When you buy through our links, Comicbook may earn an affiliate commission. Fans of the long running anime series My Hero Academia will be excited to know that Funko has just dropped a new line of MHA Pops that will definitely help with the post-show sadness. Indeed, the show is coming to an end this year with its eighth and final season, and you can prepare yourself with Funko Pops of heroes and villains such as Midoriya, Shigaraki, Star and Stripe, Dabi, and even a glow-in-the-dark Dabi chase! These Pops are available to pre-order now here on Amazon and should be available here at Entertainment Earth later today. A full breakdown of the wave can be found below.

• My Hero Academia Izuku Midoriya Funko Pop 
• My Hero Academia Tomura Shigaraki Funko Pop
• My Hero Academia Lady Nagant Funko Pop
• My Hero Academia Stain Funko Pop
• My Hero Academia Star and Stripe Funko Pop
• My Hero Academia Dabi Funko Pop with the chance at a Glow-in-the-Dark Chase 
• You can keep up with all of the latest Funko Pop drops here via our weekly roundup.

More My Hero Academia News 

For those of us who like to watch heroes and villains battle it out with different quirks – don’t worry. Although MHA will soon be finished, a new spin-off show is right around the corner. My Hero Academia: Vigilantes is set to make its anime debut this year, marking the first time that the My Hero Academia universe has produced a spin-off. The new series will be set 5 years before the events of the original anime, meaning this series should fill in the gaps in the original anime for some of the mainstay characters. 

While the original series had us following pro heroes who operated within the system, this new anime brings us face to face with a vigilante – ‘The Crawler’, AKA Koichi Haimawari, a young wannabe hero who tries to help his neighborhood by using his abilities without an official hero license. However, it doesn’t take long for Koichi to get wrapped up in a much larger mess than he was ready for. 

The new My Hero Academia: Vigilantes anime will make its debut some time in April as part of the Spring 2025 anime schedule. Animation production will be handled by Studio Bones, just like the original My Hero Academia series.

Want to stay up to date with all the latest anime news and collectibles? Then keep an eye on our Gear Page!

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In 2024, manga artist Kohei Horikoshi made the decision to end the story of Izuku Midoriya and his fellow students at UA Academy with the final chapter of My Hero Academia. While the long-running manga series might have ended, there are still several projects in store for Class 1-A. One of the biggest was the side story My Hero Academia: Team-Up Missions, which would create new short stories that would see heroes teaming up for unique quests. Much like the torch holder, Team-Up Missions has wrapped its story and creator Yoco Akiyama has a message to the fans who have been following the spin-off since the start.

My Hero Academia: Team-Up Missions first began in 2019, focusing on stories that were far more light-hearted than the fight against All For One and Shigaraki. Rather than entirely focusing on Deku and his goal of becoming the world’s greatest hero, the spin-off would see some lesser known heroes joining forces to take on threats that never made their way to the main series. With the shonen franchise confirming that My Hero Academia: Vigilantes is receiving its own anime adaptation, the idea that Team-Up Missions will one day be animated isn’t completely out of the question.

[RELATED: After Five Years, a Hit My Hero Academia Series Is Ending This Weekend]

A Final Plus Ultra Message

The final page of My Hero Academia: Team-Up Mission’s last chapter once again brings together the main heroes of Class 1-A and their teachers for an ensemble image. Stating that “this is a side story of how we strove to become heroes,” the spin-off took the chance to both thank fans and promote the next manga from creator Yoco Akiyama. The final message read, “Thank you for reading! Please look forward to Akiyama-Sensei’s next work. Team-Up Mission Volume 8 will release sometime in 2025!”

My Hero Academia’s Anime Future

2025 will be a big year for UA Academy, not only thanks to the arrival of the eighth and final season of My Hero Academia’s anime, but the arrival of My Hero Academia: Vigilantes from Studio BONES. While not confirmed for this year, the superhero shonen franchise also might have future movies to release, as the latest film, My Hero Academia: You’re Next, was a hit at the box office. Considering how the manga came to a close, there might be some wild territory for future silver screen premieres to explore in Hero Society.

Want to stay up to date on Class 1-A following the conclusion of the series? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook.com for the latest updates on My Hero Academia and hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics and anime.

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Released in September 2024, Ichi the Witch, a supernatural fantasy manga, has already won the hearts of many. It is written by Osamu Nishi and illustrated by Shiro Usazaki. At the end of each year, Manga Plus, the official global source of Shonen Jump manga, releases the top rankings. The ranking for all the new series is compiled based on the number of views within the first seven days after the first chapter’s release. The list is specifically limited to the series translated into English.

The app added 57 English-translated series in 2024, and Ichi the Witch ranked second, just behind Drama Queen. Ichi the Witch will release its first volume on January 4th, 2025. The bottom of the cover includes a comment from My Hero Academia creator Koehei Horikoshi. He says, “A high fantasy that is at once witty and stylish, and at the same time rich and deep. How many people can draw this balance? This is an ideal shonen manga that allows the reader to expand the world naturally.” With over 100 million copies in circulation, My Hero Academia is one of the most popular manga of all time. The mangaka’s comment on the first volume is surely a prideful moment for this new series as the official account on X promotes the volume’s release.

[RELATED: Shonen Jump’s Ichi the Witch Is Getting an Animated Manga in the New Year]

What is the Plot of Ichi the Witch?

The story is set in a fantasy world inhabited by magical creatures known as Majiks. Traditionally, individuals called Witches hunt these Majiks to extract their magic. It is believed that only women can become witches, and they are respected by everyone for their great power. Ichi, a young boy, lives on Druid Mountain and sustains himself through hunting. He was abandoned on the mountain and left to die, but he turned his situation around and became a skilled hunter.

The Druid Mountain hides a dangerous creature whose heart cannot be pierced by a woman. The powerful Majik threatens the safety of the people, but the witches are unable to defeat it. Hence, Ichi steps in to save the day. After defeating the Majik, he becomes the first male witch. His experience as a hunter influences his approach to magic, which blends survival instincts with newfound powers. The story continues as he challenges the long-held belief that only women can hold such a position.

Along the way, he encounters various challenges and adversaries, including powerful beings like King Uroro, who embodies hatred and has caused significant destruction. Ichi’s journey is full of confrontations with such formidable foes, as well as interactions with other witches and creatures in this magical world. While he does face opposition from traditionalists and rival witches, a few of them support Ichi and even see him as a harbinger of change. Not only that, Ichi also befriends some Majiks who sense his respect for their kind.

The manga has 16 chapters, which are currently released on the official Manga Plus app. While the release date of the first volume has been revealed, it’s only for the Japanese version. The English translation will take at least a few months to be globally available.

H/T: Official account of Ichi the Witch on X, Official Website of Manga Plus

The post My Hero Academia Creator Praises This Supernatural Hit as “Ideal for Shonen Manga” appeared first on ComicBook.com.

With the celebrations surrounding My Hero Academia‘s ending and the release of the final volume slowly winding down, Kohei Horikoshi’s hit superhero franchise is all but ready to be wrapped up. That said, fans of the series may soon have to bid farewell not only to My Hero Academia but also to its hit spin-off series, Team-Up Missions, which is finally ending in 2025 after five long years.

As per an official listing on Amazon Japan, Saikyo Jump’s February 2025 issue will include the final chapter of My Hero Academia: Team-Up Missions, the popular spin-off written and illustrated by Yoko Akiyama. The issue releases on January 4th, 2025, concluding the long-running spin-off this weekend with Chapter 52. No other details have been provided regarding what to expect from this final chapter as of yet.

[Related: My Hero Academia: Team-Up Mission 45 Cover Pairs Deku With Koji Koda]

My Hero Academia: Team-Up Missions To Wrap Up Its Run in 2025

Authored by one of Horikoshi’s talented assistants Yoko Akiyama, Team-Up Missions has been in serialization in Saikyo Jump for nearly half as long as the main series itself. Though not as popular as My Hero Academia‘s other spin-off Vigilantes, Team-Up Missions certainly has its own unique appeal by offering a window into the daily lives of the Class 1-A students and the rest of My Hero Academia‘s myriad side characters that generally don’t get much of the spotlight in the main series.

The spin-off has been collected into 7 volumes so far, the latest of which was released on December 4th, 2024. Five of these volumes are available in English so far, with Volume 6 set to release on March 4th, 2025. As such, it may be a while until non-Japanese fans can get their hands on the final chapter releasing this weekend as the final eighth volume of Team-Up Missions likely won’t be released in Japan until August or September 2025, judging by the pattern of release so far.

Source: Amazon Japan

The post After Five Years, a Hit My Hero Academia Series Is Ending This Weekend appeared first on ComicBook.com.

With 2024 nearing its end, it’s time to look ahead to what’s hitting in the anime world next year. This past year had some of the biggest releases we have seen in years as both TV anime and feature film releases have hit higher heights than ever before. It’s put a ton of pressure of what’s coming next in 2025, and hopefully the next wave of anime coming next year is going to all of those marks set by this year. Perhaps there is even a chance of 2025 surpassing everything that has come before with some of the new releases leading the pack.

2025 has revealed a lot of the new anime fans can look forward to over the next year. While far from the end of the reveals as lots of projects still under wraps, there are enough new anime already announced that the next year is already looking like it’s stacked with contenders for the best. There are plenty of new seasons for blockbuster franchises, manga making their highly anticipated anime debuts, brand new originals from prominent creative teams and more coming our way.

Read on for ten of the most anticipated new anime releases coming in 2025, and get ready for the new year!

Sakamoto Days

Release Date: January 11th (Netflix)

Leading the pack for new Shonen Jump series making their anime debuts in 2025 is Yuto Suzuki’s Sakamoto Days. As one of the more recent generation of action series that’s starting to find its groove with fans, Sakamoto Days is enjoying more of a cult favorite status at the moment. The anime is going to change things big time, however, as the action series is meant for as wide of an audience as possible. Following retired assassin turned convenience store owner, Taro Sakamoto, this series is ruled by what the coolest thing is at any given time.

This action might be based in the grounded assassination world, but the characters are anything but. Constantly bending the laws of physics to make fights as cool looking as they possibly be (as Sakamoto can be seen fighting across moving trains and through buildings), this series is basically perfect to share clips of online. It’s going to be a hit when it finds its audience.

Witch Watch

Release Window: April 2025

Kenta Shinohara’s Witch Watch is in the same generation as Sakamoto Days as it’s going to be Shonen Jump’s big anime premiere of the Spring. The two series could not be more different, however, as Witch Watch takes a fun, episodic approach to its own stories. When Morihito Otogi, an ogre, gets tasked with guarding his childhood friend, Nico, when she completes her training to become a witch, the two’s lives are never the same. The anime is guaranteed to have wacky magical shenanigans pretty much every week, and is going to serve as a fun way to reset yourself after watching everything else this Spring.

Witch Watch is not going to be the kind of series you seek out for high intensity action, but it’s certainly going to have plenty of the light humor that some of the best series are great at. And that has a much needed role of its own when stacked against everything else on your plate next year.

Fire Force Season 3

Release Window: April 2025 (Crunchyroll)

The first of the big returning franchises on this list is certainly one of the hottest comebacks. Fire Force ended Season 2 on a major cliffhanger, and it’s been many years with fans waiting for a potential comeback. Not only is the anime returning for new episodes next year, but Fire Force is actually kicking off the run towards its grand finale. With Atsushi Okubo’s original Fire Force manga now completed, the anime’s third season will be airing its episodes over the course of the next two years as it gears up to bring it all to an end.

There are actually some big spoilers and reveals in the newest trailers leading into Fire Force Season 3’s premiere, but showing all of it so early reveals the kind of confidence that this new season has leading to its premiere. It’s going to be a big one.

My Hero Academia: Vigilantes

Release Window: April 2025

My Hero Academia is coming to an end next year with its eighth and final season, and it almost made this list. But with two My Hero Academia releases competiting against one another, My Hero Academia: Vigilantes wins out for some key reasons. It’s finally going to be a full TV anime adaptation of the prequel spinoff series set years before the events of the original My Hero Academia, and fans get to see some of the rougher elements of the pro hero world that were ironed out by the time Izuku Midoriya and the rest of Class 1-A enters the scene years later.

It’s a new My Hero Academia anime series that shows off a whole new side of the hero world, and that’s going to be especially important when fans get to see how the main series ends next Fall. The franchise is set to continue by bringing this long awaited spinoff to life, and fans will soon get to see why this has been such a cult hit.

Kaiju No. 8 Season 2

Release Window: July 2025 (Crunchyroll)

Kaiju No. 8 had what had to have been the biggest anime debut of 2024 overall. Kaiju No. 8 simultaneously premiered its episodes around the world with both Crunchyroll and X, and that was the first time fans got to see a new anime launch with that kind of scale. It was appropriate for the project itself, however, as Kaiju No. 8 was stacked to the brim with giant monster action as fans watched 30 year old Kafka Hibino trying one last time of making his childhood dream of joining the Kaiju Defense Force come true.

Season 2 is teased to have even bigger moments wiht Kafka’s secret ability to transform into the titular Kaiju No. 8 revealed to the rest of the Defense Force, and now he has to keep fighting as hard as he can to stop the monsters and earn everyone’s trust before it’s all too late.

RELATED: Jump Festa 2025: Every Major Anime Announced

Spy x Family Season 3

Release Window: October 2025

Speaking of big returns, Spy x Family is finally coming back for Season 3 next year. Following the massive success of the first two seasons of the TV anime, and new movie, Spy x Family is ready to make its own comeback to screens with much more. The second season pushed more of the action outside of the Forger Family to highlight more of Yor’s assassination work with its biggest arc, and Season 3 is going to have much more of this kind of detour. Instead, fans are going to get much more of Loid’s spy action with WISE with some big events that go down and a particularly intense one involves Anya using her abilities to alleviate a hostage situation. It’s going to be a wild season.

One-Punch Man Season 3

Release Window: TBA 2025

Probably the biggest return of the year overall is also the most curious. One-Punch Man Season 3 unfortunately (and unfairly) has a lot riding on it to succeed. One-Punch Man had one of the highest rated debut anime seasons among fans, and it was such a lightning in a bottle that there was no way a future follow up could ever match that success. This was the case for Season 2, which tried its hardest with J.C. Staff but the differences between the first and second seasons were far too noticeable for fans to ignore. That could all change with the next season, however.

One-Punch Man Season 3 has been in the works for quite a while, and will be releasing next year to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the anime overall. If the team behind the series truly put all that time and effort behind the next wave of episodes, then One-Punch Man Season 3 could be the hit that fans are hoping for. Or it could be a huge bomb. Either way, it’s going to be one to watch.

Oshi no Ko Season 3

Release Window: TBA 2025

Oshi no Ko had a heck of a return with Season 2 of the anime earlier this year as there was a major flip between Aqua and Ruby’s perspectives. Oshi no Ko Season 2 introduced fans to the world of stage play adaptations, and with it had Aqua seeking out more of his mysterious father. Upon thinking this father was killed, it was then revealed he’s actually more wrong than he ever had been before. At the same time, Ruby was also making some dark discoveries for herself that is changing how she’s moving forward in the anime next. With Oshi no Ko‘s original manga ending last year, the anime now has a clear path forward as it gets closer and closer to that end.

Gachiakuta

Release Window: TBA 2025

Gachiakuta‘s one of those hidden gems that’s about to become a full blockbuster if the anime’s debut is a success. Originally created by Kei Urana for Kodansha’s Weekly Shonen Magazine in 2022, an artist who once worked together with Atsushi Okubo’s Fire Force, Gachiakuta was yet to really get its hooks into the manga audience outside of Japan. But like many of the best anime releases, Gachiakuta is set to find a much bigger world of fans who will be drawn to the gritty series inspired by street art and graffiti.

With the anime studio behind My Hero Academia bringing it to life, Gachiakuta tells the story of a young kid thrown into the garbage. Needing to fight back against the oppressive upper class who’ve wronged him, this new anime just might hit the perfect vein for 2025.

Lazarus

Release Window: TBA 2025 (Adult Swim, Max)

Last, but certainly not least, for this list is Lazarus. A new anime from the same director behind Cowboy Bebop, Carole & Tuesday and more, Shinichiro Watanabe, Lazarus is shaping up to be one of the most intriguing original anime productions from Adult Swim yet. With John Wick director Chad Stahelski attached to the project and designing action sequences, Lazarus is already shaping up to be one of the more unique projects hitting next year overall.

Telling a brand new story unlike seen in Watanabe’s other works, and Sola Entertainment bringing it all to life, a new group is pulling together to try and save everyone from the side effects of a supposed miracle drug that has actually shortened all of their lives by mistake. We can expect to see all kinds of intrigue when this one finally hits.

The post The Top 2025 Anime Releases You Don’t Want to Miss appeared first on ComicBook.com.

My Hero Academia: Vigilantes will be finally making its full TV anime debut next year, and the anime is getting fans ready for what’s to come with the first look at the Crawler, Pop Step and Knuckleduster. My Hero Academia is going to have a huge 2025 as not only with the main TV anime series be returning for the eighth and final season of its run next Fall, but its big prequel spinoff series will be hitting screens with its own anime in the Spring. My Hero Academia: Vigilantes ties in to some key pieces of My Hero Academia‘s history, and has its own dynamic heroes at the center of it all.

My Hero Academia: Vigilantes is set about five years before the events of My Hero Academia, and introduces a much different look for the hero society than fans see in the main series. Because heroes aren’t as proliferate in this time as they are later, it means certain areas of Japan fall through under the cracks and aren’t under protection. This leads to the debut of some new unlicensed heroes, vigilantes, who take things into their own hands, The Crawler, Pop Step, and Knuckleduster, who are seen in the first trailer in the video above.

Who Are My Hero Academia’s Vigilante Heroes?

My Hero Academia: Vigilantes introduces fans to Koichi Haimawari. Although he didn’t really plan on being a hero of any kind, he decides to help out in his neighborhood as The Crawler. Going around in his favorite All Might hoodie (as he shares a fandom for the number one hero with Izuku Midoriya), Koichi’s plans were to just help throw out trash and give out directions. Small chores that would make the neighborhood better was all he needed until he runs into the mysterious Knuckleduster.

This older man becomes his vigilante mentor as he fights villains and criminals with his bare fists. He’s unlike any character seen in the original My Hero Academia series, and he ends up wrapping Koichi in much bigger problems. As for Pop Step, she’s an underground performer who uses her quirk to put on illegals singing shows as she’s trying to be an entertainer. But like Koichi, it’s not long before she ends up wrapped up in the world of fighting bigger threats than they ever could have seen coming.

RELATED: My Hero Academia Creator Shares Special Holiday Art Post-Finale

When Is My Hero Academia: Vigilantes Coming Out?

Originally written by Hideyuki Furuhashi with illustrations by Betten Court, My Hero Academia: Vigilantes will be making its full TV anime debut some time in April as part of the Spring 2025 anime schedule. Kenichi Suzuki will be directing the new anime for Studio Bones’ newly formed Bones Film team with Yosuke Kuroda returning from the main My Hero Academia TV anime to handle the scripts. Takahiko Yoshida will be overseeing the character designs for the new anime, and Yuki Hayashi will be composing the music together with Shogo Yamashiro and Yuki Furuhashi.

A concrete release date has yet to be set for My Hero Academia: Vigilantes as of the time of this publication, but there’s still plenty of time to check out the original manga release ahead of time. It’s now complete with over 120 chapters under its belt, and you can find the entire back catalog with Viz Media’s digital Shonen Jump library with a paid subscription. With the series setting the stage for some big events in My Hero Academia’s later arcs, fans are definitely going to want to keep an eye out for this one.

The post My Hero Academia: Vigilantes Anime Shares First Look at The Crawler & More appeared first on ComicBook.com.

My Hero Academia might have released the final chapter of its manga but that hasn’t stopped creator Kohei Horikoshi from continuing to dive into his beloved superhero shonen. On the regular, the mangaka will share new, original artwork of his heroes and villains, even while the end approaches for the anime adaptation as well. With the shonen franchise making some major announcements at this year’s Jump Festa to cap off 2024, Horikoshi still took the opportunity to portray some of his biggest crime fighters getting into the holiday spirit. In this new original art, Deku, Bakugo, and Mirko are giving Santa Claus a break for this year and bouncing their way across the rooftops.

If you want to celebrate the holidays with Class 1-A outside of this original art, we have good news for you. In the fifth season of the series, “Have A Merry Christmas” sees UA Academy’s finest all throwing on their Santa gear to have a merry holiday before they take on the likes of Shigaraki and All For One in the upcoming wars. While most of the class is more than willing to throw on Santa gear to ring in the holiday season, Bakugo holds onto his usual attitude and decides to wear his usual attire. The installment made for a nice respite before returning ot the brutal battles that made the series a hit amongst anime fans.

[RELATED: My Hero Academia Creator Brings Back Dark Deku With New Sketch]

Santa Deku, Santa Bakugo, And Santa Mirko

Arguably, Deku, Bakugo, and Mirko are three of the most popular characters to ever spring from the mind of mangaka Kohei Horikoshi. While All Might might be regularly thought of as the Symbol of Peace, the Rabbit Hero Mirko might have gained a far more passionate fanbase thanks to her personality and ability to get down and dirty on the battlefield. Considering the Quirks of this trio, sending them out to take over Santa Claus’ duties on Christmas certainly makes sense and Horikoshi himself shared a special message to fans alongside the new art.

“Thank you for your support this year! Thank you very much! Merry Christmas!”

The Vigilantes Are Coming

While fans prepare to say goodbye to the main heroes of the shonen universe via next year’s eighth and final season of My Hero Academia’s universe, that upcoming batch of episodes isn’t the only surprise that the superhero story has in store. At this year’s Jump Festa, Studio BONES confirmed that they would begin to adapt the spin-off series, My Hero Academia: Vigilantes, to the small screen as well. Considering how long this side story went in its original manga, we could potentially see several seasons that follow the likes of Crawler, Pop Step, and Knuckleduster.

Aside from following the heroes that operate outside of the law, Vigilantes also follows the earlier days of major crime fighters in the series. Past stories revolving around the likes of Eraserhead, Present Mic, Midnight, Mirko, Fat Gum, All Might, and more make up the spin-off and are sure to take many by surprise in the upcoming anime adaptation. Even though My Hero Academia’s manga is at an end, there’s plenty to look forward to if you are a fan of all things UA Academy.

Want to follow all the anime holiday goodies that are coming your way at year’s end? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook.com for all the latest updates on the anime holiday season and hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics and anime.

The post My Hero Academia Creator Shares Special Holiday Art Post-Finale appeared first on ComicBook.com.

My Hero Academia might have come to an end earlier this Summer, but the creator behind it all has brought back Izuku Midoriya’s darkest (and coolest) form with some special new art. My Hero Academia came to an end with Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump magazine earlier this Summer after Deku and the other heroes were successful in bringing the final fights against All For One and Tomura Shigaraki to an end. With the TV anime following behind with its own planned ending coming next year, it won’t be too much longer before the franchise reaches its grand finale in both forms.

My Hero Academia‘s final war against the villains really put Deku through the wringer as he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. Being the final one who could use One For All, and the only one with enough power to directly fight against Shigaraki, Deku thought he had to do it all alone. Pushing himself as a vigilante hero working outside of the system without a real sleep or rest, Deku took on a dark new form that morphed his usual costume into something monstrous. Now this form has returned in a cool new sketch from series creator Kohei Horikoshi and you can check it out below.

What Is Dark Deku?

My Hero Academia pushed Deku to his limits as following All For One freeing all of the villainous prisoners within Tartarus, Deku wanted to stop as many as he could on his own. Fearing that anyone else would get caught up in the danger as he was the true target for everything, Deku briefly left U.A. Academy and started speeding around Japan to stop as many of these villains as possible. As he was learning to better use all of his One For All abilities together to form new powers, Deku was also becoming far from the kind of hero he truly wanted to be.

It took Ochaco Uraraka and the rest of Class 1-A to hunt down Deku and beat him out of his nonsense. The rest of his class wanted to band behind him and help Deku realize that he’s far from alone. It was here that there was a real turn in the series as from that point on the true final war between the heroes and villains began. But Deku needed this brief dark period as he had been dealing with so much before all of it. There was nowhere for his emotions to go than outward.

RELATED: My Hero Academia Creator Brings Back Its Top Heroes With Jump Festa Promo

What’s Next for My Hero Academia?

My Hero Academia will be officially returning to screens with Season 8 of the TV anime next Fall. Premiering some time in Fall 2025, this will serve as the final season of the series overall. Kohei Horikoshi’s original manga ended its run earlier this Summer, but the final volume of the series hit shelves in Japan earlier this month with a brand new final chapter that fleshed out more of the final events of the series. But it’s unclear as if whether or not the anime will be adapting this extra material.

My Hero Academia will first be returning with a brand new anime series, My Hero Academia: Vigilantes, next Spring. Airing in April 2025, My Hero Academia: Vigilantes will feature much of the same team from the original TV anime, and will be handled by the newly crafted Bones Film wing of Studio Bones. This is a prequel series set years before the events of the main series and reveals looks at All Might, Endeavor and more in their prime. So there is a ton for My Hero Academia fans to enjoy next year.

The post My Hero Academia Creator Brings Back Dark Deku With New Sketch appeared first on ComicBook.com.

My Hero Academia officially came to an end earlier this year, but the creator behind it all has brought back its top heroes with a special new promo for Jump Festa 2025. It’s been a massive year for My Hero Academia as the series officially ended its run with Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump magazine after ten long years. Then the series ended up making a comeback with a special new epilogue with over 30 brand new chapters released with the final volume of the series hitting shelves in Japan earlier this month. But it’s still not over for Deku and the others just yet.

My Hero Academia might have ended its manga run, but it still has plenty to celebrate as there are all sorts of new projects for the series in the works next year. With the anime continuing with its final season airing next Fall and a new spinoff anime series on the way, My Hero Academia’s creator really went all out for the Jump Festa 2025 event with some special new art. Highlighting Izuku Midoriya, Katsuki Bakugo, Shoto Todoroki, and All Might for the event, you can check out Horikoshi’s new sketch below.

What’s Next for My Hero Academia?

It’s no surprise to see Deku, Bakugo, and Shoto headline this special sketch for Jump Festa 2025 as the three of them are My Hero Academia‘s top heroes. Following the original end of the series earlier this Summer, My Hero Academia fans voted in a worldwide popularity poll over the course of the last few months. The winners were revealed shortly before the release of the manga’s final volume in Japan, and Bakugo, Deku, and Shoto were voted the three best heroes by the world respectively as a result of all the votes tallied.

My Hero Academia‘s creator is now finishing up their work with My Hero Academia now that the manga’s final release is out. While there are likely still a few sketches to go off on here or there, Horikoshi is already starting to look towards the future and has putting the steps into planning whatever original series there is coming next. It’s likely going to be much different than what was seen with My Hero Academia over the last decade, but My Hero Academia itself isn’t completely over just yet thanks to its now in the works anime releases.

RELATED: Jump Festa 2025: Every Major Anime Announced

My Hero Academia Anime Returns in 2025

My Hero Academia is set to return to screens with Season 8 of the TV anime some time in Fall 2025. This will serve as the final season for the series overall, and will bring Deku’s fight against Tomura Shigaraki and All For One to an end. It’s yet to be revealed if the anime’s adaptation of the finale will be including all of the new material released with the final volume, but either way fans are ready to see how My Hero Academia brings it all to an end. That’s far from everything, however.

My Hero Academia: Vigilantes will be officially making its full TV anime debut after fans have been asking to see it happen for such a long time. My Hero Academia: Vigilantes has announced during Jump Festa 2025 that it will be making its TV anime premiere some time next April as part of the Spring 2025 anime schedule. This new anime will be bringing the prequel spinoff series to life through the newly opened Bones Film, and fans will finally get to see some of the series’ biggest but hidden moments.

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My Hero Academia is coming back to screens next year with a brand new anime, and My Hero Academia: Vigilantes has debuted the first trailer for its big spinoff premiere. My Hero Academia‘s TV anime run will be officially coming to an end next year with the premiere of the eighth and final season. Scheduled to make its premiere some time next Fall, it won’t be too much longer before fans get to see how it all ends for Izuku Midoriya and the others. But while the main series is ending, My Hero Academia’s anime will continue on with a brand new series.

My Hero Academia: Vigilantes is an official spinoff to the main My Hero Academia series that takes place years before the events of the main series. This prequel reveals what the pro hero world was like before Deku and the other young heroes started their journeys, and it means a much rougher kind of hero is needed to deal with this ever changing world of criminals and villains. You can check out the first trailer for My Hero Academia: Vigilantes in the video above as it readies for its Spring 2025 premiere.

What Is My Hero Academia: Vigilantes?

Originally written by Hideyuki Furuhashi with illustrations by Betten Court, My Hero Academia: Vigilantes is an official spinoff that’s set about five years before the events of the main My Hero Academia series. It follows Koichi Haimawari, a recent graduate from school who’s sort of lost his lust for life. So in his downtime he decides to work around his neighborhood as the local, unlicensed hero known as The Crawler. While it starts out small enough as he only really intends to help give directions or properly dispose of trash, Koichi finds himself in a much more intense world than he ever expected to be in.

Teaming up with a few other unlicensed heroes, Koichi and his fellow “vigilantes” soon cross the paths of some other major pro heroes we see in their prime such as All Might, Endeavor, and even some other heroes before they become full pros such as Mirko, Shota Aizawa, Midnight and more. It’s a rare look into the past of My Hero Academia’s hero world, and has some very crucial ties to the main series through some of its big arcs teasing how the Nomus were first created and more.

RELATED: Jump Festa 2025: Every Major Anime Announced

When Is My Hero Academia: Vigilantes Coming Out?

My Hero Academia: Vigilantes will be making its full anime debut some time in April as part of the Spring 2025 anime schedule. A concrete release date has yet to be announced as of the time of this publication, but it will be directed by Kenichi Suzuki by Studio Bones’ new Bones Film offshoot production house. Yosuke Kuroda returns from the main My Hero Academia TV anime to handle the scripts, Takahiko Yoshida is overseeing the character designs, and Yuki Hayashi will be composing the music together with Shogo Yamashiro and Yuki Furuhashi.

My Hero Academia is planning a massive takeover with these two new anime releases now hitting at relatively the same time. It’s yet to be revealed how long Vigilantes will be sticking around for, but there is plenty of material to adapt from the original manga series. And when it finally gets to some of the big arcs that tie back into some huge reveals in My Hero Academia, then fans are going to be locked in to each new episode as they hit. If you wanted to check out the original prequel manga, you can now find the complete run of My Hero Academia: Vigilantes with Viz Media’s digital Shonen Jump library.

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The My Hero Academia manga may be over, but there’s still plenty from the franchise for fans to look forward to. An eighth and final season of the anime is scheduled to release in the fourth quarter of 2025, and an anime adaption for the Vigilantes spin-off series has been announced at Jump Festa ’25. Bones, the same animation studio that works on the My Hero Academia anime, will also produce the Vigilantes spin-off. The Vigilantes anime is set to premiere in April 2025, with Bones sharing a first-look teaser of the anime at Jump Festa. The teaser gives fans a good look at how the protagonist, Koichi Haimawari, appears in the show.

Bones has shared the main staff of the series on the official Vigilantes website. The staff is stacked with veterans who have worked on some of the most popular anime in recent memory. The director for Vigilantes will be Suzuki Kenichi, best known for his work on Cells at Work and JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean. The character designs will be handled by Yoshida Takahiko, an artist best known for working on Big Windup! and Yowamushi Pedal. The composer for My Hero Academia, Hayashi Yukira, will bring the series’ music to Vigilantes. With all these high-end talents working on the spin-off anime, Vigilantes is already setting itself up as being one of the most anticipated animes of 2025!

[RELATED: Jump Festa 2025: Every Major Anime Announced So Far]

What Is My Hero Academia: Vigilantes About?

My Hero Academy takes place in a world where the majority of people have superpowers, known as Quirks in-universe. People can become licensed heroes and work for an agency as official superheroes, but those who fight crime without a license are deemed vigilantes. My Hero Academy: Vigilantes takes place five years before the events of the main series and stars a vigilante named Koichi, who has a Quirk that allows him to travel fast across any flat surface. Unfortunately, the catch is that he needs to make contact with the surface in at least three places on his body. He teams up with other vigilantes to fight off supervillains and goes by The Crawler.

The series was published by Shueisha for the Jump Comics+ imprint in Japan and the Shonen Jump+ magazine. Vigilantes lasted for six years, running from 2016 to 2022, releasing fifteen volumes. It was the second My Hero Academia spin-off to release, proceeding My Hero Academia: Smash!! and follow-up by Team-Up Missions. However, Vigilantes doesn’t feature any of the characters from the main series in major roles. While prominent heroes like All-Might make small appearances in the series, Vigilantes primarily focuses on original characters not related to the cast of the main series.

The spin-off offers fans a unique perspective of the world of My Hero Academia, showing what things were like before Deku gained the power of One for All. Whereas the main series focuses more on superhero-ing as a business and career, Vigilantes centers on the people who work outside the establishment. It’s a vastly different setting between those who are taught to be heroes and those who learn by doing.

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My Hero Academia has announced that Season 8 of the anime will be serving as the final season, and now it’s been confirmed that the final season will be hitting in the Fall of 2025. My Hero Academia brought Season 7 to an end earlier this Fall as fans saw Izuku Midoriya and the other heroes continue to struggle in the final battles against the villains. But with many of these fights reaching their respective ends, now only All For One and Tomura Shigaraki remain standing as the final opponents to take down before this long and grueling war can come to an end.

My Hero Academia previously confirmed that the final season of the TV anime would be hitting some time next year, but during TOHO Animation’s presentation as part of Jump Festa 2025 (as detailed via press release), they have now confirmed that My Hero Academia‘s final season will begin airing some time during the Fall 2025 anime schedule. A more concrete release date has yet to be announced as of the time of this publication, but you can check out the updated poster for My Hero Academia Season 8 below.

What to Know for My Hero Academia Season 8

My Hero Academia will be returning for Season 8 in the Fall of 2025, and the anime will be picking up right from where it left off. With Kohei Horikoshi’s original manga series wrapping up its run with Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump magazine earlier this Summer, the anime now has a clear runway towards the end. My Hero Academia spent Season 7 breaking down the final fights against Dabi, Toga, and Spinner with all of them reaching their respective conclusions. But there are still two major fights that need to be settled before it’s all over.

When My Hero Academia Season 7 came to an end, there were still two major fights that were being teased for the final season. All Might had donned a brand new set of power armor in order to take on All For One one last time, and while we had gotten to see a bit of this fight in action, there’s still much to the final climax against All For One. The same could be said for Tomura Shigaraki, who has really only started his final fight against Deku as well as the two clash in the wreckage of the formerly flying U.A. Academy battlefield.

RELATED: My Hero Academia Goes Beyond Plus Ultra One Last Time With Final Volume’s Milestone

How Will My Hero Academia End?

My Hero Academia ended its original manga earlier this Summer, so fans can expect to see the anime’s grand finale follow pretty much that same path. There is a bit of a wrinkle as to how the anime might approach this finale, however, as original creator Kohei Horikoshi actually added more supplementary material in the months since that original ending. With the release of the final volume of My Hero Academia in Japan, there were over 30 pages of brand new story material set after the final chapter.

This brand new material fleshes out that original ending, so it’s unclear as to where the anime will end its adaptation. It’s entirely possible that the anime team at Studio Bones will bring this extended epilogue to life, but it’s also possible that they will honor the original ending as it previously released. That means even fans who had read ahead in the manga might want to pay even closer attention to the anime’s final season to see how it all plays out next year.

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My Hero Academia: Vigilantes is finally going to be making its anime debut next year, and fans have gotten the first look at what to expect from the spinoff anime’s premiere with the first look! My Hero Academia‘s anime will be coming to an end next year, and that means it’s not going to be long before fans get to see how the hero series comes to an end. But thankfully it’s going to be far from the end of the anime franchise overall as one of its biggest spinoffs is going to get its official anime adaptation next year.

My Hero Academia: Vigilantes is a special spinoff series to Kohei Horikoshi’s original My Hero Academia manga that’s actually set five years before the events of the main series. My Hero Academia: Vigilantes includes some big moments for the characters that help to fill in some of the gaps from the My Hero Academia anime’s story, and now even more fans will be able to check it out when the spinoff hits next year. My Hero Academia: Vigilantes is celebrating this announcement with the first look at the new anime and you can check out its teaser poster below. You can also check out the special trailer in the video above.

What to Know for My Hero Academia’s New Anime

Originally written by Hideyuki Furuhashi with illustrations by Betten Court, My Hero Academia: Vigilantes is an official spinoff that’s set years before the events of the main My Hero Academia series. As one of the major announcements TOHO Animation revealed during Jump Festa 2025 this weekend in Japan (as detailed via press release), the new My Hero Academia: Vigilantes anime will be making its debut some time in April as part of the Spring 2025 anime schedule. Animation production will be handled by Studio Bones just like the main My Hero Academia series.

My Hero Academia: Vigilantes follows new main character, Koichi Haimawari, a young wannabe hero who helps out in his neighborhood by using his abilities without an official hero license. Unlike many of the pro heroes we see operating in the main series, Koichi operates outside of the main system and protects his neighborhood as the hero known as “The Crawler.” But like the main series, it’s not long before Koichi ends up in much bigger circumstances than he ever expected when he first started acting as a vigilante hero.

RELATED: New Spider-Man Manga From My Hero Academia Team Releases First Chapter

Why You Should Be Excited for My Hero Academia: Vigilantes

My Hero Academia: Vigilantes has been a highly requested anime adaptation from fans because while it’s indeed a spinoff with its own story, it actually has some big ties into the main series’ events. Serving as a prequel to My Hero Academia, this spinoff reveals how the hero world looked before Izuku Midoriya and the other characters started their own hopeful student careers. This means looks at heroes like All Might closer to their prime, and that’s something you don’t get in the original.

The big reason this series is important also is that it’s officially part of the main My Hero Academia canon. There’s a particular arc in the spinoff that fills in some of the gaps from Shota Aizawa’s past, and these moments were only referenced in My Hero Academia’s later seasons slightly. Meaning that now even more fans can see the much fuller picture for the My Hero Academia world when this hero spinoff series finally makes its long awaited debut next Spring. It’s going to be a big one to watch out for.

The post My Hero Academia: Vigilantes to Finally Make Anime Debut in 2025 appeared first on ComicBook.com.

My Hero Academia’s manga might have ended earlier this year but that doesn’t mean that we aren’t picking through the “post-credits scene” that gave manga readers a look into the future. Without diving too deeply into spoiler territory in our opening paragraph, shonen fans were able to see what Hero Society looks like far into the future following the fight against All For One and Shigaraki. Thanks to the release of the final manga volume of the superhero series, creator Kohei Horikoshi was able to inject several new pages that gave grand finales to multiple characters. One such character is Monoma, the copy cat hero, who was able to achieve some big things.

Warning. If you don’t want to be spoiled on the timeskip of My Hero Academia, be forewarned that we’ll be diving into serious spoiler territory. One of the most staggering aspects of Monoma’s character was the fact that his Quirk was ever seen as weak. Growing up, the Copy Cat hero’s fellow students would make fun of his powers, thinking that it was worthless to copy the Quirks of others for a limited time. Of course, Monoma would eventually prove them all wrong as he was able to harness his amazing powers to be a force to be reckoned with as a part of UA Academy. In the future, Monoma has achieved one of his dreams by becoming a major crime fighter in his adulthood.

[RELATED: My Hero Academia Timeskip Reveals Shoto’s Pro Hero Future (& His Real Dream Job)]

Monoma’s Top Ten Reign

While Shoto Todoroki has become the number two hero in Hero Society, following Lemillion in the rankings, Monoma has achieved a dream by making it into the top ten. In a specific panel, we learn that the Copy Cat Hero is the tenth highest ranking hero in Japan and that he is sporting a new style in his professional hero days post-UA Academy graduation. Monoma has gone far flashier in his adult years and while we don’t see him in action here, it’s clear that he has been improving from his school days.

In achieving this honor, it would be interesting to see how Monoma works in terms of crime fighting if he is tackling villains on his own. Thanks to his Quirk copying powers, he has most likely grown far more adept at learning new powers on the fly given any of the unique circumstances he encounters. With the image you can see below, it’s clear that the Copy Cat Hero hasn’t lost his flair in his adult years.

A My Hero Academia Sequel?

Unfortunately, creator Kohei Horikoshi has made no statements regarding the possibility of Hero Society making a comeback post the manga’s finale. Luckily, this fact doesn’t mean that the manga artist is finished with the medium as Kohei has been hinting at the fact that he has a brand new story in the works. Whether it will once again focus on super heroes is anyone’s guess but fans of Class 1-A are sure to give whatever work Horikoshi produces a chance.

Next year will see the release of the eighth and final season of My Hero Academia’s anime, set to animate some of the biggest moments of the superhero shonen to date. While this might be the grand finale for the television series, it’s entirely possible that a new movie could still arrive and perhaps, that potential fifth movie will focus on the future of our young heroes.

Want to stay updated on the adult iterations of UA Academy’s students? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook.com for the latest updates on My Hero Academia and hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics and anime.

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My Hero Academia has revealed what Shoto Todoroki’s pro hero future has looked like after its big time skip, and it teases that Shoto has something other on his mind than being a hero. My Hero Academia returned with the final volume of the manga series overall earlier this month, and it officially brings Kohei Horikoshi’s original manga series to an end. It’s a much more conclusive end than when it first wrapped up with Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump magazine earlier this Summer, however, as Horikoshi has gone back and added over 30 pages of brand new material fleshing out the future hero world.

My Hero Academia now has a new final chapter set after the manga’s original finale, and with it explores more of the future world that Izuku Midoriya and the rest of the former Class 1-A students now live in. After everything he had been through with his father and brother, it turns out that while Shoto is successful at what he does as a pro hero he’s not really satisfied with it. Thinking it’s only something he’s doing because he’s been essentially led to this point, Shoto has plans to seek out a different path that more involves food.

Shoto Becomes a Top Hero in the Future

My Hero Academia Chapter 431 is a brand new chapter released with Volume 42 of the manga in Japan, and takes place about a month after Deku joins the rest of the former Class 1-A in pro hero action. The friends all unite to celebrate Shoto as it turns out that he’s risen all the way to the second spot in the top hero rankings. As a result, he’s begun to reassess some things about his current career trajectory. And it’s made him think about whether or not he actually wants to spend all of his time as a pro hero and instead wants to seek out other activities and futures.

In the time since the war against All For One and Tomura Shigaraki, Dabi has since died. And this has started to put things in a new perspective for him and with the rest of the Todoroki family. It’s been noted how he’s starting to break out of the shadow of what his father had done before, and those around him have started to point out that he’s made the right choices to get out of that poor reputation from his father. But as he continues to struggle, Shoto instead wonders what he can do for himself.

RELATED: My Hero Academia Creator Says Goodbye to Their Top Heroes With Special Posters

What Shoto Really Wants to Do in the Future

Hearing all this praise about how he’s doing things better than his father, and finally putting Dabi to rest, Shoto has really started to think about his place in hero society. As the future begins to change with less active villains following All For One’s defeat, Shoto and the other heroes have been able to think about what else to do with their lives for the first real time. And this is where Shoto realizes that his fate might have just pulled him in this direction.

So to change things, Shoto instead wants to start taking classes to make bowls and chopsticks. He’s always enjoyed eating (which has resulted in some of his best moments in the series’ past), and now that he has more free time he wants to be more involved with cooking. Wanting to be a hero is not all that he wants to be, and now he has the freedom and drive to seek out a brighter, less hero focused future.

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My Hero Academia has released a brand new chapter set after the original manga’s finale, and with it has confirmed that one major villain has died since the end of the series. My Hero Academia wrapped up its ten year run with Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump magazine earlier this Summer, but series creator Kohei Horikoshi was able to bring the series to an even more conclusive end with the release of its final volume this month. As My Hero Academia’s final entry hits shelves, it comes with a brand new chapter that expands on the time skip seen in the original finale.

My Hero Academia Volume 42 adds a brand new chapter set after the original finale, and it showcases more of the pro hero futures that Izuku Midoriya and the rest of Class 1-A had gone out on before that original ending. This new chapter shares more updates about the state of the hero world years after the fight against All For One and Tomura Shigaraki, and with it also confirms some developments for the Todoroki family. And as teased by My Hero Academia’s final chapters, Toya Todoroki has since died.

My Hero Academia Confirms Dabi Has Died

My Hero Academia Chapter 431 is set about a month after the events of Chapter 430, and with it reveals more of the future pro hero world that Deku and the other former Class 1-A students are now a full part of. Each of these students has managed to break through to the top hero rankings in one way or the other, but Shoto Todoroki has managed to make it to second place despite how complex and complicated the rankings have become since All For One and Shigaraki had been defeated. But Shoto himself is changing too as he’s really moving on from the loss of his brother.

When fans had last seen Toya Todoroki in My Hero Academia Chapter 426, he was definitely worse for wear as the war really pushed his body to its utmost limits. Dabi was on a suicidal path of destruction, and it was clear by the time the final chapters of the manga came around that he wasn’t going to be alive for much longer. Now that many years have passed, Shoto confirms that Toya has indeed passed on as he reveals he was praying at his grave earlier in the day before Class 1-A had a get together in Chapter 431.

Dabi’s Death is My Hero Academia’s Biggest Tragedy

Dabi’s fate is ultimately the most tragic in My Hero Academia‘s run overall. One of the big three stories within the series was through the Todoroki Family as it was showcasing how Endeavor’s burning desire to be the top hero was actually a twisted vision of what true heroism really was. This was evident through the abusive way he treated the rest of his family, and it resulted in the “birth” of the villain Dabi. The former Toya Todoroki felt he was betrayed and abandoned by his father, and it led him on a fiery path of revenge.

But with Dabi knowing his days were limited, his search for revenge was more of a self-destructive one. He wanted to essentially burn away his own body and die in a brutal and public fashion in order to permanently damage Endeavor’s reputation. He wanted to destroy his father inside and out, and only when he was fully accepted by his family was he finally at the edge of death. Of course, by then it was too late to recover from all of the physical and emotional damage done to him already.

The post My Hero Academia Timeskip Confirms One Major Villain’s Death appeared first on ComicBook.com.

My Hero Academia’s manga has ended and shonen fans are still picking up the pieces following the last story focusing on UA Academy. Luckily, the end of the manga doesn’t spell the end of the anime until next year, as the eighth and final season will arrive in 2025. While the story of Izuku Midoriya and his fellow young heroes might be done, this fact doesn’t mean that Class 1-A won’t continue making the headlines. In its 42 volume, My Hero Academia is once again pulling in major sales as a new report confirms.

Since this write-up is only involving sales of the final volume, we’ll refrain from diving into any spoiler territory. My Hero Academia’s 42nd volume had the added bonus of not just being the grand finale but also housing a new post-credits scene that further documented the future of the young crime fighters. At present, creator Kohei Horikoshi has refrained from confirming that he will create new stories in his beloved superhero shonen series, though the artist does have a new manga in the works. While story details remain a mystery, Horikoshi clearly is still passionate when it comes to making manga, though his days focusing on superheroes might be over.

[RELATED – My Hero Academia Creator Says Goodbye to Their Top Heroes With Special Posters]

My Hero Academia’s Final Volume Goes Beyond Plus Ultra

As of the writing of this article, My Hero Academia’s final manga volume currently has over one million copies in circulation. Considering the groundswell that the finale had, it should come as no surprise that the 42nd volume was able to go plus ultra and then some. While the original ending was one that gave readers quite the happy ending for many of the characters involved, Horikoshi’s post-credits scene is one that was able to cement quite a few elements that fans were hoping to see.

Let’s Talk About UA’s Future

Horikoshi might be taking on a new manga story but there are still some potential major projects that could emerge from the franchise on the screen. With the eighth anime season on the way, Studio BONES has yet to confirm if the latest movie, My Hero Academia: You’re Next, will be the franchise’s last. It may very well be possible that the films will help to create new stories of UA Academy’s heroes post the manga’s series finale.

There is also one major spin-off that has yet to be animated that Shonen fans have been waiting for. My Hero Academia: Vigilantes has quite a few chapters to its name, following the adventures of heroes that operate outside of the law. Crawler, Knuckleduster, and Pop Step might be the next big anime heroes should the shonen franchise decide to explore this story. Since Vigilantes also tells tales from UA Academy’s past, exploring the earlier lives of Present Mic, Eraserhead, and Midnight, it almost feels essential to the anime world.

Want to see what the future holds for Class 1-A? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook.com for the latest UA Academy updates and hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics and anime.

The post My Hero Academia Goes Beyond Plus Ultra One Last Time With Final Volume’s Milestone appeared first on ComicBook.com.

In the world of My Hero Academia, quirks are fundamental to the characters and their roles in society. Quirks not only shape the individual’s abilities but also influence how they view themselves and how others perceive them. Given the beginnings of the manga, including Deku and other surprisingly high-profile heroes being born quirkless, these powers, and even their absence, greatly affect each character’s development.

As the popular manga nears its conclusion, many fans wonder if there were more quirks or characters that could have been explored. However, in a recent interview with Shonen Jump, creator Kohei Horikoshi addressed this question directly.

Horikoshi’s Final Thoughts on the Quirks in the Series

During the My Hero Academia “World Best Hero” Popularity Poll, which saw Katsuki Bakugo take the crown as the most popular character, creator Kohei Horikoshi was asked around the 44-minute mark whether there were any quirks or characters he wished he had included but didn’t.

Horikoshi confidently replied, “I don’t think so. I didn’t hold back!” He emphasized that he used all the quirks he wanted to showcase, and even characters who appeared briefly still had their own charm. As the manga concludes with Volume 42, released December 4th, Horikoshi reassures fans that the final chapter will bring even more excitement and closure.

RELATED: My Hero Academia Creator Would Have Quit Manga If the Series Failed

Quirks Explored in My Hero Academia

In My Hero Academia, quirks drive the series’ narrative and character arcs, with One for All being the most iconic. A quirk that can only be inherited willingly, it grants immense strength and speed. Izuku “Deku” Midoriya inherits One for All from All Might in Chapter 10 of My Hero Academia, though initially, he only receives a portion of its power. He gradually learns to control it, and in Chapter 258, he taps into Full One For All in his battle with Shigaraki during the War Arc. Finally, in Chapter 369, Deku fully masters the quirk.

His journey of mastering One For All, which includes quirks from past users, is tied to both his personal growth and the legacy of the Symbol of Peace, All Might. As Deku grows in strength, viewers also witness his personal growth, discovering his quirks, powers, and their origins alongside him. His transformation into a more powerful, as All Might entrusts him with the quirk and the responsibility of carrying on his legacy.

How My Hero Academia Pushes the Limits of Quirks

In My Hero Academia, quirks are pushed to their limits by not only testing characters’ growth and abilities through intense battles but also serving as a tool to explore relationships and traumas, revealing deeper layers of each character’s emotional journey and personal struggles. Some relationships are explored through the lens of family and the pressures of expectations, particularly regarding quirks.

Todoroki’s internal struggle with his Half-Cold Half-Hot quirk is highlighted during the Sports Festival arc, especially in his battle with Deku. His reluctance to use his fire side reflects his conflict with his father, Endeavor. In Chapter 120, Todoroki reveals that Endeavor burned him as a child, forcing him to use his flames in a way that traumatized him. This moment exposes the emotional weight Todoroki carries, shaped by his father’s abusive expectations in regard to his quirk.

Todoroki’s internal conflict intensifies when he faces Dabi, who is revealed to be his brother, in Chapter 290 when Dabi’s true identity is exposed. Dabi’s Blueflame quirk, symbolizing destruction and revenge, is fully revealed as he confronts Endeavor. The fight highlights the destructive potential of both Todoroki brothers’ quirks, emphasizing the generational trauma caused by Endeavor’s abusive actions.

Horikoshi Didn’t Hold Back

These characters’ quirks, tested in various battles throughout the series, are more than just abilities—they reflect each character’s growth and, to an extent, the characters themselves. My Hero Academia illustrates how quirks evolve alongside those who wield them, serving as both powers and symbols of personal transformation.

Horikoshi brilliantly uses quirks in My Hero Academia to explore the complexities of growth, trauma, and resilience, ensuring each character’s power evolves in parallel with their personal journey. Through quirks, Horikoshi deepens relationships, from Deku evolving to Todoroki and Dabi’s troubled family bond. Quirks are the heart and soul of My Hero Academia and will continue to be even though its manga has come to a close.

H/T: Shonen Jump on YouTube

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My Hero Academia has come to a complete end in Japan with the release of the manga’s final volume, and the original creator behind it all is saying goodbye to their top heroes with some special new posters. My Hero Academia wrapped up the manga with Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump magazine earlier this year, but it has now come to a more conclusive end with the release of its final volume on shelves in Japan. My Hero Academia Volume 42 features some of the final new materials for the long running hero series, and it’s been a time of goodbyes for series creator Kohei Horikoshi.

My Hero Academia is really going all out to celebrate the release of Volume 42 in Japan, and held a worldwide popularity poll that ran for the last few months. This poll catalogued millions of votes from fans around the world, and ultimately Katsuki Bakugo took first place with Izuku Midoriya coming in second, and Shoto Todoroki rounding out the top three. These three heroes in particular are helping to say goodbye to My Hero Academia with some brand new art that ran in different newspapers across Japan. Check them out below.

My Hero Academia Fans Vote for Their Top Heroes

As part of the grand finale celebration, My Hero Academia launched a worldwide popularity poll following the final chapter earlier this Summer. Fans voted across multiple stages, and Bakugo was ultimately the one that won the vote. It wasn’t very much of a surprise considering that Bakugo had been dominating each stage of the polls since they began, but part of the victory lap for the top three heroes was some brand new art shared by Kohei Horikoshi for these special posters.

As part of the push for My Hero Academia Volume 42, these posters appeared in different newspaper ads in Japan. Deku’s poster appeared in Yomiuri Shimbun, Bakugo’s poster appeared in Asahi Shimbun, and Shoto’s poster appeared in Mainichi Shimbun. These posters are also going to appear in various exclusive goods and other promotions across Japan, but they have been shared online so that fans all over the world can check out these illustrations as well as Horikoshi starts saying goodbye to the hero series he’s been spending over a decade on.

RELATED: My Hero Academia Timeskip Confirms One Surprising Hero Couple (& It’s Not Who You Think)

What’s Next for My Hero Academia’s Creator

My Hero Academia’s finale might be keeping its creator busy for a while, but Horikoshi is already starting to lay the groundwork for what’s coming next. As part of a special crossover celebration with Marvel, Horikoshi was asked about what his future plans were, “I feel really lucky over the success of [My Hero Academia], so I know there’s a lot of pressure around my next move,” the creator stated. “I’m planning to start a new manga as soon as I possibly can.”

But while the creator initially planned to only focus on being the artist for his next work, Shueisha’s editors convinced him to write the next series as well, “I was thinking to committing myself to simply drawing my next project, and letting someone else write the story, but my editor advised me ‘It will be better if you do it all yourself.'” Horikoshi continued. “With that in mind, I’ve slowly started writing and drawing the thumbnails of my next manga. However, there are still several events left surrounding [My Hero Academia], so for a while I’ll still be committed to supporting and promoting it.” So while it’s going to be a bit longer before Horikoshi gets to really work on the next series in full, he’s already started on what’s next.

The post My Hero Academia Creator Says Goodbye to Their Top Heroes With Special Posters appeared first on ComicBook.com.

My Hero Academia has released a new chapter set after the original manga’s ending, and it reveals that Mt. Lady’s future hero costume comes with a secret tribute to her fallen friend Midnight. My Hero Academia might have ended with Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump magazine earlier this Summer, but series creator Kohei Horikoshi really went all out for the release of the final volume of the manga overall. Hitting shelves across Japan, the final volume of My Hero Academia comes with over 30 new pages of brand new story set after the original finale and fleshing out that time skip seen in that finale.

My Hero Academia Volume 42 is now available on shelves in Japan, and with it comes a brand new chapter set about a month after the events of Chapter 430. This fully explores the time skip introduced in the manga’s original finale, and gives fans a much better look at the heroes in the future and how much their world has evolved since the fight against All For One. As for Mt. Lady, she’s still an active pro hero near the top of the charts and she has a major shout out to Midnight hidden in her new gear. Check it out as highlighted by @dinklebutton on X.

Mt. Lady Pays Tribute to Midnight With Her Future Costume

My Hero Academia Chapter 431 takes place a month after the events of Chapter 430, and reveals more of the pro hero lives for Izuku Midoriya and the other former members of Class 1-A in the future. With it, fans are treated to the full reveal of the new Top 10 hero rankings in the future and it reveals some major changes to the line up from the original series. Not only has Mt. Lady risen to Number 3 in the rankings, but fans also get a new full look at her future costume. There are more noticeable changes in the suit itself, but the real secret change is in the mask she wears over here eyes.

It not includes two sharp points at the bottom, and this is a change reminiscent of Midnight’s own mask. As fans remember, Midnight was really the only key hero from the series to lose their live in the fight against the villains and remains one of the key losses on the hero side overall. While her death wasn’t revealed in full, all that remained was her mask afterwards. So Mt. Lady appears to have paid homage to her fallen friend with a mask tribute of her own.

Midnight Is Still One of My Hero Academia’s Worst Deaths

Not only was Midnight one of the only really losses for the hero side, her death was ultimately My Hero Academia‘s most disappointing. It’s an opinion even shared by My Hero Academia star Elizabeth Maxwell, who voices Midnight in the anime as well. Speaking with ComicBook about it at DragonCon 2024 earlier this Summer, Maxwell noted how it was a shame that fans didn’t get to see Midnight’s final stand as a hero in the anime.

“With all due respect to the creators, who I respect to the moon and back, I was disappointed that we didn’t get to see Midnight’s last stand, especially since an episode or two ago, we saw these beautiful fight scenes with pro-heroes and see them fighting for their lives,” Maxwell stated. “It was a little disappointing to me that her fight and death was a little glossed over but it was still really cool and heartbreaking to portray those last moments. She’s a Momma Bear and to go down feeling like you let your babies down is heartbreaking.” 

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My Hero Academia made a major comeback earlier this week with a brand new chapter set after the original finale, and with it has revealed that one surprising hero couple has fallen in love after the series’ big time skip. My Hero Academia might have ended its run with Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump magazine earlier this Summer, but Kohei Horikoshi returned with over 30 pages of brand new material following that original finale. Bundled together with the final volume of the My Hero Academia manga now available in Japan, this final bit of story comes with some pretty huge reveals about their hero future.

My Hero Academia Volume 42 is now hitting shelves across Japan, and with it comes a brand new chapter that’s set a month after the original ending. Izuku Midoriya and the rest of former Class 1-A students have gone into their respective hero futures, and there have been some big developments amongst all of them. But while Class 1-A’s former students haven’t really progressed romantically, it turns out Class 1-B ended up with a surprising couple at the end of it all as Shihai Kuroiro and Kinoko Komori are now dating.

My Hero Academia Timeskip Confirms One Romance…But Not That One

My Hero Academia Chapter 431 is set a month after the original series’ finale, and it fleshes out more of the future hero world seen for Izuku Midoriya and the others in that final chapter. It’s here that fans get to see just how well the members of the former Class 1-A and 1-B are doing in the hero world, and it also develops the characters more in some of the ways that fans didn’t get to see in the original. With the need for heroes dwindling in the wake of All For One’s defeat, it’s left the current generation of rising heroes with more time to explore things outside of hero action.

This, of course, includes romance. But for fans of Class 1-A’s potential future relationships, unfortunately there’s no real confirmation on those fronts. Instead when Class 1-A gathers together for a party to celebrate Shoto Todoroki’s rise in the rankings, we find out that former Class 1-B’s Shihai Kuroiro and Kinoko Komori are now a couple. It’s a surprise to all of them as well as Mina Ashido explains that she went on a mission with them the other day, but there didn’t seem to be any signs of an attraction. So it truly was a romance coming out of nowhere, but not the one fans might have been hoping for.

RELATED: My Hero Academia Creator Finally Picks His Favorite Character

The Future’s Not Totally Lost on Love, However

My Hero Academia might have never been focused on romance due to the chaos of constantly needing to fight the villains, but there were some hopes of seeing some couples becoming official before it all came to an end. These hopes were truly dashed with the release of the manga’s final chapter earlier this Summer, but this newest chapter does move the needle forward for some relationships. The biggest of which was between Deku and Ochaco Uraraka.

My Hero Academia ended its final chapter with both Deku and Ochaco hoping to spend more time with one another as now they have the time to do so. They were so focused on survival and saving the world when they were both kids, but now that many years have passed things have opened further to allow them to finally think about stuff outside of their potential hero careers. Hopefully it means more romance is sparked in the futures for these heroes who have worked for these bright futures.

The post My Hero Academia Timeskip Confirms One Surprising Hero Couple (& It’s Not Who You Think) appeared first on ComicBook.com.

My Hero Academia has been brought to a complete end with the release of its final volume in Japan, and a new special ending chapter has revealed a much more heartbreaking final goodbye between Izuku Midoriya and Katsuki Bakugo before the two of them went on their separate ways. My Hero Academia might have released the final chapter of the manga with Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump magazine earlier this Summer, but the final volume of the series just hit shelves in Japan this month. And to commemorate this final release, series creator Kohei Horikoshi included some brand new material set after that original ending.

My Hero Academia Volume 42 hit shelves in Japan with over 30 pages of a brand new chapter taking place after the original ending. This new expanded ending focuses on further fleshing out the hero world Izuku and the others are now in following the time skip seen in the final chapter, and with it gave fans some key final moments between its biggest characters. For Deku and Bakugo, the two of them finally leave their long running rivalry turned partnership behind as the two of them take very different paths into their respective futures.

How Do Deku and Bakugo Say Goodbye?

My Hero Academia Chapter 431 takes place after the final chapter of the series, and picks up a month after Deku gets his power suit from Bakugo and the rest of the former Class 1-A heroes. The group is getting together to celebrate Shoto Todoroki’s reaching the Number 2 spot on the top heroes’ chart, and Bakugo gives Deku a ride there. Bakugo asks if Deku’s going to keep teaching even now that he’s working as a hero, and Deku says that he will. He loves the fact that he’s gotten to pass his experiences onto a new generation, and is even happier now that he’s also working as a hero alongside the others.

But hilariously, this was Bakugo trying to get Deku to work alongside of him only for Deku to turn it down. Bakugo’s more angry that Deku didn’t even think highly enough of himself to think Bakugo would want to work with him, and chastises the fact that Deku doesn’t even notice the most obvious of things because he thinks so lowly of himself. In fact, treating everyone as special to him is almost the same as not treating anyone as special overall. And that gets Deku thinking.

RELATED: My Hero Academia Creator Teases Their Next Manga (& It’s Coming Soon)

Deku and Bakugo’s Final Scene Together

When there’s a nearby carjacking, the former Class 1-A heroes all move together and Deku and Bakugo have one final scene together. Bakugo says he made it first, only for Deku to correct him with the fact that he wasn’t. It’s a small moment, but a reflection of the fact that Deku no longer just placates Bakugo anymore in his bragging. All these years later, this rivalry has been left behind and Deku really is his own person that doesn’t need to really worry about someone else anymore.

Bakugo then waves goodbye to Deku, and he sees Deku slowly walking away little by little. It’s a send off to the connection these once shared as young heroes as now it’s clear that their futures are taking them in different directions. They’re not going to be fighting alongside anymore, and it’s a bit sadder for Bakugo because he was key in helping Deku achieve his dream of being a hero. But as it turns out, in all that time Deku found something else that he cares about a lot more. Deku and Bakugo are growing up and apart, and that’s their true ending.

The post My Hero Academia Timeskip Breaks Hearts With Deku and Bakugo’s Final Goodbye appeared first on ComicBook.com.

As My Hero Academia reaches its final chapters, many of the series’ long-standing questions are being answered. During the live stream on the Shonen Jump YouTube channel for the “World Best Hero” Popularity Poll, creator Kohei Horikoshi was asked about his favorite character around the three-minute mark.

Horikoshi responded, “Every character is special to me in a different way. There were times when I struggled to draw one page for days, and others when their words surprised me, exceeding my imagination,” Horikoshi said, adding, “If I had to pick, I’d probably pick Deku. In both aspects.”

This statement highlights how Izuku “Deku” Midoriya not only surprised Horikoshi but also exceeded his expectations in terms of growth and narrative impact.

Deku Is Designed to Be Lovable in My Hero Academia

Deku, whose real name is Izuku Midoriya, is the main protagonist of My Hero Academia. Born without a Quirk in a world where most people possess unique abilities, he dreams of becoming a hero like his idol, All Might. Despite his lack of powers, Deku’s determination catches the attention of All Might, who passes on his own Quirk, One For All, allowing Deku to become a hero-in-training at U.A. High School. Throughout the series, Deku’s journey is marked by struggles as he trains to control his powers, faces physical and emotional challenges, and grows into a symbol of hope and justice. His intelligence, kindness, and unwavering sense of justice have made him a symbol of what a hero can be.

RELATED: My Hero Academia Creator Bids Goodbye to Series With Final Message to Fans

How Deku Surprised Us All

Early in My Hero Academia, Deku was often labeled a “crybaby” due to his emotional reactions and self-doubt, especially during pivotal moments like the Entrance Exam and the USJ Arc. However, as the series progressed, Deku surprised fans and characters alike by showcasing his growth and heroism.

For example, during the Sports Festival Arc, Deku demonstrated strategic thinking and a keen sense of teamwork. Even when using One For All at a lower percentage to avoid injuring himself, he displayed resilience and intelligence, adapting quickly to challenging situations, especially when he became the ten-million-point frontrunner in the Cavalry Battle. Another standout moment was during the Rescue Training Arc when Deku defended his classmates against the League of Villains.

Despite his lack of formal combat experience, his quick thinking and bravery further solidified his potential. Most notably, during the Final Exam Arc, Deku’s determination to protect his peers, even at his own expense, set him apart. He was willing to sacrifice his body to ensure that his classmates succeeded.

Deku May Be Horikoshi’s Favorite, But Bakugo is the World’s Favorite

In celebration of My Hero Academia’s final chapter, the “World Best Hero” poll invited fans to vote for their favorite characters. The two-month event featured 278 characters, and the top 100 were announced on December 2nd. This global poll amassed 6.12 million votes, with Katsuki Bakugo emerging victorious, earning 1,647,611 votes. As a reward, he will receive a special illustration by series creator Kohei Horikoshi and a bronze statue to be unveiled in Japan in January 2025. The top three contenders were Bakugo, Izuku Midoriya, and Shoto Todoroki, but Bakugo’s overwhelming support secured him the top spot.

Ultimately, My Hero Academia has introduced many characters, from heroes like Deku and Bakugo to villains like Dabi and One For All. Kohei Horikoshi has spent over a decade building a world where these characters are deeply relatable, each with their own struggles and growth. Through their journeys, My Hero Academia showcases the universal themes of perseverance, heroism, and the complexities of morality. No matter who your favorite character is, My Hero Academia reminds us that heroism isn’t about perfection—it’s about the will to push forward, regardless of the odds.

H/T: Shonen Jump on YouTube

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Fans of a particular ship were anguished when the final special chapter of My Hero Academia was released. Though the manga series officially ended in August, author Kohei Horikoshi launched an extra chapter that served as an epilogue to the series. The epilogue goes into more detail about the A-1 students’ lives as adults. Many fans hoped the bonus chapter could shed more light on whether any of their favorite characters got together. While romance is a major theme of the special final chapter, the epilogue focuses more on the relationship between Deku and Ochaco in My Hero Academia.

However, the extra installment, Chapter 431, briefly touches on the lives of the other students, sadly revealing one popular pairing is not together. While the A-1 crew hang out again to reminisce about old times, Toru Hagakure and Hanta Sero begin gossiping about the other former students of U.A. High. The gossiping pair asks Denki Kaminari and Kyoka Jiro if they are dating since their hero agencies were next door. Denki and Jiro laugh off the suggestion, claiming that Denki only moved into the available building next door to Jiro’s agency. Neither is interested in dating, completely debunking the popular Kamijirou ship from My Hero Academia.

What Is Kamijirou in My Hero Academia?

Kamijirou is the traditional name for the ship between Denki and Jiro. Denki is the blond-haired doofus with the quirk to control electricity, while Jiro is the more blunt musician with the special quirk of Earphone Joke, which allows her to jack into things with her ears and create sound vibrations. They are often seen as a pair, with many fans speculating they were romantically interested in each other. Many Kamijirou shippers hoped the final chapter would confirm them as an item when they reached adulthood, but instead, they seemingly received confirmation they were not dating.

[RELATED: My Hero Academia Almost Killed Off Its Top Hero Before the End]

Is There Any Hope For Kamijirou?

The scene between Denki, Jiro, Toru, and Hanta comes off as a meta-commentary from Horikoshi. Toru’s and Hanta’s gossiping is similar to fan speculation and theories people would read online. Denki and Jiro’s rejection of their dating life seems like Horikoshi speaking to fans through them, recognizing the ship’s popularity yet still choosing to debunk it.

While that seems heartbreaking for fans hoping Kamijirou would be canon, it’s still possible that Denki and Jiro weren’t truthful about their dating life when confronted by Toru and Hanta. The pair could have been lying to save face and not spread any unnecessary rumors. It’s up to fans to interpret whether they truly believe in what Denki and Jiro said.

Even though the final chapter of My Hero Academia sunk one ship, it did confirm other ships. Throughout the chapter, Ochaco keeps seeing visions of Toga, who keeps pushing her to live her own life. After much reflection, Ochaco realizes she wants to be with Deku. The chapter ends with the two holding hands, signifying they are now romantically together. Besides Deku and Ochaco, the final chapter confirms that Shihai Kuroiro and Kinoko Komori are dating.

The post My Hero Academia Timeskip Shuts Down One Fan Favorite Ship appeared first on ComicBook.com.

While the Rabbit Hero Mirko never became the top hero in My Hero Academia’s story, there’s an argument to be made that she should have had her shot to be the new Symbol of Peace. Since her introduction in the anime franchise, Mirko has been giving it her all when it came to fighting against All For One and his villainous hordes. Losing several limbs during her heroic career, the high-jumping hero hasn’t let this fact keep her down and this has never been more apparent than in the final manga volume’s “post-credit scene.” In the recent finale, fans get a glimpse of Mirko’s future and see that nothing will stop her from making the world a better place.

Warning. If you have yet to read the final volume of My Hero Academia’s manga, Volume 42, and don’t want to be spoiled, be warned that we’ll dive into serious spoiler territory. Following the fight against All For One, Class 1-A’s heroes grow up to become some of the biggest heroes around. While Deku is teaching at UA Academy, his classmates Mirio and Shoto Todoroki have hit the top two spots of the rankings. For Mirko, she stands tall at the six spot, remaining a top hero despite the fact that she no longer has arms and only has one leg to stand on.

RELATED: My Hero Academia x Marvel Crossover Under Fire Over Mirko Skin Color Controversy

Mirko Doesn’t Let Lost Limbs Keep Her Down

Even without her arms, Mirko relies on technology to help her in her crime fighting duties. Anime fans have already seen this in the final war that arrived in season seven and will play out in next year’s eighth and final season of My Hero Academia. While the Rabbit Hero might only have one leg left, it’s clear that she still is a major force to be reckoned with. Thanks to defeating All For One and the villainous hordes, it would be interesting to see how Mirko spends her time now that so many threats have been taken down.

Despite the fact that Hero Society is now in a peaceful state, Mirko appears to be putting her time to good use. Even during the fight against All For One, the Rabbit Hero never looked as “jacked” as she does here. Even without her arms, it’s clear that Mirko’s workout regiment hasn’t slowed down.

Mirko’s Anime Time Might Continue

As mentioned earlier, My Hero Academia will end with its eighth season next year, bringing the story of Hero Society’s crime fighters to a close. Despite this, there is a major anime project that could arrive that would feature far more of the Rabbit Hero. My Hero Academia: Vigilantes is a spin-off story that explored the heroes that operated outside of the law. On top of focusing on new characters such as Crawler, Pop Step, and Knuckleduster, the side story also featured stories of major heroes’ past.

Mirko receives her own story during this spin-off wherein she enters an underground fighting tournament as a teenager, proving that she was always looking for action. Should Vigilantes eventually receive an anime adaptation of its own, expect the Rabbit Hero to take the world by storm once again.

Want to stay up to date on Hero Society now that My Hero Academia has ended? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook.com for the latest on UA Academy and hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics and anime.

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One of the most important aspects of My Hero Academia was the One For All quirk. Unlike most other superpowers in the series, One For All is a power that can be transferred from one user to the next. The user would need to ingest DNA from the previous wielder of One For All. This is how the lead character, Izuku Midoriya, also known as Deku, gained superpowers despite growing up without a quirk. With One For All, Deku received super strength. There were eight previous wielders of One For All, with the last owner before Deku being All Might, considered one of the greatest superheroes ever to exist.

Tragically, Deku loses the quirk when he transfers the power to his archnemesis Tomura Shigaraki, which destroys the power for good with only lingering embers existing. Deku becomes powerless again in a world with superheroes and supervillains, but fans don’t need to be upset. Deku kept his friendship with his classmates at U.A. High even as he reached adulthood. He was even gifted a new suit that replicated his superstrength powers. While the powers of One For All may have vanished, the recent special final chapter of My Hero Academia hints that the spirit of the power can still live on.

How Can One For All Still Exist?

Other than its transfer abilities, another unique part of One For All was how all previous owners were connected to Deku. The My Hero Academia protagonist had visions and spoke with the previous One For All wielders through his subconscious. Once he was in direct communication with the group, Deku became capable of using the other quirks the other users had besides super strength. The super strength was the cumulative power collected from all previous owners of One For All.

After Deku loses One For All at the climax of the Final War arc for My Hero Academia, the series flashes forward to when Deku and his classmates at U.A. High are now adults. Even though the series supposedly ended with Chapter 430, a special 431 final chapter was released that served as an epilogue for the series. While the chapter doesn’t offer hints that Deku can still connect with the previous wielders of the quirk, the final chapter does suggest that the spirits of others can still exist inside someone through Ochaco Uraraka.

[RELATED: My Hero Academia Time Skip Crowns a New Number One Hero]

In the last arc, Ochaco had an intense battle with supervillain Himiko Toga. However, during the fight, the two girls formed a connection. Himiko sacrifices herself to save Ochaco by transferring the blood and keeping her alive. Chapter 431 shows Ochaco’s life as an adult, revealing she has visions of Himiko in her dreams. Ochaco speculates that since she has Himiko’s blood, Himiko’s life may still exist within her, just like how One For All worked. Besides the visions, it isn’t shown if Ochaco has Himiko’s quirk powers, a defining trait of One For All.

However, since Ochaco can still have visions of Himiko years after having her blood inside her, Deku could potentially still have a connection to One For All. Himiko pushes Ochaco to live her life the way she wants, which leads to Deku and Ochaco finally getting together like the fans always wanted. Though the series may be over for now, there’s potential for the characters’ story to continue.

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My Hero Academia has released the final volume of the manga in Japan, and the creator behind it all bid a final farewell to fans with a special message. Kohei Horikoshi’s My Hero Academia ended its run with Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump magazine earlier this Summer, but now it has come to a complete end with the launch of its final volume on shelves. This volume included over 30 pages of brand new material set after the original finale, and it gave fans the much more fleshed out ending that they were hoping for. And it seems like that was something the creator had wanted for the series as well.

Together with the release of My Hero Academia Volume 42 in shelves across Japan this week, Kohei Horikoshi included a final message within the volume (as shared by @puppyochako on X) that revealed some of his thought processes behind including more of the manga’s story. Noting that Chapter 429 was the end of the final battle, and 430 served as the epilogue, the new My Hero Academia Chapter 431 was to conclude the story in full. Horikoshi wanted the series’ characters to “be set free from their struggles” and for their drama to reach a resolution.

My Hero Academia’s Creator Says Goodbye to the Hero Series

Horikoshi shared his belief that manga is a visual medium telling its story through its art, but true success comes from the characters’ emotional and psychological being as important as the battles. Stating that, “It’s a medium where every action of the characters is tied to the development of their internal journey ‘Keep going! You can do it!’ is something all living beings express in one way or another. This story was all about those struggles.” But the series itself was a demanding one during its serialization that took Horikoshi going beyond his limits to create.

“I was constantly under pressure during the serialization, fighting my own self-consciousness,” Horikoshi stated. “Every day felt like a battle where I questioned whether I could write something better than the day before. I had no idea if readers would continue to believe in and support me. I kept asking myself if I was doing enough.” It was the audience that helped him get through it all too, “But every time I saw readers cheering for the characters I drew, I felt an overwhelming sense of relief and happiness. That trust gave me strength. You, the readers, are the ones who gave me this power. And because of that, I consider myself incredibly lucky to have had you as my supporters.”

RELATED: My Hero Academia x Marvel Crossover Under Fire Over Mirko Skin Color Controversy

Further emphasizing that he’s no less human than everyone else, he was able to do everything he wanted with My Hero Academia thanks to the support of the fans. Stating further, “Even though I might appear strong as a creator, in reality, I’m just as fragile and vulnerable as anyone else. I’m not someone who can do everything effortlessly. But because of you, I was able to move forward, even when I thought I couldn’t.” And now that journey has come to an end.

“After nearly a decade of My Hero Academia, it’s become clear to me that this series has been like gasoline to my soul—it fueled me, challenged me, and helped me grow,” Horikoshi continued. “I’m truly grateful to all of you for being part of this journey. With Chapter 431, the story will conclude. The characters will be set free from their struggles, and their dramas will reach resolution.”

My Hero Academia Chapter 431 was a brand new chapter set a month after the original ending, and showcases more of the time skip that was seen in the final chapter. With this new extra bit of story, and this final message from the creator, My Hero Academia’s manga is truly at an end in Japan. No release date has been revealed for the final volume in outside territories as of the time of this publication, but the final season of the anime will be airing some time next year.

HT – @puppyochako on X

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One of the most prestigious honors for any superhero to achieve in the fictional world of My Hero Academia was to make it to the top ten on the Hero Billboard Chart for Japan. Many heroes often vied for the top spot position, with All-Might taking up the number one hero title for much of the early parts of the manga. When All-Might retired, a new top ten was introduced, with Endeavor taking up the top position for most of the rest of the manga.

However, the special final chapter for My Hero Academia offers a new top ten. The special final chapter serves as an epilogue of the series, showcasing the characters’ lives as adults. The final chapter gave fans much-needed closure, including canonizing a popular ship between two main characters. Endeavor retired after the climax of the Final War arc, leaving the top spot vacant. While the manga doesn’t cover who took the spot immediately after the last arc, the series reveals which characters make up the new top ten for the Hero Billboard chart when the main cast are adults.

The New Top Ten Superheroes in My Hero Academia

The new top ten features a mixture of supporting characters we’ve grown to know and older pro-heroes who have stayed around. Several of the latest top ten heroes were students at U.A. High, the series’ primary setting.

1. Lemillion (Mirio Togata)
2. Shoto Todoroki
3. Mt. Lady
4. Kamui Woods
5. Best Jeanist
6. Mirko
7. Nejire Chan
8. Wash
9. Tentacole (Mezo Shoji)
10. Phantom Thief (Neito Monoma)

Shoto and Tentacole were classmates in Class A-1 in the U.A. High, while Lemillion, Nejire, and Phantom Thief were other students in the academy. Best Jeanist, Mirko, and Wash were leftovers from the previous top ten, having stuck around the top listing since the main characters were students. Mt. Lady and Kamui Woods were up-and-comers during the My Hero Academia series.

[RELATED: My Hero Academia’s New Ending Makes One Major Romance Canon]

Why Isn’t Bakugo In The Top Ten?

The new top ten has a mixture of obvious inclusions and surprising exclusions. It makes sense for Lemillion and Shoto to be in the top two positions. During the main storyline, Lemillion was a recurring supporting character who was the top student at U.A. High. His quirk allows him to become intangible, being able to pass through tangible matter, not unlike Kitty Pryde from the X-Men comics. Shoto was one of the top students in A-1, with the powers to control fire and ice. His placement at number two feels appropriate, considering that’s the spot his father, Endeavor, occupied for much of his career.

However, excluding Katsuki Bakugo from the list is likely the most shocking revelation of the new top ten. The previous chapter established that Bakugo was in the top ten but would likely move down in his ranking after being recorded for another outburst. Given Bakugo’s hot-headedness, it makes sense for him to fluctuate in the rankings. It’s established within My Hero Academia that the Hero Billboard Chart is not always set in stone and is constantly changing. Fans see that heroes continually drop in and out of the top ten throughout the story. While Bakugo isn’t in the top ten anymore, he can rejoin if he fixes his attitude, even though that’s not likely either.

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My Hero Academia has celebrated the final volume of its manga releasing in Japan with a special new crossover with Marvel, and it has unfortunately come under fire with fans over the choice for Mirko’s skin color. My Hero Academia might have officially ended its run with Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump magazine earlier this Summer, but the final volume of the series is now hitting shelves in Japan. As a way of commemorating the occasion, series creator Kohei Horikoshi had participated in an official art swap with Marvel artists Humberto Ramos and Edgar Delgado in which Spider-Man’s universe joined the world of My Hero Academia.

This crossover saw Horikoshi debuting his official take on Spider-Man together with All Might and Deku, and Ramos and Delgado’s piece saw Black Cat escaping from many of My Hero Academia‘s heroines. But while the crossover has been generally well received for its concept, it’s been a much different response when it comes to the Rabbit Hero Mirko. The pro hero is depicted in the original series with having a darker skin tone, but it’s not exactly the tone seen in the version of the hero in the new Marvel crossover art as pointed out by fans like @TheMightyZ2 , @Foreverheroics, @LastCallAtomicA on X and more.

Mirko’s Change in Skin Color

This discrepancy comes with a strange asterisk on top of its official release as well as colorist Edgar Delgado shared a more faithful version of Mirko to their own social media account to celebrate the official release of the art. The more faithful version with Mirko’s darker skin tone is also the one being officially on display on Marvel’s official website. But the one shared through Marvel Comics’ X page is the one featuring the lighter version of Mirko. This has caused a rift in what was otherwise a fun crossover between Shueisha and Marvel’s worlds.

It’s caused such a mixed reaction as the social media facing version of the art might have been the incorrect version shared when compared to Delgado and Marvel’s full release of the My Hero Academia and Marvel art. There was a mixup somewhere within the pipeline heading into the release of the special crossover, and now it’s led to an unfortunate debate surrounding Mirko that has some unfortunate parallels to the iteration of the character seen in action in My Hero Academia‘s anime as well. You can see the comparison in full below.

RELATED: My Hero Academia Creator Teases Their Next Manga (& It’s Coming Soon)

Mirko Has Had This Trouble With My Hero Academia Before

The clashing over My Hero Academia’s presentation of Mirko has unfortunately been a cause of concern in the anime’s past as well. With series creator Kohei Horikoshi depicting the pro hero with much darker skin in official sketches and art shared with fans in the manga’s releases, Mirko once more had a lighter skin tone when she finally made her debut in the anime back in Season 5. It was a point of concern when she first popped up, and still continues to be one.

While this situation with the Marvel crossover is likely just a hiccup somewhere in its release, it’s another reflection of the kinds of troubles that Mirko has had in My Hero Academia for being a character depicted with darker skin overall. As the hero takes more of the center stage of the action in the anime’s final episodes, it’s also going to be a point of interest that fans will be keeping a close eye on as it all comes to an end.

The post My Hero Academia x Marvel Crossover Under Fire Over Mirko Skin Color Controversy appeared first on ComicBook.com.

In Japan, the 42nd volume of My Hero Academia’s manga has landed and boy does this final volume have quite the incentive for fans to pick it up. While the manga did end earlier this year, creator Kohei Horikoshi was more than willing to add new material to his beloved superhero shonen series. Giving us a better idea of what the heroes are up to in the future, a number number one hero has been chosen following the fight against Shigaraki and All For One. While there are some options that fans will jump to immediately, you might be surprised to see who might be stepping into the role of Hero Society’s new Symbol of Peace.

Warning. If you want to avoid the spoilers that make up the “post credits scene” for My Hero Academia’s final manga volume, be forewarned that we’ll be diving into spoiler territory in this article. In this future timeline, the heroes that survived the final war are still fighting for truth and justice. Even though Deku might no longer have the power of One For All at his disposal, he has jumped back into the fray thanks to a new armored suit given to him by All Might. Since Izuku Midoriya has jumped onto the scene, neither Bakugo nor Shoto Todoroki are in the top spot but a former UA Academy student most assuredly is.

RELATED: My Hero Academia Creator Teases Their Next Manga (& It’s Coming Soon)

Lemillion Stands Supreme

That’s right, Mirio Togata has become the new number one hero. Once thought of as the one to inherit One For All from All Might before he stumbled upon Deku, the older hero is now fighting alongside the two other members of the Big Three in this future landscape. Joined by Nejire and Suneater, Lemillion might be the new top hero in Hero Society but his strange sense of humor and powerful Quirk remain the same.

Of course, aside from his number number one status, we would be remiss if we didn’t also mention Mirio’s new hairstyle. While this has nothing to do with his ranking at the top of the charts, Lemillion’s new haircut is something pulled out of the Fifth Element and absolutely needed to be addressed. Mirio might have some competition now that Deku has returned to crime fighting but his haircut stands alone.

Will Mirio Stay Number One?

On top of Lemillion gaining the top spot, there are quite a few Class 1-A heroes that have also become leaders in Hero Society. Bakugo and Shoto Todoroki might not be Mirio’s equals on the hero ladder, but the latter is number two and the former is number five. Both of these young heroes have wasted little time in attempting to become the top crime fighters in a world without All For One and while My Hero Academia might never return, we have to imagine that they’ll both be trying to fight crime and raise their ranks.

Of course, one of the major moments of the final volume doesn’t involve Lemillion at all Kohei Horikoshi took the chance to hint to fans that Deku and Uravity might have a relationship in the future. While the pair never revealed their feeling for one another in the main series, this post-credits time skip is one that leaves the door wide open.

Want to follow what surprises My Hero Academia has in store in its post-finale future? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook.com for the latest updates on UA Academy and hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics and anime.

The post My Hero Academia Timeskip Reveals New Number One Hero (& Its Not Who You Think) appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Kohei Horikoshi has spent over ten years creating the story of Izuku Midoriya and his friends in UA Academy’s Class 1-A. Despite receiving a well-earned retirement following My Hero Academia’s manga conclusion, the mangaka isn’t resting when it comes to the manga world. On top of creating new art for his beloved shonen franchise, Horikoshi has confirmed that he is currently working on an entirely new manga. Surprisingly enough, Kohei spilled the beans in chatting with Marvel Comics, hinting that his time as a mangaka is far from finished as he dropped some clues as to what takes place following Class 1-A’s success.

To kick off the interview with Marvel, Horikoshi confirmed that his favorite hero in the North American comic book publisher’s roster is Peter Parker, aka Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. On top of creating new art work of Spidey hanging with Deku and All Might, Kohei explained his history with the wallcrawler, “I’ve always wondered what it means to be a hero, especially when I was writing My Hero Academia. At some point, I finally came to the conclusion that what that means is being a strong part of a community, helping a friendly neighborhood, which is why I respect Spider-Man so much.”

RELATED: My Hero Academia and Spider-Man Collide in Dream Marvel Crossover

A New Chapter For My Hero Academia’s Creator

While Kohei Horikoshi didn’t spell out exactly what his next manga will be about, he did take the opportunity to confirm that he has something brewing. “I feel really lucky over the success of My Hero Academia, so I know there’s a lot of pressure around my next move. I’m planning to start a new manga as soon as I possibly can.” In the past, the My Hero Academia creator has hinted at the idea that he’d love to try his hand out on a horror manga series though if he is with his next project, he doesn’t reveal it here.

Kohei didn’t reveal a time frame of when manga fans can expect his new project, though he did state that he would be handling the story and art. Unfortunately, Horikoshi is sticking with My Hero Academia until the end of its anime road, so don’t expect this series in the near future. “I was thinking to committing myself to simply drawing my next project, and letting someone else write the story, but my editor advised me ‘It will be better if you do it all yourself.’ With that in mind, I’ve slowly started writing and drawing the thumbnails of my next manga. However, there are still several events left surrounding My Hero Academia, so for a while I’ll still be committed to supporting and promoting it.”

A Marvel/My Hero Crossover

While there has never been an official project that sees all of UA Academy teaming up with Marvel’s finest, Deadpool: Samurai gave us an unexpected crossover that many didn’t see coming. In fighting against the Mad Titan Thanos, Wade Wilson joined forces with the former Symbol of Peace, All Might. There has yet to be confirmation that the Deadpool manga will receive its own anime adaptation but seeing this team-up on the small screen would shake the foundations of the anime medium. As Marvel continues to wade into the manga waters, it will be interesting to see what other superheroes receive their own manga series moving forward.

Want to see what Kohei Horikoshi has cooking in the future? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook.com for the latest updates on UA Academy and hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics and anime.

Via Marvel

The post My Hero Academia Creator Teases Their Next Manga (& It’s Coming Soon) appeared first on ComicBook.com.

My Hero Academia has officially released the final volume of its manga in Japan, and its creator is celebrating with a special dream crossover with Marvel’s Spider-Man in some cool new art. My Hero Academia officially ended its run with Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump magazine earlier this Summer, and Volume 42 (the final volume of the series) has now hit shelves in Japan. This serves as the final new manga release for My Hero Academia overall, and thus Marvel is helping fans to say goodbye to the hero series by reaching out with some heroes of their own in a dream crossover between the worlds.

To help celebrate the release of My Hero Academia Volume 42 in Japan, Marvel took to social media to honor the occasion with the reveal of a great art swap between My Hero Academia series creator Kohei Horikoshi and talented Marvel artists Humberto Ramos (who provided the line work and art) and Edgar Delgado (who provided the color). The two pieces of art see both Spider-Man and Black Cat come into the world of My Hero Academia, and leads to some very different results between the two. You can check out the cool Marvel and My Hero Academia crossover art below.

My Hero Academia’s Creator Is a Big Fan of Spider-Man

This really is a dream come true in a number of ways as My Hero Academia series creator Kohei Horikoshi has been very open about his being a fan of Spider-Man. Not only have some of the heroes and characters been inspired by people and characters within the Spider-Man universe, but some of the coolest panels and moments are full on references to some of Spider-Man’s coolest and biggest moments. Deku’s use of Blackwhip even becomes like Peter Parker’s web slinging towards the end of the series, and he even had his own version of Spider-Sense with the “Danger Sense” quirk.

Those in the My Hero Academia universe have even gone on to work on special Spider-Man Universe related projects as well. The creative team behind the My Hero Academia: Vigilantes spinoff series actually helped to craft Spider-Man: Octo-Girl, a special manga series imagining an Isekai where Dr. Octopus ended up in the body of a small girl in Japan. So My Hero Academia and Spider-Man have been connected in some form for quite a long time, and now the two have come together in a full crossover as it has all come to an end.

RELATED: My Hero Academia Almost Killed Off Its Top Hero Before the End

My Hero Academia Went Out With a Bang

This is all part of quite the epic goodbye for My Hero Academia as it’s really going out with a bang as the year comes to an end. Horikoshi’s original manga run ended earlier this Summer, but the final volume came stacked with extras. There were over 30 extra pages added to the final volume that not only fleshed out some of the events seen in the final chapters, but also had a brand new chapter that came after the events of the original series. So Horikoshi basically added an entire new epilogue to further flesh out the end.

The release of My Hero Academia‘s final volume also came with the results of a special popularity poll that has been tallying votes for the last few months. This World’s Best Hero popularity poll took votes from fans all over the world, and recently crowned fans’ favorite hero. This is all before My Hero Academia’s anime returns for its final season next year, so the celebration for this grand finale will certainly continue.

The post My Hero Academia and Spider-Man Collide in Dream Marvel Crossover appeared first on ComicBook.com.

My Hero Academia has released a new chapter after the series’ original ending, and this new epilogue has revealed Katsuki Bakugo’s disappointing pro hero future as it’s not the life fans expected him to have. My Hero Academia came to an end with Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump magazine earlier this Summer, and the final volume of the manga series is now hitting shelves across Japan. As part of the celebration for this final release for the manga, original creator Kohei Horikoshi actually included over 30 original pages of material for a brand new chapter taking place after the original end of the series.

My Hero Academia has come back with a brand new chapter taking place after the original ending, and it fully fleshes out more of the reveals and statuses of Izuku Midoriya and the other Class 1-A hero following the time skip. This means fans have gotten a better look at how Bakugo is doing as a pro hero in the future. This chapter has not released outside of Japan, but details for the new release have confirmed how each of the characters have changed. So spoilers will follow for My Hero Academia Chapter 431 below.

Bakugo Is Far From a Top Hero in the Future

My Hero Academia Chapter 431 is set about a month after Chapter 430 where the former Class 1-A students reveal that they have been working all of this time to get Deku a power suit to help him get back into the hero action again. Bakugo’s been successful enough in his hero career to get a fancy new car (which the others complement), but his status isn’t so great. It’s revealed that while he had initially debuted in fourth place in the Hero Rankings, he has since dropped to 15th thanks to his action in the field. In fact, every sidekick who had applied to work with him ended up crying and giving up.

These people were impressed by the fight with All For One, but were let down by the reality of the situation once they actually met the real Bakugo face to face. This prickly nature has been hampering Bakugo this entire time, and it seems that even as an adult he still hasn’t really changed. Though he does admit to Deku that he really would have taken any sidekick who outright stated that they wanted to surpass him someday, something that drove him as a young hero too.

RELATED: My Hero Academia’s Choice for World’s Best Hero Isn’t a Surprise

Bakugo Gets Surpassed By Deku One Last Time

But the real disappointment comes for Bakugo later as while he was one of the key people who worked hard to get Deku his current power suit, Deku has no real desire to work alongside him. He asks Deku whether or not he wants to keep teaching now that he’s able to fight as a hero, and Deku says that while being a hero is what he loves, he realizes that he still would have loved to be a teacher even if he still had One For All. But now he gets to do both. It’s just not the answer Bakugo wanted to hear in that moment.

Bakugo wanted Deku to work at his agency as equals, but Deku wasn’t interested. It’s here that Bakugo restates that Deku doesn’t really pay attention to the obvious things around him, and that he should look at some things closer and think better of himself in the future. It’s the final real conversation the two have in the series as it’s clear their lives are moving in different directions. So while Bakugo was poised to be one of the top heroes at the end of the original My Hero Academia series, the reality is just much different.

The post My Hero Academia Reveals Bakugo’s Pro Hero Future (& It’s a Bit Sad) appeared first on ComicBook.com.

My Hero Academia may have set off to the sunset this past summer, but fans are still discovering new things about the series. Shonen Jump celebrated the series’ end with a lengthy video covering the top 100 characters as voted by fans. The video was hosted by voice actors Yamashita (Izuku Midoriya) and Nobuhiko Okamoto (Katsuki Bakugo), with Neki Matsuzawa serving as the MC. The trio offered commentary during the video and shared info from the manga’s author, Kōhei Horikoshi.

The commentators shared answers given to them by Horikoshi. The answers are based on common questions he’s asked about the series, and one of them was, “Which character turned out differently from how you imagined?” Horikoshi surprised Yamashita and Okamoto with plans for Enji Todoroki, also known as Flame Hero: Endeavor, which he highlighted in his response: “There were many. I’d planned for Endeavor to die,” Horikoshi said.

Top Hero Endeavor Was Meant To Die in My Hero Academia

Horikoshi revealed that Endeavor was one of the characters who turned out differently than he had imagined. His initial plan for Endeavor was to die. He doesn’t go over what was his initial intention for Endeavor beyond that, leaving Endeavor’s original fate up to fans’ imagination. Insstead, Endeavor became greater than Horikoshi had ever imagined.

[RELATED: My Hero Academia: You’re Next’s Home Video Release Will Include New Anime Short]

What Happened to Endeavor Instead?

Endeavor has one of the most drastic character arcs in My Hero Academia. He was initially introduced as Shoto Todoroki’s ego-driven and hard-edged father. It was established early on that Endeavor had children to groom them to be the perfect hero. Endeavor was also obsessed with surpassing All-Might to be number one on the Hero Billboard Charts in Japan. With a large cast that included literal supervillains, Endeavor initially came across as the most despicable of how callous he treated his children.

However, the character went through a redemption arc in My Hero Academia. After All-Might’s retirement midway through the series, Endeavor became the number-one hero in Japan. He took his responsibilities seriously and began trying to make amends for his past actions. His past mistreatment of his children would later come back to haunt him when it was revealed the supervillain Dabi was secretly his son.

Endeavor ends up surviving the events of the Final War arc but sustains serious injury. He ends up peacefully retiring and spending the rest of his life hoping to make amends for all the bad stuff he did in his life. His ultimate redemption is one of the series’ main themes, making him a fan favorite hero among fans. Endeavor ranked sixth in the 100 Characters fan poll, showing how much fans’ opinions of the character have changed.

While Horikoshi doesn’t discuss how Endeavor would die, the author likely didn’t intend for the character to have a deep and enduring redemption. What Endeavor presented himself as at the beginning of the series was probably how Horikoshi intended to portray him throughout the manga.

As part of the Top 100 Character Ranking video, Shonen Jump announced a “Final Fan Book,” which will include more answers to fan questions from Horikoshi and the results of the last four Super Poll events. An original art exhibition commemorating the end of the manga will also be featured at the Creative Tokyo Museu in Kyobash, Tokyo, from June 21st to August 31st, 2025. A final extra chapter for My Hero Academia was also released that made one popular relationship canon.

H/T: Shonen Jump on YouTube

The post My Hero Academia Almost Killed Off Its Top Hero Before the End appeared first on ComicBook.com.

My Hero Academia came to an end earlier this Summer with a special worldwide popularity poll where fans voted for the series’ best hero, and their choice for number one isn’t exactly a surprise. Kohei Horikoshi’s My Hero Academia officially ended its run with Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump magazine this Summer, and the series has been celebrating in big ways ever since. These last few months have been cataloguing votes from fans all over the world for their favorite hero, and the top 100 favorites have now been revealed to celebrate the release of the final volume of the manga hitting shelves in Japan.

With the launch of My Hero Academia Volume 42 of the manga, the worldwide popularity poll revealed its results and crowned Katsuki Bakugo as the world’s top hero with over 1.6 million votes counted. Then he was followed by Izuku Midoriya’s 1.2 million votes, and then coming in third was Shoto Todoroki with over 630,000 votes. The three are now in another contest to get a statue erected of the most favorite, but it’s likely going to be Bakugo again. And when you look back on the series as a whole, it really wasn’t going to be anyone other than Bakugo.

Bakugo Was Always My Hero Academia’s Most Popular Character

While Deku is most certainly the main hero of My Hero Academia, and was pretty close to nabbing the top spot himself, he was never really the most popular character. Bakugo pretty much dominated from early on. Introducing fans to Deku’s rival who was an outright bully at first, fans saw as Deku found ways to overcome Bakugo. But even then, there was something different about Bakugo that had appealed to fans. Because outside of his prickly personality, he was still very much chasing his dreams of becoming a hero. Further cementing himself as the deuteragonist of the series, this only became clearer later on.

Bakugo began to reveal new sides of himself. As Deku was improving and getting better with his use of One For All, Bakugo watched from the sidelines as the former weakling he picked on was surpassing him in pretty much every way. This shock to his system was what ended up giving Bakugo a fully fledged character arc of his own as he needed to humble himself from not only what he thought of himself in the past, but also how he fits within the wider world of heroes. This is what turned fans from liking Bakugo to outright loving him.

RELATED: My Hero Academia: You’re Next’s Home Video Release Will Include New Anime Short

Deku and Bakugo’s Rivalry Is One of Shonen Jump’s Best

This turn is what helped to make the central rivalry between Deku and Bakugo as one of the best ever seen in Shonen Jump’s history. Bakugo realized his shortcomings and turned it into fuel to surpass Deku, and Deku realized his own shortcomings in not seeing Bakugo for the growing person he was. This pushed the two of them to huge new heights as they directly challenged one another while All For One was changing the hero world around them, and their shared love of All Might (and shared One For All secret) tied them closer than ever before.

It was a constant tug of war between the two of them, but Deku was pushed towards even greater heights as he was the only one who could really fight against Tomura Shigaraki and All For One. Even with all of this, Bakugo stood tall and fought against his own inferiority complex to sacrifice himself when the moment called for it. It was a true sign of the steady growth for his character that fans saw over the course of the series, and truly appreciated him for it. Because Bakugo went from hating Deku’s weakness (because he saw himself in it), and changed to fully respect that part of Deku’s personality. And in turn, Deku became more confident in himself as a hero who was needed to save Japan.

Deku arguably went through the most challenges and changes over the course of My Hero Academia’s run, and arguably had the biggest impact on the rest of the hero society. But it was Bakugo who had what was seen as the more compelling hero’s journey. It wasn’t outward opponents he was facing off against, but himself. Softening his edges to the point where he sees Deku as a true equal when it all comes to an end, and even helping his former rival live out his own hero dreams in the future. It’s a journey that fans loved to see from beginning to end, and it’s why he was ultimately voted as the best hero in the series. He might not have been able to beat Deku in My Hero Academia itself, but Bakugo clinched the final victory here.

The post My Hero Academia’s Choice for World’s Best Hero Isn’t a Surprise appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Great Explosion Murder God Dynamight, casually known to friends and fans as Katsuki Bakugo, is officially the most popular character in My Hero Academia. That is, at least based on a global poll from Shonen Jump that ranked 278 characters in the series. After 6.12 million votes were placed and counted, the top three characters were Bakugo, Midoriya, and Todoroki, in that order.

However, there can only be one favorite character, or “THE MHA” in this case. With a bronze statue waiting for the winner, another contest was held with an incredibly tight voting deadline of 24 hours for the “PLUS ULTRA” polling stage. To no surprise, the order of the last round stayed consistent, with Bakugo beating out Midoriya and Todoroki to the top spot. 

RELATED: My Hero Academia Popularity Poll Results Announce Big Surprise for Fans

Katsuki Bakugo Gets Special My Hero Academia Bronze Statue in 2025

Shonen Jump announced the results in an official YouTube video listing the final three in their respective orders. All that’s left now is for Kōhei Horikoshi, the series creator, to design the illustration for the bronze statue to be built in Bakugo’s honor and exhibited in Japan sometime in 2025. The statue’s location and dimensions will be revealed later, but it’ll surely be a draw for fans of the series for years to come. 

Top 20 Characters from My Hero Academia

The full list ranking all 278 characters was also shared online, which you can review to see where your favorite characters ranked. The extensive list ranges from Japan’s top-ranked heroes to supporting characters with brief appearances, such as UA students’ parents. This list is pretty definitive, given that the manga is over, and this poll included results worldwide. 

The top 20 characters from My Hero Academia, voted on by the fans, are as follows: 

1. Katsuki Bakugo 
2. Izuku Midoriya
3. Shoto Todoroki 
4. Shota Aizawa 
5. Eijiro Kirishima
6. Endeavor
7. Hawks
8. Dabi
9. Tomura Shigaraki
10. Neito Monoma
11. Ochaco Uraraka
12. All Might
13. Himiko Toga
14. Denki Kaminari
15. Hitoshi Shinso
16. Tamaki Amajiki
17. Rody Soul
18. Tenya Ida
19. Tsukutomi
20. Earphone Jack

My Hero Academia is a manga about a young boy without superpowers (“quirks”) inheriting one from the greatest hero the world has ever known. After spending 10 years as one of Shonen Jump’s most popular series, the manga concluded this past summer. The anime’s final season will also air in 2025, bringing the story to a close for most fans. Thankfully, fans will surely experience parts of the series for years to come, whether by visiting attractions like Bakugo’s bronze statue or maybe even through an orchestral symphony like Naruto. 

H/T: Shonen Jump on YouTube

The post My Hero Academia Character Gets Statue Following Final Poll Results appeared first on ComicBook.com.

My Hero Academia‘s creator has returned for a brand new chapter after the original series came to an end, and this new ending for the series has made a major romance officially part of the canon. My Hero Academia recently hit shelves in Japan with the final volume of Kohei Horikoshi’s original manga series, but it came with a major surprise. It included not only adjustments to the weekly releases of the manga seen in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump magazine, but also a brand new chapter set after the final chapter of the original series. It was a whole new ending that fleshed out the original ending much further.

While this newest chapter for the series is currently only available in Japan, the details for its release have been revealed to fans around the world. This also includes many of the additions that Horikoshi included to further expand on the time skip seen in My Hero Academia‘s final chapter, and with the confirmation of a major romance between two of the heroes that never got a full confirm by the time the original came to an end. There are some big spoilers below for fans who want to wait for the final volume’s English release, so proceed with caution.

My Hero Academia Brings Deku and Ochaco Full Circle

My Hero Academia Chapter 431, which was the brand new chapter released after the manga’s ending in Volume 42 of the series, is titled “More.” The chapter title is actually reflective of two things. Not only is it “more” of My Hero Academia, but it’s also a reflection of Ochaco Uraraka’s real desires for her own future. The new chapter takes place a little over a month following the final chapter of the original series (which was already in a ten year time skip), and she has been working as a pro hero alongside Izuku Midoriya after he was given his new power suit by the rest of the former Class 1-A.

It turns out she’s been having dreams of Himiko Toga, and worries that while the former villain’s blood is no longer physically in her body, there must be some lingering effect. But as it turns out, this is just Ochaco’s own worries coming to life through an image of Toga as she wonders if her former foe is trying to tell her something. When Izuku and Ochaco reunite at a special party with the rest of their friends, it’s here that the two of them finally realize something about one another as they make more space for things other than heroism in their lives.

RELATED: My Hero Academia: You’re Next’s Home Video Release Will Include New Anime Short

My Hero Academia Now Ends With Deku and Ochaco Spending More Time Together

My Hero Academia’s new final chapter then continues with Ochaco seeing Toga one last time. She sees her former foe confesses that because she was able to live with the love for Ochaco, she now wants Ochaco to live and love for herself. It’s here that while Ochaco notices that while the two of them have gone on to live the hero lives they wanted to, it’s not what she really wanted at the end of the day. She’s held this romantic feeling for Deku all this time, and it turns out Deku feels the same way.

At the same time, Deku also gets some advice from Bakugo. His former rival turned friend got him to realize that while Deku loves and sees everyone the same way, it’s also something that has kept him from noticing the obvious. Putting the two and two together, Deku realizes he’s loved Ochaco all this time as well. After their small reunion party, Deku chases after Ochaco and confesses that he wants to spend more time with her in the future. And with a final push from Toga, Ochaco then confesses that she wants the same.

So the “More” in the title to My Hero Academia’s new final chapter refers to it being “more” of the story and the “more” time that Deku and Ochaco realize they want to spend together. Finally closing the book on the one romance that fans had been hoping to see come to fruition during the manga’s initial ending earlier this Summer.

The post My Hero Academia’s New Ending Makes One Major Romance Canon appeared first on ComicBook.com.

It’s been quite clear over the years that My Hero Academia’s creator Kohei Horikoshi has been an adamant fan of all things “super hero.” When we here at ComicBook.com have had the chance to speak with Horikoshi in past interviews, the mangaka was in love with the Marvel Universe and was more than willing to discuss past storylines in the Spider-Man universe. Now, in a recent interview, Horikoshi has revealed that there is one member of UA Academy who was specifically created to pay homage to the Spider-Verse and you might be surprised to learn that he isn’t talking about Sero.

In said interview, Kohei Horikoshi revealed that the character Neito Monoma, the Copycat character who can use the Quirks of others while in physical contact, is based on a character from the Spider-Verse. Obviously, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man doesn’t have the power to use the super abilities of others so Horikoshi based Monoma on another popular Marvel character. Monoma’s look and aesthetic was based on Dane DeHaan, the young actor who portrayed Harry Osborn in Andrew Garfield’s The Amazing Spider-Man 2. While Harry would become the Green Goblin in the final film of the “Amazing” series, his earlier appearances in the sequel clearly had an effect on Horikoshi and led to the creation of the Copycat her.

RELATED: Sorry My Hero Academia Fans, Deku and Bakugo Were Never Going to Be a Couple

The Amazing Monoma

In a recent interview, Horikoshi took the chance to dive further into how he approached creating some of his beloved heroes. In Monoma’s case, the Copycat Hero doesn’t hop aboard a Goblin Glider but his style is one that definitely takes its influence from the son of Norman Osborn. Kohei said the following after revealing how Monoma was born, “When creating characters, I often gather various aspects from different people and stories. So every character has some kind of reference behind them.” You can check out the video for yourself by clicking below:

A Spider-Man/Class 1-A Crossover Isn’t That Crazy

My Hero Academia’s manga might have released its final chapter earlier this year but that doesn’t mean the franchise won’t still have a heavy influence on the anime industry. Along with the eighth and final anime season arriving next year thanks to Studio BONES, Horikoshi is still hard at work in creating new art for his beloved shonen franchise. Based on where we’ve seen the anime heroes pop up in the past, seeing Deku and friends teaming up with Marvel favorites in the future might not be all the far fetched.

Of course, we are referring to Deadpool: Samurai, the first Marvel manga series focusing on the Merc With A Mouth. In this continuing series, Wade Wilson has the opportunity to team-up with none other than All Might to take on the Mad Titan Thanos. While the crossover is a short-lived one, it leads credence to the idea that Class 1-A could meet more Marvel characters in the future.

Marvel Comics has been getting more into the manga business in recent years so it makes sense that the Friendly Neighborhood Wall Crawler would receive a manga of his own. Spider-Man: Fake Red is currently available for manga and Marvel fans alike to witness a brand new story focusing on the Web Slinger, though Peter Parker isn’t wearing his patented red and blue costume here. Instead, Parker is missing and a new, power-less Spidey is patrolling the streets.

Want to see what other anime crossovers are in the works? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook.com for the latest updates on UA Academy and hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics and anime.

The post My Hero Academia Based One Hero Off Surprising Spider-Man Star appeared first on ComicBook.com.

My Hero Academia will soon be returning with a brand new epilogue expanding on the events from the final chapter of the series, but fans hoping to see a confirmed relationship between Izuku Midoriya and Katsuki Bakugo might want to rein it in as it’s likely that it won’t be happening any time soon. My Hero Academia ended its run with Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump magazine earlier this Summer, and with it sparked a ton of debate among fans as to whether or not it actually was able to have a satisfying conclusion. In fact, those debates are still happening.

Helping in these matters is 31 brand new pages added to the final volume release of My Hero Academia. Hitting shelves in Japan beginning on December 4th, Volume 42 of the series will not only include corrections to the published chapters from series creator Kohei Horikoshi himself, but an extended epilogue chapter that takes place after the final chapter of the series. Meaning there’s still a chance for some last minute romance that didn’t make it into the original series, but it likely won’t be the Deku and Bakugo ship that fans might have been hoping to see.

My Hero Academia Doesn’t Have Romance at All, Really

For those seeking romance in general, unfortunately My Hero Academia has never been the place to find it. It’s not because it’s an action series within Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump magazine (as Shueisha has a ton of experience publishing many romantic comedy and other romance stories even alongside My Hero Academia), but it’s because the series has squarely been focused on its single goal of growing Izuku Midoriya and the world of heroes around him before it could all come to an end. The story began with Deku touting that he would become the world’s greatest hero, and it pretty much stuck to that.

Even when there was time to expand the story outside of Deku, it was to further flesh out how the previous world of heroes had impacted the next generation of young fighters growing up within it. Bakugo and Shoto Todoroki served as secondary protagonists that got their own fleshed out arcs across multiple chapters an eras of My Hero Academia, but their stories all tied back into how the future was going to change through their new styles of heroism. And when there was any semblance of romance to be found, it was quickly snuffed out within the hero goals.

Ochaco Uraraka was the one character who openly had a romantic crush on Izuku Midoriya, and she many times pushed that feeling aside because of everything else going on. It was immediately clear that their school lives would be far from the norm, and thus things like romance had to go on the back burner while the literal fate of Japan was at stake. When there finally was time to potentially explore a romance of any kind, My Hero Academia series creator Kohei Horikoshi opted not to do so as the series ended without a single couple or relationship being confirmed. If they weren’t already shown as a couple in the series, there wasn’t any romantic developments for the core or extended casts.

RELATED: My Hero Academia Goes Back to the Beginning With the Manga’s Final Cover Art

Deku and Bakugo’s Relationship Is More Like Siblings

This is likely a much tougher point to get across, but Deku and Bakugo’s relationship dynamic never had a sense of romance in the traditional sense. Instead, it was something deeper. It’s a connection forged between two people who spent the majority of their lives and time together, and only wanted to impress one another. That’s not a romantic bond, that’s a classic rivalry. It was fairly heated between the two as Deku and Bakugo grew to really only care about how the other saw them, and that’s more of a sibling relationship than something that would be sought out in a romantic partner.

Deku and Bakugo were truly emotionally vulnerable when in front of one another, and that showcased a trust that was rarely seen with anyone else. These two have been going to school together long before U.A. Academy, and carried their sibling rivalry through to their hero careers. It’s a rivalry in which they don’t actually hate one another, it was just Bakugo who hated Deku because he saw something lacking in himself. And Deku, respected Bakugo’s opinion more than anyone because he wanted to impress his greatest rival.

Their time together and shared secret with All Might forged a deeper relationship with the two, and it brought them together as brothers. It’s a sibling bond where they slightly hate one another, but they hold such a deep love and respect for one another that they’ll do anything for each other. Bakugo was literally fought to death on Deku’s behalf, and Deku has done the same. They’ve bonded through war, and eventually found versions of themselves within each other that they wouldn’t have been able to otherwise.

While there might be fans who wish this to be a romantic connection, unfortunately it seems like that’s never going to happen within the official canon. It’s even tougher within a series like My Hero Academia where romance barely can exist at all, and even more so when there’s a hope for outward displays of that romance through physical intimacy of any kind. There’s always going to be a character that gets left on the sidelines when it comes to even having space within a manga’s final chapters, and there are just too many characters to balance with its final chapters.

There were too many questions left to answer, and too many potential relationships to juggle. It’s to the point where no one really was satisfied with My Hero Academia‘s ending, and even necessitated an extended finale to try and fix those issues. So it seems like the ultimate answer at the end of the day wasn’t not only to keep Deku and Bakugo’s relationship the way it was, but pretty much every other potential relationship too.

The post Sorry My Hero Academia Fans, Deku and Bakugo Were Never Going to Be a Couple appeared first on ComicBook.com.

My Hero Academia has one final anime season in the chamber for next year, looking to cover the same ground that was tread by Kohei Horikoshi’s critically acclaimed shonen manga. Without diving into spoiler territory, Class 1-A’s final chapters were one that gave many readers a fond farewell to the shonen universe which has easily become the most popular take on superheroes in the manga world. For those who are in Japan, Shueisha is planning to give fans some freebies when it comes to the release of the final volume, which was already planning to have some big surprises for readers.

In the lead-up to the final manga volume of My Hero Academia, which will arrive in Japan on December 4th next month, Shueisha has made some big reveals. Of these reveals, one of the biggest is that the final collection of manga chapters will feature several new pages to create something of a “post-credits scene” for the series. Without diving into spoiler territory, the idea of one more scene taking place to cap off Deku’s story is one that could potentially set-up a sequel. My Hero Academia’s creator Kohei Horikoshi has not confirmed if he will ever return to Class 1-A’s universe though there are plenty of anime fans clamoring for a “Shippuden” style story.

RELATED: My Hero Academia Needs To Fix the Ending’s Worst Problem

My Hero Academia’s Finale Manga Goodies

My Hero Academia’s manga will release three new illustrated cards with the 42nd volume, taking fans back to the earlier days of some of Class 1-A’s biggest heroes. Izuku Midoriya, Katsuki Bakugo, and Shoto Todoroki are shown in their younger iterations that anime fans would see in quite a few flashbacks. It makes sense for the final volume to take us back to the past as the future seems bright for the young heroes. Should a spin-off or prequel series take place in the future, there could be far more territory for these young heroes to explore.

UA Academy’s Past And Future

While this upcoming volume is the shonen’s grand finale in the manga, the anime adaptation still has some potential wild new avenues to explore. Outside of the upcoming eighth season, My Hero Academia also has yet to shoot down the idea that the franchise is finished at movie theaters. Following this year’s successful release in My Hero Academia: You’re Next, it’s entirely possible that Studio BONES could create another original story for the silver screen. This gains even more credence when fans think that creator Kohei Horikoshi has quite a bit of time on his hands now that the original manga is complete.

While My Hero Academia: Vigilantes was not created by Horikoshi, the long-running manga spin-off is one that could be primed to arrive on the small screen. Focusing on characters operating outside of the law such as Crawler, Pop Step, and Knuckleduster, a potential anime adaptation would harbor several seasons based on the sheer number of chapters. The side story might not have seen Deku and his friends front and center, but it did offer readers a new look at the backstories of key characters. Eraserhead, Present Mic, Midnight, and many others have their backstories further fleshed out by showing their earlier days at UA Academy not as teachers, but as students themselves hoping to start their own crime fighting agencies.

Want to stay up to date on all things UA Academy? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook.com for the latest updates on Class 1-A and hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics and anime.

The post My Hero Academia Fans Get Special Promo With Series Finale appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Despite ending back in August 2024, hype surrounding My Hero Academia‘s finale hasn’t slowed down, and now, with Volume 42 set to release in Japan on December 4, 2024, fans are more anxious than ever to see what the additional 38 pages of content promised in the series’ final volume will offer. The final chapters of My Hero Academia explored the lives of the main cast following a brief time skip. Though it felt rather abrupt, it did offer a short look into how everyone was doing following the war, whether they decided to continue down the road of becoming Pro Heroes, or if they resigned to living a normal, pedestrian lifestyle.

Surprising many when the chapters were released, it was revealed that the series’ main protagonist, Izuku Midoriya, had given up on being a professional hero instead to take up the role of a teacher at UA, acting as a mentor to future generations of heroes after his experiences fighting Shigaraki. The ending also very briefly touches on Ochako’s survivor’s guilt before Bakugo swoops in to offer Midoriya a Tony Stark-esque mech suit so that he can jump back into his life as a hero.

While tender, in many ways, the series’ final moments miss the mark due to how quickly everything happens, without ever truly resolving anything.

[RELATED: My Hero Academia’s Fantasy World Returns For Jump Festa Promo]

Does My Hero Academia Finally Have a Chance To Tie Up Every Loose End?

My Hero Academia‘s ending’s biggest mistake is that everything that happens feels incredibly rushed. Up to this point, even in its lowest moments, My Hero Academia did an excellent job with pacing itself, especially when dealing with sensitive moments between its main cast. One of the most frustrating moments in the ending by far is how the manga ended up treating Ochaco and her struggle with survivor’s guilt following Toga’s death.

During Ochaco’s breakdown regarding her complex feelings toward surviving everything that happened, she laments to Deku about Toga sacrificing herself for Ochaco’s sake and how difficult it’s been to keep moving forward despite that. Deku responds quickly and with compassion, but in a dicey writing choice, instead chooses to insert himself into Ochaco’s feelings, expressing to her how much she has helped him during their time in school, and how much she means to him. It’s an exchange that, frankly, doesn’t land as well as it should because fans don’t get any opportunity to see Ochaco ever except how she’s feeling for herself.

Additionally, readers never get to see what Deku’s life looks like after receiving the mech suit – or if he struggled with accepting a normal life before getting it. Sure, there is a gorgeously illustrated panel showing how he gets to reunite with his friends, but My Hero Academia never shows its readers how and if it was difficult for Deku to adapt to seeing his friends less as they each entered their adult routines. It would also be great to see more of Deku’s life as a teacher, interacting with his students, and carrying on All Might’s legacy whether or not he has access to One For All.

How My Hero Academia Can Fix Its Ending

Horikoshi has proven in the past that he’s more than capable of writing satisfying conclusions to isolated character and story arcs, and thankfully, My Hero Academia‘s ending is more than salvageable. One of the most important aspects of the ending that readers need to see for Horikoshi’s message to land is what Deku’s life looks like before getting his super-powered mech suit. While Deku willingly gave up his ability to use One For All, it would make his character arc feel far more complex to see how he managed to adapt to an average civilian life again.

When readers see him in the My Hero Academia epilogue, he’s happy – but fans want to know how long it took him to get there. Readers never see how deeply Shigaraki and the other villain’s deaths – especially Toga – affected Deku. By using some of the extended ending’s page count to flesh out Deku’s guilt and regrets, Horikoshi could craft an excellent exploration of what My Hero Academia truly defines as being heroic and, more importantly, make Deku feel much more human.

In the same vein, My Hero Academia‘s expanded ending should explore the other students from 1-A, especially Ochaco, and provide actual closure regarding their survivor’s guilt following the war. In the manga’s final arc, the students from class 1-A were thrust into an impossible situation and forced to watch their mentors die while they, as children, had to rise above it with no time to grieve.

Seeing the very real effect this would have on the other characters, even if it was just a brief memorial followed by a handful of tender character moments, could show how the students have been able to endure, heal, and usher in a better future. It’s also important to show the lengths that this new generation will give the new generation of heroes a fighting chance at not being traumatized in the same way they were.

Horikoshi could take plenty of avenues to tie up the ending of My Hero Academia, and regardless of how he does it, fans are seated and anxiously waiting to see what new content he adds to Volume 42.

The post My Hero Academia Needs To Fix the Ending’s Worst Problem appeared first on ComicBook.com.

With Kohei Horikoshi bringing Deku and Class 1-A’s story to a close in the superhero shonen’s manga earlier this year, My Hero Academia fans are taking what they can get in the anime department. With only one season remaining in the upcoming eighth season of the anime adaptation, arriving on the screen in 2025, there are only so many options for the shonen to create new animated stories. Luckily, a new anime adventure is in the works thanks to the upcoming home video release of the franchise’s fourth film, My Hero Academia: You’re Next. A new anime short has been announced that will come directly from the man himself, Kohei Horikoshi.

For those who didn’t get the chance to see My Hero Academia: You’re Next, the fourth film of the shonen franchise is set to arrive on home video on February 19th next year. The latest theatrical release touted the arrival of Dark Might, a mysterious new villain that just so happened to bare a striking resemblance to the one-time Symbol of Peace. Sporting a power set that was similar to All Might, the new villain was one that caused UA Academy’s finest to gather once again to stop his nefarious plans.

RELATED: My Hero Academia Season 7 Blu-Ray Will Make Major Animation Changes

“A Piece of Cake” Short

The upcoming anime special is based on the original manga short from Kohei Horikoshi himself, “A Piece of Cake.” Taking place prior to the events of My Hero Academia: You’re Next, the manga story sees Class 1-A training their Quirks along with All Might pontificating about the current state of the world. The short story also introduced Dark Might and his followers to the manga for the first time, hinting at what is to come within the fourth film of the franchise. You can check out some preview images of the upcoming anime short below.

My Hero Academia’s Future on Film

As it stands, the fourth film of My Hero Academia has not been confirmed to be its last. This fact has anime fans hoping that there will be at least one more to hit the silver screen, if not a continuing trend of Deku and his class adventuring via movies. While the manga ending of Class 1-A’s story is a fairly definitive one, there is the possibility that Kohei Horikoshi could work with Studio BONES to forge new stories for what is to come following the final chapter.

When it comes to the eighth and final season of the television series, Studio BONES might have confirmed that it is arriving in 2025, though the production house has yet to confirm exactly when we can expect the final episodes to air. Based on the events that took place in the source material, fans should buckle up for some of the biggest moments of the shonen series to date. While many of the final war’s battles have already ended, the fight against Shigaraki and All For One rage on as the heroes give it their all for the sake of Hero Society.

Luckily, there remains a major aspect of My Hero Academia’s universe that has yet to be adapted in My Hero Academia: Vigilantes. The spin-off story is one that focuses on the world of vigilantes who fight crime outside of the rule of law and would most likely give anime fans several seasons if it followed the source material. While far from confirmed, Crawler’s side story would work well at continuing My Hero Academia’s story on the small screen.

Want to keep up to date on all things Class 1-A? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook.com for the latest updates on UA Academy and hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics and anime.

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With the final volume of My Hero Academia set to finally release in Japan in December 2024, fans are more excited than ever to pick up the book an say their final farewells to Class 1-A, their mentors, and every other person who influenced the events of the series. The final volume promises 38 pages of brand-new content to help tie together any loose ends left behind from the manga’s serialized release, but that’s far from the only bittersweet detail in the final book. In true Shonen Jump fashion, My Hero Academia‘s final volume honors an age-old tradition for collected, final volumes from the magazine.

Many fans caught on to how well Volume 42 of My Hero Academia mirrors its first rather quickly, but actually putting the two books together is a truly bittersweet experience. The shonen demographic often tells coming-of-age stories, and in many ways, seeing how much each character has grown leading up to the grand finale is a perfect bookend for whatever journey they’ve endured. My Hero Academia isn’t the first series to take part in this tradition, but seeing just how much respect and love Horikoshi has for the medium through his participation is extremely heartwarming.

RELATED: My Hero Academia to Expand Ending With Extended Final Volume

My Hero Academia Isn’t the First Manga To Honor Its Journey Through Cover Art Parallels

While My Hero Academia‘s final volume beautifully pairs its first by showing the students from Class 1-A – and even a few important faces from Class 1-B – all grown up and living their lives as pro-heroes and mentors guiding the next generation, other Shonen Jump series have had similar bittersweet cover parallels. One of the more recent examples of this is the cover art for Volume 45 of Haikyu!!, which is a 1:1 recreation of its first collected volume’s cover, featuring Hinata and Kageyama all grown up, still wearing the same determined faces that they had at the beginning of their journey. Gintama‘s final volume also mirrors its first, but, instead of depicting the series’ protagonist, Gintoki, by himself, he’s instead surrounded by every friend he’s made over the course of the series.

Shonen action series aren’t the only series taking place in the trend, however, with the classic romance manga Nisekoi having a similar cover art parallel on its final volume, which released all the way back in October 2016. The series’ 25th and final volume features the main characters in the exact same pose as Volume 1, but showed off how much Naoshi Komi had grown as an artist throughout the series’ publication. In many ways, the My Hero Academia Volume 42 artwork takes a bit of inspiration from each of these. Not only does the cover art show how much Horikoshi has grown as a manga creator, it also shows how much each of the main cast have grown since the first chapter of My Hero Academia originally began serializing. By putting Deku in the same position All Might was in Volume 1, it truly shows that Deku has managed to live up to the expectations he set for himself, and has truly become a mentor and inspiration for younger generations.

H/T Oricon on X (Formerly Twitter)

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With the recent announcement that the final volume of My Hero Academia will extend the ending of the original story, fans are hopeful that the added context will provide new explanations and insights into how each of the main cast end up where they do after the timeskip following the final battle. A key aspect of My Hero‘s epilogue that was pushed to the wayside in the series’ final pages was Deku’s career as a pro hero after losing the ability to use One For All.

My Hero Academia‘s controversial ending picks up after a brief time skip following the end of the war, wherein Shigaraki dies in the final conflict at Deku’s hands. When the epilogue begins, Deku has completely given up the ability to use One For All, and has instead resigned to a life of teaching up-and-coming heroes as opposed to being one. During this time, Deku lost contact with many of his friends who did go one to become pro heroes. While this choice disheartened many fans, there was a silver lining in that Deku was gifted a special suit of armor financed by Bakugo and Deku’s other friends from schools to give him Iron Man-esque abilities so that he could continue his now friendly rivalry with Bakugo, and go about a life filled with heroics. Now that the ending of the series will be expanded upon, fans are wondering which aspects of the story Horikoshi will expand upon.

[RELATED: My Hero Academia Creator Reunites Deku and Shigaraki in New Promo]

Horikoshi Has the Perfect Opportunity to Explore Deku’s New Life as a Pro Hero

While there was a poetic charm to Deku taking a step away from being a hero to instead act as a mentor to a new generation, Horikoshi now has the ability to show how Deku can use what he feels are mistakes from his past to rise above and become an even better hero in the future. The original ending of the series explores this concept a bit, showing the effects of the showdown between Toga and Ochako on Uravity as an adult, and how she still hasn’t mentally and emotionally recovered following Toga’s sacrifice, but only scratches the surface of her survivor’s guilt. An expanded ending could flesh this out, especially with Deku stepping back into the role of a hero, and truly go into what it means to be a hero in society’s eyes now that the kids are all grown up.

Another interesting character detail the extended ending could explore is how, in the original drafts for My Hero Academia, Deku was intended to be a student at UA that utilized different gizmos and gadgets as opposed to having a proper superpower. This concept has officially been brought back with his Tony Stark-inspired super suit, giving fans the opportunity to see Deku as he was originally intended to be, but with all of the development Horikoshi has gone through as both a writer and an artist.

The post My Hero Academia Needs to Show Deku’s Pro Hero Future appeared first on ComicBook.com.

My Hero Academia’s manga might have ended earlier this year but the students of Class 1-A exist in realities outside of the one that Kohei Horikoshi created. While the main series that introduced fans to the likes of Deku, Bakugo, and Shoto Todoroki ran for over a decade, stories like Vigilantes and Team-Up Mission further explored the crime fighting world. In another alternate reality, the heroes and villains of Class 1-A find themselves existing outside of a modern society and instead, taking on fantasy aesthetics that make them look like they were ripped straight from Dungeons & Dragons. To help promote this year’s Jump Festa event, the fantasy versions of My Hero Academia’s finest have returned.

If this is your first time hearing of My Hero Academia’s “Fantasy AU”, the alternate universe was created by Kohei Horikoshi himself as the mangaka created art of his original anime characters in this wild new setting. Early on in the superhero shonen’s manga, a bonus chapter was created to focus on this new world that was quite different from the one that My Hero Academia fans knew. These new designs were even featured briefly in the anime adaptation as Studio BONES created a special sequence focusing on the fantasy characters. With the main manga having hit its final chapter, is Jump Festa prepping for this fantasy world to be the premiere venue for Class 1-A in the future?

RELATED: My Hero Academia to Expand Ending With Brand-New Epilogue

My Fantasy Academia

For those who don’t know about Jump Festa, the annual event is focused on all things shonen and routinely has news related to some of Weekly Shonen Jump’s biggest franchises. While My Hero Academia will have its own panel at this year’s event, Deku and company are far from the only franchise that will get the spotlight. Series including Jujutsu Kaisen, One Piece, Bleach, Dragon Ball, Chainsaw Man, Spy x Family, Demon Slayer, and almost too many other titles to count will have their own parts to play at the upcoming event.

Jump Festa 2025 will take place in Tokyo, Japan on December 21st and 22nd and if you can’t make your way to the country to witness the anime announcements, don’t worry about it. This year’s event will be streamed online so you won’t miss any of the anime bombshells. Of course, based on the time differences between North America and Japan, you might need to stay up late to see some of these bombshells live.

My Hero Academia’s Future is a Fantasy

As of the writing of this article, neither Horikoshi nor Shonen Jump have announced that a sequel or spin-off of My Hero Academia will be released. Despite this fact, there are still some big things for anime fans to look forward to. In the final volume of the manga, Horikoshi has confirmed that a post-credits scene will be released which will include thirty new pages that weren’t seen in the original release. Luckily, there is also one final season of the anime that will arrive next year to end things with a bang.

In the past, My Hero Academia’s creator has hinted at the idea that he would love to try his hand at a horror story, which would be quite the departure from the action-packed shonen series he is now known for. While no new projects have been confirmed, Horikoshi clearly hasn’t stopped creating new art in this universe.

Want to see what My Hero Academia has in store for its franchise following the manga’s end? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook.com for the latest updates on Class 1-A and hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics and anime.

The post My Hero Academia’s Fantasy World Returns For Jump Festa Promo appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Despite My Hero Academia officially coming to an end in August 2024, fans are still celebrating the legacy that the series is leaving behind. With the release of the manga’s final volume right around the corner, it’s been officially announced that My Hero Academia will be getting a brand-new art exhibition in summer 2025 with a hauntingly stunning new illustration of Deku and Shigaraki being released to promote the event. The illustration depicts Deku and Shigaraki sitting side-by-side in the same outfits they wear during the final arc of the manga, looking forward.

You can check out the promo here.

The piece boasts other small details, too, including showing Deku’s eyes being illuminated by sunlight while Shigaraki’s remain in the shadows. While it may not seem like much at a glance, the piece perfectly illustrates the dichotomy between the two characters, and how they serve as natural foils to one another in the series, and ultimately serve as a continuation of the villainous rivalry between All For One and One For All that was established when the series began. While most My Hero Academia fans would likely agree that Bakugo ticks the box of being the perfect rival archetype – in the same vein as Sasuke Uchiha in Naruto – Shigaraki fills another vital niche that’s strangely overlooked in the modern age of shonen manga.

[RELATED: My Hero Academia to Expand Ending With Extended Final Volume]

The Relationship Between Deku & Shigaraki Plays Into a Classic Shonen Trope in the Best Way Possible

In My Hero Academia, the story initially opens by introducing its main character: Izuku Midoriya. Quirkless but filled with passion and a yearning to become a hero himself, Midoriya goes against everything society has told him he should be capable to rush into the face of danger and rescue his childhood friend and bully, Bakugo. From that point forward, Izuku – dubbed Deku by Bakugo – is drawn into the world of heroes and villains. Shigaraki is introduced to readers for the first time in Chapter 11 of the manga, titled “Bakugo’s Starting Line.” Though ambiguous, his introduction immediately challenges the core message of My Hero Academia, as Shigaraki’s goal is to “snuff out” the light that heroes emanate to give the general public hope. Shigaraki slowly begins to appear more and more throughout the manga, and once the series begins to reach the “final war” arc, fans finally get to see why Shigaraki is the way that he is.

As revealed in the manga, Shigaraki, who was originally named Tenko Shimura, grew up in a completely normal household and generally lived a normal life. One day, he came into contact with All For One, who stole the boy’s original quirk, ultimately making him Quirkless. Unlike Deku, though, All For One orchestrated Shimura’s upbringing from the very beginning, with aims to turn him into a perfect vessel. While Shimura was a devoted fan of heroes, another similarity shared by Deku in their youth, his family often shot down his ambitions instead of nurturing them. This ultimately culminates in Shimura committing a selfless, heroic act to save his friends. He’s taken home by All For One who transfers the Decay quirk to Shimura before handing him off to his parents. Shimura’s father is angered by his sons heroics and pulls him away to punish him; Shimura eventually retaliates by activating Decay, which tragically kills his entire family. The moment radically changes the young boy, and All For One takes him in as his “disciple.”

Deku and Shigaraki’s backstories, unsurprisingly, perfectly mirror one another. Where Deku was nurtured from a young age to pursue his passions regardless of the hand he was dealt, Shigaraki was instead ridiculed by his own father and groomed into becoming a monster by All For One. Hero society isn’t perfect, and those harsh societal issues are things that All For One was able to prey upon when orchestrating Shigaraki’s existence from a wonder-filled child into the perfect, malicious vessel. To return to the Naruto comparison, the dichotomy between the two characters is similar to that between Naruto Uzumaki and Gaara in Naruto. The two young men had extremely similar backstories that only deviated due to one actually being lifted up by those around him. Unlike Gaara, though, Shigaraki was far too gone to be saved.

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My Hero Academia’s manga ended earlier this year, focusing on Izuku Midoriya and his fellow classmates in the future after the final fight against Shigaraki, All For One, and the League of Villains. While the anime adaptation still has one final season to release, with Studio BONES confirming that season eight would arrive in 2025, shonen fans are still reeling from having to say goodbye to Deku and company. In a surprising twist, Shonen Jump and creator Kohei Horikoshi have confirmed that the upcoming final volume of the manga will have new material added to it. Said material will take place after the finale, causing anime fans to wonder what My Hero Academia has planned for the future.

In this article, we’ll attempt to dodge spoiler territory as much as possible when it comes to the final chapter. My Hero Academia first began in 2014 and for over ten years, was one of the biggest stories to run in Weekly Shonen Jump. Creator Kohei Horikoshi has worked diligently in making sure that Class 1-A’s story was told but hasn’t confirmed if he will be working on any additional tales in this universe, whether it be a sequel and/or spin-off. Regardless of whether My Hero Academia continues post its recent final chapter, the impact that the superhero series has had on the anime world won’t soon be forgotten.

RELATED: My Hero Academia Goes Back to the Beginning With the Manga’s Final Cover Art

My Hero Academia: Post-Credits Scene

To fill you in on what this new scene is hinted as, the official My Hero Academia social media account has revealed that the new scene will arrive within the final volume of the manga on Wednesday, December 4th. The scene will be thirty-eight pages in length but no details have dropped regarding what the story will be for this new scene. Considering the definitive ending of the series, it will be interesting to see what creator Kohei Horikoshi has in mind for these new pages.

My Hero Academia’s 42nd volume sports a cover that is quite reminiscent of the premiere volume cover for the manga. Izuku Midoriya has done a lot of growing up during his time as the star of the superhero series and is looking to pass the torch to a new generation of heroes. Hero Society is a very different place following the fight against All For One and Shigaraki and manga readers are sure to be interested in what this new scene entails.

Could a My Hero Academia “Shippuden” Happen?

As of the writing of this article, a My Hero Academia sequel has not been confirmed. As mentioned earlier, while the anime has confirmed an eighth season, there are certain avenues for the anime adaptation to take to continue weaving new stories. For example, the fourth movie of the franchise, My Hero Academia: You’re Next, was not billed as the series’ finale, meaning that the story of UA Academy could continue on the silver screen.

There also remains a major spin-off series that has yet to be brought to the small screen. My Hero Academia: Vigilantes might not have been created by Kohei Horikoshi, but the side story was one that explored a lesser seen side of UA Academy’s universe. Vigilantes focused on crime fighters that operated outside of the law, including the likes of Crawler, Pop Step, and Knuckleduster. Considering the length of this manga, it would be possible for an anime adaptation to run for several seasons.

Want to see what the future holds for Class 1-A? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook.com for the latest updates on My Hero Academia and hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics and anime.

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My Hero Academia officially came to an end earlier this Summer, and now the manga has gone all the way back to the beginning of the series with the cover art for the final volume of the series ever. Kohei Horikoshi’s My Hero Academia manga ended its run with Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump magazine earlier this August, and it left a huge imprint on fans as it has changed the landscape of action manga everywhere. But although the series has come to an end, it’s still got one last hurrah to share before it finally rides off into the sunset with Izuku Midoriya and the others.

My Hero Academia will be hitting shelves in Japan with the final volume of the manga series on December 4th, and to celebrate has revealed the cover art for this 42nd volume of the manga series overall. Featuring a final look at Deku and the rest of Class 1-A as they head into their bright futures, it’s reminiscent of the cover art for the very first volume of the series that featured All Might along with a curious Deku along with all of the pro heroes instead. It’s a full circle moment that passes the torch between generations. Check out the comparisons below.

What to Know for My Hero Academia’s Final Volume

My Hero Academia Volume 42 will be hitting shelves in Japan beginning on December 4th, but it has yet to be revealed when the final volume will be getting an international release as of the time of this publication. What has been revealed, however, is the fact that this final volume will actually be including 38 brand new pages not seen in the original magazine releases. These 38 new pages will be a brand new epilogue that takes place following the end of the original series (which ended with an epilogue of its own), so there’s definitely a curiosity over what these new pages could possibly include.

But what it will include are the final official chapters for Kohei Horikoshi’s long running series overall. It spent the last few weeks of its run not in the midst of a final battle, but exploring the immediate aftermath of everything that happened. It was a steady epilogue that revealed how Deku and the other young heroes would be approaching their various futures. While the final chapter itself led to some debate among fans, there’s a chance these new pages could alleviate these worries.

RELATED: My Hero Academia Creator Revives Nejire With New Promo

My Hero Academia Anime to End With Season 8 in 2025

The manga might have come to an end earlier this Summer, but My Hero Academia still has one major entry to release before the franchise ends its run overall. With My Hero Academia Season 7 ending earlier this Fall, it was announced that the TV anime series would officially be coming to an end with Season 8. This final season of My Hero Academia is currently scheduled to air some time in 2025, but a concrete release date has yet to be announced as of the time of this publication.

The final season will likely be adapting the final battles between All Might and All For One and Deku and Shigaraki, and the epilogue chapters. But with these new pages coming in the final volume, the anime has a chance to be the most complete experience yet with a full adaptation of the original manga ending and additional material shared by Kohei Horikoshi in the time since. But it’s just a matter of seeing how it all comes to an end now.

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My Hero Academia is now in the works on the final season of the anime, and the creator behind it all is celebrating what’s coming next with a special new sketch highlighting the Big Three member, Nejire Hado. My Hero Academia was the first of the major Weekly Shonen Jump magazines to reach its end earlier this Summer, and it’s been a huge year for the franchise ever since. With the manga now ended, fans are looking ahead to the anime’s future to see how the final moments of the series are brought to life in the coming final season of the series overall.

My Hero Academia’s manga might have come to an end some time ago, but series creator Kohei Horikoshi has still been fairly active on social media with tons of great sketches and new looks highlighting various characters from the series through Season 7’s airing earlier this Summer. Now the creator has returned with a special new sketch showing off more of Nejire Hado, and shared this in order to thank the anime team for all the work they had done on Season 7 while waiting for Season 8. You can check out Kohei Horikoshi’s new Nejire sketch below.

How Does My Hero Academia Season 7 End?

My Hero Academia Season 7 worked its way through the final fights between the heroes and villains. While the key villains are still active as All For One and Tomura Shigaraki are now in the midst of their final battles against All Might and Izuku Midoriya respectively, the season saw some of the other huge fights reach their respective ends. Season 7 began with the heroes separating the villains across multiple battlefields, and had been sent into chaos in the following episodes with Shoto Todoroki facing off against Dabi, Ochaco Uraraka facing off against Himiko Toga and more.

The final episodes of the season brought many of these fights to their conclusive ends, and it left only two major foes standing tall. All For One is now being held back by Armored All Might in their final confrontation, and Deku is struggling against the powered up Shigaraki. These are the final key fights for the series overall, and it left fans of the anime on quite a huge cliffhanger as now we have to wait to see how the anime tackles the manga’s final materials.

RELATED: My Hero Academia: What In the World Happened to Izuku’s Dad?

Will There Be a Season 8 of My Hero Academia?

Shortly after My Hero Academia Season 7 aired its final episode, the anime announced that My Hero Academia will be coming to an end with Season 8. Currently scheduled for a release some time in 2025, the anime will be adapting the final battles against All For One and Tomura Shigaraki. It’s yet to be revealed just how many episodes this final season will run for, but there is still quite a lot from these final confrontations and the epilogue that follows.

It likely means that My Hero Academia fans will be treated to a rather beefy final season of the TV anime. It also likely won’t be the entire end of the franchise as given the success of its feature film releases (with the recent My Hero Academia: You’re Next being an example), there’s a good chance that there will be another feature film project once the TV anime ends. But with so much to potentially look forward to in the future, My Hero Academia and its characters are living far beyond the manga’s end.

If you wanted to check out how My Hero Academia ended before the anime, you can find the chapters with either Shueisha’s MangaPlus service or Viz Media’s digital Shonen Jump library.

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Kohei Horikoshi has a lot of time on his hands now that My Hero Academia’s manga has ended. The final chapter of the superhero shonen series arrived earlier this year, with Studio BONES confirming that the eighth and final season would arrive next year in 2025. Thanks to the manga artist’s docket being cleared, Horikoshi himself has time to share new art with fans now that Deku and his UA Academy classmates’ story has ended. In a hilarious new piece of art, one of the anime’s biggest professional heroes gets to shine to help celebrate a rather surprising award victory.

If you’re a fan of My Hero Academia, you’ve seen Best Jeanist in action. The professional hero has a Quirk that allows him to control any threads that are in his vicinity, appropriately dubbed “Fiber Master”. On its face, controlling threads might not seem like a power that can make someone become one of the best heroes in the game, but Tsunagu Hakamada has put this Quirk to good use in his crime fighting career. As witnessed in My Hero Academia’s seventh season, Best Jeanist has used his power in an effort to keep Shigaraki under wraps but is now struggling as one of his best students, Bakugo, clings to life.

RELATED: My Hero Academia Posts First Look at Final Season: Watch

The Best Jeanist Award

You might be surprised to learn that Best Jeanist received his name thanks to an award in Japan titled the “Best Jeanist Award.” The award in question has been running for decades in Japan, created by the “Japan Jeans Assocation.” The ceremony itself has been designed to both promote “jeans consumption” and award those celebrities who look the best in jeans. Needless to see, this ceremony is where the shonen superhero received his name.

While Best Jeanist didn’t win the award of his same name this year, there was still plenty to celebrate. The anime superhero won a “Special Contribution Award” following My Hero Academia’s finale and was given their moment in the sun in the real world. To help in celebrating this wild ocassion, Kohei Horikoshi has created new art to highlight Bakugo’s mentor.

Best Jeanist’s Future

My Hero Academia’s manga finale presents a future for Class 1-A that took many by surprise. Without diving into spoiler territory, the eighth and final season will have some big moments for the anime world. As of the writing of this article, Horikoshi hasn’t stated if he plans to continue telling stories in UA Academy’s universe, though it would be a welcome come back for those following the series throughout the years.

Luckily, should the anime wish to continue past season eight, there are a few options that the superhero shonen series might have down the line. The fourth movie of the franchise, My Hero Academia: You’re Next, wasn’t billed as the series’ last, meaning that anime fans might see more films in the future from Class 1-A. On top of this, there remains a major spin-off that has yet to be brought to the screen.

My Hero Academia: Vigilantes explored a different side of the equation in the shonen universe, aka those who operated outside of the law to fight crime. Should this manga receive an anime adaptation, it could potentially warrant several seasons thanks to the original story having quite a few chapters to its name. Alongside introducing new heroes, the spin-off also explored the early lives of UA teachers including Present Mic, Eraserhead, Midnight, and Oboro.

Want to stay updated on Class 1-A post My Hero Academia’s finale? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook.com for all the latest on UA Academy and hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics and anime.

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