TU BIAN YINGXIONG X

DESCRIPTION

CAST

ONA ComedyTu Bian Yingxiong BABA
ONA ComedyTu Bian Yingxiong LEAF

REVIEWS

• 

  luxray978

  70/100
  Exciting concept that struggles against it's ambitious format

  Introduction
  To be a Hero X is the third entry into the anthology series To Be Hero, with no relation to previous works. This means that the show consists of “arcs” consisting of 1-4 episodes in a character's point of view before moving to the next one. Each arc centers around a hero and their rise to prominence within the “trust system,” which gives individuals power according to others’ beliefs in them.

  Animation/Visual style

  One of the show’s biggest assets and largest problems is its split animation style, with it being animated by three studios (Pb Animation, Studio LAN, and Paper Plane). It features a traditional anime-style 2d, common Sharp Featured 3D, and a comic book-inspired dot-shaded 2D aesthetic. At times, the show struggles to integrate these styles with disjointed transitions, but when it pulls off the swap seamlessly, the effect is great. The worst offender in the early episodes is the comic style, which is worse than the others and causes an awkward contrast in quality when cutting back and forth. While it doesn’t come up often in this season due to a smart choice to drop this effect for the characters for which it would be worst, one issue with switching is that character designs are sometimes significantly different between styles. The most notable character in this season is Ahu, who is cute and silly in 2D but gruff and serious in 3D. In future seasons, this may be a larger issue, with the Cyan and Queen designs both feeling strange in 3D. Visually, the combat in the non-dotwork styles is engaging when stakes are properly set, with strong use of lighting and decent flow. However, it rarely wowed me and largely came out as fine-above average in my opinion.

  Plot and themes:

  The anthology segments within To Be a Hero X range from unconnected to direct lead-ins to each other, with varying success. This style, in theory, provides the opportunity to provide a range of perspectives on the world and give a wide view of how it functions, but the show often fails to deliver upon this. Early disconnected episodes are okay, but struggle to place themselves in the greater context, while later highly connected episodes have issues with washing out character moments, but are overall an improvement. The show functions better as the sum of it’s parts, with character interactions getting better as arcs go on and the overall mystery helping to tie things together.

  Regarding the issue of society of the show, despite how much it relies upon it with the trust system, we are rarely given any impression of what it’s like to live in it. The public and civilian characters are one note and insignificant, with them being easily moved by whatever the more important characters tell them to think. There is an implication that villains exist early on, but we are never given a view into how this risk impacts the public and their perception of heroes. This is a massive missed opportunity for a concept so rife for exploring the ways this would change human interactions. This lack of care is consistent throughout the show, with interactions and themes handled simplistically, even when opportunities are given to explore further.

  The show struggles to maintain a consistent tone or themes between its segments and sometimes within them. This isn’t unusual for an anthology series, but it can be jarring at times. However, this also acts as a benefit as the rapid fire pace of the anthology segments and fun enough plots make up for these flaws, as if something is shallow or boring, it doesn’t stick around for an extended period of time. The best example of this is the terrible choice to use fakeout cliffhangers early in the show, which thankfully fades into the background in later segments. This change coincides with a transition midway to a larger connected arc, which was where the show started to gain its legs. The show’s tone becomes more refined with comedy segments integrated in a way that doesn’t confuse the viewer. The charecters featured here have the strongest development and feel most human out of the cast with the extra screentime from interactions in other’s arcs. Unfortunately, there are two major exceptions to this, where characters had the majority of their arc sidelined for larger plot developments, and without the ability to make up the time, they are left shallow and undirected.

  The overall plot of the story is intentionally kept ambiguous, with the sparse and hard to parse information being dripfed. This is a good choice for the series and creates a mix of time for characters to develop while giving the viewer opportunities to theorize and dig deeper. From what I’ve seen I do worry the overall reveal won’t be as interesting as what people think but that doesn’t impact this season.

  Character Design:

  Character designs for hero X are hard to discuss as the different studios handled the designs in very different ways, and my impressions are based on the majority screentime. Regardless, most of the designs are well crafted with unique sillohettes and charecter details that reflect their personalities.

  In contrast to their visual designs it character's powers aren’t well integrated with how they present themselves or live their lives with the exception of X. This isn’t a requirement for hero shows but I think that having superpowered characters interact with the world in a different way goes far towards making them stand out (a classic example of which is Nightcrawler from X-men) . For the characters, where they choose to mention it, the effect on their psyche makes up for this, but this isn’t the case for all of them.

  Character:

  Due to the anthology format, many characters end up feeling shallow unless they are one of the core cast who were given development in each other’s episodes. This is, to some degree to be expected and hopefully a second season will improve upon this. Nevertheless there are standouts (that I won’t mention because it’s a spoiler) who I felt were quite compelling even if the cast fell largely flat. Regardless, you gain a good impression of their “core traits,” which is as much as you can hope for with some characters.

  Treatment of women:

  Possibly due to the large nature of the team, the way the show handles women is very variable.

  One unique aspect is that there are three female pov characters who are given full agency. On the other hand, the treatment of female side characters can be strange at times, especially in the first portions of the show. The odd segment in the show is Luo Li’s nickname of “loli” an oestensible refrence to the way people refer to underage or flat chested small girls. It’s never mentioned in the show directly to my knowledge which makes me wonder how intentional it even is despite it being on the promo material. Due to this, it’s a very small aspect of the show and nowhere near as bad as mainstream shounen. Overall, to be a Hero X is a breath of fresh air for this type of animated media, with it being able to have women on screen multiple times without introducing a pervert to grope them or playing boing boing sound effects (demon slayer).

  Conclusion:

  To be a Hero X is an ambitious project with an interesting premise, and despite it sometimes struggling against its format, it is a breath of fresh air. It deeply wants to make societal commentary, but struggles to do so and suffers from inconsistent quality. In contrast, the show’s best moments are when characters are allowed to shine. To be a Hero X is a 7/10 altogether, but it makes me excited for the future of the Chinese animation industry as a whole and Haoling Li’s future work.

  Postscript: - Short thoughts on each anthology segment

  ​

  Nice - 5/10 Start of the story, fine and gave an introduction to the world but was simplistic and unable to decide between a comedic and serious tone. Bizarre cliff hangers pull everything down.

  E soul 6/10, Simplistic but works at what it’s trying to do improvement from the previous arc.

  Lucky cyan 7/10 - Strong character moments and mystery falters at where to take things

  Queen 5/10 - Real shame because I like the character but it was a poorly integrated disaster and featured one of the worst episodes of the series

  Luo Li 8/10 - Best character moments in the series and leads well into the next arc

  Ghost blade 7/10 - Fun and cute character setup, enjoyed this

  Johnnies - Didn’t feel like they got an arc of their own honestly but they didn’t suffer for it. Time went to other people

  Dragon boy 5/10 on it’s own 7/10 when integrated, Got cut out of his own story, feels like he was only here to pad the roster. Shame because his design and story is kinda cool. Setup good character development for other people

  Ahu 8/10 - Great bottle episode, manages to setup emotional stakes quickly and has some of the show’s best animation.

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• 

  AlexSonicfun2012

  70/100
  To Be Hero X – A Bold Step Forward for Chinese Animation, but Not Without Flaws

  I recently finished To Be Hero X (《凸变英雄X》),directed by Li Haoling (李豪凌), the acclaimed creator behind Link Click (《时光代理人》),Flavors of Youth (《肆式青春》), and the earlier To Be Hero series. Upon its release, the series created a major cultural wave in China, trending across Bilibili (哔哩哔哩) and Weibo (微博), and later gaining traction worldwide. Thanks to its unprecedented production values, it became one of the most talked-about Chinese animations of the year.

  But does it truly deserve the hype?

  Narrative and Structure

  To Be Hero X adopts an anthology format across its 24-episode run. Each arc is essentially self-contained, though loosely tied to the overarching mysteries of “Trust,” “X,” and the superhero system. Viewed individually, many arcs are engaging—particularly Nice (Episodes 1–4), E-Soul (Episodes 6–8), and Loli & Ghostblade (Episodes 14–17), which stand out for their strong thematic focus and character work.

  However, the anthology structure becomes a double-edged sword. While it allows experimentation in tone and style, it sacrifices narrative cohesion. Compared to To Be Heroine (《凸变英雄·INE》), which maintained tighter character-driven storytelling, To Be Hero X at times feels unfocused. The mystery elements—regarding the origins of Trust, X, and the system—too often rely on “mystery bait,” offering half-answers while pushing resolution into a potential Season 2. The finale in particular functions more as a sequel hook than a true narrative conclusion, prioritizing spectacle over closure.

  This issue reflects a broader challenge faced by modern Chinese donghua: balancing cinematic spectacle with narrative depth. While Japanese anime has long refined serialized storytelling and American animation often emphasizes character arcs, Chinese productions sometimes struggle with pacing and thematic integration, especially in large-scale anthology projects.

  Production Values

  Where To Be Hero X shines without question is in its production quality. This series represents one of the most expensive and technically ambitious projects in Chinese animation history. The hybrid use of 2D and 3D animation demonstrates remarkable fluidity, rivaling top Japanese studios like Ufotable and MAPPA. The directing is sharp, with choreography in fight scenes, nuanced character expressions, and atmospheric worldbuilding all executed at the highest standard.

  The voice acting (配音) cast delivers strong performances that match the emotional tone of the narrative, and the soundtrack complements both the quieter character-driven arcs and the larger action sequences. The “rule of cool” is in full effect here, and even casual viewers can enjoy the series on a surface level for its sheer visual and auditory polish.

  Critical Evaluation

  Despite its triumph in production, To Be Hero X illustrates a common issue in China’s emerging animation industry: scriptwriting that struggles to keep pace with technical artistry. While the anthology format gave freedom, it limited world-building and left character arcs underdeveloped. With more time, tighter writing, and fewer digressions, the show could have balanced its ambition with narrative substance.

  Nevertheless, the show remains a landmark for the Chinese industry. As scholar Li Xiaojie (李晓杰) noted in her study of Chinese animation trends, “Production quality has now reached a global standard; the next decisive step lies in narrative maturity” (《中国动画研究》, 2022). To Be Hero X embodies this very tension: dazzling on the surface, promising in scope, but still uneven in storytelling.

  Conclusion

  Overall, To Be Hero X is a good donghua, though not a masterpiece. Its anthology arcs provide flashes of brilliance, but its overarching story lacks cohesion and relies too heavily on sequel bait. For all its flaws, however, it is undeniably a showcase of how far Chinese animation has advanced.

  Compared to To Be Heroine, which felt more focused and emotionally coherent, To Be Hero X is bolder in scale but weaker in narrative payoff. Even so, I recommend it—not only for its entertainment value, but also as a marker of China’s growing ambition to rival the established powerhouses of Japan and America. If the industry can now give equal weight to scriptwriting as it does to production, it will soon become a dominant force in global animation.

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• 

  Vivshan

  80/100
  To be Hero - A Gray puzzle which needs to be connected

  Non-Spoiler Summary

  To Be Hero X Season 1 covers our 10 MCs and the supporting crew, which was extraordinary for a few characters and could have been better for others.
  The To Be Hero X world operates on a trust system that mostly determines the powers of individuals and their ranking in society. If those particular heroes land in the top 10 spot, they may be invited to the Hero Tournament, in which the winner becomes X — the ultimate hero. The story revolves around these ten heroes in various timelines, connecting them all in Episodes 23 and 24, and prepares us for Season 2, where the Hero Tournament commences.

  It is to be noted that the powers of heroes, and their performance in the next season, are going to be decided by us, the real-time viewers, through a public voting system

  which im not a big fan of since it negates the fun of suspence since we already know who is gonna be X beforehand.

  "MOSTLY NON SPOILER" IN DEPTH REVIEW

  ANIMATION - 10/10
  The Animation is top notch and revolutionary, there is not even a single badframe in the whole 24 episodes. The moments where they transition form 2D to 3D that too with different art styles are phenomenal and a feast for eyes.

  FIGHTS
  The Fights are very fast paced, which is somewhat hard to track and mostly involves blind punching, kicking and swinging around. A little more innovation on characters using their intelligence and strategy during fights would have elevated this to the next level and provided more complexity alon with suspense to the fight rather than blind trust values.

  The only exception to this is the fight between Old vs New E Soul and Dragon boy vs Smile to some extent

  STORY ARCS

  1. THE COMMONER STORY ARC

  

  The Commoner aka Lin Ling story arc is what we get first introduced to, he gives you the typical shonen MC vibes "The guy who is average with a good heart raising to fame and power", each episode is ended with a cliff hanger of which the fake 1st episode cliffhanger could have been prevented since it negated the original intended effect when it actually happened in Episode 4

  2. E-SOUL STORY ARC

  

  With an awesome cliffhanger from the Lin Ling story arc we enter the E soul's story, It sheds light on our first antogonist, the story arc and the chracters are well developed but is very slow paced with over explained plotlines which is compensated lated by theplot and character twists at the end, but there are a few unanswered questions reg the character like the guy who once was so pure hearted turning so evil in the upcoming episodes. which i hope will get answers in the next season

  3. LUCKY CYAN STORY ARC

  

  The Lucky Cyan's story is more of an emotional and imitates the real world scenarios. It explores the human nature and how even the people with best intentions get corrupted due to various reasons, but her evolution from a lucky charm to someone who is capable of fighting and holding her own with top tiers is not explained.

  4. QUEEN STORY ARC

  

  The Queen's Story is the part where people got fed up with the flashbacks, the integeration of unwanted side stories of characters such as Bowa entirely ruined the mid part of the series but her story arc covers a lot of information on how the hero tournament and hero companies operate.

  5. LOLI STORY ARC

  

  Loli brings fresh air after the disastrous queen arc including comedic relief and simply can be defined as the "calm before storm" phase of To be Hero X, Loli's story arc focuses on minimal characters who are well devoloped within just 2 episodes and was fun to watch

  6. GHOST BLADE STORY AND THE JHONNIES ARC

  

  The best part of the entire series with a perfect blend of emotion, comedic releif action and suspense, this part of the story unviels most loose ends and provides a better picture on whats going on, both the MCs are very likable and makes us to honestly root for them

  7. PRE HERO TOURNAMENT ARC

  The Pre hero tournament arc covers up a lot of characters and the world very fast to give a small glimpse of whats happening and what to expect in future, like the previous arc this arc also has its emotional, comedic relied and stunts in a perfect mix, the characters who are being skimmed are as follows

  DRAGON BOY

  

  The most cliche, corny, boring antagonist who is poorly devoloped (as of know atleast) there is nothing regarding him even in his back stories we learn nothing about him aprt from the fact that he is a merciless, twisted, cunning guy who is power hungry

  AHU

  

  The Last character whom we get introduced in the series the character development he gets in just one episode is unmatched and makes us like him so hard, very little about his powers is seen as of now but he definitely peeked my interest on what he holds in future

  NICE

  

  The character whom we see from 1st episode till last throughout the entire series but still couldnt understand, one episode he is good and the next episode he is a jerk, Is he dead?? Is he alive?? Is he dead and then reincarnated?? so much to answer

  X

  

  The GOAT, The Aura farmer, he has the least amount of screen presence but changes soo much in the storyline, at first he appears to be just a overpowered guy but as the story reaches the climax we come to know that this guy single handedly saves the To be Hero X world from collapsing and is playing 5D chess with evils of the world maintaining balance and preparing his soldiers for the right time that too without their knowledge
  Still a lot about him is not known and he may pull up a lot of plot twists but something that is undeniable is that everyone is excited to see what he is gonna do

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