After a lengthy absence he emerged as a top-class racehorse as a four-year-old in 2008, winning the Grade II Copa Republica Argentina before recording a 40/1 upset victory in the Japan Cup.

[4] Running Heroine's dam Dyna Actress was a top-class racemare who won the Sprinters Stakes and was the JRA Award for Best Older Filly or Mare in 1987 and 1988.

On his seasonal debut he recorded his first victory when he won a maiden over 1800 metres on dirt at Nakayama in January, beating Berg Missile and fourteen others.

After being beaten in two races on turf at Tokyo he was moved back into Grade III class for the Radio Nikkei Sho at Fukushima Racecourse on 1 July and produced his best effort to date as he finished second of the sixteen runners behind the New Zealand-bred Roc de Cambes.

[7] After a break of eleven months, Screen Hero returned in the Shikotsuko Tokubetsu over 2600 metres at Sapporo Racecourse on 16 August 2008 and recorded his best win up to that time as he defeated B B Falcon and nine others.

[7] On 9 November he was ridden by Masayoshi Ebina when he contested the Copa Republica Argentina, a Grade II handicap race over 2500 metres at Tokyo.

[8] On 30 November Screen Hero contested the 28th running of the Japan Cup in front of a 102,567 crowd[9] at Tokyo and started a 40/1 outsider in a seventeen-runner field.

Ridden by the Italian jockey Mirco Demuro Screen Hero tracked the leaders as the outsider Never Bouchon set a slow pace.

[13] On his final appearance of the season at Nakayama on 28 December, Screen Hero finished fifth behind the four-year-old filly Daiwa Scarlet in the Arima Kinen.

Ridden by Hiroshi Kitamura he produced his best effort of the season as he finished second to the eight-year-old Company with Vodka in third and Oken Bruce Lee, Dream Journey, Matsurida Gogh and Asakusa Kings among the unplaced horses.