Sentenced to Be a Hero 1×01 Review: “Support Retreat From Couveunge Forest”

The hour-long premiere episode of Sentenced to Be a Hero anime did a good job of getting me interested (and somewhat invested) in the dark fantasy narrative about political corruption.

January 2026 is jam-packed with a lot of new and returning content for anime fans. Just to name a couple of titles I’m looking forward to, we have MHA Vigilantes season 2 and Frieren season 2 debuting on January 5 and January 16, respectively. As for new shows, Sentenced to Be a Hero caught my eye because of the premise.

In this particular fictional dark fantasy world, being a hero is a punishment for criminals. You’re expected to follow orders, including fighting in the frontlines, with the most twisted catch being that if you die in battle or get your head blown off because you failed to follow orders (every Suicide Squad), you will be resurrected and thrown back into the battlefield. You’re supposed to act as a “hero” would, whether you like it or not.

Take note that I haven’t read the source material, so I will only be sharing my thoughts about what the anime displayed on my screen. ‘Support Retreat From Couveunge Forest’ opened with a character named Dotta running away from murderous monsters or faeries while pulling a coffin. He’s saved by our main character, Xylo Forbartz, who scolds Dotta over his inability to stop stealing stuff, even if stealing could lead to a fatal situation. It’s revealed that the two have been assigned to aid with the retreat of a group of Holy Knights fighting the Demon Lord’s minions in Couveunge Forest.

I liked how the writers delivered information about what it meant to he a ‘Hero’ and how the process of resurrection came with a steep price. Turns out that whenever a person was revived in their own body or even in someone else’s, they would lose a part of themselves. Go through enough resurrections, and a time will come when you’re nothing but a mere shell of your former self (no memories of your original life). I liked that downside to a process that could have easily been used by Heroes to escape from a dire confrontation or made certain Heroes apathetic toward life. No one wanted to forget who they were. Or at least, as of yet, we haven’t encountered such a Hero in the anime.

The magic system utilized by Dotta and Xylo seemed to have a scientific element to it. Xylo’s able to throw daggers that explode on contact with enemies. He also had footwear that allowed him to be superfast and jump over vast distances. Dotta had a small wand capable of shooting electricity. We got to see larger versions of the wand during a major battle with an evil horde.

The worldbuilding also introduced the concept of Goddesses. From my understanding, they were human-like creatures created by scientists/magicians as special weapons to defeat the Demon Lords. Apparently, 13 Goddesses were made, with the coffin Dotta stole housing… You guessed it… the 13th Goddess.

Named Teoritta, she’s the Goddess of swords. A good fit with Xylo’s fighting style. However, Xylo’s not interested in creating a pact with a Goddess to access her immense power.

I like Teoritta as a character. She might change down the line, but right now, she’s very focused on doing her duties as a Goddess. And she’s quite adamant about Xylo being the one to make a pact with her. I guess a Goddess can only make a pact with a single person at a time (or perhaps forever). In return, Teoritta requires a lot of praise from Xylo, as expected of Godly beings after granting favors to humans.

Even though Teoritta’s got a lot of power capable of defeating Demon Lords, there’s a downside. Goddesses could deplete their energy if they aren’t careful during battle. Exhaustion could lead to the Goddess being affected by The Blight, basically turning them into weapons for Demon Lords.

Another thing I liked about Sentenced to Be a Hero is how Teoritta isn’t portrayed as a possible love interest for Xylo. The two will strengthen their bond over the course of the story, but I highly doubt it will transform into anything romantic.

I would like to mention how my gripe was about Teoritta coming across as a mere weapon in human form, but the final moments of the premiere portrayed Goddesses as entities capable of feeling emotions. So, yeah, while my initial thought was to side-eye the narrative using the female lead character as nothing but a weapon and comedic relief, I think the narrative will have Teoritta go through quite an interesting arc.

A major reveal about Xylo did a lot to explain his disdain for Goddesses in the present as well as the political system utilizing Heroes as fodder. I’m looking forward to learning more about Xylo’s past and his prior relationship with the Goddess Senerva. Apparently, The Powers That Be don’t want word getting out that an exhausted Goddess could easily fall under the control of The Blight.

There’s a lot of political shenanigans afoot, including framing Xylo for a deed he didn’t do and forcing him to become a Hero. And if the resolutions are as well-written as the visually stunning fight sequences we got in the premiere, Sentenced to Be a Hero is ready to take you on a fun journey.

From Studio Kai, the debut episode of Sentenced to Be a Hero looked like an anime movie worthy of theatrical release to me. There’s a lot of focus on movement during the grand action sequences, with a bunch of color during explosions. Being a dark fantasy, the anime didn’t shy away from blood and gore. The Blight is a serious threat, and the Holy Knights need to do a lot better if they want to survive. The fodder fell way too quickly for my liking. Even Commander Kivia could have done a lot more, in my opinion.

Before I end my review, I have to mention how I appreciated Xylo’s character design. We don’t get a lot of brown-skinned leads in dark fantasy anime fare. So, that was nice to see. Xylo’s a lot darker in the manga, but hey, I’ll take what I can get.

I highly doubt next week’s chapter will be an hour-long as well. But regardless, I’m ready to return to such a world.

Did you watch Sentenced to Be a Hero episode 1? What did you think of it?

Let us know.

Author: Farid-ul-Haq

Farid has a Double Masters in Psychology and Biotechnology as well as an M.Phil in Molecular Genetics. He is the author of numerous books including Missing in Somerville, and The Game Master of Somerville. He gives us insight into comics, books, TV shows, anime/manga, video games, and movies.

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