I’m quite a fan of anime. Like, ridiculously.
It started out of nowhere and built into the love I have for it now, where a good portion of what I write tends to be about anime. My tastes have changed and evolved as I’ve gotten older, from loving the old Pokemon anime to moving into darker ones such as Attack on Titan, or even checking out more wholesome ones like Spy x Family. For the longest time, I stayed away from My Hero Academia.
That’s not to say I didn’t hear great things – I did. And I had seen some episodes in the past for research. But during a boring weekend, I decided to sit down and really watch it from the beginning. I'm now up to the start of Season 6 (as I’m still watching it), despite my superhero fatigue thanks to movies from the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
And wow, I missed out on a lot. Let’s talk about My Hero Academia and give it the praise it deserves.
Izuku Midoriya Is A Cinnamon Roll That Needs To Be Protected
When it comes to anime, there are few protagonists that feel relatively simple. There are several times where I’ve watched an anime and thought “is this guy really the protagonist I have to follow?”
Whether it be for selfish reasons or world domination or anything else, there are few protagonists where by the end of the anime, I feel good about watching them. Eren from Attack on Titan is a great example, with all his foreshadowing and crazy ways. Even Isagi from Blue Lock is certainly not that wholesome of a protagonist to follow.
But Izuku Midoriya is a cinnamon roll that needs to be protected at all costs. While, at a certain point, I did get a little aggravated that he would constantly get very emotional whenever he succeeded in doing something, or when his friends helped him, I can’t help but love him. He reminds me of Peter Parker from the MCU, and how he wanted to try his hardest to prove to Tony Stark that he was worthy of wearing the Spider-Suit.
Izuku is quite literally one of the sweetest boys I’ve ever had the chance to watch in an anime, because all he wants is to prove himself. To be a hero. And he will do so through any means possible. And at first, it was just because he was smart and had a huge heart. Only a few episodes in does he get the chance to have a quirk – otherwise known as a power, which he deserves and more.
Like Every Anime – The Side-Characters Steal The Show
But let’s be honest – most of the time, while the main characters are great, the side-characters sometimes steal the show. It’s happened with Attack on Titan (especially with the Ackermans being badasses), Demon Slayer (Tenzen Uzui), and so many others recently. And for several episodes of My Hero Academia, I finally understood what all those TikTok edits were talking about when they spoke of Shoto Todoroki.
When I tell you that the moment this teenager started to freaking speak and use his power, I was hooked. I mean, it’s not that surprising. He’s someone who commands ice and fire – literally one of my favorite animated characters of all time is Zuko from Avatar: The Last Airbender – a teenager who can bend fire.
He had all the makings of a side-character that steals the show – pretty stoic in nature, has daddy issues, the whole shebang, but what makes Shoto Todoroki stand out is that while he isn’t the main character of the show, he’s still such an integral part to Izuki’s character development, which is how I feel a lot of other side-characters in other shows fall flat.
To be honest, I can’t wait to see where his character goes. He’s certainly my favorite right now.
But Even So, Every Character Is Very Unique – In Many Ways
Even though I do have favorite characters (as mentioned above), I have to give props to the animators behind this anime over at Bones. I love these character designs.
While you can’t expect much of a difference in background characters, every single other character design in this show is so unique. There isn’t a single hero that looks alike – except for two, but that’s the running joke between them. Every other one has their own unique design that makes them stand out amongst the rest.
Even their personalities are so starkly different, but watching them all interact at the same time and fight crime together makes me love this strange group dynamic even more. I mean, who would ever imagine someone with the power to shoot a laser from the bellybutton, a frog-like girl, and a pervy boy who had sticky balls on his head would be learning under the same roof?
Writing that sentence was wild – the anime is even wilder.
These Fight Scenes Are Animated Super Well
Haha, puns. Gotta love them.
But on a real note, I thoroughly enjoyed the fight scenes in this show. I am someone who can really appreciate a well choreographed fight scene, whether that be in fighting shows like Cobra Kai, or superhero shows like the Marvel ones on Disney+. I didn’t expect for the fight scenes to be super amazing as I’m so used to superhero fights from superhero movies.
Thankfully, I was very wrong, as every single fight scene is animated so well. The fight scenes in this show remind me a lot of the fight scenes in another animated superhero show, Invincible, on Amazon, and while it’s not nearly as bloody, it’s still not afraid to show how dirty superhero fights can get – and the lives it sometimes costs. I love it.
The Adults Are Just As Interesting As The Kids
There are so many times in anime that I truly forget about the adults. Only a few have captured my interest seriously, because most anime are often focused on teenagers or young adults, and never the older ones. But I would freaking love a spinoff of the stories of all the adult superheroes.
I’m so intrigued by Eraser Head (pictured above), otherwise known as Aizawa, the homeroom teacher of Class 1A and would do anything to learn more about his backstory. I love learning more about All Might, but I’d give anything to get a series on his quirkless days. There’s so much story to tell with these adults – and I want to know it all.
It’s Like Marvel – But Not Really, And That's Good
To be honest, one of the biggest turnoffs for me getting into this show at first was my close friends telling me it was an anime for Marvel fans. I am so superheroed-out, it’s not even funny anymore, so I was a little less willing to give the full show a shot.
But now I can fully say that this show is like Marvel, but not really. And that’s such a good thing. Marvel has plenty of diverse heroes, more of which are starting to make an appearance with Phase 4 over and Phase 5 beginning.
But My Hero Academia gives you those unique heroes and throws you right into training with them. You feel Izuku’s pain as he learns to be a hero, as Shoto comes to terms with facing off against his father, as Ida tries to grapple with his brother’s serious injuries – and all of this is done within increments of 22+ minutes, minus the intro and outro.
I don’t know how anime does it, but it makes you care for characters in such a real and organized way in such a short timeframe that Marvel should take notes. Many of their characters now don’t feel nearly as loving and heartfelt as the ones in My Hero Academia, and if they could get even close to the emotions I felt watching these young heroes fight, they’d be amazing.
If you’ve never given My Hero Academia the chance it deserves, please go and check it out as soon as you can. It might be a superhero anime, but it’s one of the best you could watch. And with several seasons available, it’s the perfect show to binge.
