Scum of the Brave Episode 1 Release Date and Everything You Need to Know

Scum of the Brave
Scum of the Brave (Image Credit: Studio OLM)

Scum of the Brave episode 1 is just days away from its premiere, and the hype is real. This isn't your typical hero story where the good guys are actually good, and the bad guys wear their villainy on their sleeves. Instead, we're getting a gritty supernatural action series set in a world where being a hero basically means you're a legalized killer.

The show takes place in Tokyo in the middle of the twenty-first century, where the criminal underground is entirely different from what it is today. Through a procedure known as ether enhancement surgery, mafia bosses can become formidable Demon Kings. And those employed to destroy them? They are referred to as Heroes, which is very odd given that their work essentially amounts to authorized murder.


What Takes Place in Scum of the Brave Episode 1

Aki Jogamine (Image Credit: Studio OLM)
Aki Jogamine (Image Credit: Studio OLM)

Yashiro, a freelance hero with the disturbing handle Shinigami (translates to Grim Reaper), is presented to us in the premiere. He is anything but your typical hero. This is a man who prefers working alone and has a hard life. But when Scum of the Brave episode 1 has him helping out Aki Jogamine, a high school student who is practicing to be a hero and who finds herself targeted by thugs from her neighborhood, things are different.

Yashiro gets drunk at his bar later that evening, and that’s what he does best. Aki returns again at this point, with another classmate, Yukine Indo. She needs help and is desperate. The rescue attempt that takes place in Scum of the Brave episode 1 establishes itself as the central conflict that winds up landing Yashiro in a much larger pile of trouble than he ever expected. Lord Amber Thorns is the name of the Demon Lord who took her companion.

The master-disciple dynamic that propels the entire series is established in the Encounter of the Hero episode. Despite Yashiro's obvious reluctance, Aki pledges herself to be his student. Despite the fact that he is the epitome of a sleazy mentor, these two manage to stay together.


The World of Scum of the Brave Episode 1

A shot from episode 1 (Image Credit: Studio OLM)
A shot from episode 1 (Image Credit: Studio OLM)

The setting of this anime is what makes it intriguing. Here, heroes aren't exactly nice people. To increase their ether skills and battle Demon Kings equally, they take a medication known as E3. As a result of the government's legalization of killing, heroism has become little more than a career. Scum of the Brave episode 1 quickly demonstrates how ethically dubious this society truly is. It's a distorted version of the hero tale we typically see in anime.

The series is based on a light novel by Rocket Shokai that debuted in 2016 on the Kakuyomu website. Nakashima723 illustrated a manga adaptation of it, and OLM is currently adapting it into an anime. Shinji Ushiro, who directed the second season of Don't Toy with Me, Miss Nagatoro, was chosen by the studio to direct.


Scum of the Brave Episode 1 Cast and Music

Shinigami Yashiro (Image Credit: Studio OLM)
Shinigami Yashiro (Image Credit: Studio OLM)

Yashiro is voiced by Ryota Suzuki, who brings his background to this morally challenging lead character. Momo Harumi provides the voice of Yukine Indo, while Akari Kito portrays Aki Jogamine. Yumiri Hanamori plays Sara Kashiwagi Pendragon, a second-year Hero Training Academy student, in the supporting cast.

Mulasaki Ima performs Mental Rental toward the conclusion, while TOOBOE performs GUN POWDER at the beginning. The dark, grimy atmosphere that Scum of the Brave episode 1 establishes from the get-go suits each song well.

The anime has been confirmed to span two cours without breaks for about 24 episodes. That should give you plenty of time to visit this strange world of Demon Kings and Heroes.

The first episode of Scum of the Brave episode 1 drops on January 11, 2026, at 12:55 AM JST on Nippon TV and its affiliated channels. Streaming fans can catch it on d Anime Store and Hulu starting January 10 at 25:30 JST, with other platforms like Crunchyroll, ABEMA, and Prime Video joining in on January 15.

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The series has been licensed by Muse Communication, which will stream the show in Southeast Asia. The first episode of Scum of the Brave is the start of what seems to be a powerful modern supernatural action series that doesn't hold back when exposing the darker aspects of heroism.


Conclusion

This just might be right up your alley if you're tired of the same old hero tales in black and white. Scum of the Brave episode 1 will drop very soon, providing a fresh, unadulterated take on the genre hero shortly. Get ready to meet the grossest sensei-student duo in anime, because January 11 will see the two teaming up.

Edited by Nabil Ibrahim-Oladosu