Year: 2026

The Uchiha Clan Massacre 2.0, Brought to you by Maki

Aside Roderick J "Jay" Friz Anime, Anime Reviews, Crunchyroll , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Jujutsu Kaisen S3 Ep 4 Review

The Uchiha Clan Massacre, one of the defining moments in the backstory of the Naruto series. In a single night, one lone ninja proceeded to slaughter almost the entirety of his powerful clan, save for himself, the guy who helped him, and his little brother. And he did it all under the orders of a man who had no authority to make him do that. It was a tragedy that could’ve been prevented, and in the long run, it caused more harm than good for everyone involved. Why am I bringing this up now when we’re talking about Jujutsu Kaisen? Because the anime just gave the Uchiha Clan Massacre 2.0. Except this time, it’s entirely justified, the one doing the killing is in the right, and the clan in question deserves everything happening to them. Maki did what she had to do.

F the Zenin Clan

So, after spending the last episode focusing entirely on exposition as Tengen, Yuji, and all their allies prepare to stop Kenjaku’s plans, this one is focused on the actual preparation. Their first order of business is to retrieve all the weapons and gear the Zenin Clan has locked in their storehouses. So Maki heads to their compound with the authority of her cousin Megumi, who is now the clan head, remember, to do just that. The Zenin Clan, though, has no intention of playing ball whatsoever.

Let me remind you what I said in my review for the preview movie: the Zenin Clan sucks. They are one of the three biggest and oldest clans of Jujutsu sorcerers in Japan, and a family of backwards thinking, ultra-conservative, sexist jerks. Not to mention how they’re convinced that they’re in a story like Game of Thrones where it’s all the intrigue and scheming. Because even though they are facing the existential threat Kenjaku is bringing to Japan, all they care about is their own power. They have no intention of letting Megumi be clan head, with their leaders using those dumb orders banning Gojo from being unsealed as an excuse to try and off him. And when Maki comes back, all they do is look down on her for having zero cursed energy and being a woman. Naoya even says she’s worthless now that she’s got all those scars on her. But that’s only the start, as Maki goes to the vault, and all she finds there is her deadbeat dad and her mortally wounded twin sister, Mai. And then her dad almost kills Maki and leaves them both for dead.

Time for a quick tangent, by the way. Gege, you are an absolute master of the art of making characters whose existence people can loathe with their entire being. Naoya was already a arrogant, sexist jerk that deserves a punch to the face. But the girl’s dad? All he does is whine about how he’s not the clan head and blaming it all on his daughters’ existence. He even says that “children shouldn’t hold back their parents,” with a straight face. This is the definition of a deadbeat parent, and while there are a lot of things I hate, there’s nothing worse than a bad parent.

Which only makes what happens next all the more satisifying.

All my Homies Hate the Zenin Clan

There’s a reason why Maki has no cursed energy whatsoever. The rules of Jujutsu treat twins as the same person. So when twins are born, they get restricted. In the girl’s case, Mai got all the cursed energy, while Maki should have gotten a superhuman body like Toji did to compensate. So long as one lives, the other can’t reach their full potential. Which is why Mai, who never wanted to be a sorcerer, chooses to let herself die so that her sister can unlock her full potential.

This is an absolute tragedy, and even though I wish that the anime could’ve spent an entire episode on just this, I think it manages to hammer that aspect home. All Maki wanted was to change the Zenin Clan so that it could accept her and Mai and give them the home they wanted. But the Zenin Clan was so rigid in their beliefs that they refused to let that happen, even when it would’ve benefitted them in the long run. Thanks to everyone’s stubbornness, Mai has died, and Maki has lost everything.

But thanks to their arrogance, the Zenin Clan didn’t kill the twins when they had the chance. Because now, it’s time for their own Uchiha Clan Massacre.

Toji Could’ve gone Full Kratos on the Zenin Clan if he Wanted

Fans of JJK know who Toji Fushiguro is. Born to the Zenin Clan with no cursed energy, he bailed on them and discarded his last name due to them treating him like dirt. They shouldn’t have, because the universe chose to compensate him for his lack of cursed energy by giving him a body as strong as steel, with superhuman senses and strength to go with it. That meant that he could kill Jujutsu sorcerers with hardly a scratch, and made him their absolute worst nightmare. He could’ve killed his entire clan for treating him like garbage, but chose to take the high road on it.

Maki, on the other hand? Let’s review everything all the crimes the Zenin Clan has committed against her:

  • A lifetime of emotional and physical abuse
  • Disobeying a direct order from the head of their clan
  • Murder of her sister
  • Multiple accounts of attempted murder

The verdict is guilty, the sentence is death, and the executioner is Maki, courtesy of the sword Mai made her before she died.

The Massacre Straight out of Kill Bill

What happens next isn’t just the Uchiha Clan Massacre for a new generation. It’s the Uchiha Clan Massacre fused with Kratos’ rampage against the Olympian Gods. And it is as close to perfect as possible…at least if you’re from the West.

It’s common to find anime fans from the West disagreeing with their Japanese counterparts, but there’s something special about how our reactions to this episode of JJK. Everyone I’ve seen stateside has been calling the best episode of the series. They’re looking at the scene of Maki wasting those mooks and are saying how it’s just like the Bride killing the Crazy 88 in Kill Bill. I looked up a clip of the scene on YouTube, and everyone’s commenting just that!

And the part where Maki tanks the hits from the Hei unit! That one guy dies thinking that he helped kill Maki, but she just walks away with the head of another Hei member and throws it into a pond!

And that fight with Naoya! Even if he gave us one of the first memes of the year, everyone agrees Naoya deserves to get his face caved in! And the anime didn’t disappoint as Maki absolutely embarrasses him! They repeated the clip of her breaking his skull four times, and it’s still satisfying! And her carnage didn’t stop at the compound! She hunted down any Zen’in clan members who weren’t there and killed them all! Is it any wonder why those with Maki stock are taking a victory lap?

So why are the Japanese hating on this? From what I’ve heard, cultural differences.

Japan Didn’t See this the Way Americans Did

According to what I’ve heard, a big issue they have with the episode is how it portrays the massacre. They don’t like the upbeat and energetic music and pacing. To them, this event is supposed to be a somber tragedy because of what happens to Maki and Mai. And I do agree with them on that part. What happened to Maki and Mai is indeed a tragedy brought about by Maki and her clan’s mutual stubbornness. Had Maki not tried to spite the family that didn’t deserve her and just walked away with her sister, Mai wouldn’t have had to die. And I do think that the anime could’ve made this entire thing more menacing to respect Mai. Remember, despite thinking it had to be done, Itachi hated himself for having to kill his clan and wanted to face justice for it, even if others might not see it that way. But while what happens is a tragedy, Westerners don’t see it like that.

We often consider getting revenge to be a costly, self-destructive act. At the same time, though, if we find the ones who are the targets of said revenge to be utterly reprehensible, we’re willing to justify it. And, admittedly, there’s something satisfying on a primal level in seeing the hero beat the snot out of a villain who greatly wronged them. Ergo, while we may mourn Mai’s death, I couldn’t help but smirk as I saw Maki bury the backwards, sexist, backstabbing Zen’in clan six feet under. Even more satisfying is seeing Naoya go out like a chump at the hands of Maki’s dying mother.

So, despite what the Japanese have to say about it, and despite me wanting an entire episode dedicated to Maki’s killing spree, I still loved this. I have been wanting to see this animated for a while now, and while it wasn’t quite what I expected, it’s already one of my favorite anime moments of the year. Maki, you have effectively solidified your place as THAT girl! All hail the Queen of Jujutsu Kaisen, Maki!!

I Give Perfect Preparation a 4.8/5

The Legacy of Dragon Ball Online

Aside Roderick J "Jay" Friz Anime , , , , ,

Dragon Ball Online has risen, baby girl!!!

If you’ve been keeping up with Dragon Ball on social media, then you know that there’s a lot for fans to look forward to over the next two years. DB Super is coming back, Sparking Zero is getting a new DLC, and the Beerus Arc is getting remade. The thing that I’m most interested, though (besides the anime’s return) is the next Dragon Ball game, Dragon Ball: Age 1000. For the most hardcore, in-the-know fans, that date holds a lot of importance. It’s the year that marks the beginning of the events of Dragon Ball Online.

If you haven’t heard about Dragon Ball Online, I wouldn’t blame you. It was an MMORPG that ran from 2010 to 2013, but it never made its way outside of the Far East. Despite this, though, it has quite the impact on the franchise’s video games. Many of the elements found in Dragon Ball Xenoverse and Xenoverse 2, such as the Time Patrol, the Majin Race, and the villains Towa and Mira all stem from DB Online. I already talked a little about it in our overview of the recent announcement for the franchise, but today, I wanted to go more in-depth about this fabled MMO. To be more precise, I wanna gush about how the world of Dragon Ball got way more awesome by Age 1000 by summing up the timeline. There is a lot of cool stuff that’s happened and we might get to see it in this upcoming game.

Keep in mind, the events of Dragon Ball Online contradict some of what is revealed in other anime series, such as Dragon Ball GT, Dragon Ball Super, and Dragon Ball Daima. GT can be excused by the fact that it was made almost entirely without Toriyama’s input, while the latter two didn’t exist in 2010.

A New Beginning

The timeline for DB Online starts with the end of Dragon Ball Z with Goku heading off to train Uub. In the years that followed, interest in martial arts continued to grow thanks to the success of people such as Mr. Satan and Buu. It grew so popular that once Mr. Satan retired, he started his own telecommuted martial arts courses and got his life turned into a hit movie. Unfortunately, people weren’t happy with his classes, forcing him to let his granddaughter Pan take over as instructor. Under her, the classes become very popular, and she would use them to start teaching students ki manipulation. Sadly, it was around this time that Goku and Vegeta would leave Earth for good. Realizing that they nearing the end of their natural lives, the two Saiyans decided to go out on their own terms: fighting in an epic battle to the death to decide which of them was truly the strongest. All things considered, not a bad way to go out for good. Over the next two centuries, their descendants would spread, to the point that by Age 1,000, most humans had some Saiyan DNA in them.

Given how it was only 200 years though, either the game was generalizing, or they really had that many descendants.

The Saiyans weren’t the only ones to make Earth their home, either. After reading an adult romance book Mr. Satan had lying around, Buu was inspired to use his magic to make himself a girlfriend, Miss Buu. Together, the two would use their magic to make themselves a son, creating the Majin Race. Decades later, the Namekians were forced to take refuge on Earth once again after New Namek was attacked, except this time, they chose to stay with Dende as their leader and Piccolo as their best warrior. The Yadratian’s would also move to Earth after their planet was destroyed. So, by Age 1000, there were Human-Saiyan’s, Majiin, Yadratians, Namekians, and talking animals all calling Earth home, which sounds awesome.

It gets cooler.

A New Generation of Warriors

Pan wasn’t the only one teaching people how to use Ki. Around Age 804, Gohan started doing actual research into the mechanics behind ki manipulation and how it actually worked, publishing it into a book called Groundbreaking Science. As a result, everyday people were able to look at the things that Goku, Gohan, and the others could do and finally realized that they weren’t cheap tricks. Validation!

With ki now widely understood as the real deal, martial arts became more popular than ever, and suddenly Master Roshi and the Crane Hermit were flooded with people wanting to learn under them. Despite not being able to die of old age, neither of them wanted to teach anymore students. Instead, Krillin and Tien Shinhan would start up the Turtle and Crane Schools with themselves as the teachers. Krillin’s style was more focused on teamwork to overwhelm tougher opponents, while Tien’s emphasized aggression and gathering strength for a decisive blow.

They weren’t the only means to learn Ki, though. Goten and Trunks would end up starting their own school of martial arts, based around channeling ki into swords and melee weapons. By doing this, a person could cut even something as strong as Katchin, the strongest metal in the universe. Between this sword school, the revived Turtle and Crane schools, and Pan’s fighting network, Earth had become a martial artist paradise.

Sadly, it was not to last.

New Threats Emerge

The real trouble began around Age 820. That year, not only did Mr. Satan die, but remnants of the Frieza Force invaded Earth, trying to take the power of the Dragon Balls. Thankfully, the planet’s collective training meant that they were able to drive the invaders back, but they would continue to cause trouble in the centuries to follow.

The Frieza Force wasn’t the only threat. In the decades that followed, more threats would start appearing. There was the Red Pants Army, the successors to the Red Ribbon Army. Pilaf’s descendant, Paella, would continue his ancestor’s aspirations for world domination. And to make matters worse, some of the Namekians became corrupted by evil much like King Piccolo, leading to the rebirth of the Evil Namekians.

The greatest threat of all, though, were the Time Breakers, led by Towa and Mira from the Demon Realm. They were the ones who had destroyed New Namek and Yadrat, and had set their sights on two things: conquering Earth, and obtaining Goku’s DNA. They had built an army out of Demons, people they plucked from the timestream, and the many villainous groups that were now running around Earth. Even worse, they were messing with history and threatening to destroy the space-time continuum. With all of their efforts pointing to their eventual conquest of Earth in the future, something had to be done. That’s when Future Trunks made his return, now charged by the Supreme Kai of Time with forming a group dedicated to protecting history as the Time Patrol.

And that is where things stand at the start of Age 1000 in Dragon Ball Online.

Please let Age 1000 be something similiar to DB Online

Let’s review everything. We’ve got an age where everyone’s a martial artist and knows how ki works. Earth has become home to Humans with Saiyan ancestry, Namekians, and Majins. The descendants of all the heroes biggest enemies are trying to conquer the planet. And warriors are tasked with going back in time to keep history from going awry.

You can see why DB Online is considered a big deal for Dragon Ball fans? A good chunk of the Xenoverse games stems from this MMO. And if Age 1000 is looking to be the spiritual successor to this legend, then Dragon Ball fans everywhere should be elated. I know I am!

THIS IS THE YEAR OF DRAGON BALL!!

Aside Roderick J "Jay" Friz Anime, DBZ , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Itโ€™s hard to believe that itโ€™s been two years since the world lost Akira Toriyama, the creator of Dragon Ball. Yet for the time being, his greatest creation has continued to endure across the world and in the minds of its fans young and old. With this year marking the 40th anniversary of the original manga, fans are expecting big things to commemorate it. And it looks like weโ€™re going to be feasting, because on January 25th, the powers that be dropped a few big pieces of news. A Dragon Ball anime is coming back, weโ€™re getting a remake of one arc, and there was some big video game news that is leaving fans drooling.

Letโ€™s start with the first big piece of news: the Beerus arc from Dragon Ball Super is getting a remake.

DB Super Beerus Remake

After the disaster that was Dragon Ball Evolution, the late Toriyama was so mad about his creation being mishandled that he came out of retirement to fix things. The result was the hit 2013 film Battle of Gods thrusting the series badk into the spotlight for a new generation. That eventually led to a sequel film, and both would lead to a new anime series in 2015, Dragon Ball Super. I never watched the first two arcs in the anime since they were just retelling the films, but I have heard that there were a few complaints about it not being that good. There were issues with the animation, pacing, and other things that fans didnโ€™t like. So, I guess I dodged a bullet on that!

It seems that things were so bad that Toei has decided to remake the entire Beerus arc with new animation, with the resulting Dragon Ball Super L: Beerus releasing sometime this fall. Again, I preferred the movie to the anime arc, so I probably wonโ€™t watch it. However, that doesnโ€™t mean Iโ€™m not happy for other fans. And I know that a number of content creators are going to be happy about this.

What Iโ€™m looking forward to, though, is something that weโ€™ve had to wait for years to see: the return of Dragon Ball Super.

Super is Coming Back!

In 2018, after the Tournament of Power Arc came to its legendary end, DB Super went on what we thought was a hiatus. This was so that the manga adaptation could have time to tell the next major arc, the Galactic Patrol Arc, which everyone has expected to be what Super would cover next. But it never came back, and some fans started to lose hope that it would. For those who had faith, though, itโ€™s about to pay off. Dragon Ball Super: Galactic Patrol Arc is coming!

The basic premise of the arc is that Goku and Vegeta are asked to temporarily join the Galactic Patrol, an intergalactic police force that tries to maintain peace throughout the universe. Emphasis on trying, as theyโ€™ve never been strong enough to stop Frieza, his family, or any minions like the Saiyans. And when one of their most dangerous prisoners escapes custody, they need the twoโ€™s help to save the day. Itโ€™s a pretty good arc, and one that a lot of fans have wanted to see made into an anime. Which means that the return of Super is a pretty big deal for fans. I, for one, am looking forward to seeing it get animated, even if we donโ€™t know when it will release.

As for gamers, weโ€™ve got a lot to look forward to, as well.

Sparking Zero DLC

Two years ago, the legendary Budokai Tenkaichi series came out of retirement with its first release in decades, Sparking Zero. The game proved to be immensely popular at first thanks to having the biggest roster of characters in the entire line of games, online multiplayer, and what-if stories in the main campaigns. It also seemed to quickly lose steam on Steam, though, as it lost 90% of its player base in less than a month, but it has retained a steady base since then, from what Iโ€™ve heard. And that player count might grow this year as we just got our first look at the new DLC. And thereโ€™s cause for excitement.

This upcoming DLC is going to add even more characters to the gameโ€™s already massive roster, including Super Android 17, King Piccolo, and Super Saiyan Bardock. As a big fan of Gokuโ€™s dad, that last is especially exciting for me. Iโ€™m actually tempted to start playing the game again to get ready.

But all of this is nothing compared to the biggest announcement: in 2027, we are getting a new Dragon Ball game. While we still donโ€™t know its name, the title alone is enough to get hardcore fans pumped: Dragon Ball: Age 1000.

Dragon Ball: Age 100

You might not know this, but in 2010, there was actually a Dragon Ball MMORPG, Dragon Ball Online. Released exclusively in East Asia, it takes place 216 years after the events of the Majin Buu Saga, and Earth has changed a lot since then. Most humans are now at least partially Saiyan, the Namekians relocated to Earth, Majin Buu started his own race, and best of all, the use of Ki is universally recognized, meaning everyone sees Goku and the others as the heroes they are. But the Earth is now threatened by the like of Towa and Mira as they mess with the timeline, leading many to join the Time Patrol led by Future Trunks.

If all of this sounds like the Xenoverse games, thereโ€™s a good reason. DBO shut down in 2013, but many of its concepts and characters became a part of Xenoverse and Xenoverse 2. That hasnโ€™t stopped fans from wanting an actual DB Online game again, though, and thatโ€™s why this trailer is a big deal. That, and this new character might have been designed by Toriyama before he died.

We wonโ€™t know more about Age 1000 until April, but Iโ€™m betting fans are already coming up with their own ideas about what this game could be like. I liked the Xenoverse games myself, but I do want to see something more like DB Online here in the west. Hopefully, weโ€™re finally getting what we want!

And that is everything that we know so far! Hopefully, Toei and Shueshia will release more info in the coming months, as itโ€™s got the fandom in a frenzy and eager to learn more. We will try to cover it as best as possible here, as we are massive fans of Dragon Ball and are eager to take part in the celebration ourselves. Until we meet again, guys!

LET THE CULLING GAME BEGIN!

Aside Roderick J "Jay" Friz Anime, Anime Reviews, Crunchyroll , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Jujutsu Kaisen S3 Ep 3 Review

My fellow Jujutsu sorcerers, Jujutsu Kaisen is back! Well, it’s been back for about a week by the time I’m writing this, but I didn’t write about the first two episodes. There was no need to, since I had already covered them in my review of the compilation movie. But now that they’re out, I’m free to cover everything going forward as we get into the Culling Games. I’m going into this basically blind, but from what I’ve heard, and based on how crazy the new OP is, this is going to be absolute chaos!

What is the Culling Game?

So, where were we when we last left off? Yuji was a fugitive from the corrupt Jujutsu heads alongside his half-human, half-cursed spirit half-brother. Nagoya โ€œDbagโ€ Zenโ€™in tried to kill Yuji. Yuta showed up like an absolute CHAD and helped Yuji fake his death. And now all the good guys reunite at Tokyo Jujutsu High to meet Tengen, the immortal responsible for the barriers protecting the high schools in Tokyo and Kyoto. This brings us to this episode, which is more or less dedicated to exposition dumping on what the heck is about to happen.

Which is good, because I’ve always had a hard time understanding the power system in JJK, and I’ve had an even harder time trying to understand what the end goal of the antagonistโ€™s is for the Culling Games.

To sum it up as best as I can understand it, it’s like the Infinite Tsukuyomi from Naruto meets Fortnite.

No, really. The ultimate plan of Kenjaku, the sorcerer who has possessed Getoโ€™s corpse, is to force humanity to evolve by giving everyone access to cursed energy. His plan is to have humanity fuse with Tengen, who has evolved to become less a human and more an abstract entity, granting them all curse energy. To do that, he needs a massive amount of cursed energy be unleashed, hence why he’s been working behind the scenes for a thousand years trying to make the Culling Games happen. He made pacts with ancient sorcerers to have them participate in exchange for bringing them back in new bodies, which he did by feeding people cursed objects containing their souls. He also found people with cursed techniques who couldn’t use them and modified their brains so that they could, using the disaster curses and others to accomplish this. And since users of the Six Eyes like Gojo kept foiling him in the past, he made sure to seal Gojo so the technique wouldn’t pass on to someone else. All of this culiminated at Shibuya, where Kenjaku used everything to awaken thousands of sorcerers, both ancient and modern-day, and unleashed countless cursed spirits across Japan.

Da Rules

So, there a boatload of sorcerers who appeared out of nowhere, hordes of cursed spirits that have formed colonies across Japan, and Kenjaku is forcing them all to fight in the Jujutsu equivalent to Fortnite. All so he can merge humanity for the sake of transcending their current limitations. And to make matters worse, joining the Culling Games is non-negotiable for those picked. There are rules that even say so!

  1. Anyone who gets a cursed technique has to join nineteen days after awakening said technique by entering one of the colonies.
  2. Refusal to join will lead to players deaths by removal of cursed technique.
  3. Non-players who enter colonies become players by default.
  4. Points are gained by killing players and non-players
  5. Point values are determined by game master
  6. Players who gain 100 points can ask game master to add a new rule to the game. No takebacks!
  7. The game master must agree to new rule as long as it doesn’t mess with the game.
  8. Players whose scores haven’t changed after 19 days will die.

And to make sure that the game can’t end if he dies, Kenjaku made it so he isn’t the game master. This Shinigami thing called a kogane is!

Credit where credit is due; as someone who enjoys games myself, Kenjaku really thought this out. A pity that he’s doing this for the sake of evil. And with Gojo sealed in the Prison Realm, and the tools needed to free him destroyed or out of energy, there’s no way for him to stop Kenjaku.

Or is there?

One Chance

As fate would have it, one of those reawakened sorcerers, Angel, has a technique that can nullify other cursed techniques. Which means that she’s able to open the back door to the Prison Realm and let Gojo out. So, if they want to stop this madness, then they’re going to have to find Angel. But since this episode already gave us plenty of exposition, the anime decided to cut us some slack and give us this video explaining the good guyโ€™s plans.

Everyone has their marching orders now, and so everyone must get ready to play the deadliest game of their lives.

Now, some people are no doubt asking why Kenjaku decided to make the rules as they are, let alone give players the chance to alter them or provide an out. That seems counterproductive to his evil plans for forced assimilation. The thing is, he probably doesn’t care if he ends up failing. His only goal is to force humanity to evolve, and conflict has always been a surefire way of seeing this happen. Think of how many leaps and bounds in technology have been made thanks to war making them a necessity. Even if he fails and even if the game falls apart, that won’t change the fact that he’s shaken Jujustu society to its core. They have to change now.

Great Exposition

Personally, I liked this episode. It might have to do with growing up watching Yu-Gi-Oh!, but I enjoy hearing exposition so I can better understand what’s going on. And judging by the comments on that Crunchyroll video, there are plenty who are having a hard time understanding how this whole thing will work. But what I think is my favorite part of this episode has to be the ending as we get our first look at one of those awakened sorcerers. I read about him on TV Tropes, and from the sounds of it (and how he is in the OP), he’s going to be pretty funny. Heaven knows we need that considering what’s about to happen.

I Give “About the Culling Game” a 4/5

So this is Suicide Squad, But Cooler? I Like it!

Aside Roderick J "Jay" Friz Anime, Anime Reviews, Crunchyroll , , , , , , , , ,

Sentenced to be a Hero Ep 2 Review

If I had a dollar for every time I’ve seen a group of convicts be used as cannon fodder by uncaring superiors, I’d have a few extra dollars. Which isn’t much, but it’s weird how I’ve seen it happen multiple times in fiction. That being said, Sentenced to be a Hero is looking to be one of the biggest anime of the season. People are praising it for the story, the animation, and the characters, and it’s not hard to see why. Motherโ€™s Basement included it in his list of heavy hitters for the winter 2026 season; he nicknames it โ€œGantz of Thrones.โ€ That’s incredibly accurate, in my opinion! The Heroes are people being used as fodder in a war they’re expected to die in, but can be brought back for more, and not all of them are mentally put together. But that won’t stop them from doing their job.

So, despite the premiere ending with Xylo getting arrested and accused of stealing Teoritta, he wakes up in a tent with nothing having happened to him. Which makes sense, considering how he’s already been sentenced to the worst possible punishment as eternal fodder in a war. Credit where it’s due, though: that knight Kivia does apologize for the accusation when they meet up later in the episode. But Xylo couldn’t care less, as he tells her point-blank that she wouldn’t have believed him anyway. He’s right; no one would believe him, so why bother?

What does surprise him, though, is the fact that Teoritta refuses to end their contract, despite knowing what he didโ€ฆor was forced to do by his circumstances. Some would call her naive, but I see it as her being a good judge of character. Xylo may hide it underneath his bitterness, but he’s a good and decent person. If he wasn’t, then why would he make it his mission in life to find the people responsible for Senervaโ€™s death? He’s such a good person that he’s ready to burn everything to avenge her.

Another Suicide Mission

Speaking of mission, the heroes get their next one: defeating some demons called faeries infesting the mines at a town called Zewan Gan. This is when we are introduced to two more heroes, and, in keeping with what seems to be the theme for them, they’re quite eccentric. There’s his majesty, Norgalle Senridge. He’s an expert in sacred seals and magic, but he’s convinced that he’s the rightful king of their nation and everyone are his subjects. Iโ€™d say he’s delusional, but Iโ€™ve seen crazier things be true, and he does look out for the others. There’s also his servant, Tatsuya. He’s been a hero for so long, he’s practically feral. It’s tragic for him, but it makes him super vicious in battle.

So, we’ve got a fallen holy knight, a thief, a coward, a delusional magic expert, and someone as feral as Ezekiel from Total Drama. This whole thing is reminding me more and more of Game of Thrones meets that Suicide Squad isekai from a few years ago, but better. Consider me invested in it.

At any rate, their mission is to seal up the mines and make sure the demons donโ€™t get out. That is already a hard job. But to add an extra layer of tragedy, its revealed that the faeries they’re fighting were humans transformed into monsters. The heroes and holy knights are basically having to perform mercy kills. The mission gets complicated, though, when they find a survivor who says there are more deeper in the mines. Kivia has orders to collapse the mines, but Norgalle insists they save โ€˜his people.โ€™ So what can they do?

You Can’t Ignore Being a Good Person

Xylo shows why he’s a good person once again when he tells Kivia โ€œScrew it. I’ll go save them. If I’m not back in time, feel free to blow the place. Not like you’re going to lose anything valuable.โ€ But as a precaution, he refuses to allow Teoritta to accompany him. Which means if they run into trouble, they’ll be at a disadvantage.

If the extra-long premiere was meant to serve as a first look at this world, then this second episode helps to flesh out the world. And once again, the animation is still gorgeous and I love it. I’m now fully invested into this series and I’m looking forward to watching it over the rest of the season. Next week, weโ€™re likely going to see the heroes race against the clock as we see them try to live up to actual heroes. Bring it on.

I Give “Sentence: Clear the Zewan Gan Tunnels Part 1” a 4/5

Sentenced to Be a Hero Might be Anime of the Year Material!

Aside Roderick J "Jay" Friz Anime, Crunchyroll , , , , , , , ,

Sentenced to Be a Hero Ep 1 Review

Happy New Year, everyone! And what a good year it is looking to be for the world of anime! We are going to see the return of many popular anime that we here at the D&A Anime Blog are all looking forward to seeing. However, I think that the first big hit of the year is an entirely new show. A show thatโ€™s animated by some of the people that made the first season of Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation a legend of animation. As a fan of that Isekai series and agreeing that the animation from the first season was near god-tier, that fact alone was enough to get me interested in this. However, now I’m going to want to stay for the story, because Sentenced to be a Hero has the potential to be one of the best anime of the year.

I feel so good about being right.

Sentenced to be a Hero Inverts the Praise that Comes with the Word

The hero. A four-letter word that has done more to inspire feelings of hope, courage, and inspiration than any other in existence. Itโ€™s a concept that appears in every culture thatโ€™s ever existed, and one that comes with respect. That is not the case for the premise behind Sentenced to be a Hero, though. Before we even get to see the animation (which is god-tier), we get a text block explaining what a hero is in this story. In this story, being a hero is a punishment for the worst criminals. They are sentenced to fight on the frontlines in the never-ending war against Demons until they drop dead. Theyโ€™re not even granted the peace of death, as theyโ€™re revived and forced to continue fighting, as unending cannon fodder, for eternity.

Now, this isnโ€™t the first time Iโ€™ve seen a story where someone called a hero is treated terribly by those theyโ€™re having to save. It sure as heck isnโ€™t the first time Iโ€™ve seen death being irrelevant to a story. And of course, we have video games, where players are expected to die and then have to start back from their last save. For all we know, science and technology could give people alive today the ability to tell death to piss off for as long as we want.

But dying is still dying, and while Goku and the others are able to shrug it off with zero signs of mental trauma, thatโ€™s not the case for everyone. Itโ€™s still going to hurt, and even someone with the strongest mentality they could possibly have is going to start cracking if they experience that over and over. And as we are introduced to the world of the show and its main cast, Sentenced to be a Hero demonstrates this in all its nightmare-fueled glory.

Xylo Has a Bone to Pick With those in Power

We are introduced to our main character, Xylo, in the middle of a battle against the Demons as one of his fellow Heroes steals something from their โ€œallies.โ€ The other Hero, Dotta, almost bites it and asks to die so he can be revived. However, as Xylo tells him, dying and then having your soul ripped out of the afterlife has consequences. It will erode away a personโ€™s soul, causing them to lose memories of who they were until thereโ€™s almost nothing left. He even makes it a point to say that if happens enough times, a Hero will be like a living zombie!

Now, we may never know for certain if there is an afterlife, or if we reincarnate, or cease to exist. But compared to what Xylo is describing, death seems better. Regardless of whatever crimes a person may commit, I donโ€™t think anyone deserves to suffer a fate like that. Whoever came up with that system must be some morally bankrupt sadist!

What makes it even worse, though, is that the crime that Xylo was sentenced to be a hero for wasnโ€™t even his fault. As the end of the episode reveals, he was put in an impossible situation and left to die.

Goddesses are Little Girls.

In the world of the show, there are beings called goddesses, little girls who were created to help humanity fight the Demons by bestowing contracts on their chosen champions. Xylo made a pact with one such goddess after his unit was sent into a battle as cannon fodder with no reinforcements. That goddess used up so much of her power that she hit her breaking point and started to turn into a demon herself, forcing Xylo to put her out of her misery. If that wasnโ€™t traumatizing enough, the countryโ€™s leaders placed all the blame on him, saying he acted without orders, that he was never ordered to fight, and that he killed her in cold blood. And they were saying all of this at his trial right to his face.

Basically, take what Naofumi went through and somehow crank that up to eleven. Thatโ€™s how bad this is. And so, Xylo did what any sane, rational, understandably pissed-off person would do: he vowed revenge. He vowed that he would find the people who set him up and make them wish they had given him the death penalty when they had the chance!

Iโ€™ve seen it happen plenty of times in fiction, but it never fails to grind my gears than to see a good person get screwed over by those in power. It takes a rare kind of person to endure that level of getting screwed over to not want to seek revenge, and while I applaud those who can move on, I understand why Xylo acts so bitter throughout this first episode. Heโ€™s saving so many lives and looking badass while doing so, but his so-called allies spit on him anyway when they donโ€™t know a thing. Even worse, when he ends up meeting another goddess, Teoritta, his ptsd is triggered. The girl only wants to help him, but he claims he hates goddesses and tries to drive her away. In the end, though, circumstances force the two to work together in order to win, meaning theyโ€™re now stuck with each other. And also Dotta, who stole the casket holding Teoritta in the first place.

Remember how Peak Season One of Mushoku Tensei Was? This is it on Steroids

There was a lot to unpack for this first episode, not the least bit because it was an hour long. But beyond the story, which sounds super interesting, the main draw of the episode was the animation. This show is directed by the people who helped to make the first season of Mushoku Tensei one of the most beautiful anime in living memory. From the bread scene to the fight between Dead End and Orsted to Eris fighting those knights in her solo ova, that first season was gorgeous beyond belief. And this episode was pretty much each of those moments extended into an hour.

To start with, thereโ€™s the color palette. Most of this episode is set at night, and they reflect this using a lot of dark colors. Itโ€™s doubly appropriate considering how this is a dark fantasy series. The animation is smooth as butter, especially during the fighting scenes. As for the fighting scenes, take the best ones from Mushoku Tensei and yourself what made them look so good. Now apply that to every fight in this episode. Itโ€™s a visual feast.

Iโ€™ve got a number of anime that I want to cover for the Winter 2026 season, and after seeing this episode, I can say that Sentenced to be a Hero is going to be one of them.

I Give “Sentence: Support Retreat From Couveunge Forest” a 5/5