Sentenced to Be a Hero 1×04 and 1×05 Review

Sentenced to Be a Hero anime season 1 episode 4, ‘Standby Order: Mureed Fortress’, and episode 5, ‘Sentence: Defense Against Corruption at Mureed Fortress’, showcased some interesting character dynamics as our leads got ready for yet another suicidal mission.

Sentenced to Be a Hero, from the creator of Scum of the Brave, is quickly becoming one of my favorite new anime released this year. Not only is the animation good and the action sequences cool, but I’m greatly enjoying the character-centric moments and the shadowy politics. I hope this anime continues to gain traction in the online fandom space, because it deserves it.

After putting their lives on the line yet again to save a group of miners considered expendable in the previous episode, ‘Standby Order: Mureed Fortress’ gave our cast a bit of a breather before dropping another dangerous mission on their heads. Seeing the cast enjoy the Great Exchange Festival was nice, especially since it was Teoritta’s first festival. I mean, I would be super excited about tasting my first shaved ice cream, too!

However, you could tell something sinister was brewing in the background. Being tools for hire, there was a reason Xylo and his crew were asked to travel to Mureed Fortress. The higher-ups had been planning to kill another Demon Lord, named Iblis, and Xylo and his team were going to play a major role in ensuring their plan worked, even if said plan would cost them their lives. The higher-ups didn’t care about their “death” because Heroes like them could always be brought back to life.

Episode 4 offered interesting information about Teoritta’s status in the eyes of the Holy Guards as well as Venetim’s past regarding his sentence. I had been wondering what the Holy Guards wanted to do with Teoritta ever since Dotta stole the coffin from them. Initially, I thought that, similar to how other Goddesses were being used, the Holy Guards were going to create a pact with Teoritta and have her assist with fighting against the Demon Blight.

However, it’s revealed that compared to the rest of the Goddesses out there, Teoritta had been deemed useless due to her ability to only summon swords. Apparently, other Goddesses had gifts considered far more useful. For example, Goddess Pelmerry, who was part of the current plan, could produce a variety of poisons. The Holy Knights already had an abundance of swords and magical weapons. Teoritta summoning even more swords was… meh!

That’s why the higher-ups had permitted Teoritta to be experimented on. That included being cut open to study how Goddesses like her could summon things from other dimensions.

I was as shocked as Xylo after listening to Kivia spill the beans about what Teoritta was supposed to be put through by the government. I really thought humanity was supposed to be more respectful toward Goddesses. But nopes. At the end of the day, it all boiled down to how useful you were to the powers that be (TPTB). Xylo and his crew were man-made tools of war. And so was Teoritta.

However, I would like more information regarding Teoritta’s existence, especially because if such Goddesses were created by humans in the first place, why bother cutting her up to learn more about her? Wasn’t there an abundance of research data already available? Hmmm.

There’s a lot of propaganda floating around in the world of Sentenced to Be a Hero. So, I wouldn’t be surprised if it came to light that humans didn’t create the Goddesses at all. Thus, explaining why TPTB wanted to experiment on Teoritta.

Talking about major propaganda, Venetim’s backstory dealt with how he was apprehended for trying to sell a castle to a circus (he really is a smooth talker). But the real issue was the government not being so happy about his propaganda article about how the Demon Blight had infiltrated humanity and had certain demons posing as humans to disrupt society from within. Venetim said he didn’t believe in what he wrote and how the text was simply meant to cause drama across the kingdom, but I think he only said that to try to prevent being made a Hero. He’s a talker and not a fighter.

But yeah, I was surprised how the story confirmed Venetim’s article to be true only 5 episodes in. Certain narratives sharing major details so early do point toward even more twists and turns down the line (in contrast to a lack of story leading to things being dragged out). That’s why I’m excited to see what Sentenced to Be a Hero has in store next.

The plan at Mureed Fortress was for Xylo and his crew to draw Iblis and his minions toward the stronghold. Once there, Iblis would be trapped, and a whole bunch of poison would be released, causing Iblis to take constant damage to overcome the creature’s impressive regenerative ability. Due to the poisonous containers needing to be detonated at the right moment, Xylo and his team would remain behind, forfeiting their lives in the process. If any of his crew tried to run away, everyone’s heads would be blown off.

I mean, we all know Xylo will find a way to succeed in killing Iblis without losing a teammember, or at least, not lose all of them, especially Teoritta. But I liked how the creatives found a way to keep the odds stacked against Xylo. Even with Kivia and her troops deciding to assist Xylo (with Kivia feeling guilty about her initial role in treating Teoritta as a lab rat), and prisoners being forced to take up arms, our heroes didn’t have enough soldiers. Not only that, but a surprising turn of events in episode 5 made things a lot worse.

Xylo had put forth an effective strategy, especially after the miners from the previous episode showed up to lend a hand. As they put it, if the fortress fell, their village would be next. Also, they wanted to repay what the Heroes had done for them. Unfortunately, what Xylo hadn’t considered was the appearance of a group of humans working with the faeries to breach the fortress. Again, yay to the narrative for such a reveal. Our cast has realized that Venetim’s article was indeed true. What’s to come is likely going to be even more bananas.

As for other developments, we got introduced to Tsav, one of Xylo’s party members. An unhinged serial killer assassin, he’s very cool with murdering people, even killing or injuring people, because he feels like it, and not solely when following orders. While he kept a humorous demeanor during his trial, I found it interesting that being punished to become a Hero worried him. It was nice to know something could get under Tsav’s skin.

His special ability was his impressive eyesight, allowing him to serve as the party’s sharpshooter. Apparently, he hasn’t missed a mark once.

We also got to see how a conventional relationship between a Goddess and her Knight was supposed to function. Being contracted to a Knight named Hord Clivios, Captain of the 9th Order, Clivos was more than willing to appreciate Pelmerry and give her headpats when asked for. Their dynamic came across as a pet owner only showing affection to their pet as long as they performed well and followed their orders. It made me uneasy. At least, Xylo, while brash, treated Teoritta as a person.

Unlike the other captains of the Holy Knights, Kivia was revealed as someone not belonging to a noble house. Turns out, she got the job because her uncle (or some relative) was a priest. That could explain her hesitation when expected to follow orders without question. Kivia seems to have a good head on her shoulders, instead of being raised in a noble household that constantly brainwashed her to do her duty as a potential captain.

Did you watch Sentenced to Be a Hero anime season one episodes 4 and 5? What did you think of them?

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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