Linking a fantasy series focused on reluctant heroes with a gritty military flight simulator might seem counterintuitive at first. However, once you peel back the layers, the creative influence of Ace Combat 7 on the narrative of Sentenced to be a Hero feels surprisingly organic.
In a recent discussion with Anime News Network, author Rocket Shokai delved into this unexpected connection, explaining the thematic DNA shared by the light novel series and Studio KAI’s anime adaptation. Shokai pointed specifically to the penal unit sequences in Ace Combat 7 as a primary catalyst for the show’s central mechanic of “hero sentencing,” a concept that anchors the story’s darker tones.
Image: Bandai Namco
For longtime fans of the Ace Combat franchise, this inspiration isn’t quite as shocking. The 2019 title remains a gold standard for cinematic aerial combat, masterfully navigating the moral complexities and transactional nature of warfare. While titles like Microsoft Flight Simulator offer technical realism, they lack the narrative weight and emotional conflict that Ace Combat 7 weaves into every mission.
The parallels between Ace Combat 7‘s protagonist, Trigger, and Sentenced to Be a Hero‘s Xylo Forbartz are striking. Both men are forced into service due to wrongful murder convictions, compelled to fight in a conflict where they are mere cogs in a larger machine. It is this shared sense of existential dread that elevates both works beyond simple genre tropes.
Image: Bandai Namco
Yet, the game offers a paradox: while the missions are rigid, the experience of piloting feels liberating. There is a specific, meditative beauty in the silence of the cockpit, broken only by distant radio chatter as you climb through the clouds. It is in these quiet, high-altitude interludes that the game succeeds, contrasting the freedom of movement with the sobering, inevitable costs of state-sanctioned violence.
Take, for instance, the “Fleet Destruction” mission. The objective is brutally utilitarian: systematically dismantle an entire naval fleet near Northern Usea. While you are technically free to choose your path of destruction across the open ocean, your purpose is fixed. You are granted the agency to choose how you kill, but never whether you kill.
Image: Bandai Namco
Even years after its debut, Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown remains a remarkably compelling experience. Whether you arrive at the cockpit from the perspective of an anime fan or a flight enthusiast, the game stands as a poignant reminder that even when you are soaring above the world, you are still bound by the chains of the mission.
Source: Polygon
