10 Favourite My Hero Academia Anime Moments
The next exciting season of the My Hero Academia anime will be upon us soon! So we figured why not get even more hyped up for it by looking back on some favourite My Hero Academia anime moments from the previous two seasons? There are a lot of them! Beware spoilers, of course. But if you haven’t watched it yet, you definitely should!
“It’s your power, isn’t it?!” (episode 23 – Shoto Todoroki: Origin)
The fight between Deku and Todoroki really gets your heart racing, but this in particular is such a striking moment! The extent of Deku’s resolve to save Todoroki, practically at the expense of the match and his place in the tournament (given the boost Todoroki would get from fighting at full strength, not to mention the pain Deku’s in), is really something!
Deku puts himself through absolute hell this whole fight for Todoroki more than himself — because saving people is what a hero should do. It’s got to be one of the most emotionally powerful moments we’ve seen so far.
“You can become a hero.” (episode 2 – What it Takes to be a Hero)
All Might telling Deku he could be a hero after all was somehow more of a punch to the gut than him saying he couldn’t the first time around. It’s the age-old shonen series “determination can make all your dreams come true!” in a particularly heartfelt fashion. Deku was going to go ahead and do it on his own anyway, but seeing him supported — by his number one idol, no less — is a beautiful thing.
This scene also gives an insight into the state of the society My Hero Academia is built around, as Quirks are commonplace and counted upon, making it easy to forget the real heart of what it means to be a hero. Give this series an age boost and a hefty dose more cynicism, and it could easily have ended up Tiger & Bunny.
Almost losing Aizawa in the USJ invasion (episode 11 – Game Over)
There was a point during the invasion of USJ by the League of Villains where I honestly thought Aizawa was going to die. Though I’m relieved to see him live to make sarcastic comments another day, what a punch that would have been!
But just the threat of him meeting a gruesome end at the hand of Nomu while the students he’s protecting watch on helplessly was incredible. After his display of fighting spirit and self-sacrifice during these episodes, Aizawa seems to become a lot more likeable too. It’s a real turning point for him as a character, and a good one.
Shigaraki and Deku’s mall date (episode 38 – Encounter)
“Encounter” started out as a nice, light-hearted episode to round off an emotionally intense season, with the students of Class 1-A going shopping together in preparation for the upcoming training camp. Then Shigaraki appeared, sidled up to Deku in a friendly manner, put him in a potentially very dangerous sort of headlock and proceeded to vent to him about how much he hates the world and All Might.
While somewhat weirdly endearing to see one of the main villains of the series asking the protagonist why people aren’t scared of his crazy antics, Shigaraki comes out of the situation with more conviction than before, which will no doubt make him even more dangerous when we see him again! The ease with which he could kill Deku and many other people in the shopping centre then and there makes it all very tense! Everything may have turned out well in the end, but it had me on the edge of my seat for a long time there! Chilling stuff!
Deku and Bakugo vs All Might (episode 37 – Katsuki Bakugo: Origin)
The battle of the All Might fanboys versus All Might. It was pretty sure-fire that this was going to be a good fight, and even after being made to wait through every other student versus teacher battle, it definitely didn’t disappoint!
The particularly interesting thing about this fight is the way that it’s not just Deku and Bakugo against All Might, but also against each other until they can learn to see eye-to-eye and work together in the face of a vastly stronger opponent. They still have a lot of issues to work out, but it’s wonderful to see them work as a team, albeit a dysfunctional one.
The first time Deku uses One For All Full Cowl (episode 27 – Bizarre! Gran Torino Appears)
This is a great show of Deku’s growth throughout the series so far and a spark of hope for how excellent a hero he’ll be in the future. It’s a scene that really drives home the point that Deku isn’t a novice at using his Quirk anymore and will be able to not only stand his own proudly against the others in his class, but also against the villains we’ll doubtlessly see him face in the future.
Taking down Stain (episode 30 – Climax)
When Deku, Iida, and Todoroki manage to successfully incapacitate Stain with their teamwork, it’s a great moment of triumph rounding off the amazing and exciting fight of the previous few episodes. Iida realising he has his friends behind him all the way, even when he’s done something so reckless, is a wonderful instance of My Hero Academia’s often heart-warming nature. Powerful shoneny goodness.
The history of One For All (episode 33 – Listen Up!! A Tale from the Past)
As well as being visually striking in its use of silhouettes and lack of detail, All Might’s explanation of One For All’s origins and history to Deku is a humbling reminder of how much bigger the fight really is that Deku’s getting himself into. It raises all sorts of questions about All Might’s fight with the mysterious user of All For One and hints at a grand battle in the future that I just can’t wait to see!
Predicting Bakugo’s right swing (episode 7 – Deku vs. Kacchan)
When Deku is pitted against Bakugo in the very first of the mock battles, we get to see Deku’s real ability shine. While he’s still getting used to One For All, the extensive knowledge of heroes and their fighting techniques he’s built up from being a super fanboy is an extremely useful asset in battle on its own. It’s moments like this that make you think it just might be Deku’s real power.
Choosing hero names (episode 26 – Time to Pick Some Names)
While the cool fight scenes and pure strength of feeling My Hero Academia can be bring about are probably its strongest features, it can also be delightful in its humour, as the scene this episode takes its name from shows particularly well. Little light-hearted moments in the classroom like this one are the perfect counterbalance to the tension and energy that runs high throughout so much of the rest of the series.
So, these are some of our favourite My Hero Academia anime moments! There’s been a real mix of emotions throughout the series so far, and season 3 is bound to have a load more wonderful stuff to offer too! At least we don’t have to wait long for it now! What have been your favourite parts of the My Hero Academia anime so far?
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