8 things that make My Hero Academia better than other shonen animations

After almost 10 years on the air, My Hero Academia The anime recently ended, making it one of the most popular and influential shonen series in industry history. This superhero story, based on Kohei Horikoshi's manga of the same name, has resonated with millions of viewers around the world, and for good reason.

The only questions left are: why? What makes it My Hero Academia What was so special that it had such a huge cultural impact? Well, the truth is that this anime actually does a lot of things much better than most of its contemporaries in the Battle Shonen genre. And the anime community often ignores or undermines these positive qualities. There are plenty of obvious points to choose from, but the following eight are the most noteworthy:

This is a collage of Deku's most dominant moments in My Hero Academia.

My Hero Academia: Deku's most OP moments, ranking

This moment showed us all just how great the hero Deku was.

A kind, smart, and complex protagonist.

Izuku Midoriya is not an ordinary boy protagonist.

Battle shonen protagonists often fall into two categories. They are either stupid and reckless but kind-hearted, like Goku, Naruto, and Luffy, or very kind but disappointingly one-dimensional, like Tanjiro or Itadori. My Hero AcademiaThe main character of Midoriya Izuku (life Deku), he may seem to fall into the second category (in fact, he single-handedly helped popularize this category), but he is actually much more complex and interesting than it first appears.

Not only is Deku incredibly smart and extremely kind, which felt truly groundbreaking when the anime first came out, but the story slowly proves that he's also reckless and an overachiever. The thing about Deku is that he has a self-destructive tendency to save anyone who comes to harm, usually physically or mentally. Despite living in such a fantastical world, at his core he is a very human character, undergoing a remarkable development that very few shonen protagonists can match, let alone surpass.

overturn expectations

My Hero Academia isn't as common as it first appears.

My Hero Academia It was released in 2016, meaning it has an extensive history of the Battle Shonen series spanning nearly 40 years from which to borrow elements. Although the story is clearly among the most common of the genre, metaphorIt also subverted many of them in great ways, which sadly flew over the heads of most viewers.

for example, bakugo katsuki He was introduced as a loud and impulsive rival, and instead of stopping that importance or completely changing his personality, he developed into a better person who was still loud and impulsive. There is also effortInstead of leaving him as a one-dimensional antagonist who is easy to hate, as he quickly establishes himself as an abusive father and husband. My Hero Academia It actually examines the effects of his domestic abuse and his attempts to seek atonement for his past actions. Both of these plots were handled with a level of maturity and complexity that helped set this show apart from other modern battle shonen anime.

Visual equivalent to the original material

The animation is just as beautiful as the art of the original cartoon.

that animation quality Adaptations of popular shonen manga can really succeed or fail. Sometimes it is so breathtakingly detailed that it completely surpasses the source material, e.g. demon slayer) in other cases it's so disappointing that it's much more worth checking out the original comic instead, e.g. tokyo ghoul or One Punch Man). Although it is extremely rare to find a good shonen anime that matches the illustrations in terms of visuals, My Hero Academia This is a notorious exception.

It comes with a collage of some of All Might's most OP moments from My Hero Academia, along with official renders of the pro hero's designs from the anime.

My Hero Academia: All Might's Most OP Moments, Ranking

This moment proved how great of a hero All Might is.

Kohei Horikoshi is one of the most talented manga artists in the entire industry, and his illustrations in the original My Hero Academia Not only are the cartoons incredibly detailed, they perfectly convey the complex movements of the characters, and Bones, the studio responsible for the animation, did a great job of bringing these drawings into motion. Of course, the animation is much less detailed than the cartoon due to the notable differences between the two mediums, but the animation is so fluid, cinematic, and well-choreographed that it is often considered one of the best animations in the entire industry.

Perfectly balanced power system

What's unique about it is that it's neither too simple nor too complicated.

power system In battle, shonen animations can be completely unpredictable. Because some of them are extremely simple, e.g. dragon ballflag or demon slayer's breathing style), while others are unnecessarily so complex that they can be quite difficult to follow (e.g. Hunter × HunterUnless it's nen Doing Jujutsu cursed technology). but, My Hero Academia'S unusual thing Perfectly balanced. Because at first it seems very simple. But rather than being confused, the viewer slowly discovers that it's actually very complicated.

Quirks are genetic mutations that allow people to do all sorts of things, including manipulating the elements, transforming body parts into specific substances, and wielding the physical properties of animals. But because people are born with these powers, they can actually learn how to exercise their quarks (similar to muscles) to evolve them and unlock new abilities. Additionally, there is the existence of the Quirk Singularity Theory, which has a huge impact on the story and world-building of the series.

The most heroic and touching music

My Hero Academia has one of the best anime soundtracks of all time.

while My Hero Academia It obviously has great animation, voice acting, and writing, but there's another special aspect that makes this show truly stand out. that music. soundtrack My Hero Academia Most of it was composed by the great Yuki Hayashi, making it one of the best anime original scores in the history of the industry.

Of course, the music played during comedic or dramatic moments perfectly suits each scene, but what truly shines on this soundtrack are the songs played during action-packed sequences. Tracks like: you say run or Hero A It's so heroic and inspiring that viewers can't help but be moved by it, and it's become a huge part of online animation culture. Besides, it's worth pointing out that. My Hero Academia There are 14 different openings, all of which are so catchy and well-made that they're worth a listen on their own.

Perfect for western superhero fans.

The timing of the release of My Hero Academia could not have been better.

It's important to remember that My Hero Academia It started airing in 2016. Marvel Cinematic Universe Popularity reached its peak and Western superheroes became a massive worldwide phenomenon. People who watched every time marvel and D.C. People who wanted to make movies and experience similar stories through the medium of Japanese animation could start watching this beautiful, new (at the time) series, thus making it very accessible to the mainstream audiences of that decade.

This is a collage of some of Todoroki Shoto's OP moments from My Hero Academia.

My Hero Academia: Shoto's most OP moments, ranking

These moments really helped Shoto stand out from My Hero Academia as a whole.

This is 100% intentional, as Horikoshi is a self-proclaimed fan of Western comics and cites iconic characters from Marvel and DC (Spider-Man, Batman, etc.) as major sources of inspiration for his work. There are many other superhero animations out there, but they either don't cater to the shonen demographic or prefer to pay homage to Asian superheroes. masked rider and Super Sentai), whereas My Hero Academia It has a broader, global appeal.

High-quality spin-off series

Vigilantes is almost on par with the original My Hero Academia anime.

In fact, not many successful battle shonen anime spin-offs can match the original in terms of quality and popularity. Some are pointless comedies that don't need to be taken seriously. Attack on Titan: Middle School or Rock Lee and his ninja friends while Many others are sequels that have extremely disappointed their respective fan bases. boruto or Yashahime: Half-demon princess.

My Hero Academia This case is a notable exception. Because it's a spinoff/prequel. My Hero Academia: Vigilante, Surprisingly, it's so good that many fans even like it better than the original series. It is based on the spin-off manga of the same name (written by Hideyuki Furuhashi, illustrated by Betten Court, and supervised by Horikoshi). vigilante It tells the story of a group of illegal superheroes trying to save unlicensed people and take down a dangerous Trigger human trafficking ring. It explores a darker, more realistic side. My Hero Academia At the same time, it adds depth to some characters and plot lines that didn't get enough time to shine in the main series, and the result feels incredibly unique and refreshing.

high comic ending

The ending of the anime was loved all over the world

When I finished the last chapter My Hero Academia When the comic came out in 2023, many readers were quick to complain about how unsatisfied they were with the long-awaited conclusion, with some claiming that the final issue was too confusing and that Deku's personal story ended on a disappointing and/or underwhelming note for them. But surprisingly, when the anime was adapted closing In late 2025, viewer response was much more positive.

Why did the ending come out? My Hero Academia Are anime much less polarizing than comics? It's difficult to pinpoint why, but it could be due to the implementation of the animation, music, and voice acting (which do a much more efficient job of conveying drama and emotion in certain key scenes), or it could be the numerous extra features that Bones desperately needs to enhance its narrative and themes. Interestingly, manga readers weren't prepared for the ending until additional chapter 431 was released a few months later, and anime viewers are already loving it globally despite the fact that the additional chapter won't hit the screens until May 2026 via an OVA titled OVA. My Hero Academia: See more.


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release date

2016 – 2025-00-00

network

TBS, MBS, Nippon TV

move

Shoji Ikeno, Tsuyoshi Tobita, Ikuro Sato, Takudai Kakuchi, Masashi Abe, Tetsuya Miyanishi, Kazuma Komatsu, Yoshifumi Sasahara, Masayuki Otsuki, Daisuke Tsukushi, Takayuki Yamamoto, Yohei Fukui, Takuro Tsukada, Masatoyo Takada, Naomi Nakayama, Morikawa Sayaka, Takanori Yano

  • Cast placeholder image

    Yamashita Daiki

    Izuku Midoriya (voice actor)

  • Cast placeholder image

    Ishikawa Kaito

    Manga Fukidashi (voice actor)


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