To Be Hero X episode 19 review: Li Haoling raises the stakes with unexpected twists involving two familiar heroes

Released on Sunday, August 10, 2025, To Be Hero X episode 19 moves the story forward by expanding on ongoing conspiracies and introducing new turns. Li Haoling links the Johnnies’ storyline with the broader plots and hidden agendas. Familiar heroes such as E-Soul and Nice return, though this time as opponents.

The developments around Rock hint at a deeper scheme, while the tension surrounding Fear and the alien connection continues to grow. The series continues to weave these plot threads together in a way that builds anticipation for the upcoming events. With steady pacing, detailed storytelling, and an overall brilliant production, To Be Hero X episode 19 keeps the audience invested as it sets up escalating conflict.

To Be Hero X episode 19 review: Brilliant direction amplifies the conspiracies with intensity

To Be Hero X episode 19: A brief synopsis

Professor Luo and his team (Image via Pb Animation/LAN Studio/Paper Plane Animation)

To Be Hero X episode 19 delivers another thrilling mix of action, emotion, and conspiracy under Li Haoling’s direction. Titled Breaking the Balance, the episode opens with Little Johnny, triggered by the Fear miasma, reliving the moments from his father’s death. Apparently, Sheng had entrusted Big Johnny with protecting Little Johnny.

When they reach an area where they had found the dead Sheng, the Johnnies collapse. Meanwhile, Queen invites Lucky Cyan to join her on her "vacation." Little Johnny wakes up in the camp beside Professor Luo, who explains that the memories were hallucinations caused by an attack from a Fear-infected DJ Shindig. The attack plunged everyone into deep sorrow.

Ghostblade in To Be Hero X episode 19 (Image via Pb Animation/LAN Studio/Paper Plane Animation)

Luo suspects a connection to the Spotlight Organization. He believes they want to weaponize Fear and turn it into something more powerful than Trust. Luo is grateful that Ghostblade was there to subdue Shindig.

Meanwhile, an unknown caller (likely Rock) praises Ghostblade for how he took down Shindig, but also reminds him to keep "things" under wraps since many have eyes on this mission. There’s some unsettling plan in motion involving Little Johnny, and Ghostblade is tasked with carrying it out using the alien spaceship’s complex layout.

To Be Hero X episode 19 shifts to preparations for a mission inside the spaceship. Loli gets her suit upgraded and earns praise from her father, but he won’t let her enter the spaceship. He suspects there would be more enemy attacks. Though frustrated, Nuonuo consoles her, and their friendship strengthens.

Nice as he faces Loli (Image via Pb Animation/LAN Studio/Paper Plane Animation)

Once inside the spaceship, the Johnnies fall into a crevice. Ghostblade follows them. Meanwhile, Luo hopes their research can lead to world peace and prevent tragedies like "Zero." But when a tracker Loli gave Nuonuo starts beeping, Luo senses something is wrong. He then looks ahead and finds something surprising.

Elsewhere, the Johnnies hit a dead end while Ghostblade closes in. A flashback reveals that Rock was the one who ordered Ghostblade to eliminate Sheng. Now, he thinks the mission was never fully accomplished since Little Johnny and his "beast" survived and even became famous. He thinks this mission is the perfect chance to finish the job.

In the present, Ghostblade attempts to strike Little Johnny but unexpectedly attacks E-Soul instead, who was hiding nearby. As they battle, E-Soul also targets the Johnnies. Another flashback confirms Rock knows Big Johnny is a creature Sheng brought from the spaceship and suspects Ghostblade knows as well.

Nice as he appears to assassinate Luo's team (Image via Pb Animation/LAN Studio/Paper Plane Animation)

He decides to break from the Commission and assigns E-Soul to eliminate everyone involved with this mission, including Ghostblade. E-Soul also finds this profitable since it would clear a rival from the tournament.

To Be Hero X episode 19 ends with another tense reveal. Luo and Nuonuo encounter Hero Nice, who has also been assigned to kill the survey team. As Nice moves to attack, Loli arrives in her battlesuit, confronting him and closing the episode on a tense cliffhanger.

To Be Hero X episode 19 review

With To Be Hero X episode 19, Li Haoling continues to move the plot forward seamlessly. The story interweaves the arcs of the Johnnies, Ghostblade, and Loli. After linking these arcs to Queen and Lucky Cyan, now E-Soul and Nice are brought into the fray.

The episode once again develops schemes surrounding MG’s Rock, who seems aware that Big Johnny is an alien connected to the spaceship wreck. It’s hinted that Ghostblade may also share this knowledge. Rock assigning Ghostblade to eliminate the Johnnies is not so surprising given his role in Sheng’s death, but involving E-Soul to target everyone in the search party brings an unexpected twist.

Ghostblade vs. E-Soul (Image via Pb Animation/LAN Studio/Paper Plane Animation)

Furthermore, Nice’s entrance and his aim to also kill the group increase the uncertainty around his motives and who is orchestrating the moves behind him. These developments set up two major confrontations for the episodes ahead: Nice vs. Loli, and Ghostblade with the Johnnies against E-Soul.

Queen and Cyan are also hinted to be entering the fray soon. All these heroes, in essence, remain puppets of their respective agencies. Alongside these tense events, moments between Ghostblade and Nuonuo, and between Nuonuo and Loli, add a brief emotional layer that seamlessly balances the tension.

Loli faces Nice (Image via Pb Animation/LAN Studio/Paper Plane Animation)

Li Haoling’s direction steadily shifts from the heroes’ personal arcs toward the larger conflicts at play. Alongside the narrative direction and brilliant pacing, the production in To Be Hero X episode 19 remains consistent once again. The 2D animation stays consistent in quality, capturing all the moments, be it action, emotion, or suspense, with excellence.

The visual direction enhances the narrative. The voice cast’s performances bring out the characters perfectly. The soundtrack by Hiroyuki Sawano, KOHTA YAMAMOTO, and others adds further depth to the atmosphere.

Final thoughts

Once again, To Be Hero X brings a thrilling entry in episode 19. It blends various plotlines, conspiracies, and arcs while raising narrative intensity to the next level, setting up hype perfectly for the escalating plot.