An anime adaptation for the Sentenced to Be a Hero light novels has been confirmed for 2024. The announcement was made on the official Twitter account for the franchise. Rocket Shokai is the original creator with illustrations by MEPHISTO. The project was also announced during the Dengeki Bunk 30th anniversary live stream event. With this announcement came a 30-second announcement video showing the visuals of the light novel. However, it was not confirmed if it would be an anime series or a movie.
Publisher Yen Press lists the official description as “Heroism—a 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 army—and if they die, all they can expect is 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…”
Sentenced to Be a Hero: Yen Press and Dengeki Bunk’s Celebration
Yen Press currently licenses the novel series, with volume 1 set to release in August. It is also available on Kadokawa’s Kakuyomu site since October 2020. The full title of the light novel is Sentenced to Be a Hero: The Prison Records of Penal Hero Unit 9004. The series was first published on September 17th, 2021 by ASCII Media Works under their Dengeki no Shin Bungei print. There is also a full manga adaptation of the light novel by Natsumi Inoue. It was released on March 25th, 2022.
The Dengeki Bunk 30th anniversary live stream was an event to celebrate Kadokawa’s Dengeki Bunk label. Along with Sentenced to Be a Hero, other series from them have also received updates. The most notable being a new volume release of The Devil is a Part-Timer!, Sword Art Online, and the Rascal Does Not Dream series.
As of now, there is no confirmed cast or crew for the Sentenced to Be a Hero anime project. There is also no release timeline other than an expected date in 2024.
