. if people believe that someone can fly, then that person gains the ability to fly. Conversely, heroes lose their powers if people stop believing in them. The trust that people place in heroes is measured and collected as data, and the heroes are ranked according to the public's faith in them. Every two years, the top heroes gather to compete in a tournament and their trust rankings are adjusted accordingly. The number one hero at the top of the rankings is known as "X".Characters
Protagonists
;Lin Ling / The Commoner;E-Soul / Yang Cheng
;Ahu
;Lucky Cyan / Cyan
;Loli / Luo Li
;Little Johnny / Ah Johnny & Big Johnny
;Ghostblade / Wang Yi
;Dragon Boy
;Queen / Liu Yuwei
;X
Supporting Characters
;NiceMedia
Music
The opening theme song for the series, titled "INERTIA", is performed by Hiroyuki Sawano|SawanoHiroyuki:Rei with and lyrics by Benjamin, while the ending theme song, titled "KONTINUUM", is performed by SawanoHiroyuki:SennaRin with lyrics also by Benjamin. Benjamin and mpi performed the series' main theme, "JEOPARDY", while SawanoHiroyuki:Rei & SennaRin performed the X version of "INERTIA" for the final episode.Character and insert songs
In addition to the opening and ending themes, To Be Hero X features a variety of character songs, many of which appear as insert tracks during episodes or were released shortly before a character's arc aired.| Character | Song title | Performer | Writer | Composer/Arranger | Episode | Notes |
| X | "New Type of Hero" | Chatterbox | Griff Clawson | Griff Clawson | 24 | Promotional character theme, Insert song |
| Nice / Lin Ling | "PARAGON" | Benjamin & mpi | Benjamin | Hiroyuki Sawano | 1, 4 | Insert song |
| E-Soul | "NEON RAIN" | Eliana | Benjamin | Kenmochi Hidefumi | 5, 7 | Insert song |
| Ahu | "SPARX" | Robert Taira Wilson | Benjamin | Kohta Yamamoto | 23 | Insert song |
| Lucky Cyan | "Take Off" | Lucky Cyan | Shown | DAIKI | 8, 9, 10, 16 | Insert song |
| Lucky Cyan, Luo | "My Color" | Lucky Cyan, Luo | Shown | DAIKI | 7, 9, 10, 11, 16 | Insert song |
| The Johnnies | "growL" | J.Rio | cAnON. | Misaki Umase | 17, 18 | Insert song |
| Loli | "Candy Mountain" | Kokudo Kaon | nikiie | Shuhei Mutsuki | 13, 15 | Insert song |
| Ghostblade | "Because of you" | Kris Roche | Hideyuki Fukasawa, Kris Roche | Hideyuki Fukasawa | 16 | Insert song |
| Dragon Boy | "Scar" | AK LIUZHANG | DAIKI | DAIKI | 21 | Insert song |
| Queen | "Queen of the stars" | R!N | R!N | Ryuichi Takada | 11 | Insert song |
Popularity poll
There is a popularity poll featuring each arc's focus character on Bilibili, which registered users can vote in; the number of votes each character receives will supposedly influence their performance during the second season.Episodes
Chronology
The first season of To Be Hero X is structured into eleven narrative arcs that are told out of chronological order. These arcs are chain-linked, with the focus character of the next arc appearing in the preceding one.The chronological order of the episodes in To Be Hero X's first season is roughly: Episodes 17~18 > Episodes 8~9 > Episode 11 > Episodes 5~7 > Episode 10 > Episodes 12~16 > Episode 18 > Episodes 19~23 > Episodes 1~4 > Episode 24.