Tales of Zestiria the X

is a Japanese anime television series based on both Tales of Zestiria and Tales of Berseria video games developed by Bandai Namco Studios and tri-Crescendo, and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. It is produced by Ufotable, directed by Haruo Sotozaki and written by Hikaru Kondo, featuring character designs by Akira Matsushima and music by Motoi Sakuraba and Go Shiina. The anime series is split into two halves: the first half premiered on July 3, 2016, and finished airing on September 25, 2016. The second half premiered on January 8, 2017, and finished airing on April 29, 2017. Plot Tales of Zestiria the X takes place in a world where there are beings called Seraphim. Humans and Seraphim used to live together in harmony thousands of years ago. The humans prayed to the Seraphim, and in return the Seraphim blessed them. The Seraphim have magical powers and their own element to control. Earth, wind, water, or fire. There were thousands of Seraphim, but mankind was awash with terrible emotions, and could easily be overcome and turn into monsters. When Seraphim became too connected to a human, seeing their friend physically and mentally turn into a monster caused them to despair and their ephemeral forms were quickly turned into monsters as well. The monsters were created when an area was thick with negative emotions that created a dangerous byproduct called malevolence. Malevolence turns any weak or negative living creature into a monster. While Seraphim are turned into powerful dragons, all other living creatures are turned into monsters called Hellions when they are taken over by malevolence. The Seraphim kept nature running smoothly and in balance, while a person called the Shepherd kept the malevolence at bay. The Shepherd is a regular person until they are able to pull a sacred sword from a stone. Then they become a living legend with the power to purify all Hellions. They can form contracts with Seraphim and combine their bodies so they can use their elemental powers to purify dangerous creatures. They can also form contracts with humans, who help carry the burden of malevolence. While forming contracts with Seraphim has no adverse consequences, humans are a different story. Should the Shepherd die, so will the humans that have a contract with him or her. Also, the more humans the Shepard has contracts with, the heavier the burden on the Shepherd.