My Hero Academia stands as one of the most popular and beloved shonen anime series of the modern age; many fans believe it to be the best modern anime overall, of any genre. While the concept of "best" anime is debatable in the anime community, powerhouse series like My Hero Academia are strong contenders for #1 for a variety of reasons.
Kohei Horikoshi's released the original My Hero Academia manga series in 2015, which soon got its own anime adaptation, which quickly spread the word of My Hero Academia. By now, this hit shonen series is a giant in the anime world and fans can cite any number of reasons it is definitely the best anime a fan could possibly watch. My Hero Academia has a lot to offer.
10 My Hero Academia Features An Ensemble Cast
Some anime series focus primarily on the protagonist and while that's a fine storytelling method, some of the best anime series, such as One Piece, Naruto, and Bleach, all feature a wide variety of heroes the viewers can cheer on or relate to.
My Hero Academia features one of the best casts of characters ever seen in anime and having an ensemble cast gives anime fans even more to love. Every character in Class 1-A has the potential to be somebody's favorite character or role model.
9 My Hero Academia Enhances The School Life Genre
While some anime fans might be tired of the school life genre, other anime series help refresh the formula and make school interesting all over again. Recent shonen anime such as Kakegurui and Food Wars! do this fairly well, but My Hero Academia is on another level entirely.
The all-too-familiar school setting gets a total makeover with the U.A. school, which isn't just a high school, but also a training camp for student heroes and by now, a miniature city unto itself.
8 Izuku Midoriya Does Power Scaling Right
With a few minor exceptions, protagonist Izuku Midoriya has perfected the shonen power scaling formula. He rarely relies on cheap tricks such as Fairy Tail-style "the power of friendship" or endless deus ex machina to get a power boost out of nowhere. Izuku has earned every bit of power he has.
In fact, Izuku had to train for a whole year just to obtain the One For All Quirk, let alone maximize its potential. He's more like a trainee boxer, slowly and painfully learning the ropes and scoring well-earned victories against stronger foes.
7 My Hero Academia Makes Relevant Commentary About Discrimination
Works of fiction are an excellent way to deliver sharp commentary about society, politics and other heavy topics, similar to political cartoons and stand-up comedy, and anime is like that, too. Many anime series make insightful commentary or criticism about modern society, and My Hero Academia delivers.
My Hero Academia has a few harsh things to say about the challenges facing Japanese society today, or more universal issues such as discrimination or alienation. Many people feel invisible and unwanted by the world at large and ostracized villains such as the reptilian Spinner embody that issue perfectly.
6 My Hero Academia's Story Arcs Are Concisely Written
Any anime longer than 12 episodes is going to have a few story arcs to its name, with each arc being its own story with its own cast of characters, conflict, stakes, and themes. However, some anime series are known for marathon-length story arcs that might test viewers' patience, such as Fairy Tail's Grand Magic Games tournament arc and Bleach's Fake Karakura Town arc.
By contrast, My Hero Academia keeps its story arcs short and to the point, delivering a lot of plot twists and character arcs in a remarkably short time frame. This is efficient storytelling and it allows MHA to have more story arcs without becoming bloated in length.
5 My Hero Academia's Movies Tie Into The Main Plot Well
Most long anime series have a few tie-in movies, with One Piece having at least 15 of them. Ultimately, anime movies are optional spinoffs that aren't required to understand the overall plot, but My Hero Academia takes extra steps to make its movies feel more relevant.
My Hero Academia often features bonus scenes or dialogue that allude to these movies, often in brief filler sequences to provide an on-ramp to the three MHA movies. This makes the movies feel more meaningfully connected to the main series.
4 My Hero Academia Has Great Humor
Plenty of other modern anime series have solid humor, such as Demon Slayer's "smol Nezuko" shenanigans, but arguably, My Hero Academia's comic relief is the best out there right now. The anime's humor is goofy but tasteful and it often doubles as minor character development.
My Hero Academia fans can't get enough of Izuku and Ochaco being bashful around one another. Class 1-A's characters' witty remarks reveal a lot about them and the people around them. The humor is wonderful, but not overbearing, and it doesn't intrude too much on the serious scenes.
3 My Hero Academia's Heroes Fail Or Lose In Impactful Ways
In general, action heroes tend to win while villains will inevitably lose in the end. Still, that's no reason for the heroes to have it easy, and My Hero Academia really puts its Pro Heroes through the wringer. Other series such as Bleach and Fairy Tail seem reluctant to permanently injure or kill off their heroes, but not MHA.
My Hero Academia cranks up the tension by depicting seemingly invincible Pro Heroes suffering debilitating injuries, losing their quirks, or even losing their lives. All Might is losing his power due to that injury All For One gave him and Mirio Togata lost his quirk fighting Overhaul while Sir Nighteye lost his life.
2 My Hero Academia Has A Timeless Setting & Timeless Themes
It's not clear exactly what year it is during My Hero Academia, but based on the dialogue and historic events, this series takes place several decades into the future, possibly around the year 2100 or so. My Hero Academia's narrative actually benefits from this ambiguity.
No matter what year or decade it is, the world will always need heroes to defend it from destruction and villainy, and the clash of good versus evil is timeless. The lessons that Izuku learns in My Hero Academia's future setting are universal and that makes this series highly relevant for any viewer. Its message will age well into the future.
1 My Hero Academia Has An Incredible Soundtrack
Many movies and TV shows are renowned for their incredible soundtracks and some OSTs and theme songs are downright legendary, such as Star Wars' main title theme, among others. Meanwhile, My Hero Academia boasts one of the anime world's best OSTs of all.
My Hero Academia's soundtrack has dozens of outstanding and catchy songs that perfectly convey the right emotions and mood for any scene, from tension and horror to comedy, exciting action, and sorrow. The song "You Say Run" is an instant classic that can make anyone feel like a true hero, even without any lyrics.