To Be Hero X

''To Be Hero X'' (凸变英雄X) is a Chinese original donghua series and the third series of 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 Co. Ltd., Studio LAN, and Paper Plane Animation Studio. It is directed by Li Haolin, with music by Hiroyuki Sawano, Kohta Yamamoto, Hidefumi Kenmochi, Daiki, Shuhei Mutsuki, Hideyuki Fukasawa, Misaki Umase and Ryuichi Takada.

Hiroyuki Sawano performs the opening theme song for the series, titled "INERTIA", while SennaRin performs the ending theme song for the series, titled "KONTINUUM".

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

;Nice / The Commoner / Lin Ling
:Voiced by: Gu Jiangshan (Chinese); Natsuki Hanae (Japanese); Mauricio Ortiz-Segura / Branden Loera (original) (English)
:The 10th-ranked hero and the central character of episodes 1~4. Though publicly known as the "perfect" hero, in truth, he is an impostor who was forced to assume the real Nice's identity after the latter committed suicide as a result of public pressure. Having always wanted to be a hero, he successfully took on the mantle but could not shake the guilt of impersonating the real Nice, even developing a mild identity crisis. However, he ultimately remains true to himself, coming clean to the public and being forgiven, after which he develops his own hero identity.
:As Nice, he had multiple superpowers, including: flight, super strength, and increased endurance. As his own hero persona, he has shown enhanced strength.

;E-Soul / Yang Cheng
:Voiced by: Yang Kaiqi (Chinese); Nobunaga Shimazaki (Japanese); Stephen Fu / Paige Guillory (young) (English)
:The 9th-ranked hero and the central character of episodes 5~7. He unwittingly became the successor of the original E-Soul, a legendary hero who once saved the entire world, after rescuing a child while dressed as the latter, causing the public to transfer their faith to him. Unfortunately, this resulted in one of his friends being killed by his newfound enemies, prompting him to cut off his remaining relationships and fully assume the E-Soul persona by killing his predecessor in a duel.
:He has electrokinetic abilities, which allow him to move at super speed and manipulate machines with his mind.

;Ahu
:Voiced by: Zhang Fuzheng (Chinese); Koichi Yamadera (Japanese)
:The 8th-ranked hero and the central character of episode 23. He is a talking Shar Pei who gained self-awareness from the public's faith, choosing to be a hero for the sake of his young owner.
:He has shapeshifting abilities.

;Lucky Cyan / Cyan
:Voiced by: Zhao Shuang (Chinese); Inori Minase (Japanese); Jill Harris (English)
:The 7th-ranked hero and the central character of episodes 8~10. An orphan with supernatural luck, she grew up being exploited by others for her gift. This prompted her to run away and become a street performer to make a living, eventually growing into a popular idol.
:She fights using music empowered by people's faith, and her songs are said to bring good fortune to those who hear them.

;Loli / Luo Li
:Voiced by: Qian Chen (Chinese); Ayane Sakura (Japanese); Sarah Wiedenheft (English)
:The 6th-ranked hero and the central character of episodes 13~14. She is a genius engineer who wanted to be a hero since childhood, but no one took her seriously, prompting her to become an online influencer and gather public faith that way.
:She fights using a mechanical suit and gadgets, which she designs herself.

;The Johnnies
:Voiced by: Chen Jinwen (Little Johnny) (Chinese); Yoshitsugu Matsuoka (Little Johnny) (Japanese)
:The 5th-ranked heroes and the central characters of episodes 17~19, individually known as "Little Johnny" and "Big Johnny". Big Johnny is a cute mascot, with Little Johnny being its owner.
:Little Johnny can speak with animals while Big Johnny can become a monster, though the latter is prone to losing control in this state.

;GhostBlade
:Voiced by: Chang Wentao (Chinese); Yuichi Nakamura (Japanese)
:The 4th-ranked hero and the central character of episodes 15~16. He was raised to be a trained killer, which left him traumatized and unable to smile.
:He is a highly skilled assassin who fights with blades.

;Dragon Boy
:Voiced by: Chenzhang Taikang (Chinese); Koki Uchiyama (Japanese)
:The 3rd-ranked hero and the central character of episodes 21~22. He is a delinquent who loves getting into fights.
:He possesses enhanced strength and can assume a more powerful form.

;Queen / Liu Yuwei
:Voiced by: Liu Xiaoyu (Chinese); Kana Hanazawa (Japanese); Morgan Lauré (English)
:The 2nd-ranked hero and the central character of episodes 11~12. She is a prodigy who strives to become the #1 hero and abolish the current, corrupt hero system.
:She fights using a spear and can create an "area" where she can dictate the laws of the world to a limited extent.

;X
:Voiced by: Chao Wei (Chinese); Mamoru Miyano (Japanese)
:The top-ranked hero and the central character of episode 24. Despite being #1, he remains unaffiliated with any sponsor, and his true identity is a mystery; "X" is not his real hero name but an epithet given to the top-ranker. In actuality, he is just an ordinary office worker.
:He can control space and manipulate reality, which is primarily displayed in-universe through the animation-style changing.

Episodes

''To Be Hero X'' is structured into 11 narrative arcs.

Nice / The Commoner

E-Soul

Note: This story occurs before Nice's / The Commoner's in the timeline.

Lucky Cyan

Note: This story occurs before E-Soul's in the timeline.

Queen

Note: This story occurs concurrently with Lucky Cyan's in the timeline.

Loli

GhostBlade

The Johnnies

????

Dragon Boy

Ahu

X

References

External Links

*
*
*
{{Bilibili
2025 anime television series debuts
Chinese adult animated comedy television series
Aniplex
Bilibili original programming
Fuji Television original programming
zh:凸变英雄X
ja:TO BE HERO X