A Unique Take on the Superhero Genre
Reasons You Should Be Watching My Hero Academia
The superhero genre has exploded into popularity in recent years, mostly thanks to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but My Hero Academia is a surprisingly unique take on it. The world of MHA is a place where 80 percent of the population has some kind of special power, known as a “Quirk.” This super-powered society has changed the way people live and the world works, creating an entirely new profession where professional “heroes” keep the peace, in accordance with regulations set by the police force.
The show revolves around a set of talented students attending U.A. High School, studying to become professional heroes. U.A. functions like any other high school with classes, extracurriculars, and everything else. This combination of school and superheroes works incredibly well and combines the fun slice-of-life kind of feel along with the typical shounen action. It’s quite interesting to see how MHA makes superheroes a kind of daily activity, putting their products in stores and even broadcasting the U.A. Sports festival as one of the biggest sporting events in the world. Superhero stories are a dime a dozen these days, so it’s great fun seeing how a show like MHA makes superpowers a part of everyday life.
Diverse Cast of Fleshed Out Characters
Reasons You Should Be Watching My Hero Academia
One of the best things about MHA is the robust cast of characters it introduces you to with Class 1-A. Even more surprising is the fact that it gives many of these characters time in the spotlight, and really tries to flesh out the majority of the class.
Although Midoriya is, of course, the main character, MHA deliberately takes time to give story arcs to specific characters like Shoto Todoroki, the son of the number two hero, Tenya Iida, the youngest son in a family of heroes, and the fan-favorite frog-hero Tsuyu Asui. This makes Class 1-A really feel like a team of heroes, despite the strong sense of competition among them. The basic story from the manga does a great job of fleshing out these characters, but the anime does an even better job, adding a few brand new original scenes that focus on some of the prominent side characters.
As an example, there’s an entire episode in the second season that shows other 1-A students on their internships, with Midoriya appearing only for a few minutes. This focus on the show’s entire cast is MHA’s greatest strength, as every single student has a unique personality, and is charming in their own peculiar ways. With a cast so diverse, everyone can easily find their own favorite character to root for.
Well Thought Out Fight Sequences
Reasons You Should Be Watching My Hero Academia
Shounen anime are often very action-focused, and plenty of shows like Bleach, Naruto, One Piece, and Blue Exorcist have pretty fantastic action scenes. MHA easily shoots near the top of this list with some absolutely great animation, matched with well thought out fight sequences. The idea of quirks that the show revolves around helps keep things interesting, as each character really has to lean into their quirk and limitations.
This leads to fight scenes that always have characters really thinking through their actions, analyzing the situations, and coming up with elaborate plans. This could be something like Midoriya using a robot’s shield and minefield explosions to propel himself, or any other number of things. MHA constantly keeps you entertained with its fights, throwing curve balls and crazy new quirks into the mix in imaginative ways.
Great Soundtrack and Pacing
Reasons You Should Be Watching My Hero Academia
Serialized anime can often drag due to filler being introduced while they try and wait for the manga to catch up. This is something that shows like Naruto, One Piece, and Dragon Ball have all suffered from at various points. MHA made a wise choice to help its pacing and avoid filler by opting to be a seasonal anime. This lets the team really take time and plan out their episodes, introducing new elements and plot lines, while giving the manga room to breath.
Each arc in MHA doesn’t feel like it overstays its welcome, and even some of the slower ones like the internship arc benefit from original anime scenes that help flesh out characters. On top of this, the music by Yuki Hayashi, also known for Diabolik Lovers and Death Parade, does a phenomenal job of reinforcing the heroic and emotional overtones. It’s a mix between rock, pop, and classical music depending on what mood and tone a scene is going for, but the soundtrack consistently provides a strong feeling to everything. Although it may not be something at the forefront of your mind when watching a show, music can have a big impact.
Izuku Midoriya is the Ultimate Underdog
Reasons You Should Be Watching My Hero Academia
Everyone loves a good underdog story, especially in anime. Naruto, Luffy in One Piece, Yuuri in Yuuri!! on Ice, these are all underdog characters that we love rooting for. Izuku Midoriya in MHA is about as big of an underdog as you can get, considering he’s completely quirkless in a world where superheroes are the norm. The fact that he doesn’t have powers has completely defined his life, but everything changes one day when his hero All-Might (and the most powerful in the world) chooses him as the successor to his power.
The secrecy behind All-Might’s power means Midoriya can’t tell anyone about his newfound power, but it’s also something he has to struggle against. The power of the All For One quirk is too much for Midoriya to handle at first, and even just using the power to launch a punch can completely fracture his arm. He has farther to go than any other student at U.A., and quite literally goes from zero to hero. Of course, it helps that Midoriya is a charming, likable character with a heart of gold.
On top of all the show’s other assets, Midoriya works as a driving force, and it’s easy to cheer him on while he takes on ever more challenging tasks and villains.
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