New Saga: Season 1 Episode 1 – Recap and Review
In New Saga, one of the few survivors of a Pyrrhic War, discovers a magical item that transports him back to when there was peace, and tries to prevent what is destined to happen.
Spoiler Alert: This summary and review contains spoilers.
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Episode 1 “I’ll Change My Fate” Details
- Available On: Crunchyroll
- Public Release Date: July 2, 2025
- Director(s): Ryoichi Nakata
- Writer(s): Kenta Inohara
Episode 1 “I’ll Change My Fate” Recap (With Spoilers)
The Last Battle: Kyle
For more than a year, starting in 2826, the humanoid population, that is humans, elves, and dwarves, found themselves at war with demons who, despite being in lesser numbers, were great in might and within a year, toppled the Garfan Empire, one of the biggest humanoid settlements.
Desperate for a win, humanity decided to stop focusing on winning battles and instead focus on winning the war by killing the Demon King who started what became known as “The Great Invasion.” Kyle, with his friends, stormed the Demon King’s castle, and while many of them died one by one, he got to meet the Demon King head-on and was able to defeat them.
It seemingly was a Pyrrhic battle, for while Kyle won, he seemed to have lost all the people he was fighting for at that point. But upon coming upon and touching what is later named as the Divine Dragon’s Heart, Kyle experiences a reset that sends him years back.
Rebirth: Kyle, Liese, Theron, Seraia
At first, Kyle thought it was a dream. He returned to his own bed, his injuries were gone, the heart of his country wasn’t in flames, if not in ashes, and then Liese shows up. With being both an old friend, maybe a potential love interest, Kyle embraces her, maybe grazes her in some areas, and it seems that, in 2823, they weren’t close enough for him to do that, so he gets a visceral reaction.
Thankfully, though, they reconcile later, and she still supplies him and his mother with what she often does – food. With Kyle’s mom, Seraia, being one of the few archmages there are, she often spends her day reading and furthering her knowledge, only coming from her studies to eat. Which isn’t to say she doesn’t care about anything else, as Kyle is always welcome to visit. However, it seems he was starting to seek out friends like Theron and take his training more seriously, which led to them not seeing each other as much.
The Path Forward: Kyle
But the question ultimately becomes, what’s next for Kyle? He knows what will happen in approximately three years time, presenting it as fact will make him look crazy, so what can he do? Well, it seems the first step is to see what, beyond his memories of what happened, he still has, so he is going to see if he still has his skills and strength from before.
New Cast and Characters
Kyle (Yuma Uchida)
- Check out other productions we’ve covered starring this actor: [Link to Actor’s Tag]
- Character Summary: Kyle may not be the strongest soldier currently or in his former life, but he was the last one to survive and thanks to him getting the Divine Dragon Heart, an item which allowed for one kingdom to prosper for 1000 years, he may very well have the power to maintain the peace that was before “The Great Invasion.”
Liese (Fairuz Ai)
- Check out other productions we’ve covered starring this actor: [Link to Actor’s Tag]
- Character Summary: Liese is one of Kyle’s closest friends, where there might be a mutual attraction, but as of 2823, neither has confessed and taken the next step. But, while not being Kyle’s girlfriend, she does cook for him and his mom like they are officially together.
Theron (Shimono Hiro)
- Check out other productions we’ve covered starring this actor: [Link to Actor’s Tag]
- Character Summary: Theron is a soldier, like Kyle, and also one of his closest friends.
Seraia (Kanemoto Hisako)
- Check out other productions we’ve covered starring this actor: [Link to Actor’s Tag]
- Character Summary: Seraia is Kyle’s mother, one of the few and greatest known archmages in the humanoid world.
Links
- Check out our page for this series, featuring more recaps, reviews, and articles.
- Visit our main page TV Shows we’ve covered.
Review and Commentary
Highlights
Intriguing Premise [83/100]
With watching a lot of Isekai, where people go from one world to another, and find themselves in the position where they could save everyone, Kyle’s story doesn’t feel new. However, with him jumping back in time, with past memories, and maybe past powers, this New Game+ type storyline is intriguing.
The reason is twofold. The main focus is going to be preventing the war, if not winning it, without the massive casualties humanity and the other humanoid races experienced. But, there is also how Kyle will handle his relationships, considering what he knows can happen?
Will he be closer to his mother, especially with her noting how she felt a distance between them? When it comes to Liese, will he make a move instead of waiting, under the impression he has time? With wielding both the action element and also an emotional one, I feel that it makes the possibility of Kyle failing, or certain things or deaths being inevitable all the more impactful, especially since he already experienced it once, not knowing what could happen. So to do so again would potentially push him over and maybe viewers alongside him.
Overall
Our Overall Rating [83/100]
The foundation laid for the future of New Saga seems solid. Kyle is a likable protagonist, facing a challenge that has a time limit on it, which brings a sense of urgency – especially since he knows what will come if he is idle. Add in relationships you can see could use investment and care from Kyle, paired with even a romance he lost the opportunity to develop, which he may, thus upping his need to fight and win, or figure how to avoid the invasion altogether, it seems everything that could be needed is setup, now New Saga just has to live up to its potential.
Check Out Our Past Coverage Of This Series
New Saga: Season 1 Episode 2 – Recap and Review
Kyle lays the groundwork for becoming a credible figure to prevent the Great Invasion and recruits multiple people to join him.
New Saga: Season 1 – Cast and Character Guide
This is a show and character guide for Crunchyroll’s “New Saga” with character descriptions, storylines, information on groups and locations, and more.
