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To Be Hero X Timeline

a rough timeline in an attempt to keep track of when things happen, since we have confirmation that the story isn't told chronologically.

Things will be updated as episodes air! and feel free to lmk if i got something wrong

UPDATE PROGRESS: ep 13

5 Years Before Commission

Notion of "people's Trust Values can forge heroes" came into public consciousness; an era of rapid advancement in sciences (AI, material science, energy conversion and biotech) and heroic activity begins [meta: setting notes 1, 5, 7]

Before Commission

The Dawnfall Fall of Dawn Incident (曙光隕落事件) dealt a devastating blow to society; E-soul fought Zero and won, bringing the tragedy to an end [ep 5 performance contract, setting note 5]((ngl I think Dawnfall sounds cooler… but i did say i'll update it to the official name once we get it, so Fall of Dawn it is!))

Formation of the Hero Association Committee to prevent a repeat of the Fall of Dawn Incident [meta: setting note 5]

Year 1 After Commission [聯合元年]

Ghostblade born 0828 [meta/source 2]

Year 2

1st Hero Tournament: E-soul crowned X [ep 5, setting notes 9]

Year 8

Holoscreen technology (全息屏技術) developed by research lab using AI and material science and incorporated into social landscape after huge success with hero ads [meta: setting note 7]

4th Hero Tournament: A female hero became X for the first time, and will be the last for a long while; no other solo female heroes will become X until Bowa in Year 32 [ep 11]

Year 13

Little Johnny born 0808 [meta]

Year 14

Queen born 1018 [meta]

Yang Cheng born 1111 [meta]

Year 16

Nice born 0711 [meta]

Glimmer Lab founded, conducting experiments and developing tech in various fields [ep 13]

Year 18

Dragon Boy born 0214 [meta]

Year 20

Lucky Cyan born 0324 [meta]

Ling Ling born 0522 [meta]

Yang Cheng's (6) parents killed, saved by E-soul [ep 5]

Year 23

Luo Li born 1201 [meta]

Rumors of Aether Glimmer Lab experimenting with Fear [ep 8] in the Chinese audio both Glimmer Lab and Aether Lab are 微光實驗室, so I think it's just the same lab

Airplane crash with Cyan (3) as the only survivor; crash suspected to be a coverup/clash between heroes [ep 8], and there is suggestion of sabotage according to the chatter on the plane [ep 10]

Liu Zhen gave the audio recording of the plane's interior (which reveals that Cyan survived because of the other passengers' hope/faith for her to survive) to the Dean for safekeeping [ep 10]

Year 24

12th Hero Tournament: DJ Shindig attains title of X [ep 13, assuming the news report of FOMO ending their contract with him is in Year 39]

Year 26

Queen (12) attends entrance exam of HAC University and gets a perfect score, vows to finish her degree in 2 years [ep 11]

Mr. Matchstick (乾柴) ＆ Ms. Blazing Fire (烈火) won the 13th Hero Tournament as a couple and gain title of X [timeline pieced together from ep 8 and 11]

Year 28

Ahu born 0504 [meta]

Cyan's (8) orphanage becomes a cult with her as the Sacred Maiden [ep 8]

Mr. Matchstick ＆ Ms. Blazing Fire caught in a cheating scandal, which raises tension and interest in gender issues [ep 8, 11] Specifically, Mr. Matchstick is caught cheating on his partner [Ken's pad in ep 11]. I do wonder why Blazing Fire didn't try to become a solo hero tho

Queen (14) graduates university, declares her intent to become X and replace the Trust Value system, signing with DOS and aims to rank in Top 10 by 18 year old [ep 8, 11] Her words spark popularity in female heroes and brought on a more feminist cultural attitude (even though she herself did not talk about gender issues; the framing of "girl power!" is from the media)

Baby Luo Li (5) inspired by Queen's speech on TV, vows to become a hero herself [ep 11, 13]

DOS had dipped under as one of the biggest hero agencies due to conflict with MG, but regains standing after shifting its niche and supporting more female heroes, such as Queen and Bowa [ep 11]

Bowa, the "perfect combination of strength and beauty" and top ranked female hero in DOS, is speculated to break into Top 10 soon [ep 11]

Big and Little Johnny (15) seen in Heroes Tower [ep 11]

"Walking Disaster/Calamity" Luo moves into Cyan's orphanage [ep 8]

Year 30 (?)

Smile won the 15th Hero Tournament and gains title of X

Year 32 (?)

People corrupted by Fear shown to attack people [ep 11]

16th Hero Tournament: Bowa defeats Smile, the previous X, and becomes the first solo female hero to take the title of X since Year 8 [ep 11] The timeline actually snarls a bit here: for Mikey's office talk to make sense, Queen has to turn 18 the same year Bowa takes the title of X (which would fit for Year 32), but it becomes very strange that Queen does not participate in the next Tournament (17th Tournament/Year 34) despite being in Top 10, instead having her first tournament experience (and defeat by X) be the 18th Tournament/Year 36. BUT if Bowa attains title of X in the 17th Tournament/Year 34, then Mikey's office chat makes no sense because Queen would've been 20 at that point, making the whole "achieving your goal of joining Top 10 by 18" inaccurate. Either way the timeline is odd here.

Queen (18) makes it into Top 10 [ep 11]

The Johnnies (Little Johnny: 19) at Rank 15 [ep 11]

Year 33

Yang Cheng (19) starts performing as E-soul in local shows as a part-time job [ep 6 YC's resume]

Year 34

Cyan (14) enters her rebellious phase and turns the church service into a concert; she and Luo try to run away but are thwarted by the orphanage head, who used to be a hero [ep 8]

Cyan escapes and starts busking on the streets, eventually earning fame and attracting her old followers [ep 9]

With the rise of FOMO and changing marketing practices, Mr. Shang left MG to form Treeman [ep 3, 11]

Rock left FOMO and jumped ship to MG, claiming he will make a new legend [ep 11]

MG hero Dragon Boy (16) courts scandal with his extreme actions [ep 11]

Fireman who will become Firm Man rescues the young Wolf Girl [ep 3]

Treeman (Mr. Shang) signs with Firm Man [ep 3]

Year 35

Cyan (15) signs with DOS (Manager Ken) [ep 9, JP website]

Year 36

Lucky Cyan active as a singer whose popularity soared recently [ep 5]

Firm Man's statue unveiled + award ceremony with the little girl who later becomes Wolf Girl [ep 3] ((The JP website puts the Firm Man statue ceremony after the E-soul arc, but I think we can see the statue present at Heroes' Avenue when Yang Cheng was proven innocent of orchestrating the kidnapping [ep 6]? Which wouldn't make sense if his arc happens before the statue ceremony...))

Yang Cheng (22) rescues Pomelo, gaining Shang Chao and Xia Qing's support and operates as New E-soul [ep 5]; SC confirmed to be the son of Treeman's Mr. Shang [ep 7]

Yang Cheng accused of fraud/setting up the kidnapping, around 1 month before E-soul's 34 Anniversary [ep 6]

Enlighter tasked by Shang Chao/his dad to clear Yang Cheng's name; Yang Cheng declared innocent [ep 6]

Luo hears about rising star Cyan on the radio, and the Dean tells him Cyan was the only survivor in the crash that killed his parents [ep 9, 10]

18th Hero Tournament: Queen (22) instantly defeated by a "darkhorse nobody" who barely squeezed into Top 10 to qualify (who we know as X) [ep 10, 11, meta: PV]

"darkhorse" wins the 18th Tournament, officially gains the title of X [ep 11]

Controversy of Cyan's luck powers creates Fear and possesses the orphanage/people buying into the discourse [ep 10]

Cyan goes to the orphanage to retrieve the audio file of the crashed plane and fights through crowds infected by Fear, defeating the Dean; Cyan and Luo fight, but they hear the contents of the record and become friends again [ep 10]

Shang Chao killed by assailant while wearing Yang Cheng's E-soul helmet at their HQ [ep 6]

Death of the two henchmen by Rock (Mr. Yan), CEO of Mighty Glory [ep 7]

YC challenges OG E-soul to a duel on his 34 Anniversary celebration; at this point OG E-soul 's rank had been below Top 10 for an unknown amount of time [ep 7]

E-soul's 34 Anniversary: Battle of the 2 E-souls ends with one of them dead; Lucky Cyan's concert [ep 7] ((assuming the concert in ep 7 was not the same concert as the one in ep 9, because the timeline gets a bit weird if it's the same one))

E-soul breaks through to Top 10 after the conclusion of the E-soul battle [ep 7]

Year 37

Cyan takes Rank 7 after her history as the only survivor of the plane crash due to the other victim's hope for her to survive was publicized [ep 10, JP website]

Fear officially recognized as the opposite of Trust by the Commission [ep 10]

Year 38

Moon under contractual obligation to play Nice's PR girlfriend ("it's been 3 years!") [ep 2, JP website]

Queen's comeback to the hero scene after her loss in the previous Hero Tournament, qualifying for the 19th Hero Tournament [ep 12]

19th Hero Tournament: Bowa ambushes Queen (24) the day before the Tournament under the delusion that she could get her standing back if she kills Queen. Queen defeats Bowa, but misses the Tournament due to her injuries [ep 12]

19th Hero Tournament: X attains title of "X" for the 2nd time in a row [ep 12]

Year 39

FOMO announced they are ending their contract with DJ Shindig, a hero who was crowned X 15 years ago but has gone missing since then [ep 13]

Luo Li (16) builds a mech suit for hero activities and saves Wang Nuonuo from a stalker (implied to be Ghostblade) [ep 13]

Luo Li's dad invites her to join Glimmer Lab; she partners up with Nuonuo, who is a lab assistant there [ep 13]

DJ Shindig attacks Glimmer Lab, unleashing his powers which makes people high and overcome with euphoria(?) [ep 13]

DJ Shindig's target seems to be the secret experiment in the most secure levels of Glimmer Lab; if Glimmer Lab is connected to Aether Lab, it's likely the target is a Fear experiment [ep 14 preview]

Queen in rehab for the injuries sustained from the fight with Bowa before the 19th Hero Tournament [ep 12]

Mikey sends Queen and Cyan to a vacation/retreat [ep 12]

Big Johnny goes berserk(?) [ep 12]

Year 41

Death of Nice (25); L0 (21) forced to be Nice's imposter by Miss J, had death faked for him [ep 1]

Faked death of Moon; Spotlight Org contacts Enlighter and turns him into God Eye [ep 2]

L0!Nice replaces Firm Man in Top 10 [ep 3]

L0 sheds Nice's identity and becomes The Commoner; God Eye apprehended [ep 4]

Death of Moon, 15 days away from the 21st Hero Tournament [ep 4]

Unaccounted/Misc

E-soul is the first X; since Dawnfall happened before the Committee but he only had a 34-year anniversary in Year 36, he possibly retired for a short time before resuming hero work [ep 5]

Zac, owner of FOMO, created the social media platform as a university student [meta: setting note 7]

Death/defeat of Magic Shadow (some time between Year 34 and 36 [ep 3] before Yang Cheng's story [ep 6])

the hero Smile Incident (seems to be fairly recent before Nice's death, so tentatively in Year 40/41?) [ep 1, 2]

Spotlight Org is known as a terrorist organization by Year 41 [ep 1]

Nuonuo's father (Ghostblade?) has been out of the picture since she was 3 years old [ep 13] ((the Japanese audio and subs have her outright say he died, but in the Chinese audio she uses a euphemism that literally means "he left"; it's a common way of saying someone passed away, but it keeps things ambiguous since her stalker is heavily implied to be Ghostblade, who might be her missing father.))

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Your reminder to vote Lin Ling >:3

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to be hero x meme compilation #1

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obsessed with lin ling who was Just Some Guy and wanted to kill himself for it then he becomes The Most Important Guy and hes like hey this is great :) and then it's not great in like so many ways and the satisfying conclusion of his story ends up being embracing and believing in the potential and merit of his Just Some Guy-ness and how that doesn't make him any less capable of wanting to protect people, so much so to the point that he wins the hearts of the public and becomes a hero through sheer force of will, earning himself a superhero name that's essentially a poetic way of saying "Just Some Guy"

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somethignsomething nicest

nice proceeds to die (in an au love lin ling)

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So li haoling is this going to be a repeated thing?

Yeah, this is definitely a reach, but I can't help but think that in every arc, we have had a character that looks alike another character.

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hold on... Where have I seen this face before....

:0000000

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I'm late.

I wish they all could have been alive and happy together. Nice and Moon definitely would have stolen the spotlight, but Lin Ling would love them anyway. 😌

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BIRTHDAY BOY LIN LING YAYYYY

(blood below the more line stay safe sillies)

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I do kinda feel like this was one of the weakest episodes that we got so far. Still - it was very good, with amazing lore drop and good moments. Definitely got reminded of that religious trauma :") I can't wait for the next one tho, I can't wait to see what they'll do with Lucky's arc!

Still miss the 3D animation tho, ngl

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this is your daily remainder to vote Lin Ling 🙏

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To Be Hero X / MV EP1 | LIN LING

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this is your daily remainder to vote Lin Ling 🙏

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TO BE HERO X FINALLY TRENDING LETS FUCKING GOOOOOOOOOOOO

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Hetalia? Trending? In 2025? We are so back

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I WILL write a longer post about how in my opinion Lin Ling and Yang Cheng are bascially two sides of the same coin, but for now

I have a vision

Lin Ling is Joker and Yang Cheng is Akechi

That's it that's the post

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Old E-Soul is a tragic character, but he’s not entirely faultless either. Regardless of his disinterest in the hero capitalist industry, he shouldn’t have turned a blind eye to what his team did to Yang Cheng.

It was all over the news. There was no way he missed the fact that his manager just tried to frame the New E-Soul of a crime he didn’t commit. If he still thought of himself as a hero, he should’ve took some responsibility for the incident. He himself may not have done anything wrong, but the people under him did, and they did it supposedly for his sake.

Yet he did nothing, essentially allowing others to use his name to commit crime.

His inaction is the main cause of his demise. After Shang Chao’s death, he could’ve tried talking it out with Yang Cheng. He could’ve offered to help him find the true mastermind behind the scenes, not just to clear his own name but also to seek justice on the death of an innocent civilian.

But he just couldn’t be bothered.

Old E-Soul had long stopped being a hero.