Summary
My Hero Academiais an ode to the shōnen genre, a stellar masterpiece that goes beyond in its storytelling, immersion and complex characterisations. The story takes place in a version of Japan sometime in the future, where superpowers known as Quirks emerge and overtake the population.
In addition to the show, the franchise has been spoiling us with movie after movie, showcasing how much the protagonists have improved and matured in conjunction with the show’s events.
4You’re Next
In the aftermath of All Might’s televised battle against All For One at Kamino Ward, Valdo Gollini misinterprets All Might’s message of “You’re Next” to Izuku Midoriya and deluded himself into thinking he was All Might’s successor, setting off a chaotic chain of events.
Valdo Gollini, head of the Gollini crime family, uses his Alchemy Quirk to pose as All Might, taking to calling himself Dark Might after the former Number One Hero rejected him. Valdo kidnapped Anna Scervino - whose Overmodification Quirk has the power to amplify others' Quirks - and used her Quirk on himself and his allies.
Midoriya, Bakugo and the rest of Class 1-A have their work cut out for them while battling Dark Might’s cronies and monsters throughout his palace.
My Hero Academia regularly excels at choreographing and animating final fights and this movie is no exception. However, Anna Scervino is dragged about from place to place like luggage and doesn’t demonstrate much agency. Although Dark Might was a compelling villain, the story pales in comparison to the other movies on this list.
3Two Heroes
Two Heroes is the first movie release of the franchise and sees All Might take Midoriya to I-Island, a man-made island inhabited entirely by scientists. Midoriya meets David Shield - All Might’s former sidekick - and his daughter Melissa, and runs into the rest of Class 1-A, who are there for I-Expo.
Class 1-A intends to join the party held at the central tower, but the villain Wolfram and his group have managed to cause an island-wide lockdown and restrainAll-Might and the other Pro-Heroes. Midoriya and his classmates deal with villains as they ascend the tower, intent on disabling the security system and freeing the island from Wolfram’s grip.
It’s later revealed that David Shield had created a Quirk Amplification Device he made to restore All Might, but was betrayed by his assistant. All Might, Midoriya and several 1-A students reach the top to battle Wolfram, who received a Muscle Augmentation Quirk from All For One alongside his existing Metal Manipulation Quirk.
The fight is a visual masterpiece, seeing All Might and Midoriya work together to defeat Wolfram with thecombined might of One For All.
2World Heroes' Mission
The antagonists get bigger and badder with each movie, culminating in World Heroes' Mission’s Flect Turn and his fanatical cult, Humarise. Working as Endeavour’s interns, Midoriya, Bakugo and Todoroki follow Endeavour to the country of Otheon to investigate Humarise’s operations. Meanwhile, the rest of Class 1-A are stationed in other parts of the world where Humarise is active.
Humarise is a cult that believes in the Quirk Doomsday Theory and plans to release Trigger Bombs that wipes out all Quirk users in the world, leaving only the ‘pure’ Quirkless. They have infiltrated almost all government levels in Otheon, and due to a mishap, Midoriya and small-time miscreant Rody Soul are framed for a series of murders.
Now on the run, Midoriya and Rody are in a race against time, dodging Humarise cultists while rushing to stop Flect Turn from unleashing deadly Trigger Bombs all over the world.
Although the combat scenes of World Heroes' Mission are not as gripping as Heroes Rising’s, the plot and characterisations are its selling point. Midoriya, Bakugo and Todoroki are each given sufficient time to shine as Class 1-A’s powerhouses.
However, Midoriya’s lack of input regarding the situation as a former Quirkless person does feel odd and a missed opportunity. But the film, overall, does a great job of emphasising that this is Rody Soul’s story first and foremost.
1Heroes Rising
Heroes Rising is the second film in the franchise and is definitely up there in terms of the cinematic quality of its combat scenes. Set sometime after the Provisional Hero License Exam Arc, Class 1-A is sent off to Nabu Island to gain experience in the more mundane aspects of hero work. It certainly wasn’t under the expectation of setting them up against one of themost powerful villainsin the series.
Having been broken out of prison by the League of Villains, Nine and his band of misfits turn their attention to Nabu Island. Nine has multiple Quirks, including a replica of All For One’s Quirk due to human experimentation. However, his health is fragile as a result, which prompts him to hunt down six-year-old Katsuma Shimano to steal his Cell Activation Quirk.
Class 1-A band together to stop Nine from getting to Katsuma and his sister, but despite their efforts, only Bakugo and Midoriya can stop him. In a surprising twist (and the highlight of the movie), Midoriya shares One For All with Bakugo, and what follows is one of the best battle sequences in anime history.
