- Japanese:
- Boku no Hīrō Akademia
- Also called:
- MHA
My Hero Academia
Who created My Hero Academia?
What is the main plot of My Hero Academia?
When did My Hero Academia begin and end serialization?
How has My Hero Academia been adapted outside manga?
My Hero Academia, manga series by the mangaka (person who creates manga) Horikoshi Kōhei, serialized in the magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump from 2014 to 2024. Set in a world where unique superpowers called quirks have become part of everyday life, the story follows Midoriya Izuku, a boy born without powers who is unexpectedly given the chance to train as a hero. The combination of battle scenes, classroom settings, and personal struggles resonated with readers, contributing to its status as one of the leading shōnen manga (manga intended mainly for boys) since its debut. By 2024 the series had more than 100 million copies in circulation worldwide, supported by a growing international readership, placing it among the best-selling manga of all time.
(The following discussions may contain spoilers.)
Background and publication
Horikoshi has often spoken about how much Spider-Man means to him. He recalled going to see The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014) in theaters wearing a full Spider-Man suit because he was excited to watch his favorite hero. In 2024 he drew Spider-Man alongside the characters Midoriya and All Might for a special Marvel–Weekly Shōnen Jump art exchange as a way to mark the publication of the final volume of My Hero Academia.
Horikoshi Kōhei grew up drawing from an early age and decided to pursue manga professionally while attending design school. During college he submitted a one-shot to Weekly Shōnen Jump in a newcomer contest—his first submission—and won. In a 2018 interview with Anime News Network, he recalled that he “got lucky,” reflecting that the judges saw potential in work that he still viewed as unpolished.
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Before My Hero Academia Horikoshi struggled to find a direction after earlier serializations such as Barrage (2012) ended quickly. In a 2025 interview published in Jump GIGA magazine, Horikoshi explained that he initially tried to design “a Luffy-type hero,” inspired by the main character of the manga series One Piece, but he eventually accepted that this approach did not suit him. Realizing he needed a character that he could write naturally, Horikoshi returned to his 2008 one-shot My Hero and reworked its ideas into a new concept. Shaping that material into the first chapter took close to a year. He recounted producing multiple drafts until he created All Might, one of the main characters of My Hero Academia, a turning point in his creative process:
But after quickly reaching the phase where the character All Might was created, I thought “If this guy is here, then I can pull through.”
My Hero Academia began serialization in Weekly Shōnen Jump in July 2014 and concluded in August 2024. The chapters were collected by the Japanese publisher Shueisha in 42 tankōbons (“stand-alone books”), with the English-language editions released by VIZ Media.
Concept and plot
Storyline
Set in a society where most people are born with superhuman abilities called quirks, the series portrays heroism as a regulated public profession. Ordinary citizens are generally prohibited from using their quirks in public, whereas licensed heroes are legally authorized to do so as part of their work. These heroes operate under government oversight, must pass certification exams, and are held accountable for how their powers are used. Young people with the talent and ambition to become heroes train at specialized academies, the most prominent of which is U.A. High School (a name derived from inverted kanji meaning “hero”).
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At the center of the story is Midoriya Izuku, a boy who grows up without a quirk but dreams of becoming a hero. His life changes when he encounters All Might, the world’s top hero and an admired symbol of peace. Recognizing Midoriya’s selflessness during a villain attack, All Might chooses him as the next wielder of One For All, a transferable quirk passed down through generations that accumulates the power of previous holders. Because One For All contains the accumulated strength of many people, Midoriya’s body cannot accept it immediately. Before he can enter U.A., he undergoes months of physical training to prepare his body, and even after enrolling he continues to struggle, often lagging behind classmates who have used their quirks since childhood.
Much of the narrative centers on Midoriya and the students of Class 1-A, who navigate school training, rescue exercises, and internships with professional heroes. Several classmates play significant roles in shaping Midoriya’s experience at U.A. Bakugo Katsuki, who grew up alongside Midoriya, has a powerful explosion quirk and a strong drive to surpass everyone around him. Early praise for his quirk led Bakugo to see himself as superior, straining his relationship with Midoriya, but setbacks during training and real combat at U.A. force him to confront his limits and evolve from an outright rival into a driven, more self-aware peer. Todoroki Shoto, another highly skilled student, possesses a half-ice, half-fire quirk inherited from his parents. He is reserved and emotionally guarded, a response to a childhood shaped by intense family pressure and conflict. Much of his early arc involves deciding how to use a power tied closely to his family history.
The school life of the U.A. students is repeatedly interrupted by villain attacks—both isolated incidents and long-running plots that draw in criminal groups such as the League of Villains, the Shie Hassaikai, and the Paranormal Liberation Front. The conflict also revolves around Shigaraki Tomura, a young man whose childhood trauma is exploited by All For One, an older villain who can take and distribute quirks.
Story arcs
My Hero Academia unfolds in distinct narrative arcs, each adapted from the manga into television episodes.
| arc | chapters | anime adaptations |
|---|---|---|
| 1During the Meta Liberation Army arc, the manga’s title temporarily changed to My Villain Academia. Horikoshi used this title shift to highlight the arc’s focus on the League of Villains, whose points of view are central throughout this storyline. | ||
| 2Episode 171 (“More”), announced at the 2026 Jump Festa (an annual anime and manga convention hosted by Shueisha), adapts chapter 431 and serves as an epilogue set eight years after the final war. It is scheduled for release in May 2026 as part of the series’ 10th anniversary celebrations. | ||
| Entrance Exam | 1–4 | episodes 1–4 |
| Quirk Apprehension Test | 5–7 | episodes 5–6 |
| Battle Trial | 8–11 | episodes 7–8 |
| U.S.J. | 12–21 | episodes 9–13, end of season one |
| U.A. Sports Festival | 22–44 | episodes 14–25 |
| Vs. Hero Killer | 45–59 | episodes 26–33 |
| Final Exams | 60–69 | episodes 34–38, end of season two |
| Forest Training Camp | 70–83 | episodes 39–45 |
| Hideout Raid | 84–97 | episodes 46–50 |
| Provisional Hero License Exam | 98–121 | episodes 51–62 |
| Shie Hassaikai (Internship) | 122–162 | episodes 63–78, season three ends with episode 63 |
| Remedial Course | 163–168 | episodes 79–80 |
| U.A. School Festival | 169–183 | episodes 81–86 |
| Pro Hero | 184–193 | episodes 87–90, season four ends with episode 88 |
| Joint Training | 194–217 | episodes 91–100 |
| Meta Liberation Army1 | 218–240 | episodes 100 and 108–112 |
| Endeavor Agency | 241–252 | episodes 101–106 |
| Paranormal Liberation War | 253–306 | episodes 107 and 113–131, season five ends with episode 113 |
| Dark Hero | 307–328 | episodes 132–138, end of season six |
| Star and Stripe | 329–334 | episodes 139–140 |
| U.A. Traitor | 335–342 | episodes 140–143 |
| Final War | 343–424 | 143–167, season seven ends with episode 159 |
| Epilogue | 425–431 | 168–171, season eight ends with episode 1712 |
Anime adaptations and media franchise
One of the defining moments of the anime adaptation occurs in season three, episode 11, during All Might’s final confrontation with All For One. Forced into his weakened form on live television and pushed to the limits of his fading strength, All Might still refuses to retreat. As All For One attacks with a quirk-boosted monstrous arm, All Might gathers the last of his power and counters with his strongest technique, the United States of Smash, defeating his long-standing enemy. With the world watching, he raises his fist in victory before pointing toward Midoriya and announcing, “Now it’s your turn.”
The anime adaptation of My Hero Academia, produced by Studio Bones, premiered in 2016. The first season introduces U.A. High School and follows Midoriya’s efforts to handle One For All during his initial months of training. It ends with the League of Villains attacking the Unforeseen Simulation Joint (U.S.J.), a disaster-training facility designed to simulate actual rescue scenarios, exposing the students to real danger at an early stage in their training. Season two (2017) adapts the U.A. Sports Festival—an important competition used to scout future heroes—and the confrontation with Hero Killer: Stain, whose violent attacks target heroes that he considers insincere. His actions draw national attention and mark the first major criminal incident that U.A. students directly face.
Season three (2018) covers the Forest Training Camp arc, where students are ambushed and Bakugo is kidnapped. The subsequent Hideout Raid arc shows professional heroes and students coordinating to retrieve him. The season concludes with All Might’s last fight against All For One, after which All Might can no longer continue hero work, leaving society without its long-standing “Symbol of Peace.” Season four (2019–20) centers on the Shie Hassaikai group, led by the villain Overhaul, whose quirk allows him to break down and reconstruct matter by touch. The arc introduces Eri, a young girl whose quirk can rewind a person’s body to a younger state. Overhaul uses Eri to produce bullets capable of erasing quirks.
Season five (2021) returns to U.A. with joint training exercises between Class 1-A and Class 1-B, during which Midoriya manifests a new ability known as the Blackwhip, which is connected to One For All’s previous users. The season also follows the rise of the Meta Liberation Army, which later merges with the League of Villains, and shows Midoriya, Bakugo, and Todoroki interning at the Endeavor Agency, where they train under Endeavor, now the number one hero after All Might’s retirement.
Season six (2022–23) adapts the Paranormal Liberation War arc, in which heroes launch a large operation to stop the newly united villain factions. The conflict results in heavy casualties and allows Shigaraki to awaken a strengthened form of his quirk. In the aftermath public trust in heroes declines as civilians witness widespread destruction and learn that several prominent heroes have concealed serious personal failings. The situation worsens when the villain Dabi publicly reveals that Endeavor abused his own family, undermining his image as a moral leader. As faith in hero society weakens, Midoriya leaves U.A. to keep classmates safe while he is being targeted by All For One.
Season seven (2024) continues the final part of the story, introducing the American hero Star and Stripe, whose quirk allows her to set conditional rules on targets that she names. The season resolves the long-running suspicion of a traitor within U.A. Season eight, released in 2025, adapts the concluding chapters of the manga, including the final confrontations with All For One and Shigaraki and the series epilogue.
Four theatrical films adapted from the manga have been released: My Hero Academia: Two Heroes (2018), My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising (2019), My Hero Academia: World Heroes’ Mission (2021), and My Hero Academia: You’re Next (2024). A live-action film by the production house Legendary Entertainment is currently in development for the streaming platform Netflix. The franchise also includes several manga spin-offs—My Hero Academia: Smash!! (2015–17), My Hero Academia: Vigilantes (2016–22), and My Hero Academia: Team-Up Missions (2019–25)—along with light novels (illustrated Japanese prose narratives typically aimed at young adults) published between 2016 and 2021 that expand side stories and character viewpoints. Stage adaptations, beginning with My Hero Academia: The “Ultra” Stage in 2019, have had multiple runs in Japan. The series has also been adapted into video games, including the fighting titles My Hero One’s Justice (2018) and My Hero One’s Justice 2 (2020) and the mobile RPG My Hero Ultra Impact (2021).
