To Be Hero X

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To Be Hero X is a Chinese animated superhero series, the third installment in the To Be Hero anthology. It was produced as a collaboration between BeDream, Bilibili, and Aniplex, with studios PB Animation Company, Studio LAN, and Paper Plane Animation Studio. The show aired on Fuji TV and bilibili from April 6 to September 13, 2025, and consists of 24 episodes.

Premise:
In a world where people’s belief can grant superpowers, a hero’s strength depends on public trust. Trust data are collected and used to rank heroes, with the top hero called X. Every two years a Heroes Tournament reshuffles the rankings.

Season structure:
The first season has 11 story arcs about different focus characters, told in a non-chronological order but linked so the next arc’s hero appears in the previous one. The series follows a wide cast and explores how faith, fear, fame, and personal choices shape who becomes a hero.

Key characters and arcs:
- Yang Cheng: An orphan performer who earns his first trust value and gains electric powers to rescue others.
- Cyan: A lucky orphan whose life at an orphanage becomes a troubling cult; she forms a bond with a boy named Luo.
- Queen (Liu Yuwei) and Bowa: Two top-ranked heroines whose rivalry tests the hero system.
- Ghostblade, Loli, Luo Li, Dragon Boy, Nice, and others: Their stories weave through the larger mystery of the Trust System and past hero legends.
- Ahu: A former circus dog who rises in the ranks and becomes part of the broader plot about what makes a hero.

Plot threads:
The arcs intertwine as past and present heroes confront Fear experiments, the origins of X, and schemes led by various factions seeking to control the Trust System and the fate of heroes.

Ending:
In a dramatic finale, Ahu teams up with X, who then publicly reveals his civilian identity during the Heroes Tournament, hinting at deeper, larger forces at play.

Music and extras:
The show features opening song INERTIA and ending KONTINUUM by SawanoHiroyuki[nZk], with additional character songs and a Bilibili popularity poll that could influence Season 2. The music team includes Hiroyuki Sawano and Kohta Yamamoto, among others, and the series is directed by Li Haoling.