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My Hero Academia (TV series)

My Hero Academia (僕のヒーローアカデミア) is a Japanese anime television series produced by Bones, based on the manga series My Hero Academia by Kōhei Horikoshi. Set in a world where superpowers (called "Quirks") have become commonplace, the story follows Izuku Midoriya, a boy who was born without a Quirk but still dreams of becoming a superhero himself. He is scouted by the world's greatest hero, All Might, who bestows his Quirk to Midoriya after recognizing his potential, and helps to enroll him in a prestigious high school for superheroes in training. The anime series aired a total of eight seasons from April 3, 2016, to December 13, 2025.

The first season of the series premiered on Mainichi Broadcasting System, TBS Television and their Japan News Network affiliates, while from the second season onwards it aired on Yomiuri TV, Nippon TV and their Nippon Television Network System affiliates until its eighth and final season. In North America, the series is licensed by Crunchyroll, LLC. The series also aired an English dub in the United States on Adult Swim's Toonami programming block up until its sixth season.

The anime has also received four animated films, subtitled Two Heroes, Heroes Rising, World Heroes' Mission, and You're Next, along with ten original video animations (OVAs) and an upcoming television special that adapts a bonus chapter from the final volume of the manga.

The series received praise for its animation, music, pacing, action sequences, and voice acting in both Japanese and English versions, as well as numerous awards. It is considered by many to be one of the most notable anime titles from the 2010s.

Synopsis

Setting

Plot

Izuku "Deku" Midoriya is a Quirkless boy who, despite his lack of powers, dreams of becoming a Hero and attending U.A. High School, idolizing Japan's No. 1 Hero, All Might who also attended U.A. He is frequently picked on by others for this, particularly his childhood friend Katsuki Bakugo. One day, All Might witnesses Deku attempt to save Bakugo from a villain, making him choose Deku to inherit his Quirk "One For All"—which gives him the ability to stockpile his raw power and pass it on to others—and become his successor. All Might was severely injured by his arch-nemesis All For One, whose Quirk allows him to steal other Quirks for his use and pass them over to others at his will. After nearly a year of physical training, Deku inherits One For All and passes the entrance exam to U.A. by saving Ochaco Uraraka. Deku, Ochaco, and Bakugo are among the twenty students placed in Class 1-A, where Deku's tenacity earns him several friends. During one of their classes, Class 1-A encounters the League of Villains, led by All For One's apprentice Tomura Shigaraki. Shigaraki attempts to use an artificial being called a Nomu to kill All Might, but All Might overpowers it.

Class 1-A takes part in a sports festival with the rest of their grade. During this, Deku helps his classmate Shoto Todoroki move on from his resentment of his father–the No. 2 Hero Endeavor–for mistreating him and his family. As the sports festival ends, 1-A's Class Representative Tenya Ida's older brother is crippled by Stain, a villain who believes most heroes only desire fame. As the U.A. students go on their Hero Agency internships, Ida finds Stain and attempts to get revenge, though Stain is ultimately defeated by Deku and Todoroki. Stain's ideology spreads, and many of his believers join the League of Villains, including Dabi, Himiko Toga, and Twice. After the class finishes final exams, the League of Villains' recruits ambush Classes 1-A and 1-B while they are training at a summer camp, and kidnap Bakugo in the hopes of recruiting him. All Might leads several heroes in locating the League of Villains' hideout, where All For One reveals himself. Deku and some of his friends rescue Bakugo as All Might battles All For One. All For One is defeated and imprisoned, but All Might exhausts the last of One For All's power and retires. Endeavor, now the No. 1 Hero, is humbled by his added responsibility and begins trying to make amends with his family.

The class partakes in their Provisional Hero License Exam, which Todoroki and Bakugo fail and take remedial courses handling children with powerful Quirks. Afterwards, Class 1-A meets with the "Big Three", U.A. High School's top-ranked seniors who select a few Class 1-A students to join them as interns; one of the Big Three, Mirio Togata selects Deku to join his internship with All Might's former sidekick Sir Nighteye. Nighteye's team comes into conflict with the Shie Hassaikai, a yakuza group formerly allied with the League of Villains who are experimenting on their boss's granddaughter Eri to produce Quirk-Destroying Drugs. Nighteye leads his agency, alongside those of the other Big Three, in a raid to save Eri, during which Nighteye is killed and Mirio is de-powered. Eri is taken in by the U.A. staff, and Class 1-A performs a rock concert for her during the school culture festival. During a battle exercise with Class 1-B, Deku begins to awaken all of the Quirks used by the previous users of One For All. He eventually continues his internship under Endeavor, alongside Bakugo and Todoroki.

The League of Villains defeats and merges with another villain group, the Meta Liberation Army, forming the Paranormal Liberation Front. A war ensues between the Paranormal Liberation Front and the pro and training heroes; Twice is killed by the new No. 2 hero Hawks, but most of the remaining top members escape, including Shigaraki, who now inherits All For One's Quirk and is possessed by him. Mirio is re-powered by Eri, and joins the heroes partway through the war. Ochaco develops sympathy for Toga after the latter interrogates her about Twice's death. Dabi reveals himself as the presumed-dead son of Endeavor, whose abuse led him to villainy, which in combination with the collateral damage of the war, shatters the public's trust in heroes. Thousands of imprisoned Villains break out, including the original All For One, causing Japan to descend into chaos. Believing his classmates are no longer be safe, Deku reveals One for All and leaves U.A. to hunt for All For One with Japan's top heroes. However, this leads Deku to physical ruin, and his classmates intervene to bring him back to U.A., which is now a refugee camp. Civilians protest Deku's return until Ochaco pleads to them that heroes need protection too.

After Deku recovers, Class 1-A student Yuga Aoyama is discovered to be a double agent for All For One and the one responsible for the first two League of Villains attacks. After reconciling with his class, the Heroes uses Aoyama's connection to lure the Paranormal Liberation Front into a trap that scatters them across the country for the remaining members to be defeated by the heroes. Toga transforms into Twice using her Quirk with Twice's blood and she nearly kills Ochaco, but the two girls come to an understanding and Toga dies saving Ochaco's life through a fatal blood transfusion. The Todoroki family subdues Dabi after preventing his suicidal final attack. All For One attempts to reach Shigaraki's location but is stalled by many heroes, including All Might using a powered exoskeleton, as well as a handful of reformed Villains. All for One's original body is destroyed by Bakugo, causing Shigaraki to briefly regain control of his body as he battles Deku, before being repossessed. Unable to defeat Shigaraki physically, Deku forcefully transfers One For All during Shigaraki's brief moment of control to damage him from within. Deku, aided by hero reinforcements, strikes the killing blow on both All For One and Shigaraki.

Eight years later, Deku's One For All has completely faded, rendering him Quirkless once again. He is now a hero course teacher at U.A, while his former classmates work as pro heroes or sidekicks. All Might gifts Deku a powered suit that replicates his old quirks, funded by both his former classmates and All Might's old colleagues, which he uses to return to hero work while continuing to teach at U.A. In the following months, Deku enters a relationship with Ochaco and becomes the No. 4 Hero.

Series overview

Cast and characters

Production

My Hero Academia producer Wakana Okamura, who previously worked with animation studio Bones on Blood Blockade Battlefront, stated in an interview that he chose to work with Bones on adapting the series because he felt they would make it a "high-quality production" with a "wide reach [both] internationally and domestically". Okamura also stated the production staff, especially character designer Yoshihiko Umakoshi, were fans of the manga.[5] Director Kenji Nagasaki said Bones wanted to "make [the series] with a strong core and backbones".[5] Yōsuke Kuroda said he was a fan of the series prior to its anime adaptation, so he quickly accepted when offered to do the screenwriting.[6]

For the casting, Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine announced that the anime would be starring Daiki Yamashita as Izuku Midoriya, Kenta Miyake as All Might, Nobuhiko Okamoto as Katsuki Bakugo, Ayane Sakura as Ochaco Uraraka, Kaito Ishikawa as Tenya Iida, Aoi Yūki as Tsuyu Asui, Ryō Hirohashi as Minoru Mineta, Marina Inoue as Momo Yaoyorozu, and Yoshimasa Hosoya as Fumikage Tokoyami.[7] In February 2016, Tasuku Hatanaka, Toshiki Masuda and Yuki Kaji joined the cast as Denki Kaminari, Eijirō Kirishima and Shōto Todoroki, respectively.[8] In an interview with Justin Briner and Christopher Sabat, they expressed interest about the English dub in Funimation. Briner, the voice of Izuku, said the dubbing process was more consistent, but also said it felt strange to do it on a regular home video release. Sabat, who voices All Might, felt that even the actors and director were continuing the show without knowing the full story because they had not yet been told what the story was.[5]

During the production for the anime's second season, Umakoshi was impressed by Horikoshi's designs, feeling they were very well-suited for animation. He also stated that in terms of giving the characters more life and movement, all they basically did was simplify the dialogue. He believed that the manga already had a lot of movement before animating. Regarding the fight between Todoroki and Izuku, Umakoshi believed that he was able to develop a story that could not fail by considering which part of the story would be handled by which key animation, and by choosing someone with a high level of skill. He identified certain things and collated who would work best in other parts of the scene. After the airing of an episode, Umakoshi felt that the anime had a great response not only from fans of the manga but also from regular Japanese viewers.[9]

Umakoshi was also looking forward not only the development of the relationship between Deku and All Might, but also between Deku and Bakugo in the future material of the manga, which had not been animated yet. Unlike the other Shonen Jump adaptation titles such as Naruto and One Piece, where the staff worked throughout the year, Umakoshi said the production cycle of My Hero Academia is split into batches. He also said: "Personally, it would be best if I could be working on it continuously, throughout a whole year. But in reality, sometimes it doesn't work out that way, due to different aspects of business and things. But in reality, the schedule did line up so that we worked on the second season right after the first season ended, so I have been working on it somewhat continuously, even if the delivery of the product comes in batches."[9]

Release

In October 2015, the series' official website announced that the manga would receive an anime television series adaptation produced by Bones.[10] The anime is directed by Kenji Nagasaki, written by Yōsuke Kuroda, and features character designs by Yoshihiko Umakoshi.[11][12] The series' first season aired from April 3 to June 26, 2016, on all JNN affiliate stations, including MBS and TBS.[13] A second season was announced in Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine's 30th issue of 2016.[14] The season aired from April 1 to September 30, 2017, on all NNS affiliate stations, including ytv and NTV,[15] with the staff and cast from the first season reprising their roles.[16] A third season was announced in the 44th issue of Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine of 2017,[17][18] which aired from April 7 to September 29, 2018.[19]

A fourth season was announced in the final episode of season three.[20] On December 19 of the same year, the series' official website confirmed a new key visual, along with its release date of October 12, 2019, which aired until April 4, 2020.[21][22] Funimation premiered the first episode of the fourth season at Anime Expo on July 6, 2019, with the English dub.[23][24] Kenji Nagasaki served as chief director of the fourth season, with Masahiro Mukai as director.[25] A fifth season was announced at the end of the final episode of season four,[26] which aired from March 27 to September 25, 2021.[27]

A sixth season was announced at the end of the fifth season's final episode.[28] On July 24, 2022, the Hero Fes event confirmed a new visual, as well as its release date of October 1, 2022,[29] which ran for two consecutive cours that aired until March 25, 2023; it adapted the manga's "Paranormal Liberation War" and "Dark Hero" story arcs.[30][31] A seventh season was announced at the end of the sixth season's final episode,[32] which aired from May 4 to October 12, 2024, with four "Memories" recap specials having aired in the preceding month of April.[33] Naomi Nakayama served as the director of the seventh season.[34]

An eighth and final season was announced at the end of the seventh season's final episode.[35][36] In July 2025, Kōhei Horikoshi was confirmed to being heavily involved in the production, and would provide the new original scenes that were not included in the manga.[37] The season aired from October 4 to December 13, 2025.[36][38] A bonus television special that adapts chapter 431, which was bundled with the 42nd and final volume of the manga, is set to premiere on May 2, 2026. The special was announced at Jump Festa '26 a week after the series finale aired.[39][40]

Original video animations

An original video animation (OVA) based on the anime series was shown at the Jump Festa '16 event on November 27, 2016.[41] Titled "Save! Rescue Training!", it was bundled with the limited edition of the 13th volume of the manga, which released on April 4, 2017. It was later released on DVD releases alongside Black Clover and Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma bundled with the future volumes of their respective manga, as it was announced on Jump Special Anime Festa event.[42] A second OVA, titled "Training of the Dead," bundled with a limited edition of the 14th volume of the manga, released on June 2, 2017. It focuses on a joint practice session between Izuku's class and the other hero department students at U.A. Academy.[43][44] A third OVA, "All Might: Rising," was released on February 13, 2019. It was bundled with the first film's Blu-ray set, and adapted its prequel manga.[45] It was two minutes long.[46]

A two-part original net animation (ONA) titled "Make It! Do-or-Die Survival Training," were released on August 16, 2020, with the returning staff and cast from season 4.[47] Funimation streamed them simultaneously with the Japanese release.[48] An OVA based on the bonus manga chapter "Departure" was included with the "Plus Ultra" edition of My Hero Academia: World Heroes' Mission in Japan.[49] Two new OVA episodes, titled "HLB <Hero League Baseball>" and "Laugh! As If You Are in Hell," were given screenings in Japan from June 16–19, 2022. Internationally, Crunchyroll premiered the episodes at Anime Expo on July 1, 2022. A worldwide streaming release premiered on August 1, 2022.[50][51]

A special OVA episode, titled "UA Heroes Battle," premiered with an English dub at the New York Comic Con on October 13, 2023. The episode has given screenings in Japan from October 20–26, 2023.[52] Crunchyroll streamed it with English subtitles and dub on November 30 of the same year.[53] An OVA based on the bonus manga chapter "A Piece of Cake" was included with the deluxe "Plus Ultra" edition of My Hero Academia: You're Next in Japan.[54]

Theatrical films

An anime film was announced in December 2017 and features an original story set after the manga's "Final Exam" arc.[55] Titled My Hero Academia: Two Heroes, the film had its world premiere at Anime Expo in Los Angeles on July 5, 2018,[56] before a Japanese theatrical release on August 3, 2018, with the staff and cast from the anime series reprising their roles.[57] The film grossed over $33 million worldwide, and ended its theatrical run with $5.8 million to become the tenth highest-grossing animated film in the United States and Canada at that time.[58]

In March 2019, it was announced that a second animated film for the series was in production.[59] On July 7, 2019, the official Twitter account for My Hero Academia revealed the title as My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising; the film was released in Japan on December 20, 2019.[60] The film takes place after the manga's "Meta Liberation Army" arc. It contains story elements that were once going to be used by Kōhei Horikoshi in the series finale.[61] It was released in North America on February 26, 2020.[62] The film grossed $30 million worldwide, and surpassed My Hero Academia: Two Heroes during its ninth domestic gross weekend.[63]

In November 2020, it was announced that a third animated film for the series was in production.[64] The staff and cast from the previous two films reprised their roles.[65] In the first episode of the series' fifth season, the film was revealed to be titled My Hero Academia: World Heroes' Mission. The film was released in Japan on August 6, 2021,[66] and premiered in the United States and Canada on October 29, 2021.[67] The film grossed over $47 million worldwide, and became the tenth highest-grossing domestic film of 2021 in Japan.[68]

A fourth animated film was announced in August 2023, taking place after the manga's "U.A. Traitor" arc.[69] On January 29, 2024, the film was revealed to be titled My Hero Academia: You're Next. It was released in Japan on August 2, 2024,[70][71] and began screening in the United States on October 11, 2024.[72] The film grossed over $32 million worldwide, and surpassed My Hero Academia: World Heroes' Mission as the highest-grossing film of the franchise during its tenth weekend.[73] It also became the tenth highest-grossing domestic film of 2024 in Japan.[74]

International release

In March 2016, Funimation announced they had licensed the international rights for streaming services, the home and broadcast release, and the merchandise rights.[75][76] Universal Pictures UK distributed the first season in the United Kingdom and Ireland on behalf of Funimation,[77] with Sony Pictures UK distributing the second season for Funimation,[78] and Manga Entertainment distributing subsequent seasons for Funimation.[79] In Australia and New Zealand, Universal Sony Pictures Home Entertainment distributed the first two seasons, on behalf of Funimation,[80] with Madman Anime distributing season 3 onwards, in partnership with Funimation.[81] In April 2018, it was announced that the series's English dub would air on Adult Swim's Toonami programming block starting on May 5, 2018.[82] Medialink licensed the series in Southeast Asia.[83] They aired it simultaneously on Animax Asia.[84] In August 2023, Cartoon Network announced that the series would air in India starting on September 10, 2023.[85] The first two seasons of the series's English dub once again aired in the United States on AXS TV from February 20 to October 3, 2025, as part of Web3 company Azuki's short-lived Anime.com Hour programming block.[86]

Music

The original music of the series is composed by Yuki Hayashi.[12] The series has also used twenty-four different theme songs: twelve opening themes and twelve ending themes. The opening theme "The Day", performed by Porno Graffitti, and the ending theme "Heroes", performed by Brian the Sun, were used for the 13 episodes in the first season.[87] For the second season, the first opening theme is "Peace Sign" (ピースサイン) performed by Kenshi Yonezu and the first ending theme is "Dakara, Hitori ja nai" (だから、ひとりじゃない) performed by Little Glee Monster for the first 13 episodes;[88] from episode 14 onwards, the opening theme is "Sora ni Utaeba" (空に歌えば) performed by amazarashi[89] and the ending theme is "Datte Atashi no Hīrō" (だってアタシのヒーロー) performed by LiSA.[90] For the first 13 episodes of the third season, the opening theme is "Odd Future" by Uverworld, while the ending theme is "Update" (アップデート) by miwa.[91] For the rest of the season, the opening theme is "Make my story" by Lenny code fiction and the ending theme is "Long Hope Philia" (ロングホープ・フィリア) by Masaki Suda.[92] For the first 14 episodes of the fourth season, the opening theme is "Polaris" (ポラリス) by Blue Encount, while the ending theme is "Kōkai no Uta" (航海の唄) by Sayuri.[93] For the rest of the season, the opening theme is "Starmarker" (スターマーカー) by Kana-Boon and the ending theme is "Shout Baby" by Ryokuōshoku Shakai.[94] Kyoka Jiro starring Chrissy Costanza performs the insert songs "Each Goal" in episode 19 and "Hero too" in episode 23, with the former insert song was uncredited, while the latter insert song was credited as the U.A. School Festival track.[95]

For the first 13 episodes of the fifth season, the opening theme is "No.1" by Dish, while the ending theme is "Ashiato" (足跡) by the Peggies.[96] From episode 14 onwards, the opening theme is "Merry-Go-Round" by Man with a Mission, while the ending theme is "Uso ja Nai" (嘘じゃない) by Soshi Sakiyama.[97] For the first 13 episodes of the sixth season, the opening theme is "Hitamuki" (ひたむき) by Super Beaver, while the ending theme is "Sketch" by Kiro Akiyama.[98] From episode 14 onwards, the opening theme is "Bokurano" (ぼくらの) by Eve, while the ending theme is "Kitakaze" (キタカゼ) by Six Lounge.[99][100] For the first nine episodes of the seventh season, the opening theme is "Tagatame" (誰我為) by TK from Ling Tosite Sigure and the ending theme is "Tsubomi" (蕾) by Omoinotake.[101][102] From episode ten onwards, the opening theme is "Curtain Call" (カーテンコール) by Yuuri, while the ending theme is "Rokutōsei" (六等星) by Zarame.[103] For the eighth and final season, the opening theme is "The Revo" by Porno Graffitti, who previously provided the opening theme song "The Day" from the first season, and the ending theme is "I" by Bump of Chicken.[104][105]

In November 2021, a concert event titled My Hero Academia Official Live Concert was held in Manhattan.[106] Another concert event, titled My Hero Academia Special Film Concert, was held at Arena Tachikawa Tachihi on November 23, 2023.[107] A two-day Plus Ultra concert event featuring the artists and bands from the series, titled ''Ani-Rock Fes. 2024 My Hero Academia Plus Ultra Live, was held on February 24 and 25, 2024 at Yokohama Arena.[108] A world tour concert event featuring Yuki Hayashi's music and scenes from the anime, titled "My Hero Academia'' in Concert", is set to launch at Pacifico Yokohama on May 30, 2026.[39][109] A ten-city tour across Europe is also set to be held from September 20–October 1, with the U.S. tour announcement in April of the same year.[110]

Reception

Popularity

My Hero Academia was popular with Japanese readers of Charapedia, who voted it the fourth best anime show of Q2 2017.[111] The anime received high TV ratings and has consistently ranked among the top ten animated shows in Japan since the release of its second season.[112] The official music video of the second season's opening theme song, "Peace Sign" by Kenshi Yonezu, reached 48.6 million views on YouTube, becoming one of the top trending videos of 2017.[113] In the United States, My Hero Academia was the second most "in-demand" TV title in the last 60 days in 2020 according to Observer, which tracks popularity through social media, fan ratings, and piracy.[114] In January 2021, it was revealed that the series was the fourth most-watched anime series on Crunchyroll in 2020, being watched in 23 countries and territories, including North America, Central America, South America, and Europe.[115] In April of the same year, the fifth season of the series set the record for the most-watched premiere of any series on MyAnimeList, surpassing other anime titles such as Attack on Titan: The Final Season, The Promised Neverland season 2, and Dr. Stone: Stone Wars.[116]

According to Video Research, the premiere of its sixth season earned a television rating of 3.9% (an improvement from the previous season's 3.2%) and ranked as the fourth-most watched anime, outperforming other popular series such as One Piece, Spy × Family, and Doraemon in the average household viewership in Japan.[117] The sixth season's fifth episode became one of the most-watched episodes of the series, garnering over 3.01 million viewers across 2.26 million households. Additionally, more than 2.64 million people who watched the anime, was an increase of 325,000 viewers from its season premiere, which had an individual viewership rating of 2.1%.[118] By December 22, 2022, the series ranked as the fifth "Most-Watched Anime in Japan" for December 2022.[119] The sixth season's finale averaged 2.01 million viewers on television after its broadcast.[120]

On Tumblr's Year in Review, which highlights the largest communities, fandoms, and trends on the platform throughout the year, My Hero Academia ranked first in the Top Anime & Manga Shows category from 2018 to 2021.[121][122][123][124] The characters also placed highly in the rankings of the Top Anime & Manga Characters category. In 2019, Izuku Midoriya ranked first, with 17 other spots being occupied by other My Hero Academia characters in the top 50 list;[122] seven were ranked on the top 10 list in 2020;[123] and five in 2021.[124] The series also ranked fifth on Tumblr's Top 10 overall in the 2018 list;[125] it ranked ninth on the Top 20 overall in 2020;[123] and tenth on the Top 21 overall in 2021.[124] It placed seventeenth on Twitter Japan's Trend Awards in 2021, based on the social network's top trending topics of the year.[126]

In April 2024, My Hero Academia was the most popular animated superhero show or franchise according to analyst Miles Atherton, where the data was compiled through social media engagement for the popular new series and its growing popularity for anime. With 4.7 million social media engagements, it was the second most-discussed series, ahead of X-Men '97, Invincible, and KonoSuba in the last 30 days, despite the seventh season having not began airing.[127] After the series' finale, the final season has an average rating of 9.5/10 on IMDb, while becoming the first full-length anime season to achieve a 9+ rating in every episode, with episode 8 had a 9.9/10 on its premiere day that became at the time, the website's highest-rated TV episode of 2025.[128][129]

In 2026, My Hero Academia was named by the Guinness World Records and data-science firm Parrot Analytics as the "Most in-demand animated TV show", with a global demand rating 57.5 times greater than that of the average TV show, previously held by Hazbin Hotel.[130]

Sales

My Hero Academia sales have been high and the series has been successful in Japan since the release of the anime. The five volumes of the first season on Blu-ray and DVD were released in Japan, with each release appearing in Oricon's Animation Blu-ray and Animation DVD ranking. The first Blu-ray edition of My Hero Academia ranked fifth in the first week of Oricon's Blu-ray ranking, while the first DVD edition ranked fourth with 2,184 copies sold.[131] The second Blu-ray and DVD sets also ranked, with the Blu-ray edition coming in sixth and DVD fifth for a week.[132] The third Blu-ray edition ranked fourth with 1,700 copies sold, while the DVD release was eighth with 1,184 copies sold.[133] The fourth Blu-ray and DVD collections ranked fifth and fourth, respectively.[134] The fifth Blu-ray and DVD release sales ranked higher than the previous volumes; the Blu-ray came in at third with 1,473 copies sold and the DVD ranked second with 1,068 copies sold in a week.[135] Four volumes of the second season on Blu-ray and DVD also appeared in Oricon's Animation Blu-ray and DVD ranking. The first Blu-ray edition ranked seventh, while the DVD ranked fifth.[136] The third Blu-ray edition was among the top 20 in Oricon's Animation Blu-ray ranking, while the DVD was tenth among the 30 Animation DVD ranking.[137] The seventh Blu-ray and DVD ranked eighth,[138] while the eighth Blu-ray and DVD sets ranked fourth.[139]

The second season's opening theme, "Peace Sign" by Kenshi Yonezu, topped the Billboard charts on the Billboard Japan Hot 100;[140] it peaked at number two on the Oricon charts.[141] By the end of 2017, the Bootleg soundtrack album including "Peace Sign" became the top-selling anime CD album on Oricon's chart with 241,754 copies sold.[142] It was the top-selling anime CD album in the first half of 2018 with 134,777 copies sold; the other compilation album, LiSA BEST: Day, which includes the second ending theme song of the second season, "Datte Atashi no Hero" by LiSA, ranked fifth on Oricon's chart simultaneously.[143] Seven volumes of the third season on Blu-ray and DVD appeared in Oricon's Animation Blu-ray and DVD ranking, respectively. The first Blu-ray edition ranked ninth, while the DVD ranked third.[144] The second Blu-ray edition ranked sixth, while the DVD ranked fifth.[145] The third Blu-ray edition ranked fourth, while the DVD ranked second.[146] The fourth Blu-ray and DVD sets ranked fifth and sixth, respectively.[147] The fifth Blu-ray set ranked third with 1,194 copies sold, while the DVD ranked second.[148] The seventh Blu-ray and DVD sets ranked ninth and sixth, respectively.[149] The eighth Blu-ray and DVD sets ranked fourth and third, respectively.[150] By the end of 2018, Bootleg became the top-selling anime CD album for the second consecutive year while LiSA BEST: Day ranked ninth on Oricon's chart.[151]

Critical reception

My Hero Academia was met with positive reviews from critics, and is considered to be one of the best anime series of all time.[152][153][154] The series has a rating of 100% on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes.[155] Alex Osborn of IGN gave the first season a nine out of ten rating, praising its action, story, and characters, while criticizing its villains as underdeveloped. Osborn also stated that "its excellent character design only elevates the memorable cast even further". He concluded that "the first season of My Hero Academia delivers thirteen episodes of fantastic action, elevated by a heartfelt story that's wrapped around a core cast of memorable and relatable characters".[156] In his review for the second season, Osborn praised it as "truly something special", complimenting the animation, character developments, and emotions. He called it as "one of the best TV shows" he had ever watched.[157] Tom Speelman of Polygon praised the anime for its animation, action and characters. Speelman also stated that compared to other superhero teams like X-Men or Legion of Super-Heroes, My Hero Academia's biggest asset is its huge cast, with even minor characters having a "fun look" or "interesting personality" for readers to latch onto. He noted that it has similarities to the other shows and comics like Teen Titans, Runaways, or Young Justice, though he felt its closest thematic analog is the 2005 Disney film Sky High.[158] Chris Beveridge from The Fandom Post also praised the anime. He said that despite it being a long running series, it manages to not feel directionless and has several great moments.[159]

Nick Creamer of Anime News Network also praised the adaptation. He gave praise to the music and animation in the action scenes, while criticizing the pacing and stating that the animation can be average at times.[160] In his review of the second season, he gave it praise for the improvements to both pacing and animation.[161] Sam Leach of Anime News Network highlighted the 49th episode, which is the second battle between All Might and All For One. Leach wrote: "It was unavoidable that this was going to be a beautiful episode. That bloodied-up All Might is striking in either form, and you can tell they pulled out all the stops in making the big hits as intense and crazy as possible. From a pacing perspective, I'm really pleased with how this Bakugo Rescue arc played out." He concluded: "This is My Hero Academia's proudest moment in the spotlight. Not only does it continue to be the darling of modern Shonen Jump with one of the mostly perfectly tuned anime adaptations a long-running series has ever received, this is an accomplishment of storytelling across the board."[162] Marina Garrow from Anime Feminist praised the way the plot handles damsel-in-distress elements, especially when compared to other series, stating that the female characters are not the only characters that need saving, and when they do need saving, the situations are realistic and not overexaggerated.[163]

Both the original Japanese cast and the English dub received praise from critics. Osborn applauded the casting choices and overall voice work, adding that Izuku's voice actor Daiki Yamashita is a "perfect fit" in the Japanese dub, while praising Justin Briner's performance in English as excellent and standout.[156] Creamer rated both equally, stating that the dub cast of the major characters generally fits their roles very well, though criticizing some of the background characters' performances.[160] Andy Hanley from UK Anime Network concured, stating both casts had strong performances; however, he gave special praise to the dub cast, saying that each actor fits their role very well.[164] Speelman stated that both Japanese and English casts know exactly how to make these roles work. He noted that both Yamashita and Briner's voice as Izuku "nail the optimistic nerdiness and heroic attitude", with Briner "channeling a bit of Morty Smith for good measure". He also praised the voice performances of All Might, noting that Japanese voice actor Kenta Miyake "nails the goofy earnestness of the part", while English voice actor Christopher Sabat "was essentially Superman", Speelman felt was a "great fit".[158]

The anime series has been named as one of the best of the 2010s in several publications. Writing for Comic Book Resources, Sage Ashford ranked it fourth on his list, praising its character development. Although he criticized the series' perceived lack of originality, he felt it executes the classic tropes perfectly, describing it as the "most finely tuned battle shonen ever created".[165] Paste and Men's Health named the series as one of the best anime of all time.[152][153] In November 2019, Polygon named it as one of the best anime of the 2010s,[166] and Crunchyroll listed it in their "Top 25 best anime of the 2010s".[167] In January 2020, IGN and Thrillist named it among the best anime series of the 2010s.[168] Japan Web Magazine ranked the series 24th on its list of "30 Best Anime of All Time".[169]

Accolades

At the Crunchyroll's inaugural Anime Awards in 2017, Izuku was awarded "Hero of the Year" while the anime series was nominated in six other categories including "Anime of the Year". In December 2017, the second season of My Hero Academia was among the Top 100 Favorites nominated for Anime of the Year at the Tokyo Anime Award Festival 2018.[170] At the 2nd Crunchyroll Anime Awards in 2018, the season won seven out of ten nominations: Best Action, Best Animation, Best Opening ("Peace Sign"), Best Girl (Ochaco Uraraka), Best Boy (Shoto Todoroki), Best Villain (Stain), and Best Hero (Izuku Midoriya) categories; Christopher Sabat also received the Industry Icon Award for his role as All Might. The series ranked first in a "mega poll" of the readers for Best Anime of 2017 and 2018 by Anime News Network.[171]

My Hero Academia won "Shonen Series of the Decade" at the Funimation's Decade of Anime poll, where the fans voted for their favorite anime across multiple categories. In the other fan poll, Izuku Midoriya and Shoto Todoroki were chosen as one of the "Best Boys of the Decade", while Ochaco Uraraka became one of the five recipients for the "Best Girls of the Decade" category. In 2021, the series won the "Most In-Demand Anime Series of 2020" at the third Global TV Demand Awards; it won the same award at the seventh and eighth editions in 2025 and 2026, while being one of the finalists for "Most In-Demand TV Series in the World". In 2023, the series along with Attack on Titan, became the first anime to receive an Astra TV Award nomination for "Best Streaming Animated Series or TV Movie" at the inaugural and only Astra Creative Arts TV Awards edition.

Awards and nominations

External links

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