Yingxiong Zai Lin

People talking too much saying its "simple" or "boring" and its missing "character development" what if these kinds of simple animes are the best ones. I love OP mc and i liked this its underrated go and watch it!! Im trying to make this simple review so people can just go and watch it without me telling them everything but site doesnt allow that i guess so i will say it again go and watch this awesome anime!!!! +fighting is soooo good! I personally didnt enjoy Naruto or One piece fights so much because they talk to much and fire powers at each other but ... this mix of hand to hand combat, weapons and powers is the thing me and other anime fans need. I love it so much and i would like to have more animes like this one and im saying it again its UNDERRATED just like scissors seven both are similiar but i guess people have diffrent tastes.

Zero, the leader of the pioneering hero's party and a legendary figure in the hero society of H City, has gone missing after many years of service. Praised as the strongest hero of humanity, many new heroes aspire to reach his level as they apply for the Hero Association entrance exam. Jie Lin, a typical nobody who wants to join the Hero Association, participates in the entrance exam to become a registered hero. With an unknown background, Jie Lin makes friends as he enters the association and is deployed on missions as a low-rank hero. How does Jie Lin's mysterious persona develop as we delve ... deeper into Hero Return?

Story & Character: 6/10
Hero Return is your typical superhero series where the main character has a mysterious past that they try to hide behind the facade of a simplistic low-ranking rookie hero. It begins as a sort of exploration-style narrative where we see the heroes deployed on rescue missions, catching underground criminal organizations with rogue heroes. One aspect I wasn't very fond of was the comedy, which strayed the series away from substantial plot development, especially in the beginning. Hero Return does well to orchestrate character dialogue, but it drags the story, slowing down progression. The main story arcs also felt unsubstantial because there is no significant plot structure or overarching milestones that drive the story forward. Instead, we are led by a story inspired by last-minute decisions and spontaneity, distracting the series from a continually built-up development. The story did well with its mysteries despite the pitfalls in other avenues, and it was interesting to learn of the complexity between the large factions of H City and their involvements in the Hero Association. Understanding the connection between the many factions helped with the story's depth.

The main character Jie Lin is developed with the most focus, but his character still lacks much depth. Whether that was an approach to enhance the mystery behind his persona or poor management, I won't be able to discern. However, toward the end of the series, his character development picks up, especially with the conflict against one of the major young leaders of H City. The side characters are largely unaffected in terms of development once they are introduced to the series, which also influences their involvement in the series. Many of the characters like Thirteen, Xue, Miss Dong, don't feel like important characters because the only major moments they have in the series are either comedy or rescue/petty sympathy. It doesn't help that the milestone events like missions weren't that prominent and felt more like side events. Despite that, the characters were enjoyable and didn't get too serious. I would have enjoyed less comedic dialogue in favor of a better set of character-worthy events.

Art & Sound: 5/10 & 7/10
Hero Return doesn't have leading art and animation in the donghua space, especially during large dialogue scenes. Much of the budget went to the latter duel scenes, and it's obvious because the cinematography and fight choreography were much more breathtaking than the smaller fight scenes against bandits and small-time hero conflicts. What made the animation so good was the attention to detail when it came to impact frames and power moves like Zero's first and second form attacks. Second form Redemption felt very significant, especially with the timing of the move and delays. The series does require attention in the dialogue scenes despite the great attention to detail in the flagship fight scenes because they feel more like a slideshow. Character design and antagonist designs were good and didn't look too cheap, especially the rogue heroes seen in the beginning and end of the series.

The sound design made use of a heroic theme song representing the hero Zero, which always played in scenes of conflict against Jie Lin and opposing factions. It grew on me and made the fights more thematically connected. Hero Return's ending theme was also very emotionally invoking. It felt synonymous with series like Monster and Berserk because the beat was slow and more on the mysterious end.

Overall & Enjoyment: 6/10
Hero Return does well to unravel a mysterious figure and build up conflict between large factions of H City and the Hero Association. It could have worked more on the antagonism between these factions but followed more of a comical approach as a parody of One Punch Man. Overall, it was a decent watch, just above average given the interesting set of characters, a fairly common hero premise, and complex connections between prominent factions.

Atrocious pacing—13 minutes per episode is way too short.
The comedy isn’t funny at all; it’s downright cringe-worthy. The anime is full of illogical moments—characters appear out of nowhere, new power-ups are introduced without explanation, and plot armor runs rampant. Overall, it’s a complete disaster.

The show introduces a character, builds them up as a major villain, and then defeats them in the very next episode. Character development is practically nonexistent—people switch sides far too easily.

Everyone except the main character feels irrelevant. No one questions the protagonist’s absurd level of power; they just accept it without a second thought. And the main antagonist? By the end, he ... contradicts himself so badly it’s embarrassing to watch.

Skip this one, even if you enjoy power fantasy anime. Instead, check out The Daily Life of the Immortal King—a far better Chinese power fantasy series.