The first half of Hero Tales was mere introduction getting the viewer familiar with characters, their plight, and the lay of the land. The final episode really paved the way for what was to come, Taito and Keiro preparing to go head to head and possibly unleashing Hangu and Kenkaranpu to wreak havoc, much to Shimei's amusement and expectations. However, as edge of your seat cliff hangers go be prepared to be disappointed, well, if you were expecting Armageddon to come in the follow up to the Part One cliff hanger. Instead be prepared to be immersed in the true substance of Hero Tales as Part Two begins.

While Part One did throw off an Avatar The Last Airbender type vibe Hero Tales takes a turn from being just your average fight or flight anime type and begins spinning a very interesting web with its story, making it seem like a live action epic period drama with numerous twists and turns. The action is still present but it really takes a back seat to story to give us some interesting revelations about its characters including Keiro. Could he possibly be the good guy in all of this? You also find some connections between the Five Divine Warriors as well as The Emperor and from here battles become more then just these periodic little scuffles borne of anger and resentment but important pieces to the puzzle of how this anime is going to end. I'm reminded of films like Hero, The Last Samurai, and the Once Upon A Time In China series. The flow of this second half is so epic and building that these hand drawn character animations seem to take on a sense of importance that it defines the history of the series itself to memorable porportions. Still it’s amazing how the two sides vary when it comes to telling the story of Hero Tales and how Part Two would easily work as a stand alone to begin and end the series. I wouldn’t suggest doing so but it could. Can Taitou save the empire from Kerio without unleashing the damaging power of a living God and can he do so without losing any of his friends, family, and companions he has come to trust? More so can he give The Emperor himself the courage to stand and be heard?

Bonus features included in Part Two are trailers for other FUNimation releases, Star Battle: Special Round Table Part 3, Original Commercials and Trailer for Hero Tales, and Textless Opening and Closing Songs.