Superheroes dominate North American comics. There are popular comic series that aren't about superheroes — for example, AMC's hugely popular Walking Dead show is an adaptation of the comic series that ran from 2003 to 2019 and Conan the Barbarian has been a consistent presence in comics for the past 50 years — but they tend to be a bit of a niche compared to hugely popular superhero series like Superman, Batman and Spider-Man.
In general, the opposite is true in Japan. The three most popular manga series: One Piece, Naruto, and Bleach are about pirates, ninjas, and supernatural samurai, respectively. There are several superhero manga and anime series that have become popular, such as One-Punch Man, Shy, and Tiger & Bunny. On the whole, superheroes in the style of Marvel and DC comics aren't a common premise for manga and anime, though they're not completely unknown, either.
This brings us to this week's Anime recommendation from the Bam Smack Pow! team. We'll be taking a look at the anime adaptation of what is easily the most popular superhero manga series of all time: My Hero Academia.
A quick intro to My Hero Academia
The American comic series that provides the most obvious frame of reference for what My Hero Academia is like is probably classic X-Men, given that the series is centered on a school for superheroes where aspiring teenage heroes are taught and trained to use their powers responsibly. Several of the training exercises undertaken by the class feel straight of a Danger Room simulation.
My Hero Academia also has a surprising amount in common with The Boys. The idea of superheroes operating under corporate sponsorship and oversight is a key element of how superheroes actually function in both My Hero Academia and The Boys. Although My Hero Academia is never quite as cynical or dark about the premise as The Boys famously is, the anime series does subvert and deconstruct certain elements of the superhero genre, which can potentially be surprising given how outwardly bright and cartoonish My Hero Academia first appears.
Crunchyroll provides the following summary of the series:
"Izuku has dreamt of being a hero all his life—a lofty goal for anyone, but especially challenging for a kid with no superpowers. That’s right, in a world where eighty percent of the population has some kind of super-powered “quirk,” Izuku was unlucky enough to be born completely normal. But that’s not enough to stop him from enrolling in one of the world’s most prestigious hero academies."
Despite being introduced as one of the few people in the world with superpowers, within the span of the series's first few episodes, Izuku inherits the Quirk and skillset of the legendary hero All Might, setting him on the course of becoming, in the words of his own narration, "the world's greatest hero." Whether or not the series would have been better if Izuku had stayed powerless is an ongoing debate among the fanbase, but learning how to effectively use and control his newfound powers does nevertheless provide Izuku with a compelling early character arc.
Experience My Hero Academia for yourself
Like many other famous series, the original My Hero Academia manga was published in Weekly Shōnen Jump, one of the most popular magazines in Japan. Written by Kōhei Horikoshi, the manga series debuted in 2014 and wrapped up its original run in 2014. The manga series ran for 431 chapters, which have been compiled into 42 volumes. Every volume of My Hero Academia will be available in English by the end of 2025.
As of this writing, the My Hero Academia anime has been running since 2016 and concluded its seventh season in the fall of 2024. It has since been announced that the upcoming eighth season, currently scheduled to begin airing at the end of 2025, will be the last season of the anime and wrap up the storyline laid out by the original manga. Beyond the anime series itself, there have also been four My Hero Academia anime movies — the most recent You're Next was released in August 2024 at roughly the same time the last chapter of the manga and hit international theaters with an English dub that same October. Additionally, a live-action movie adaptation is apparently in the works at Netflix.
The main My Hero Academia anime series and the standalone movies are streaming on Crunchyroll, Netflix, and Hulu, though exact availability varies by platform and viewers' geographical location. The original My Hero Academia manga can be read online via publisher Shueisha's Manga Plus app and website, as well as English-language distributor Viz Media's Shonen Jump app and website.