Since September 2021, fans of My Hero Academia have been eagerly awaiting the next chapter in the animated adaptation. With Season 6 approaching, set to debut in October as part of a heavy-packed fall schedule, Crunchyroll released two new OVAs to bridge the gap and ramp up the excitement. While the seventh and eighth installments of OVA content deliver different themes and settings, they provide viewers with some insight into what Izuku Midoriya, Katsuki Bakugo, Shoto Todoroki, and the rest of the UA student body have been up to during their work studies.
Quickly becoming one of the biggest powerhouse shonen anime currently on the market, My Hero Academia's fifth season ended with the big reveal of the Paranormal Liberation Front and the plans they have for the Hero Academy. Season 6 promises to continue delivering a serious-toned battle between good and evil with Deku, Bakugo, and Todoroki continuing their educational journey behind the number-one hero, Endeavour. It's only natural for the OVA releases to give viewers a more slice-of-life approach, but they end up providing some much-needed depth to certain characters ahead of what lies ahead for the group in the upcoming season.
OVA 1 - HLB (Hero League Baseball)
The first OVA, a 23-minute feature titled "HLB" -- short for Hero League Baseball -- features a championship baseball match between two teams, captained by Gang Orca and Shishido. In a game to ultimately decide the number-one team between the Orcas and the Lionels, both teams go head-to-head in a fun, quirk-filled encounter. With baseball rules in place, an added stipulation involves players being disqualified from the game if they are either ejected for breaking a rule or are knocked unconscious for any reason. The hilariously-awkward dynamic of Gang Orca and Shisido provides an extra element of humor as the two often butt heads in heated verbal confrontations.
Super-powered baseball isn't a new concept in the anime world, as previously seen in Episode 70 of Dragon Ball Super, titled "A Challenge From Champa! This Time, a Baseball Game!" in which Beerus and Champa formulate their own baseball team from their respective universes to compete in a baseball game. Jujutsu Kaisen released a baseball-themed episode of their own, as Tokyo's Jujutsu High and Kyoto's Jujutsu High squared off in a sports affair while using their abilities to gain advantages. In a similar twist, My Hero Academia packs the episode with quick-witted jokes, displays of quirk abilities, and a hidden message within its final moments. The first OVA of Season 5 is a fun watch and a brief filler to catch up to the heroes everyone missed during the extended break.
OVA 2 - "Laugh! As If You Are in Hell"
The second OVA, titled "Laugh! As If You Are in Hell", provides My Hero Academia fans with a story closer to what is more familiar to the main franchise. A graffiti artist is on the loose, but the dangers behind his crime don't come from the cans he utilizes to create his art, rather, the quirk he uses to get away with it. A villain by the name of Mr. Smiley is vandalizing private property in order to share his art with the world, and any attempt to stop him is ultimately stunted by his quirk of making anyone who sees his face break into a fit of laughter. Unfortunately, his abuse of power is no laughing matter when Endeavour takes on the assignment to put an end to his shenanigans.
What starts with a more light-hearted approach to the usual hero-meet-villain story arc, the second-half hits close to home with a sentimental approach that is more touching than anticipated upon first viewing. The audience is met with the true nature behind Mr. Smiley's backstory and the motivations behind his acts of vandalizing property. In turn, My Hero Academia fans get a moment of comeuppance and a display of maturity from Midoriya during the final stages of the episode.
For devotees to the anime franchise, the two newest OVAs arriving at Crunchyroll serve as an excellent primer for Season 6, even if a few notable characters see little-to-no screen time. Season 6 is set to air on October 1st, and the battle ahead promises to live up to the hype surrounding it for the last twelve months.