Isekai Anime 'Hell Mode' Premieres on HIDIVE, Kicking Off 12-Episode Run

The anime adaptation of the popular web novel Hell Mode: The Hardcore Gamer Dominates in Another World with Garbage Balancing has officially launched on HIDIVE. The series is set for a 12-episode first season, covering the initial story arc.

The show began airing in Japan on January 9th and is simulcasting weekly on the platform. Viewers can catch new episodes every Friday morning at 8:35 a.m. PT / 11:35 a.m. ET.

The story centers on Kenichi Yamada, a 35-year-old office worker and dedicated MMORPG veteran who was tired of overly easy modern games. Upon reincarnation into a fantasy world, he chose the extreme difficulty setting, Hell Mode, becoming Allen, a newborn in a serf family. This difficulty setting makes leveling and skill acquisition about 100 times slower than the standard difficulty, forcing Allen to struggle for progression.

Animation duties for the series are handled by Yokohama Animation Laboratory. Mutsumi Tamura leads the main cast as Allen. Supporting roles feature Mayu Iizuka, Tasuku Hatanaka, Kana Ueda, Sayaka Senbongi, Hideo Ishikawa, Akio Ōtsuka, and Takahiro Miyamoto. Kaya performs the ending theme, "Sanctuary."

Hell Mode originally started as a web novel on Shōsetsuka ni Narō back in November 2019. Earth Star Entertainment picked up the property, publishing twelve light novel volumes since July 2020. A manga adaptation by Enji Tetta has also been running since October 2020 and currently totals thirteen collected volumes.