Sentenced to Be a Hero: The Prison Records of Penal Hero Unit 9004ย is one of the big light novel franchises making its official anime debut this year, and now the series has locked down its Fall release window with the launch of a new trailer and poster. Rocket Shokai and Mephisto’s original Sentenced to Be a Hero light novel series first launched with Kakuyomu back in 2020, and fans have been itching to see it get an official anime adaptation ever since. The series imagines a world where being a hero is a punishment for the worst crimes, and kicks off a whole new series of fantasy battles.
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Sentenced to Be a Hero was one of the many anime franchises with something to show during the AnimeJapan 2025 event this past weekend, and confirmed that it will be launching some time in October as part of the Fall 2025 anime schedule. To celebrate it locking down a release window, Sentenced to Be a Hero has also dropped a brand new trailer that you can check out in the video above to see how it’s all going to look in motion. You can also check out the newest poster for the anime below as well.
What to Know for Sentenced to Be a Hero’s Anime
Sentenced to Be a Hero: The Prison Records of Penal Hero Unit 9004 will be releasing in October as part of the Fall 2025 anime schedule, but has yet to confirm its release date or international release plans as of the time of this publication. There were also new staff details revealed during the AnimeJapan2025 as well. Hiroyuki Takashima will be directing the new anime for Studio KAI with Yoshitake Nakakoji serving as assistant director and creature designer. Kenta Ihara will be overseeing the scripts for the series, Takeshi Noda will be designing the characters, and Shunsuke Takizawa will be composing the music for the anime.
The currently confirmed voice cast for the new anime include the likes of Yohei Azakami as Xylo Forbartz, Mayu Iizuka as Teoritta, Shizuka Ishigami as Patausche Kivia, Shun Horie as Dotta Luzulas, and Shunichi Toki as Venetim Leopool. This is one of those series that’s likely going to find a whole new audience with a successful anime adaptation, so fans should really keep an eye out for it this Fall.
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What Is Sentenced to Be a Hero About?
If you wanted to read up on the original Sentenced to Be a Hero: The Prison Records of Penal Hero Unit 9004 light novels, Yen Press has officially licensed the series for an English language release. They tease the series as such, “Heroismโa punishment for only the worst criminals. Those sentenced to the fate of a hero are forced to fight at the front lines against the demon king’s armyโand if they die, they can expect to be revived and continue the battle. But when their leader, convicted of killing a goddess, meets another goddess himself, the contract they forge may be enough to change the world…”
The Fall 2025 anime schedule is currently stacking up with some of the biggest new anime releases of the year, so a new adaptation like this is really going to need to work hard in order to standout among some of the other releases like My Hero Academia (which is returning for its final season) that will be taking over much of the conversation around the same time.
How are you liking the look of Sentenced to Be a Hero so far? Let us know all of your thoughts about it in the comments!
