My Hero Academia has risen to become one of the most popular anime shows in recent years. It tackles the superhero genre quite well and has a good comedic atmosphere, but it also has serious emotional and intellectual weight with its commentary on society, discrimination, and the true meaning of good vs evil.

By now, My Hero Academia has six seasons and counting, and countless anime fans are heavily invested in the story of Izuku Midoriya and his hero friends. But even the most dedicated fans can find plenty of other, similar anime to watch in between weekly updates of My Hero Academia's current season. Most of them are also shonen action anime or perhaps seinen as well.

Updated on August 22nd, 2023 by Louis Kemner: Now that a seventh season and fourth movie for My Hero Academia have been announced, fans of the franchise are in the mood to either rewatch the entire thing, or try out other anime like My Hero Academia. Plenty of anime similar to My Hero Academia have comparable plotlines or combat systems, from supernatural battles with villains to costumed superheroes and underdogs who will always go Plus Ultra to beat the odds.

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25 D.Gray-Man

4 Seasons, 116 Episodes

D.Gray-Man is a long-running shonen manga/anime franchise that may still not be complete due to hiatuses, but it's still worth a watch as an anime like My Hero Academia. This is a dark and brutal "monster hunter" anime that may also remind fans of titles like Chainsaw Man, Demon Slayer and Jujutsu Kaisen.

D.Gray-Man takes place in the late Victorian era, where exorcists like protagonist Allen Walker use supernatural Innocence to fight Akuma with unique weapons and powers. Even if My Hero Academia never had a spooky Halloween vibe like this, MHA fans may have fun with this semi-obscure shonen gem while waiting for MHA Season 7.

24 Hell's Paradise

1 Season, 13 Episodes

Hell's Paradise has earned its place in the "dark trio" along with Chainsaw Man and Jujutsu Kaisen, with all three titles being dark, graphic, and incredibly gripping stories about people who fight horrific monsters and other villains. Tonally, Jujutsu Kaisen might feel more like MHA than Hell's Paradise, but anyone who already saw JJK should try Hell's Paradise next.

This is no hero school anime. Instead, the cast is made up of antiheroes and criminals who must visit a bizarre, deadly island to find the elixir of life or die trying. Protagonist Gabimaru is a rogue ninja who will use savage melee attacks to destroy any monster that gets in his way on that island, all so he can return home to his beloved wife.

23 Noragami

2 Seasons, 25 Episodes

Noragami is a fun watch for fans of My Hero Academia, Demon Slayer, and Bleach, among other action series. This anime stars the 9th grader Hiyori Iki, who finds herself wrapped up in the world of Japanese gods and spiritual monsters when she has a near-death experience one fateful day.

Hiyori will meet the punkish minor god known only as Yato, and join him on all kinds of adventures in the human world and the Far Shore alike. Noragami feels like an anime like My Hero Academia because both series star an ordinary Japanese teen who is suddenly thrust into a violent but fascinating world, all with a cheerful tone but also ample drama to keep it all grounded.

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22 Tokyo Ghoul

4 Seasons, 48 Episodes

In broad strokes, the seinen series Tokyo Ghoul is indeed an anime like My Hero Academia, though it's much darker and has plenty of overlap with Chainsaw Man and Jujutsu Kaisen, too. In Tokyo Ghoul, the ordinary college student Ken Kaneki became a half-ghoul after he nearly died and had ghoul organs implanted into him.

This was Ken's own One For All moment, but with a gruesome twist. He became a confused outcast as a half-ghoul, struggling with his own hunger for human flesh while also fighting CCG investigators and hostile ghouls alike. Still, Ken has hope, and like Izuku Midoriya, Ken hopes to make a world where everyone can live in peace and happiness.

21 Fairy Tail

9 Seasons, 328 Episodes

Even if the Fairy Tail anime has a mixed reputation, it may still scratch the itch for MHA fans who want a colorful and fun anime like My Hero Academia to watch until Season 7 arrives. Fairy Tail should also have strong appeal for fans of Naruto and One Piece, especially the latter, given their many similarities.

Fairy Tail has a meandering fantasy story starring the co-leads Lucy Heartfilia and Natsu Dragneel, who make new friends and fight countless foes during their time together in the Fairy Tail guild, an organization for wizard fighters. Like My Hero Academia, Fairy Tail features an ensemble cast of lovable shonen-style characters with an astonishing variety of magical effects that feel just like Quirks in many cases.

20 One Punch Man

2 Seasons, 24 Episodes

One Punch Man tells the story of Saitama, a bald superhero who’s so strong he finishes off his enemies in just one punch. That may seem like a good thing for anyone seeking a stable career as a superhero, but Saitama is absolutely bored with it. He doesn’t care much about saving the world — he only wants to find a worthy opponent.

The fact that most people, including his fellow superheroes, aren’t aware of his enormous strength, as well as his indifference and inability to remember people’s names and faces, makes One Punch Man one of the most hilarious anime in the industry. Not even Lord Boros can stand up to Saitama's might, but he may try.

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19 Assassination Classroom

2 Seasons, 47 Episodes

The characters in Assassination Classroom aren’t superheroes — they’re normal middle school students who are struggling not to fail in school. However, they’ve been tasked with assassinating a yellow octopus-like creature who swears to destroy the earth in one year. This creature, later named Kuro-sensei, becomes their homeroom teacher and helps them improve their grades while teaching them how to assassinate him.

Assassination Classroom sounds rather straightforward, but there is more to it than that, as new fans will soon realize for themselves. The anime is hilarious, teaches fascinating life lessons, and really tugs at the viewer's heartstrings sometimes.

18 Hunter X Hunter

1 Season, 148 Episodes

There are so many good things to be said about the 2011 Hunter x Hunter anime series. One of the best-written shows in the history of anime, Hunter X Hunter revolves around a young boy named Gon Freecss who goes on a journey to find his missing father, a renowned Hunter named Ging.

Right away, Gon takes the Hunter Exam, makes a few good friends like Killua Zoldyck, and meets many interesting villains along the way. The Nen combat system, which ranks among shonen anime's best, may also remind MHA fans of Quirks, ranging from hungry vacuum cleaners to stretchy gum and lightning.

17 Yu Yu Hakusho

4 Sesaons, 112 Episodes

Yu Yu Hakusho is a time-honored shonen adventure that blends school and supernatural action, just like My Hero Academia. The protagonist, Yusuke Urameshi, is a good-hearted punk student who is revived by the Spirit World after dying in a car accident in exchange for becoming the Spirit Detective.

Like Izuku, Yusuke is a tough, brave boy who will deliver fierce justice with his fists against a wide variety of deadly foes with spiritual powers. Yusuke's tough enemy turned friend Kazuma may remind fans of Bakugo, while the short, intense Hiei is like Shoto Todoroki minus the ice.

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16 Tiger & Bunny

1 Season, 25 Episodes

In Tiger & Bunny, being a superhero is an actual job, similar to Pro Heroes in My Hero Academia. Superheroes known as "NEXT" fight villains to gain hero points which they can use to appear on a reality TV show called HeroTV. Effectively, it’s not just about saving the world, it’s about profits as well.

The protagonist is a veteran hero named Wild Tiger who, after a series of failures in his career, gets paired up with an up-and-coming hero named Barnaby – like Deku and Bakugo, they don’t really get along. They must learn to fight as a team, however, if they intend to make it big as bonafide heroes.

15 Black Clover

4 Seasons, 170 Episodes

One of the many things that fans like about My Hero Academia is the underdog story. Izuku Midoriya was weak and Quirkless, but is determined to be a hero and become the new symbol of peace no matter what. He does end up getting a Quirk eventually, although in a very unusual manner.

Black Clover's protagonist, Asta the swordsman, had a similar experience. He was born with no magical abilities but desires to be the Wizard King all the same. Asta, like Deku, is later granted some magnificent powers that enable him to take on the hardest of challenges to make his dream come true.

14 Mob Psycho 100

3 Seasons, 36+ Episodes

Like Deku, Mob Psycho 100's protagonist, Mob, is a kind-hearted dandere boy who has immense power that he has trouble controlling. But unlike Deku, Mob doesn’t want to be anything special — he just wants to live a normal life like everyone around him. So he works as an assistant to a self-proclaimed psychic to learn how to control his power.

Unfortunately for Mob, however, trouble likes to come after him, threatening to unleash the power he’s working hard to contain. Mob Psycho 100 gets its title from the fact that, after accumulating enough stress to reach 100%, Mob's psychic powers go into overdrive, or Plus Ultra.

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13 Katekyo Hitman Reborn!

9 Seasons, 203 Episodes

katekyo hitman reborn

Katekyo Hitman Reborn!'s main character, Tsuna, is remarkably similar to MHA's Izuku Midoriya. They are both weak physically and mentally, and they both have little confidence in their own strengths. But then they meet a man who unlocks their true potential and changes their world forever.

Unlike Izuku, who wants to get stronger, Tsuna isn’t interested in gaining power and doesn’t like fighting. He absolutely doesn’t want to become what his mentor wants him to be – a mafia boss. Although the plots heavily differ, both shows have likable characters, great fight scenes, and great humor.

12 Soul Eater

1 Season, 51 Episodes

In Soul Eater, teenage characters with supernatural abilities are taught in a school setting how to use their abilities to defeat evil villains. So while they’re not wearing costumes nor are they called superheroes, they do engage in thrilling battles to save the world.

Soul Eater is often comical and lighthearted but takes a serious turn when enemies appear. The characters also have very interesting personalities and abilities. Some of them turn into weapons that are wielded by their chosen partners to fight off enemies, with the main example being Soul Eater Evans, who morphs into a scythe that Maka Albarn wields in battle.

11 Blue Exorcist

1 Season, 25 Episodes

As with My Hero Academia, the main characters in Blue Exorcist go to a specialized school to get stronger and learn how to defeat their enemies: Satan and his demonic empire. Called exorcists, these students are joined by the spawn of Satan himself, Rin, who swears he will kill Satan with his own hands.

Rin was adopted by a priest when he was a baby and had no idea he was Satan’s son until the day his real father killed his foster father. This tragic event leads Rin to pursue a path of revenge, but not without making some friends and learning more important things along the way.

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10 Little Witch Academia

1 Season, 25 Episodes

The similarities between the charming anime Little Witch Academia and My Hero Academia are many. The heroine is Akko, a 16-year-old girl who dreams to become a witch to help people and make the world a better place. She also adores the famed witch Shiny Chariot, who is a role model to girls everywhere.

Despite having no obvious magic powers of her own, Akko enrolls at the Luna Nova witch school to pursue her dream, and she makes many new friends, and a few enemies, along the way. Akko doesn't know it right away, but one of her Luna Nova teachers is, in fact, Shiny Chariot herself.

9 Naruto

26 Seasons, 720 Episodes

One of the classic "Big Three" of Shonen, along with One Piece and Bleach, Naruto is the story of an ostracized boy named Naruto Uzumaki. He recently graduated from ninja school, and his big dream is to become Hokage and become a great ninja everyone can adore and look up to. He starts from nothing and works his way up.

Naruto may not have "school life" elements to it, but Naruto and his friends are classic shonen heroes worthy of any heroic cape. The jutsu-based combat system also feels wonderfully similar to MHA's Quirk-based combat system, from the Rasengan to the Sharingan and the mind transfer jutsu.

8 Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

1 Season, 64 Episodes

The alchemist brothers Edward and Alphonse Elric are lovable rogues on a mission to repair their mangled bodies and atone for the grave sin of trying to revive the dead via alchemy. Along the way, they get wrapped up in a sinister and far-reaching plot to conquer the entire world, and the villain Father and his minions are the stuff of nightmares.

Shonen action fans love Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood for many reasons, and often regard it higher than MHA itself. This anime features colorful characters, deep philosophical themes, an excellent OST, and engaging action scenes based on alchemy and supernatural homunculi.

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7 Food Wars!

5 Seasons, 86 Episodes

Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma is a culinary school anime where protagonist Soma Yukihira learns the ways of elite cuisine. Like Izuku, Soma is a total outsider at his school and isn't taken very seriously at first, but he soon proves himself to all his classmates and teachers.

Soma understands that love truly is the secret ingredient, and cooking for family and friends can beat any recipe in a cooking duel. Each student at Totsuki also has their own cooking style, from smoking meats to Italian or Chinese cuisine, which is their own version of Quirks.

6 JoJo's Bizarre Adventure

6 Seasons, 190 Episodes

In JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, anime fans meet the Joestar family's members who, through the generations, battle the forces of evil. In 1880s England, Jonathan Joestar faces off against the vampire overlord Dio Brando, and in the 1980s, Jotaro Kujo the tough tsundere battles Dio and his minions once again.

This series features stands, or physical avatars of a person's combat prowess, and stand battles have to be seen to be believed. They rank among the most creative and intense Shonen action sequences of all, and with their unique abilities, they are definitely JoJo's version of battle-honed Quirks.