When I was a child, I shared the dream that every young boy had. I wanted nothing more than to be a hero. I fantasized about soaring through the sky, rushing to someone's aide. A dream I proudly still hold onto - though with less flashly fanfare.
Perhaps that is why My Hero Academia was such a treat to watch. For a while now, I heard that is was an incredible anime but it took me some time to get around to it. My delay ended up working to my benefit becauase binging this series was so enjoyable.
My Hero Academia follows the story of Izuku Midoriya, often called Deku by his rival, dreaming to be like the world's strongest hero - All Might. In the world he inhabits, people having amazing powers and abilities is commonplace. Powers, called Quirks, emerged across the world several generations ago. Which is why when Deku, as a small kid, learns that he is someone without a Quirk, he is completely heart broken. Being full of determination and youthful optimism, Izuku refuses to give up on his heroic goals.
Once children are of the age to choose their high school ( a normal thing in Japan ), some elect to apply to hero academies. The best of the best is UA, the school All Might himself decided to train at. Deku plans on applying, despite his rival/friend Katsuki Bakugo putting him down.
Having self doubts, Izuku takes a few moments of alone time - and gets attack by a villian who's body is made of a gross sludge. Deku is almost killed but is saved in the nick of time by his idol, All Might. The number one hero easily defeats the bad guy and saves Young Midoriya. With doubt still plaguing his mind, Deku asks All Might if someone without a Quirk could become a hero. All Might then answers with a world shattering no.
Deku feels defeated and continues his commute home. He has accepted his dreams will never come true. That's when he sees a crowd watching as the slime villain, having escaped from All Might, trying to consume Bakugo. Bakugo struggles, using his explosion Quirk, but to no avail. Bystanders watch, hoping for a hero to save the day. Izuku, without thinking, moves into action. He fights, albeit poorly, against the evildoer. Moments later, All Might once again appears to save the day - though this time he seems to be struggling. He defeats the monster and the two boys are saved.
Later on, Deku is approached by All Might, who tells the boy that he inspired the number one hero. We then learn that All Might's Quirk, One For All, is unique. One For All can be transferred to a willing recipient - as was the case for All Might. He was born without a Quirk and was given One For All by the previous holder. Instead of his muscular and tall appearance, All Might's true form is of a man who is practically malnourished. Having taken an injury during a secret fight years ago, the hero can not use his Quirk at will anymore and must return to his weakened state after only 3 hours of use. Having seen Deku spring into action, All Might forced himself pass his limits to save the day. It's this inspiration that leads the number one to the decision to make Midoriya his successor. He bestows, after months of training, One For All to Izuku. The super power, because of it's strength output, is too much for the young boy to handle. Until he learns how to use it, the power injures Deku's body - repeatedly breaking his bones every time he activates it.
So that is pretty much the events of episode one and the premise of the show. Deku goes to UA, alongside a cast of 19 other unique and fleshed out students, each determined to master their power and to become a great hero. The show's story, while not overly different from other animes of the same genre ( the underdog getting an uncontrollable power is not terribly unique to story telling as a whole ), the show makes it it's own.
Where it shines is the unique cast of characters. Not only are each of them nicely and memorably designed in appearance and power, each has short comings they must overcome. Deku has to deal with accepting his worthiness of his newfound power. Bakugo has to deal with his ego and fiery temper. Shoto Todoroki has to deal with his sad childhood and accepting his father. Momo Yaoyorozu has to deal with her insecurities and low confidence. And on and on. Each character is beautifully written and greatly compliment their classmates. The last anime I remember watching that had this in depth of a well written large cast was Assassination Classroom. This anime shines through it's characters, as all great stories should.
What I believe this show does leagues better than others is how they handle the rival character. A rival / friend character is common for anime, some of the greats being Goku and Vegeta, Naruto and Sasuke. But what My Hero does different with Izuku and Bakugo is make it feel real. As kids, Izuku idolized Bakugo - seeing him as a best friend and the coolest kid in the world. Bakugo let Izuku fuel his ego while simultaneously putting his friend down. What the two bonded over was their mutual love for All Might. This love gave them a shared idea of what a true hero should be. Deku has a great sense morality and a desire to save people. This greatly compliments, as well as causing a few squabbles, with Bakugo's idea of annihilating a criminal - knowing that strength is required to save the day. They work so well off each other and their relationship feels genuine. Their rivalry isn't contrived.
Other characters also have wonderful interactions with each other. Every friendship, every interaction - feels real. There is an episode towards the tail end of season 2 ( I think? Again, i binged watched so the lines get blurred ) where classmates are forced to work with people they don't pair well with. The character growth feels so natural for everyone.
The animation, music, and set designs are also top notched. Everything is fun to look at. Songs carry an epic tune that gets you pumped before making you cry. This anime is a joy all around and I couldn't recommended it more. I think only one or two episodes ended up feeling a little out of place but even then nothing but good things came out of this show.
I think I'm brave enough to say that My Hero Academia Seasons 1 through 3 gets a 10/10 rating. I think it's dang near perfect and you should watch it.
Do you agree with my rating? What are some of your favorite characters, or scenes? Let me know in the comment section and be sure to subscribe to the blog to get email updates. Thanks for reading and as always good night and joy be with you all.
Once children are of the age to choose their high school ( a normal thing in Japan ), some elect to apply to hero academies. The best of the best is UA, the school All Might himself decided to train at. Deku plans on applying, despite his rival/friend Katsuki Bakugo putting him down.
Having self doubts, Izuku takes a few moments of alone time - and gets attack by a villian who's body is made of a gross sludge. Deku is almost killed but is saved in the nick of time by his idol, All Might. The number one hero easily defeats the bad guy and saves Young Midoriya. With doubt still plaguing his mind, Deku asks All Might if someone without a Quirk could become a hero. All Might then answers with a world shattering no.
Deku feels defeated and continues his commute home. He has accepted his dreams will never come true. That's when he sees a crowd watching as the slime villain, having escaped from All Might, trying to consume Bakugo. Bakugo struggles, using his explosion Quirk, but to no avail. Bystanders watch, hoping for a hero to save the day. Izuku, without thinking, moves into action. He fights, albeit poorly, against the evildoer. Moments later, All Might once again appears to save the day - though this time he seems to be struggling. He defeats the monster and the two boys are saved.
Later on, Deku is approached by All Might, who tells the boy that he inspired the number one hero. We then learn that All Might's Quirk, One For All, is unique. One For All can be transferred to a willing recipient - as was the case for All Might. He was born without a Quirk and was given One For All by the previous holder. Instead of his muscular and tall appearance, All Might's true form is of a man who is practically malnourished. Having taken an injury during a secret fight years ago, the hero can not use his Quirk at will anymore and must return to his weakened state after only 3 hours of use. Having seen Deku spring into action, All Might forced himself pass his limits to save the day. It's this inspiration that leads the number one to the decision to make Midoriya his successor. He bestows, after months of training, One For All to Izuku. The super power, because of it's strength output, is too much for the young boy to handle. Until he learns how to use it, the power injures Deku's body - repeatedly breaking his bones every time he activates it.
So that is pretty much the events of episode one and the premise of the show. Deku goes to UA, alongside a cast of 19 other unique and fleshed out students, each determined to master their power and to become a great hero. The show's story, while not overly different from other animes of the same genre ( the underdog getting an uncontrollable power is not terribly unique to story telling as a whole ), the show makes it it's own.
Where it shines is the unique cast of characters. Not only are each of them nicely and memorably designed in appearance and power, each has short comings they must overcome. Deku has to deal with accepting his worthiness of his newfound power. Bakugo has to deal with his ego and fiery temper. Shoto Todoroki has to deal with his sad childhood and accepting his father. Momo Yaoyorozu has to deal with her insecurities and low confidence. And on and on. Each character is beautifully written and greatly compliment their classmates. The last anime I remember watching that had this in depth of a well written large cast was Assassination Classroom. This anime shines through it's characters, as all great stories should.
What I believe this show does leagues better than others is how they handle the rival character. A rival / friend character is common for anime, some of the greats being Goku and Vegeta, Naruto and Sasuke. But what My Hero does different with Izuku and Bakugo is make it feel real. As kids, Izuku idolized Bakugo - seeing him as a best friend and the coolest kid in the world. Bakugo let Izuku fuel his ego while simultaneously putting his friend down. What the two bonded over was their mutual love for All Might. This love gave them a shared idea of what a true hero should be. Deku has a great sense morality and a desire to save people. This greatly compliments, as well as causing a few squabbles, with Bakugo's idea of annihilating a criminal - knowing that strength is required to save the day. They work so well off each other and their relationship feels genuine. Their rivalry isn't contrived.
Other characters also have wonderful interactions with each other. Every friendship, every interaction - feels real. There is an episode towards the tail end of season 2 ( I think? Again, i binged watched so the lines get blurred ) where classmates are forced to work with people they don't pair well with. The character growth feels so natural for everyone.
The animation, music, and set designs are also top notched. Everything is fun to look at. Songs carry an epic tune that gets you pumped before making you cry. This anime is a joy all around and I couldn't recommended it more. I think only one or two episodes ended up feeling a little out of place but even then nothing but good things came out of this show.
I think I'm brave enough to say that My Hero Academia Seasons 1 through 3 gets a 10/10 rating. I think it's dang near perfect and you should watch it.
Do you agree with my rating? What are some of your favorite characters, or scenes? Let me know in the comment section and be sure to subscribe to the blog to get email updates. Thanks for reading and as always good night and joy be with you all.
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