Sentenced to Be a Hero: The Prison Records of Penal Hero Unit 9004 (勇者刑に処す 懲罰勇者9004隊刑務記録), or simply Sentenced to Be a Hero, is a Japanese light novel series written by Rocket Shōkai and illustrated by Mephisto. The story follows Xylo Forbartz, a former knight who becomes the leader of a penal unit after being wrongly accused and sentenced, later joining forces with the goddess Teoritta to battle the hordes of demonic beings that threaten humanity. It began serialization as a web novel published on Kakuyomu in October 2020. It began publication as a light novel under ASCII Media Works' Dengeki no Shin Bungei light novel imprint in September 2021.A manga adaptation began serialization in ASCII Media Works' Dengeki Comic Regulus web magazine in March 2022.
An anime television series adaptation produced by Studio Kai aired from January to March 2026. A second season has been announced.
Synopsis
Setting
Set in a medieval world where magic and technology function together, humanity is in a war of survival against a blight of demonic faeries. Alongside the knights who work for the government and temple, there are two smaller groups that also fight against the faeries: Heroes, individuals convicted of serious crimes and forced into compulsory service; and Goddesses, highly powerful deities created for the express purpose of the war. Despite their name, Heroes are looked down upon by society and stigmatized for their crimes.
While most Heroes did commit crimes in life, their sentencing to become Heroes is actually a means to suppress damning information about the government and temple in order to maintain the status quo.
In addition to fighting, Heroes’ punishments also involve them being forcibly resurrected every time they are killed in combat so that they can be redeployed endlessly as expendable weapons, leaving a bit of humanity behind in the afterlife each time this happens; as a result, becoming a Hero is seen as a harsher punishment than execution.
Plot
The story follows Xylo Forbartz, a former Holy Knight commander who killed the goddess he was contracted with after she became corrupted by the demonic blight. He is sentenced to be a Hero for this, which he quickly realizes is a means by the temple to prevent the public from learning that goddesses can be corrupted. Xylo is dispatched to the front lines as field leader of Penal Hero Unit 9004. During one of his missions, he ends up meeting Teoritta, the sword goddess who quickly chooses him to be her knight. Despite his great reluctance to form a contract with another goddess, he reluctantly does so to escape a particularly brutal demon encounter. Afterwards, Xylo and Teoritta team up with the rest of Penal Hero Unit 9004 while also being supervised by the Holy Knight commander Patausche Kivia, to continue fighting the faeries, while Xylo also works to figure out why he was truly set up and get revenge on those who did so.
Characters
Main characters
Xylo Forbartz (ザイロ・フォルバーツ)
A "hero", a criminal made immortal and forced into endless service and the leader of Penal Hero Unit 9004. Before his sentence, he was the commander of the 5th Order of the Holy Knights in a pact with the Goddess Senerva, until he was forced to euthanize her when she became corrupted by Demon Blight during a failed mission. Afterward, he was made a hero for killing a goddess, a sentence he vows to survive and get revenge after realizing that the mission was a setup. He has magical seals inscribed on his body that allow him to achieve limited flight and turn whatever sword or dagger he throws into an explosive.
Teoritta (テオリッタ)
Teoritta is the 13th goddess of swords who Xylo and Dotta find during a mission. She is very quirky, noble, and energetic. Like all goddesses, she loves being praised and is very proud of her power. She eventually forms a pact with Xylo and helps him defeat the Demon Lord Awd Goggie. She is very fond of Xylo as her knight and is somewhat perplexed by how he cares about her survival and tells her to conserve her power, despite her being a "tool" to defeat enemies. Due to Xylo's past trauma, he tended to keep a distance from her and tried to keep Teoritta out of the fight. Despite this, Teoritta refuses to back down, telling Xylo that her purpose is to help others, and he should simply protect her if he is worried. Her power consists of summoning swords to defeat her enemies, whether hundreds of small ones or a few larger ones for Xylo to wield. She can also muster all her power into summoning a single, powerful sword capable of obliterating a Demon Lord instantly, also called a "Sacred Sword".
Patausche Kivia (パトーシェ・キヴィア)
The Commander of the 13th Order of the Holy Knights who Teoritta originally supposed to be contracted with. She is initially quite arrogant and despises heroes, like most people. She refused to retreat despite her orders, wanting to hold the line and die if necessary so Teoritta would be transported safely. Despite being saved by Xylo, she arrests him under suspicion of stealing Teoritta and later gets re-assigned to be their supervisor for their missions. As she sees Xylo and Teoritta in action, she slowly comes to trust them more. She is fairly capable as a commander and fighter. Later, she discovers her uncle's collusion with the Coexistors and ended up killing him in self-defense. As he was a high priest, she was arrested and sentenced to be a hero as part of a cover-up similar to Xylo, later ending up in his unit and becoming his second-in-command. She cares about Xylo as a friend/comrade and tends to get flustered when Xylo gets close or compliments her due to her growing feelings for him.
Penal Hero Unit 9004
Dotta Luzulas (ドッタ・ルズラス)
A fellow hero and a kleptomaniac. He loves stealing from the knights, which tends to infuriate Xylo. He was sentenced to be a hero to cover up the imprisonment of the crown prince - whom Dotta had tried to rescue while in the middle of stealing a dragon - by the state; the attempt also cost him his left arm, which has been replaced by a cybernetic prosthetic. His eyesight is exceptional, making him a good scout, but he is the second weakest of the team, after Venetim.
Venetim Leopool (ベネティム・レオプール)
A fellow hero who typically handles support and logistics, also able to remotely communicate with Xylo and other heroes. He tends to sit back and avoid combat at all costs in a cowardly fashion. Despite this, he supports them when they really need it. He's very intelligent and good at convincing people for his and the team's benefit. It is revealed that before he was a hero, he was a notorious con man who attracted the attention of the temple after writing an article about them. He wasn't sentenced for writing lies, but rather writing the truth.
Norgalle Senridge (ノルガユ・センリッジ)
A hero who deludes himself into believing he is the king of the nation, causing him to act very confidently and order his comrades around. In reality, he led a rebellion against the Empire but was defeated, after which he was sentenced to be a hero. Despite his delusion, he truly cares for those whom he perceives as his people and is willing to die to protect them. He can create powerful seals on weapons and equipment to boost combat capacity and is fairly capable in battle.
Tatsuya (タツヤ)
The oldest hero in the Penal Hero Unit 9004. Because he has been a hero for so long and has died many times, he has lost his memories and displays little cognitive function. Not much is known about him, including what crime he was sentenced to be a hero for. Later he is revealed to be Tatsuya Ninagawa, an Earthling summoned from Japan during the First Subjulgation War who served as a Hero since then, with his consciousness deteriorating after living for thousands of years. Despite his mental state, he is extremely strong in combat.
Holy Knights
Hord Clivios (ホード・クリヴィオス)
The captain of the 9th Order of the Holy Knights who is contracted to the goddess Pelmerry.
Kafzen Dachrome (カフゼン・ダクローム)
The mysterious and cunning captain of the 12th Order of Holy Knights. He was the one who handled most of Unit 9004's sentencing to be heroes, including Kivia. He seems to be on humanity's side, but his true intentions are unclear. He's contracted to the Goddess Enfie, whose power is summoning books.
Rajit Heathrow (ラジット・ヒースロー)
Kivia's top subordinate in the 13th Order of the Holy Knights. He is killed by Kivia's uncle, the high priest Marlen. Kivia was found guilty of the deaths of Rajit and Marlen, resulting in her being sentenced as a penal heroine.
Goddesses
Senerva (セネルバ)
The 5th goddess formerly contracted to Xylo. She was euthanized by Xylo when she was corrupted by a Demon Blight caused by the 11th Demon Lord on a mission that turned out to be a setup. Her death was framed as a murder that led Xylo to be sentenced to be a hero.
Pelmerry (ペルメリ)
The 9th goddess who is contracted to Hord.
Enfie (エンフィー)
The 12th goddess contracted to Kafzen. Her power is summoning books, which can be used for information or other means, such as helping the 1st goddess recall details about heroes so she can resurrect them accurately.
Demon Lords
Awd Goggie (オード・ゴキー)
The 47th Demon Lord who is the source of the Demon Blight in the Couveunge Forest.
Lotus (ロータス)
A Demon Lord who is the source of the Demon Blight in the Zewan Gan mine. It specializes in the use of sound to disable or hypnotize humans.
Iblis (イブリス)
The 15th Demon Lord who invades Mureed Fortress. It is infamous for its regenerative capabilities, surviving numerous attempts to kill it.
Boojum (ブージャム)
Initially suspected to be Spriggan, he is a Demon Lord placed under her command by his "King". He is quite knowledgeable about humanity, Xylo, and Teoritta. He enjoys reading human literature and make strides to empathize with them out of his own curiosity. He has the ability to manipulate his blood into solid constructs such as weapons, shields and armor.
Spriggan (スプリガン)
A Demon Lord capable of transforming into a human. Unlike other Demon Lords, it is far more intelligent and knowledgeable, and possesses the ability to speak. Even in its human form, it is exceptionally powerful and can take over human bodies and minds after killing them, as shown when it possessed Sodrick's sister Iri in order to kill him. It is determined to eliminate Teoritta and the other goddesses so that the Demon Blight can rule over humanity and ultimately the entire world. It is eventually killed by Rhyno/Puck Puca.
Abaddon (アバドン)
Other characters
Frenci Mastibolt (フレンシィ・マスティボルト)
Xylo's fiancée, though he refers to her as his "ex" due to his criminal status making an union between them forbidden - a label she firmly rejects, insisting their vows still stand. A beautiful woman who speaks bluntly and in a relatively monotone voice. Despite everything, she apparently still cares for Xylo and actively works to secure his pardon. She has a habit of comparing people and situations to strange animals or objects, and her presence around Xylo often sparks jealousy around Teoritta and Kivia.
Shiji Bau (シジ・バウ)
An infamous adventurer known for killing people extremely efficiently. She's extremely capable in combat. She currently is working for Boojum and Spriggan. Boojum convinces her to betray humanity so she can protect what is dear to her. She is eventually burned alive by Neely during the battle of Ioff.
Lideo Sodrick (リデオ・ソドリック)
A member of the Adventurer's guild who was hired by the Coexistors to kill Teoritta. He runs an "orphanage" of children he calls his family. Despite this, he trains them to be killers and assassins, implying he's somewhat of a sociopath. Spriggan later kills him, using his sister Iri's body.
Media
Light novel
Written by Rocket Shōkai, Sentenced to Be a Hero: The Prison Records of Penal Hero Unit 9004 began serialization as a web novel published on the Kakuyomu website. It was later acquired by ASCII Media Works who began publishing it as a light novel with illustrations by Mephisto under their Dengeki no Shin Bungei light novel imprint. Eight volumes have been released as of January 17, 2026. The light novels are licensed in English by Yen Press.[10]
Manga
A manga adaptation illustrated by Natsumi Inoue began serialization in ASCII Media Works' Dengeki Comic Regulus web magazine on March 25, 2022.[25] It has been collected in two volumes as of April 26, 2024.The manga adaptation is published digitally in English on Kadokawa Corporation's BookWalker website.[26] In December 2025, Yen Press announced that they would begin releasing the manga in volume form in June 2026.[27]
Anime
An anime adaptation was announced at the Dengeki Bunko 30th anniversary event in July 2023,[32] which was later confirmed to be a television series produced by Studio Kai and directed by Hiroyuki Takashima, with Yoshitake Nakakōji serving as assistant director, Kenta Ihara handling series composition, Takeshi Noda designing the characters, and Shunsuke Takizawa composing the music.[33][34] The series was initially scheduled for October 2025,[35] but was later delayed in order to further improve the series' quality, which eventually aired from January 3 to March 26, 2026 on Tokyo MX and other networks.[36][37]
Episodes
Video game
A video game project, titled Sentenced to Be a Hero: Game of the Goddess, was announced at the AnimeJapan event alongside the anime's second season on March 28, 2026.[40]
Reception
In the 2023 edition of the Kono Light Novel ga Sugoi! guidebook, the series ranked third in the category.[44]
See also
Scum of the Brave, another light novel series written by Rocket Shōkai
7.Shawn Gann. Episode 5 of #SentencedToBeAHero is out! Please welcome @RebeccaDanaeVO as 9th Goddess Pelmerry & #SethMagill as Hord Clivious! February 5, 2026^
8.Nick Huber. Super excited to join the dub cast of Sentenced to Be a Hero as Rajit Heathrow, a holy knight in service to Captain Kivia! Always thrilled and grateful to work with @ReadyKafka, and big ups to Victor for his flawless engineering. This show truly kicks ass; watch tomorrow! January 1, 2026^
A fellow hero. Despite his cheerful demeanor, he shows little regard for those around him and lashes out violently once upset.
A former assassin, he uses a sniper rifle tuned by Norgalle.
Jayce Partiract (ジェイス・パーチラクト)
A dragoneer assigned to the Hero Unit. He initiated a rebellion in an attempt to save dragons, which led to him being charged with mutiny. His sentencing as a hero was on account of the rebellion being far grander in scale than previous ones, leading the embarrassed government to punish him out of spite. Cocky and outspoken, he frequently clashes with and infuriates Teoritta. He's extremely fond of his dragon mount Neely, treating her like his girlfriend and talking to her.
Neely (ニーリィ)
Jayce's dragon.
Rhyno (ライノー)
He is an eccentric and unsettling individual who serves as the artillery man among the Hero Unit. In actuality, he is a Demon Lord known as Puck Puca who, like Spriggan, parasitized a human being that previously served as a Hero and took on his identity. Unlike the other members of his Unit, he became a Penal Hero of his own volition as he carries a deep hatred towards his own species and enjoys torturing other Demon Lords for his own sadistic pleasure while seeking acceptance from his human companions.
A Demon Lord who assaulted and took over the Second Capital as a surprise attack while Spriggan distracted humanity at the port city Ioff.
The opening theme song is "Kill the Noise", performed by
