"The Exiled Heavy Knight Knows How to Game the System" Releases Exclusive US Key Visual and Epic Second Main PV

LOS ANGELES, June 15, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the anime adaptation of The Exiled Heavy Knight Knows How to Game the System by GoHands has revealed exclusive US key art and a second main PV. Additionally, the Season 1 ending theme will be "Lv.1 Class: Human" by ReoNa. Comments have also arrived from SPYAIR, who performs the opening theme, and ReoNa, who performs the ending theme.

The Exiled Heavy Knight Knows How to Game the System is a widely popular series serialized in Kodansha's YOUNG MAGAZINE, with more than 3 million copies in cumulative circulation. The anime is set to air July 2, 2026.

Watch the second main PV: https://youtu.be/uC13b3_8riU
Assets available here.

From the "Defective Class" to the Strongest: The Second Main PV Depicts Elymas and Ruche's Fierce Battles
The newly released second main PV depicts the journey of Elymas and Ruche toward becoming the "strongest," even as they are scorned for belonging to the "defective class." The video opens with Elymas' striking line to Ruche: "I need you." The two trust each other quickly upon meeting, despite the cold stares they receive from the other adventurers.

GoHands' animation elevates the story alongside the theme songs, with characters racing freely across the screen, and the visual portrayal of Elymas and Ruche powering up as they activate their skills. A young man once branded a "defective class" carves out his path to the top.

Season 1 Ending Theme: ReoNa's "Lv.1 Class: Human"
ReoNa, an artist whose one-of-a-kind voice has earned her a devoted following, performs the Season 1 ending theme for this series. ReoNa has lent her delicate yet powerful voice to the stories and the characters' emotions in numerous anime and game titles, including the Sword Art Online series, Shadows House, and Arknights. "Lv.1 Class: Human" adds even deeper color to the world of the series.

Comments from the Artists Performing the Season 1 Theme Songs
Along with the reveal of the songs in this second main PV, SPYAIR and ReoNa discuss their excitement around the series.

SPYAIR:

"Awake" doesn't just mean "to wake up," but it's a song that embodies the feeling of wanting to move forward even while carrying doubts and pain. We tried to capture the moment when stagnant emotions start moving, and set it to a fast-paced sound. We hope this song can help encourage people to take a new step forward.

ReoNa:

Hello, this is ReoNa. I am honored to be performing the ending theme for the TV anime "The Exiled Heavy Knight Knows How to Game the System."

Even when it looks to everyone else like he has lost everything, even when he is mocked, he himself holds unshakable knowledge. There is something almost exhilarating about the path Elymas walks, and it fills me with excitement.

Ending Theme "Lv.1 Class: Human" Just like Elymas, the song is brimming with playfulness, too. Ah, I hope that someday I, too, can become somebody. I hope you enjoy the song along with the anime!

Streaming Information
The Exiled Heavy Knight Knows How to Game the System will air on July 2, 2026 on Crunchyroll. The series will be released as a two-cour broadcast.

Staff
Original Work: Nekoko, BroccoLee, Jaian, The Exiled Heavy Knight Knows How to Game the System (serialized in Kodansha's YOUNG MAGAZINE)
General Director: Shingo Suzuki
Director: Katsumasa Yokomine
Character Design: Keiji Tani, Takayuki Uchida
Chief Animation Director: Keiji Tani, Makoto Furuta
Chief Director: Tetsuichi Yamagishi
Main Animator: Hiroshi Okubo
Sound Production: Glovision Inc.
Sound Director: Enji Nakajima, Tetsuya Gunji
Music: Ludvig Forssell
Animation Production: GoHands
Production Lead: SHOCHIKU anime

Cast
Elymas Edvaughn: Takeo Otsuka
Ruche Luvis: Shion Wakayama
Malice Edvaughn: Natsuko Abe

Introduction
The "Heavy Knight" is a defense-specialized class that draws enemy attacks to protect allies. But even among defensive classes, its abilities lack versatility, and its offensive power is too low to level up properly. For this reason, it was branded not merely a "disadvantaged" class but an outright "defective" one.

Born into House Edvaughn, a lineage of Master Swordsmen for generations, Elymas manifested the "defective" Heavy Knight class during the Baptisma—a crucial ceremony for the heir—and was stripped of his position as next head of the house and unjustly exiled.

However, in that moment he recovered the memories of his past life and realized that this world was identical to Magic World, the VR online game he had played obsessively before his death.
And Elymas knew. That the Heavy Knight was the strongest class of all!

Exiled from the Count's household and now a lone adventurer, Elymas leverages his past-life knowledge to the fullest, beginning his efficient conquest of this world.

Credit
© Nekoko, BroccoLee, Jaian, KODANSHA/"The Exiled Heavy Knight Knows How to Game the System"
Production Committee.

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SOURCE KODANSHA LTD.