When To Be Hero X first debuted in April 2025, it was immediately clear how much potential the animated series had from a storytelling and visual perspective. Despite the early praise, To Be Hero X exceeded all expectations by repeatedly breaking the internet for five months straight, starting with a bold premiere that seemingly killed off two main characters. With every new episode, the hit donghua series took careful steps toward the incredible finale that formally solidifies To Be Hero X as the most successful Chinese anime of the year.

After an eventful 24-episode run, To Be Hero X is an undeniable contender for one of the best anime series of all time on account of its incredible achievements in storytelling and animation. Even on its own, the To Be Hero X finale functions as an impressive standalone work, but the most exciting elements of the episode are tied to the mysteries woven into the narrative since the beginning. To Be Hero X Episode 24 is the kind of finale that sticks with fans for all the right reasons, and the best part is that the season finale is just the beginning of what this superhero story is really about.

To Be Hero X Finally Unleashes The Anime’s Most Important Character at Full Power

The anonymous hero ‘X’ finally graced fans with his true appearance in To Be Hero X Episode 22 (appropriately titled “The Last Smile”) during a scene where he shares snack skewers and drinks with Smile for the last time. To Be Hero X Episode 24 returns to this moment in the most heartbreaking way by paralleling the scene without Smile. Following X home from working undercover for a FOMO news agency is the perfect opportunity to characterize the everyday side of the enigmatic hero, and the episode flawlessly takes advantage of the opportunity to depict his surprisingly relatable post-work ritual.

It doesn’t take long after he settles in at home for a lonely dinner before Ahu the dog hero interrupts the meal as part of a plan to assassinate X on FOMO’s behalf. After Ahu gets trapped on X’s living room walls as a 2D pixelated version of himself, their interactions prompt further characterization that makes it clear to anyone still on the fence about him that X falls on the side of the heroes rather than the villains in To Be Hero X‘s endlessly twisting narrative. If X’s dialogue and demeanor weren’t enough to convince audiences of his heroism, the final fight of the series certainly makes it clear that X is a true anime legend.

X’s big fight in To Be Hero X‘s finale is an exercise in pure combat hype, and it’s the biggest spectacle this exciting series has put forth by an astronomical degree. X is untouchable and unbothered as he faces dozens of enemies solo (save a few incidental assists from Ahu here and there), putting Solo Leveling‘s Sung Jinwoo and the rest of anime’s most iconic aura farmers to shame in one showing. Aside from a few snaps of his fingers, X’s hands don’t leave his pockets while fending off a stream of never-before-seen enemies, and he even stops to have a couple of drinks at a club with Ahu mid-fight.

To Be Hero X Episode 24 goes all out with the flashiest animation transitions fans have ever seen while switching faster and more often than ever before. X slips between various versions of reality at the snap of a finger, bringing enemies with him or leaving them behind as he pleases. Every snap changes the animation aesthetic, which creates an incredible visual experience for To Be Hero X fans as the scenes shift between various stylized versions of the events playing out onscreen. No matter how many enemies show up to take down X, he makes it look easy to turn them into Gachiakuta-style graffiti art on any canvas he chooses.

Every Arc in To Be Hero X’s Timeline Beautifully Crashes Together in a Grand Finale

To Be Hero X‘s season finale kicks off with the best anime recap reel ever created. Instead of boring fans with recycled scenes from previous episodes, To Be Hero X Episode 24 starts with an incredibly engaging opening sequence framed as an in-universe news report covering the upcoming Hero Tournament. Without feeling forced or rushed, the rundown overtly reminds fans that the Ruins Incident tainted the last Hero Tournament before summarizing the major plot points influencing the current hero rankings.

The circumstances surrounding the latest Hero Tournament are complicated, to say the least. Firm Man’s retirement and Smile’s death created vacancies in the rankings that facilitated the rise of heroes like Ahu and Lin Ling The Commoner, and the tragedies that began the series are still looming over the event. Although Nice’s suicide and Moon’s murder remain largely unexplained, Nice’s shocking appearance at the Hero Tournament brings the story full circle in a way better than any fan could’ve hoped for.

The anime’s Nice Arc first positions the story as a hero drama following the fallout of Nice’s suicide, but To Be Hero X Episode 24 makes it clear that this story has always been about something else entirely. The biggest shift in the entire series happens in the finale when X reveals the true history of the Hero Commission to Ahu. X explains that the disaster Zero caused by abusing his Trust Value until it turned to Fear led to the establishment of the Hero Commission and Hero Agencies as methods of controlling power distribution between heroes, effectively reducing them to pawns in a larger chess game.

X’s stunning presentation lays out the full timeline of the Hero Commission in the perfect format to enjoy as a fan; instead of watching two characters talk to each other about the past, X’s powers make it possible to watch the past play out onscreen in real time for Ahu and fans alike. For this to be the second recap sequence of the episode, it’s impressive that the scene enhances the story so seamlessly. From Zero’s rise one year before the Hero Commission’s establishment to every hero arc, To Be Hero X beautifully connects the dots between every hero in an amazing emotional retelling of the series up to this point.

To Be Hero X’s Finale Is the Ultimate Set-Up For The Long-Awaited Hero Tournament

Although the hit donghua’s fans may have expected to see the long-awaited Hero Tournament in To Be Hero X‘s season finale, it’s ultimately for the best that the series doesn’t go there just yet. As demonstrated by the episode’s incredibly well-incorporated recaps, context is everything to the story of To Be Hero X. Longtime anime fans know that combat tournaments are often a staple element of battle-centric stories, but it doesn’t make sense for To Be Hero X to start there as a superhero drama pushing for more than hype entertainment.

Now that To Be Hero X has spent one full season fleshing out each unique hero and the powerful agencies backing them, fans have their favorite heroes and a solid understanding of the potential for each match-up in the Hero Tournament. In hindsight, the tournament would’ve been a terrible starting point for the series, and it makes To Be Hero X‘s creative team all the more trustworthy for disregarding convention in favor of executing their story with bold precision. To Be Hero X‘s bait-and-switch approach to going backwards in time on the heels of the most important Hero Tournament in years is a perfect play that any series would struggle to replicate twice.

The most exciting part about To Be Hero X‘s finale is that it clearly sets fans up for another installment of content for this incredible superhero story. In a shocking plot twist no fan could’ve predicted, Nice seemingly appeared alongside his replacement (Lin Ling) and the other top heroes to compete in the Hero Tournament. Fans barely have time to process Nice’s return before the anonymous X stuns the arena and audiences everywhere by revealing his true identity.

To Be Hero X Episode 24 follows up X’s identity reveal with a montage depicting what can reasonably be interpreted as a teaser for To Be Hero X Season 2. In the finale’s outro, scenes depicting X with never-before-seen heroes and villains scroll across the screen while an acoustic version of the anime’s signature ending song serenades fans. Based on the events depicted during the credits, whatever comes next for To Be Hero X will finally zero in on X and the origin of his strange, reality-bending powers.

To Be Hero X Season 1 is now streaming on Crunchyroll.