Boko no Hero Academia or popularly known as My Hero Academia, is one of the most watched and loved anime series. It also shares the platform of the new ‘Big 3’ of the animeverse along with Jujutsu Kaisen and Demon Slayer. My Hero Academia has succeeded in setting up a parameter and competition for upcoming animes and mangas to work on their story and animations.
The series’ storyline is set up in a fictional superhero world. A world where individuals are born with abilities commonly known as “quirks” which grant them powers. However, the world is not the same for everyone, and Izuku Midoriya is born “quirkless” and is constantly bullied by his classmates. Despite the prejudice, Izuku sees and follows his dream of becoming a superhero.
All Might, the greatest superhero, chooses Izuku Midoriya as his successor and transfers his quirk “One for All” to him. With the dream of becoming a superhero, Izuku joins the U.A. Highschool for the Hero trainees. With the help of All Might, Izuku works towards his dream of becoming a superhero.
My Hero Academia is a superhero genre manga written and illustrated by Kohei Horikoshi in the Weekly Shonen Jump magazine in 2014. Horikoshi initially experimented with the series and released it as a one-shot by the name of “My Hero” in 2008.
The anime adaptation was released in 2015 by the production house Bones. It became a huge success since its release and is still one of the most popular ‘new gen’ anime series in the world. The anime has a total of 6 seasons consisting of 138 episodes. The production house has also released three movies and an extra six OVAs to date.
My Hero Academia is a great success and has magnificent sales in manga volumes as well as incredible viewer response to the anime. The anime is popular to the extent that Marvel Studios came in contact with the developers of the show for the promotion of their movie, Avengers: Infinity War.
The manga artist, Kohei Horikoshi, is one of the most respected individuals in the manga industry. He was praised for his work by other creators, such as Naruto’s creator, Masashi Kishimoto, and One Piece’s author, Eiichiro Oda. The characters of the series, too, gained fandom and is one of the most cosplayed anime, ranking ninth in 2017.
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My Hero Academia Storyline
Izuku Midoriya is born “quirkless” in the world of superheroes and superpowers and belongs to a minority of the quirkless people. Due to his condition, he is constantly bullied by his classmates with powers, but he has a dream to become a great superhero. To Izuku’s anticipation, he meets Japan’s strongest superhero, All Might, who finds Izuku as his successor and a person suited for his quirk, One for All.
Izuku starts training his body to be able to adapt to the powers of All Might’s quirk, as the base of it is raw strength. Meanwhile, he also attempts to join U.A. High School, one of the best institutes for Hero trainees. With the help of the powers received from All Might, Izuku manages to successfully get accepted into the U.A. High School, and his journey to becoming a great hero starts.
My Hero Academia watch order
My Hero Academia has released several seasons, movies, and OVAs to date, and the story is still in progress, assuring the fans of future projects. It has a total of six seasons, three movies, and seven OVAs. Watching the series in an adequate order increases the excitement and enhances the viewer’s experience; however, with several seasons and movies, My Hero Academia’s watch order is quite complicated, and including the OVAs, it is pretty complex.
Season 1
The first swain of My Hero Academia aired in 2016; it contained a total of four arcs: “Entrance Exam Arc,” “Quirk Apprehension Test Arc”, “Battle Trial Arc,” and “U.S.J. Arc” with a total of 13 episodes.
The first season showcases the journey of Izuku Midoriya from being a quirkless kid to being bestowed with Japan’s greatest superhero’s quirk. Izuku trains his body to be able to withstand the quirk’s raw strength and appears in the U.A. High School entrance exam. He is able to get admitted to the High School and attend class 1-A with other upcoming heroes.
The U.A. High School is like your normal high school. Instead, it focuses more on hero traits and knowledge of the superheroes and villains. During one of the field exercises, the villain group, “League of Villains,” makes their appearance. This is also the first time the series’s one of the main antagonist group made their appearance.
With All Might’s sudden appearance at the spot, the plans of the League of Villains came to a halt, but they made their intentions clear about their fight with the Hero Association and declared war against them.
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Save! Rescue Training
It is the first OVA of the series and was released in 2016. The OVA exhibits the events after the first season. Shota Aizawa reports the incident to the parents of the students, and the students return to school after a break of four weeks. The rescue training continues with all the students participating in it and also has the appearance of All Might, disguised as a villain, to add up to the experience of class 1-A.
Season 2
My Hero Academia’s second season was aired in 2017 and consisted of three arcs: “U.A. Sports Festival Arc”, “Vs. Hero Arc”, and “Final Exams Arc,” with a total of 25 episodes.
The second season covered the U.A. High School festival and other certain events. After the League of Villain’s appearance, class 1-A prepares themselves for the annual School Festival. The school festival provides a platform for the students to set their names in the hero world and show their true value. The school festival ended with Bakugo winning the tournament and Todoroki coming second. Nonetheless, all the matches during the tournament were breathtaking, and Izuku managed to show his true value in the tournament.
After the School Festival, the students attend their internships; Izuku goes to Gran Torino, All Might’s teacher, and learns to better control One for All. At Hosu City, the “Hero Killer” Stain is responsible for Iida’s brother’s injuries, and the students have an encounter with him.
Izuku, Iida, and Todoroki manage to capture Stain at the cost of heavy injuries; however, a little later, Stain dies due to exposed lungs. All for One, the mastermind behind the “League of Villains,” is later introduced.
Later, the students appear for their final exams, in which they are tasked to fight against a teacher in a pair. The students perform better than expected and pass it.
Training of the Dead
Training of the Dead is the second OVA in the series My Hero Academia. It was released in 2021.
The episode starts with Eraser Head introducing four students from Isamu Academy High School to take part in a training camp at a forest. The students are divided into a team of four, and the basic rule is the team to survive till the end wins.
During the training, due to one of Isamu’s student’s quirks, all the players are converted into a zombie form and attack each other. The sequence provides us with some great fight scenes and is a light episode to watch.
All Might: Rising
The third OVA in the My Hero Academia story and next in the watch order is All Might: Rising. The plot shows the origin story of Japan’s greatest hero, All Might. It was released in 2019.
After the death of Toshinori Yogi’s mentor, Nana Shimora, he works hard to become the next symbol of peace and adapts the name “All Might.” Toshinori gets his teaching from Gran Torino and U.A. High and trains to become stronger. In the end, he departs for America so that he can be far from the reach of his nemesis, All for One. All Might promised to return to Japan one day.
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Season 3
My Hero Academia’s third season aired in 2018 and consisted of three arcs: “Forest Training Camp Arc”, “Hideout Raid Arc”, and “Provisional Hero License Arc,” with a total of 25 episodes.
After the end of the first term, class 1-A and 1-B goes on a school trip to a training camp. At the camp, the instructors are the superhero group, “Wild, wild cats,”. Meanwhile, the League of Villains prepares to attack the training camp to create panic in the hero society. The villains manage to kidnap Bkugo and heavily injure the other students. The incident was a matter of embarrassment for the heroes, and it berated their stand in the general public.
On the other hand, Midoriya, Yaoyorozu, Todoroki, Kirishima, and Iida attempt to rescue Bakugo on their own and go out in search of him in disguise. At the villain hideout, the heroes conduct a raid, but All for One’s appearance makes the situation more complex. All Might also make his appearance, and he has a fight with All for One. All for One reveals that he brainwashed the grandson of All Might’s mentor and made him the new leader of the “League of Villains,” Tomura Shigaraki.
At the end of the brawl, All Might turn out to be victorious but loses most of his powers and encourages the next generation, and announces his retirement. The students are shifted to a dormitory built for their protection. The students attempt their Hero Licence Test, the License to be officially called powers and use them in public. All the students except, Todoroki and Bakugo passed the exam and got their provisional licenses.
My Hero Academia: Two Heroes
Two Heroes is the first movie in the My Hero Academia and was released in 2021. Midoriya, along with All Might, attended an expo on the man-made island I-Island. The island was built for the sole purpose of scientists to research quirks. The expo is organized by one of All Might’s old friends and previous sidekick, David Shield.
At the expo, several other students from U.A. High also participate, including Shoto and Bakugo. In the meantime, a villain group led by Wolfram invades the expo with the intention of stealing David’s inventions.
With the interruption of the villains and the weakened state of All Might, it is now up to the students to defeat the villains and lead the visitors to safety. The students, with the help of their quirks and a proper plan, fight off the villains and free All Might from the invaders.
Due to Wolfram’s quirk and his being related to All for One, it took All Might and Midoriya’s combined power to take him down.
Make it: Do-or-Die Survival Training
It is the fourth OVA of the series My Hero Academia and was released in 2020. The OVA was a survival training designed by Eraser Head for the students of class 1-A to prepare them for the upcoming Hunter Licence Exam.
The students are divided into two teams and are instructed to rescue a dummy doll from a six-storeyed building. Team A is the first one to perform the rescue operation, but the operation takes a wrong turn when the students become more and more prone to accidents. This raises doubt if it was normal for Eraser Head to set this much difficulty for the training.
Despite all the mishappenings, Team A was successful in rescuing the dummy doll with minor injuries to some of the students.
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Season 4
My Hero Academia’s fourth season aired in 2019 and consisted of three arcs: “Shie Hassaikai Arc”, “Remedial Course Arc”, and “U.A. School Festival Arc,” with a total of 25 episodes.
Midoriya starts working with Sir Nighteye, once All Might’s sidekick and now a superhero, for Hero-Work Studies. Meanwhile, a villain group by the name of Shie Hassaikai makes their move. They, with the help of a young girl, Eri, make bullets that can reverse a person’s quirk.
Midoriya, along with Todoroki, Bakugo, and other superheroes, infiltrates their hideout, which leads to intense fight scenes and major character developments. The heroes emerge victorious but at the cost of serious losses on their side too.
After the events of Shie Hassaikai, class 1-A is tasked with organizing the annual School festival. The students are said to perform a concert on their own. Izuku, with his friends, plans and execute the festival and lead it to great success. Class 1-A is also praised for their performance and organization.
The season also showed the background of various characters and their overcoming of their past traumatic experiences leading them to be better superheroes.
The new Hero ranking is revealed, with Endeavor being the new Number 1 after All Might’s retirement and Hawks claiming the Number 2 spot. Dabi from League of Villains sends an intelligent nomu, Hood, to hunt down Endeavor. Despite the difficulties, Endeavor successfully subdues the name and displays himself as the new symbol of peace.
Season 5
The fifth season and the next in My Hero Academia watched order aired in 2021 and consisted of four arcs: “Pro Hero Arc,” “Joint Training Arc,” “Endeavor Agency Arc,” and “Meta Liberation Army Arc” with a total of 25 episodes.
The fifth season starts with classes 1-A and 1-B participating in a joint training session to improve their quirks and combat skills. Despite class 1-A emerging victorious in the joint session, class 1-B showcased their talents and their hard work, as it was a close match every time.
The students are informed about the return of Hero Work studies and to join a hero agency. While the others go back to their previous internships, Midoriya, Bakugo, and Todoroki join the hero Endeavor’s agency. Endeavor comes close to his family in the meantime and apologies for him ignoring them all this time.
In the meantime, the League of Villains and the Meta Liberation Army form a collaboration to overthrow the hero association. Meta Liberation Army’s leader Re-Destro is subdued by Shiguraki’s Decay, and he decides o follow Shiguraki as the movement’s leader. Shiguraki’s quirk, Decay, reaches a new level and is now able to destroy anything that he is connected with. The arc also shows the reason behind Shiguraki becoming a villain and All for One’s influence on him.
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My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising
Heroes Rising is the second movie in the My Hero Academia franchise, released in 2021. The students of class 1-A were assigned to Hero Work Recommendation Work and were sent to Nabu Island to act as performing heroes and carry out certain duties.
Nabu Island has no serious villains and seems like a vacation spot for the students. But soon, a villain by the name of Nine attacks the island, creating havoc in the neighborhood. The phone lines being cut by the villains and the harbor being destroyed leave the students with no other choice than to fight the villains themselves.
The villains intend to capture a kid resident with the power to activate certain cells in the body to enhance their abilities. Nine has been given the quirk by All for One and uses the quirk’s power to fight the students. Initially, MIdoriya is no match for him and loses against him despite the help from Bakugo. However, after an intense fight between class 1-A and the villains, class 1-A emerge victorious.
Departure
The fifth OVA of the series was released in 2022. Departure sets up the story for the next “World Heroes’ Mission” and acts as a prologue to the movie. The episode presented the Endeavor Agency with a request from a foreign country, Otheon. Midoriya, Shoto, and Bakugo join the agency on their way to the country.
The three, including Endeavor, board the plane and are also accompanied by superhero Hawks and Fumikage. The episode is a light comedy as the four argue over seating arrangements, and it is a fun sequence to watch.
My Hero Academia: World Heroes’ Mission
World Heroes’ Mission is the third movie in the My Hero Academia and was aired in 2021. A certain sect, Humarise, led by Flect Turn, aims at destroying the world and providing salvation for “quirkless” people. He bombards a major city by exposing a toxic gas that triggers a person’s quirk and makes them out of control.
The All-Star World Hero Association announces All Might as their advisor and creates an anti-terrorist joint task force of heroes to raid the branches of the Humarise sect. The students of the U.A. High School were also recruited to encourage the new generation of heroes. Midoriya, Shoto, and Bakugo, along with Rody, a hero from another country, reveal the secret behind the Humarise sect and fight against the villains to stop the bomb from triggering.
Hero League Baseball
The sixth OVa in the My Hero Academia franchise and a part of the two special episodes released in 2022. Hero League Baseball is an association created for the heroes to play and have fun in their spare time.
The episode sets up a fun and light mood for the viewers. It also shows how the hero world also needs their free time to be away from the rough and dangerous duties.
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Laugh! As if you are in hell
The seventh OVA and the last, to date, next in the My Hero Academia watch order we have is Laugh! As if you are in hell. The special episode was released along with Hero League Baseball in 2022.
At the Endeavor Agency, a request to track and capture a graffiti artist by the name of Mr. Smiley has arrived. Endeavor hesitated at first but accepted the request due to the firm insistence of the officer. Mr. Smiley’s quirk allows the person looking at him to laugh uncontrollably.
The filler episode is yet another fun-centric episode and a light watch for the viewers.
Season 6
The sixth season of the My Hero Academia aired in 2023 and consisted of two arcs: “Paranormal Liberation War Arc” and “Dark Hero Arc,” with a total of 25 episodes.
The League of Villains and the Meta Liberation Army have joined forces to create the Paranormal Liberation Army and aim to destroy the current Hero-led society.
The heroes, led by Endeavor and joined by other distinguished characters, launch an attack on the army’s hideout, which leads to an intense and rigorous fight. Shiguraki has enhanced his quirk and has toughened his body with the help of experiments and aims for Midoriya to obtain the One for All. Knowing Shiguraki’s target, Midoriya, Bakugo, Endeavor, and Gran Torina encounter him, which leads to an intense fight between the two groups.
The war leads to many revealings, including Dabi being the oldest son of Endeavor and Shoto’s older brother. Shiguraki succeeds in taking part in One for All from Midoriya, and All for One is able to take control of Shiguraki’s consciousness. Shiguraki, along with other villains, flees from the site and opens the gates of the maximum security prison, Tartarus. He releases all the villains captured there and commands them.
After the war, the heroes’ side is faced with a lot of protest from the general public and has also faced losses due to the death of many heroes. Gran Torino and Eraser Head are critically injured, Endeavor undergoes surgery, and Midoriya goes into a comatose state.
After the incident, the heroes’ image in the eyes of the public has been berated, and the villains create havoc in the city. Izuku, on the other hand, meets the predecessors of One for All in the vestige world and has a discussion with them on his powers and awakening. Sometime later, he regains his consciousness and decides to leave the U.A. High School, working alongside Endeavor to defeat All for One.
Midoriya is drawn to the depths of solitary due to being alone and a working hero all the time until he is saved by class 1-A students and his friends. The other heroes now start their final battle with All for One.
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