To Be Hero X has introduced perhaps the simplest yet complex power system in all of anime. We are talking about its innovative Trust Value system. The system provides powers and strength to an individual, and these powers and strength are directly tied to the public’s faith in them. Simply put, the more the public trusts you as a hero, the stronger your abilities get. This system makes popularity a superpower (influencers must be having a field day here).
While this mechanic has been relatively simple to understand for most of the series, the fact that X, the top-ranked hero, was a “random nobody” (the anime said it, not us) when he defeated Queen has thrown this system into disarray. Doesn’t this contradict everything we know about the system?
Trust Value: Popularity is power in To Be Hero X
Trust Value is the cornerstone of heroism in To Be Hero X. The system gives you power based on your popularity. The more popular a hero is, the stronger their abilities are. We’ve seen this on display throughout To Be Hero X. We’ve seen it with Yang Cheng, who grew strong enough to challenge one of the Top 10 heroes with his trust value, and with Lin Ling as well.
While both these characters are strong in their own way, they do not match heroes like Queen, who boasts a meticulously crafted image, complete with golden armor, and telekinetic spear-wielding abilities. Queen is a testament to how important hero agencies like Treeman Corp are in To Be Hero X.
For those of you who have forgotten how Trust Value works, let us give you a refresher. The system quantifies trust as a numerical value on a hero’s wrist, and the powers an individual receives depend on public belief. If the people believe that a hero can teleport to far away places, they gain a teleportation power (like dear old dead Moon).
From what we’ve seen so far in To Be Hero X, the individual backed up by the biggest agency should be the strongest, right? If you are one of the people who thought this, you’d be wrong. Yes, it makes sense that heroes backed by agencies, like Queen, should dominate the rankings due to their resources, but Episode 10 has changed this perception.
Episode 10 tells us how Queen lost the Top Hero spot to X during a tournament. While this initially doesn’t come off as a surprise, the reveal that X managed to beat her despite being a “nobody” breaks the show. How could someone like X, who lacked fame, defeat Queen?
To Be Hero X is breaking its power system with X
To Be Hero X’s revelation about X (when will his arc come out?) has got the internet baffled. How can X be designated as a “random nobody” when he has reality-manipulating powers? If the general explanation of Trust Value is to be trusted, then someone needed to believe really hard that X could manipulate reality. His powers wouldn’t be possible without such a belief, and this belief in particular only seems possible due to high Trust Value.
To Be Hero X fans have taken to social media, and are marveling at how an unremarkable nobody could “mop the floor” with Queen. Several have even suggested that perhaps X operates outside the Trust Value framework. His being unaffiliated with any organization would support this. The PV for Episode 11 teases the clash between him and Queen (she wanted to become the next X, but failed). Perhaps this fight could give us some solid answers.
It would be very interesting if X’s strength is fuelled by immense self-belief, or through a potential flaw in the system. There is also the chance that his powers are perhaps tied to the emerging Fear Value, but we can only make speculations until the anime provides us with some much-needed clarification. Until then, X’s triumph over Queen will only feel like a narrative inconsistency.
X’s “random nobody” victory over Queen has muddled the Trust Value system’s clarity in To Be Hero X. The show has told us repeatedly that popularity fuels power, but this doesn’t seem to be the case with X. Fans are expecting Episode 11 to show how a regular man, unaffiliated with any agency was able to outshine a powerhouse like Queen.
To Be Hero X is currently available to stream on Crunchyroll.
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