The following contains spoilers for To Be Hero X Episode 2 «Moon,» streaming now on Crunchyroll. Please be advised that To Be Hero X discusses sensitive topics, including violence and suicide.
To Be Hero X‘s explosive anime debut wasted no time delivering on all the hype fans anticipated in response to exciting trailers promoting the top ten heroes and its disruptive approach to blending animation styles. With so much to prove, the first episode was an overwhelming watch despite presenting an undeniably compelling introduction to its distinct world of heroes. To Be Hero X Episode 2’s hook and cliffhanger ending are only barely less compelling than the anime’s groundbreaking premiere while doubling down on all the best parts of it.
From the very beginning, To Be Hero X Episode 2 — «Moon» — feels more complete and grounded than the first episode. Beginning the second episode with the «INERTIA» theme that closes the first episode helps the story seamlessly pick up where it left off, and formally introducing «KONTINUUM» as the outro theme makes To Be Hero X Episode 2 not just a strong follow-up to a good start, but also a great standalone episode. Despite stressing many of the same things as the first episode, one major difference in the second episode signals a promising future ahead for To Be Hero X.
To Be Hero X Episode 2 Unravels Moon's Tragic Backstory With a Surprising Twist
Fans Witness the Complete Evolution of Moon's Teleportation Powers
To Be Hero X‘s second episode starts the way the first episode ends — through a TV screen — almost as if to pull fans into the reality in which heroes like Nice and Moon are always under the watch of the public eye. After To Be Hero X‘s premiere ends with Lin discovering Moon’s dead body in Nice’s bedroom at Hero Tower, fans everywhere are desperate to know what happened to Moon. The second episode dives into the answer to Moon’s fate at a breakneck pace that is just as overwhelming as parts of the first episode and perhaps even more unpredictable.
To Be Hero X debuts a simplistic 2D animation style inspired by hand-drawn art dedicated exclusively to the flashback sequence depicting Moon’s backstory to becoming the teleporting hero by Nice’s side. Like any other hero, Moon developed her superpowers by gaining others’ trust on a large scale. Moon’s success as a travel blogger eventually gave her the ability to teleport because her fans wanted to see her visit any place she wanted, illustrating a creative new example of the disruptive Trust Value powerscaling system for fans. By chance, Nice saves Moon’s life one day, and their fans’ desire to see them together pressured them into a relationship to boost their publicity, ending the flashback sequence with an ominous air.
In a shocking twist, Moon is revealed to be alive and well at Nice’s place — and she’s pissed. After three years of a fake relationship, Moon demands to be cut loose from her hero contract after deducing that Nice has been replaced, only to be strong-armed into marrying him instead. Miss J puts them on lockdown together in hopes they’ll actually fall in love, but an entire month passes with little change until Moon makes a radical decision. She dramatically threatens to hang herself from a giant statue of Nice if Miss J doesn’t free them, and Lin’s response changes everything; he builds a swing for Moon out of the rope she left on the statue, and this becomes the foundation for a real friendship between them.
Lin eventually learns that the Trust Value system that gave Moon her powers took them away. Moon never expected fans to insist on her loving Nice so much that her teleportation powers would be reduced to a portal that confines her to teleport nowhere but directly to his side. In a far cry from the first episode, Moon triumphantly escapes the confines of being Nice’s girlfriend, but she remains accessory to him even in her «death.» Despite Moon’s emotional exit from the story (at least for now), the restoration of Moon’s full teleportation powers signals a far more optimistic tone for the future of To Be Hero X than the hopelessness of the first episode. However, fans are still left wondering whether Lin really saw Moon dead in the first place because he never directly confronts her about it.
Nice's Archnemesis Reveals More Dark Truths About the Lives of Heroes
Wreck Helps Demonstrate How the Weight of Conformity Affects All Heroes
To Be Hero X dives into dark themes from the beginning of its first episode, starting with Lin’s struggle to overcome impostor syndrome after stepping into Nice’s place as «the perfect hero» after the icon’s sudden suicide. Not only does the incident introduce topics related to low self-esteem and loneliness, but it also paves the way for fans to relate better to the other super-powered characters they’ll encounter. Nice’s false relationship with Moon speaks to the pressures of conformity on heroes who rely on the volatile currency of Trust Value, and the second episode reinforces this theme on a deeper level. Lin successfully leverages his marketing expertise to convince Miss J to stage a dramatic end to Nice and Moon’s relationship, leading to the electrifying climax of To Be Hero X Episode 2 — and the debut of a new character with an unexpected connection to Nice.
Moon’s tragic backstory may be the emotional highlight of To Be Hero X‘s second episode, but its dramatic peak is undeniably the well-choreographed battle sequence between Lin, Moon and Nice’s archnemesis: Wreck. The new villain-for-hire is supposed to take Moon away from «Nice» after they stage an engagement, but Wreck’s insistence on speaking privately with Nice during the fight throws the entire plan into chaos. In the funniest To Be Hero X sequence yet, Wreck pours all his attention into isolating Nice while Moon struggles to keep up using teleportation, and bystanders are understandably confused. Despite the brief respite of humor, the chase ultimately illustrates the absurdities heroes are asked to endure to preserve their public image through Trust Value. A sharp intensity overwhelms any lingering levity once Wreck thrusts their fight high in the sky, away from prying eyes.
To Be Hero X Episode 2 draws parallels between Nice’s relationship with Moon and his connection to Wreck, who turns out to be Nice’s closest friend. After Nice’s death, his abrupt and unexplained disappearance wore heavily on Wreck, suggesting their connection may have been more than it seemed. In an endearing flashback, Nice and Wreck share several fun moments dancing together, sharing drinks and teasing each other, all of which make the news of Nice’s suicide all the more difficult for him to bear. Just like Nice and Moon had to pretend to be in love, Nice and Wreck had to pretend not to care about each other, meaning they all had to endure roles that didn’t match their real identities, and this pressure to conform proves even more dangerous in a world that transforms belief into reality through Trust Value.
To Be Hero X Episode 2 Introduces More Mysteries Than It Solves
Lingering Mysteries Grow More Complicated & New Concerns Surface in To Be Hero X Episode 2
To Be Hero X Episode 2 immediately addresses speculation about Moon’s apparent death, but this is the only mystery from the jaw-dropping premiere that’s solved, suggesting a long path of plot twists between fans and the answers to their burning questions. Mysteries surrounding Nice’s death and the shady Spotlight Organization grow more complicated in the second episode, but a palpable undercurrent of hope signals a brighter future ahead than To Be Hero X‘s first episode. Although Moon’s departure from the story coincides with the rise of a familiar villain, Enlighter, both events prove that To Be Hero X shows promise as an inspirational story by the time it’s all said and done.
The first episode of To Be Hero X introduces Enlighter, the Eye of Truth, as the only villain on the scent of Nice’s disappearance, at least for now. After failing to expose Nice’s false identity on True Love Recipe, Enlighter obsessively studies the show’s footage until the Spotlight Organization, the terrorist group behind Fear Amplifiers, makes its formal onscreen debut. The Spotlight Organization makes a bold impression on fans in the episode’s final moments by teasing their ideology and upgrading Enlighter’s powers to transform him from the Eye of Truth to the God Eye, further demonstrating the power of Fear compared to that of Trust. Although it’s clear that villains are on the rise, the all-new outro theme hints that To Be Hero X‘s heroes are about to step into the limelight to balance the scales of justice.
To Be Hero X Episode 2, «Moon,» now streaming on Crunchyroll.
- Overwhelmingly fast pacing & dialogue
