Released on Sunday, August 3, 2025, To Be Hero X episode 18 continues to build on Little Johnny’s story while expanding the bigger mysteries and conspiracies behind the scenes. Under Li Haoling’s direction, the episode smoothly connects Johnny’s arc with broader storylines and foreshadowed plot threads. The episode slowly builds tension around Fear Value.The pieces surrounding the alien shipwreck and the plane crash begin to form a more tangled puzzle. The narrative skillfully blends emotional character moments and action with mystery-building. To Be Hero X episode 18 maintains a great pacing, well-balanced story, dramatic visuals, and consistently impressive production, and offers another thoroughly engaging entry in the series.Disclaimer: The article reflects the author's personal opinionTo Be Hero X episode 18 review: Personal hero arcs come together with larger mysteries with seamless directionTo Be Hero X episode 18: A brief synopsisBig Johnny fights Vortex in his berserk form (Image via Pb Animation/LAN Studio/Paper Plane Animation)To Be Hero X episode 18 delivers yet another flawlessly executed entry, blending emotion, action, and conspiracy under Li Haoling’s brilliant direction and top-notch production. Titled "Died-Out Flame," the episode opens with the showdown between Hero Vortex and a berserk Big Johnny.While Vortex holds his own using a mix of attacks and even tries to crush the alien with boulders, Big Johnny ends up crushing him. Ultimately, it’s Little Johnny who stops his rampage. He repeats the words once spoken by his father.They reach Big Johnny emotionally, helping him revert to his smaller form. Ghostblade, who was watching from a distance, receives a warning message not to intervene and withdraws.Hero Vortex (Image via Pb Animation/LAN Studio/Paper Plane Animation)News of the fight spreads. Vortex’s failure gives rise to Little Johnny, the 9-year-old boy who seemingly saved the day. His Trust Value soars, and FOMO offers him a spot as a hero. Meanwhile, the injured Vortex is frustrated with this outcome. Sheng not only refused to help him but left him with a bigger issue.He’s also curious about the mysterious creature he fought. Little Johnny visits and confronts Vortex about his father’s death. Though Vortex denies any involvement, Little Johnny doesn’t buy it. He vows to face him again in the hero tournament.17 years pass. To Be Hero X episode 18 sees Little Johnny, now grown up, has lost interest in being a hero. He became a hero to exert vengeance for his father’s death. But Vortex, the one he suspected to be responsible, died in the mysterious plane crash. However, Little Johnny is enthusiastic about his new secret mission to escort the Alien Shipwreck researchers alongside MG’s Ghostblade.Little Johnny after timeskip (Image via Pb Animation/LAN Studio/Paper Plane Animation)The narrative then moves to Professor Luo getting permission to investigate the Alien Shipwreck. Soon after, Mickey informs a Commission member that Hero Sheng was assigned to investigate the shipwreck in the past. He never reported his findings to the Commission. So Mickey suspects that whatever he found, he likely brought back with him, and Little Johnny is the only one who may know something about it.Mickey plans to escalate the tension between FOMO and MG. It’s also hinted that Mickey and Zheng are connected to Shindig’s raid on the Glimme lab. They’re secretly researching Fear Value. Their research shows that Fear could be more stable than Trust. A cutaway scene shows that Mr. Shand is also possibly researching Fear.As Ghostblade meets the Johnnies, Little Johnny warmly greets him, unaware that he’s the man responsible for his father’s death. Big Johnny, however, remains wary. Ironically, Ghostblade reminds Little Johnny of his late father.Little Johnny and Ghostblade (Image via Pb Animation/LAN Studio/Paper Plane Animation)In the final scenes of To Be Hero X episode 18, Mickey sends Queen to the Alien Shipwreck under the guise of a vacation. He’s clearly orchestrating something. Meanwhile, the Glimmer Lab’s group is under the wave of Fear miasma. Big Johnny senses something and rushes off.Little Johnny follows. But he soon begins to hallucinate his father’s death. To Be Hero X episode 18 ends on a cliffhanger as Little Johnny’s emotions begin to resonate with Big Johnny, and he begins to transform.To Be Hero X episode 18 reviewLi Haoling provides another visually and narratively rich installment with To Be Hero X episode 18. The story continues to follow the Johnnies while gradually weaving their arc into the stories of Ghostblade, Loli, Queen, and Lucky Cyan.Alongside that, it adds more weight to ongoing plotlines involving the alien shipwreck, the Fear element, the mysterious plane crash, and the larger web of conspiracies starting to surface.To Be Hero X episode 18 dives deeper into how Little Johnny became a hero, with the clash between Big Johnny and Vortex bringing the only major burst of action to an otherwise emotional and plot-focused entry. The twist revealing Vortex as one of the victims of the plane crash adds to the mystery and raises even more questions about the "accident" (it most likely was no mere accident).Little Johnny (Image via Pb Animation/LAN Studio/Paper Plane Animation)It’s also clear now that Mickey is up to something, especially with his and Zheng’s roles implied in the Fear experiments. Their link to Shindig and the attack on the Glimmer Lab starts to fall into place. The masked figure behind Shindig seems likely to be Zheng.The conversation between Mickey and Zheng hints that Sheng’s death may be tied to what he discovered during his investigation of the alien spaceship wreckage. That information could now have brought unwanted attention to the Johnnies.At the same time, Mr. Shand seems to be doing his own research, possibly connected to Fear as well, which the episode seems to have foreshadowed. Mickey sending Queen to the shipwreck site also pulls her and Loli into the unfolding story.As To Be Hero X episode 18 ends, it seems Big Johnny’s berserk form is triggered again, setting up what’s likely to be a chaotic next episode. The closing moments show Little Johnny hallucinating his father’s death under Fear’s influence, with Big Johnny beginning to transform as a result, suggesting the two might spiral out of control.Mickey and Zheng (Image via Pb Animation/LAN Studio/Paper Plane Animation)How seamlessly Li Haoling’s direction ties these different threads together stands out. The personal arcs of the various heroes don’t just develop separately; they’re all tied together and push the bigger narrative forward. The show is slowly but seamlessly building suspense and expanding the various mysteries.The tension surrounding Fear, the alien ship wreckage, and the plane crash all feel like pieces of a much larger story coming together with splendid narrative direction. The reproduction in To Be Hero X episode 18 holds onto the series’ high standard. The detailed 2D animation brings the story to life with the ever-excellent visuals.Every scene feels well-composed. The voice cast continues to deliver great performances that perfectly elevate each character. The soundtrack, featuring Hiroyuki Sawano, KOHTA YAMAMOTO, and others, adds to the overall atmosphere throughout.Final thoughtsIn all, To Be Hero X episode 18 makes for a thoroughly entertaining viewing experience. Blending these various plotlines and raising mysteries, the interest remains high throughout.The story again strikes a wonderful balance between emotion, action, and suspense, all while steadily raising the intensity and gradually peaking into the larger mysteries and conspiracies that are at play.Also read:Vinland Saga manga review: A fitting ending for one of the greatest Seinen of our timeThe Summer Hikaru Died episode 5: Yoshiki and Hikaru encounter the Wig Ghost as Tanaka begins his search for "Nonuki-sama"Kaiju No. 8 season 2 episode 3: Kafka transforms into his Kaiju form as he and Narumi defeat No. 9