Sentenced to Be a Hero Ep 3 Review
On the last episode of Sentenced to be a Hero, we got to see what Xylo and the hero unit’s missions are like when they’re not basically going AWOL. Xylo, Teoritta, this madman called Tatsuya, and this guy named Norgalle whose convinced he’s a king, all went on a mission to secure a mine. But when they discover demons infesting the place and a group of miners still trapped inside, what does Xylo do? Disobeys orders to rescue them, naturally. Which, to be frank, is a pretty heroic thing to do. And after this episode, I think that Xylo and the others deserve to be called heroes in the traditional sense, especially Norgalle.
Don’t Try to Die Nobly in Battle if you Can Avoid it
So, with the Holy Knights ordered to collapse the mines hanging over their heads, Xylo, Norgalle, and Tatsuya work to rescue the remaining miners. Teoritta is forced to stay behind due to Xylo refusing to unnecessarily put her life at risk. This ends up conflicting with Teoritta’s own willingness to do just that, not caring what happens so long as she does a noble death.
The entire theme behind this whole episode seems to be about how we view war and death in battle. Teoritta and Norgalle don’t seem to mind dying so long as they do so helping others live to see another day, which is an admirable mindset. That, and they think going out taking as many enemies as possible is a metal way to die. In contrast, we have Xylo, the weary war veteran who understands that once you’re dead, that’s it. Barring unnatural methods like what the heroes are sentenced to, and unless there’s an afterlife or reincarnation cycle, that’s the end. Even coming back like the heroes takes a toll on them, so death is still something to worry about. And after seeing what he has, Xylo refuses to let anyone die a pointless death.
Which is why, when Teoritta eventually chooses to ignore his orders to stay behind, he’s mad. But I can understand why she did it.
Never Abandon your Comrades
Anime has taught me a lot of things, but one big one is that if you have to choose between following the rules or breaking them to save lives, it’s better to break them. It’s why Xylo and the others went to rescue the miners, and it’s why Teoritta opts to do the same. But while Xylo is the one who agreed to this, it’s actually Norgalle who steps up in this episode.
I don’t know if Norgalle is actually a king or not, but even if he isn’t, he’s got the bearing of one. Whereas other monarchs would insist on staying behind the frontlines and act as if their life is more important, Norgalle is the kind of king who does the opposite. Je spends this entire episode putting the miners’ needs before his own, doing everything in his power to ensure they make it out alive and refusing to see them as expendable. Delusional or not, that kind of selflessness is endearing, and it inspires the miners to help fight back the demons. Which, by the way, were indeed created due to a Demon Lord brainwashing the other miners, much to Norgalle’s fury. His majesty’s best moment, though, comes when he chooses to cut off his own leg so he can stun the Demon long enough for Xylo to kill it. That is the kind of crazy that can get things done!
Thanks to the heroes and Teoritta, all the remaining miners are able to escape and return home to their families. And despite many still viewing them as scum, a small handful of them work up the courage to thank them. Scum or not, they saved people, and that is worthy of respect. Even Kivia stands up for them by saying they did the right thing. I don’t know if this will end up sticking or not, but if Xylo was able to change a small group of people’s minds, then maybe he can do it more and more until everyone sees him as the hero that Teoritta, and by extension, the audience, know he can be.
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