My Hero Academia’s anime adaptation is releasing its final season this year, bringing to a close not only the fight between All For One and One For All, but the story of the young heroes of UA Academy. With Kohei Horikoshi’s manga ending last year, the mangaka hasn’t hinted at the idea of Deku’s tale continuing, meaning there is about to be a major shonen-sized hole in the anime medium. Luckily, a new anime series has been gaining a lot of traction which also focuses on superheroes and a society obsessed with super powers. To Be Hero X might only have just begun but the series already has the chops it might need to be the true spiritual successor to My Hero Academia.
To Be Hero X might involve superheroes but it is a story that is far different from that of My Hero Academia in several exciting ways. To start, protagonist Lin Ling had no aspirations of being a hero like Deku, throwing a major curveball into the proceedings. Hitting the anime as a lowly advertising employee, Lin is working for the very heroes that are patrolling the streets and in doing so, adds to their overall power levels. In a freak encounter, Ling meets up with one of the biggest new heroes on the block Nice, after which things take a drastic turn and the anime picks up steam fast.
[RELATED: My Hero Academia Drops Cool New Look at Deku Ahead of Final Season]
To Be Hero Academia
Lin Ling’s story immediately starts in a similar vein to Deku’s, wherein To Be Hero X’s star meets with one of the top heroes. Unlike My Hero Academia, Ling witnesses the demise of Nice firsthand, with the white-haired crime fighter seemingly jumping off a building of his own accord. With Ling having a similar appearance to Nice, the hero’s agency quickly transforms Lin into the superhero as he takes on the powers and aesthetic of the crime fighter. It’s here that we see how this world differs from that of Kohei Horikoshi’s shonen franchise, and said elements work well.
Nice’s story places Lin Ling into a “fish out of water” scenario, where he fights villains with powers that he is still getting a handle on. On top of simply training to become better acclimated to his abilities, Lin also needs to contend with public perception of himself and those around him. When peeling back the layers of this world, the way the public perceives heroes and villains is one of the most, if not the most, important part of this world.
To Be Hero X’s Unique Take on Powers
My Hero Academia focused on “Quirks,” super powers that were given to the vast majority of the population that routinely needed to be trained with to make the best crime fighters, or villains. In To Be Hero X, the more that the public believes in a hero and places their faith into them, the stronger they become. Much like how Quirks can have drawbacks, the abilities in To Be Hero X have some wild downsides. Based on that same perception, heroes might find themselves trapped in one place or forced to do one thing if the public demands it. Nice’s “girlfriend” Moon was unable to use her teleportation powers, for example, unless they were to bring her closer to her boyfriend. On the villain side of the equation however…
The villains of To Be Hero X are powered through fear, almost playing into the same aspect as the bloody shonen series Chainsaw Man. The more that a villain terrifies the general public, the more powerful they become. While we have seen some antagonists in To Be Hero X’s initial episodes, we have to imagine that we will see big-time villains who send shivers down the spines of the populace.
To Be Hero X’s Stellar Animation
Studio BONES is no slouch when it comes to animating the adventures of Class 1-A but To Be Hero X is taking a far more experimental route. Most of the time, the anime series focuses on a CG-style similar to that of Netflix’s Arcane, using dynamic tactics to bring Nice’s story to life. Other times, To Be Hero X will slip into other animation styles that feel like more traditional anime, mixing it up in a way that many other franchises never do. While the story might be one treading familiar ground in following superheroes, the animation is anything but and makes for a big reason why this show can stand out amongst the crowd.
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