A long-running shonen anime like My Hero Academia will be packed with astonishing episodes that no fan would want to miss. Casual and dedicated fans alike are urged to watch and rewatch the anime's best episodes to fully absorb not just the action, but the meaning behind it all. My Hero Academia backs up its flashy Quirk battles with profound emotional stakes and thoughtful philosophies about humanity, all of which helped this anime become a juggernaut of the modern era.
Plenty of episodes in My Hero Academia fall into the "pretty good" range, and some others are just fun fluff, such as "Moving Into Dorms" in Season 3. Meanwhile, the true 10/10 episodes in My Hero Academia pack some of everything that make this anime such a hit, often with ferocious action to hook viewers. The Quirk showdowns in these episodes are peak My Hero Academia action, and the personal angles always hit hard as the heroes fight for justice or just to feel validated as caped crusaders. Certain 10/10 episodes also serve as major turning points in the story, with My Hero Academia having a clearly defined before and after when these episodes took place.
Season 2, Episode 10: "Shoto Todoroki: Origin"
Shoto Fights to Distance Himself From His Fiery Father
No battle in the UA sports festival stands out more to fans than the duel between Izuku Midoriya and Shoto Todoroki. It's true the showdown between Ochaco and Bakugo meant a lot for the former character, but the real 10/10 fight was when Shoto was forced to face the truth of his Quirk. This battle did have some of the flashiest action in the season, but My Hero Academia doesn't shine with Quirk power alone, even if those Quirks are well-designed and put to good use.
My Hero Academia: 6 Anime Moments That Were Better in the Manga
These iconic My Hero Academia moments were done way better in the manga than in the anime.
For the first time, Shoto was pressured to grapple with his own mental limits, a topic he'd avoided until then. Shoto was already strong at that point, but he was just using half of his power, and Deku knew Shoto owed himself and the hero world more than that. The key here is that everyone has more to give and more potential to tap into, even if it means fighting some prickly inner demons. Shoto finally learned that there are more important things than running from his problems or clinging to his foolish pride and defiance. That didn't mean Shoto was wrong to defy his father, but it still forced Shoto to grow up in many ways in this 10/10 episode.
Season 3, Episode 11: "One For All"
All Might Scores the Most Bittersweet Victory in His Career
Like many other 10/10 episodes in My Hero Academia, "One For All" grabs viewers' attention with a flashy and hard-hitting battle, but the fighting is just the context for the real plot developments. The physical stakes in these fights are just half the story at most, because when All Might scored a surprise victory against All For One with that final Smash, there was much more going on. The reality was that as symbols, All Might and All For One had to step down, at least for now, and neither of them wanted that.
Find all 10 pairs
Find all 10 pairs
Most of all, those two symbols' fates matched their personalities. All For One was vanquished and captured, but perhaps viewers had the feeling he'd scheme his way back to relevance someday, which indeed happened. As a sympathetic hero who needed to make room for Deku's rise to power, All Might suffered a more permanent loss of power, which added a bitter edge to this 10/10 episode. The stakes rise when the hero loses everything, not when the villain does, and that's why it felt so unsettling when All Might pointed to Deku to say "You're next." It wasn't the way either All Might or Deku wanted the torch to be passed, but there was no denying reality.
Season 4, Episode 13: "Infinite 100%"
Deku Risks it All to Win as a True Hero Against Overhaul
Deku grew into his role as a true hero and symbol of peace step by step, a gradual process that included a few major steps forward. One of the most inspiring and delightful steps forward was when Deku took his turn confronting the supervillain Overhaul. Mirio and Sir Nighteye had both fallen to Overhaul, and the odds seemed impossible. But Deku didn't care, because he had to win, even if it felt like he couldn't. That unbreakable conviction was what marked Deku as worthy of All Might's power in One For All.
Deku did win a physical victory over Overhaul when Eri's Rewind Quirk helped him use One For All at 100%, but once again, the Quirk battle is just one piece of the puzzle. The battle alone made "Infinite 100%" feel like an 8/10 episode, while the last two points came from Deku's personal growth. For the first time, Deku was a full-blown superhero fight real villains with real stakes on the line. It was totally different than fending off the League of Villains at USJ. This time, the innocent Eri needed Deku's protection at all costs, and Deku would risk everything to save her as promised. It was at this point when Deku's adventure totally stopped feeling like training and became the real deal.
Season 4, Episode 25: "His Start"
Endeavor Struggles With the Burden of Being the New #1 Hero
Season 4 ended on an incredible note with the episode "His Start." That's partly because it included My Hero Academia's best trend where the Quirk battle is merely the vehicle for personal growth and emotional stakes. In this case, all of Japanese society had serious stakes in All Might's absence, with no symbol of peace to hold back the tide of darkness. At first, it felt like everything was falling apart as the Hood Nomu went on a rampage, creating a sense of helpless horror never before seen in the anime. That made it downright miraculous when Endeavor stepped up as the new #1 hero.
My Hero Academia: 8 Most Useful Rescue Quirks
Saving people in My Hero Academia becomes so much easier with these useful rescue quirks.
Endeavor finally started to fill All Might's shoes as he took down Hood, complete with an upraised fist to prove how he went Plus Ultra in that fight. What is more, this fight marked the beginning of Endeavor's redemption. Or at least, it was the first time My Hero Academia fans were clearly meant to cheer for him and not just see him as an antagonist in Shoto's arc. The moral complexity and ambiguity of Endeavor's character started here, arriving with a bang as Endeavor finally did an unquestionably heroic thing in defeating Hood.
Season 6, Episode 24: "A Young Woman's Declaration"
Ochaco's Talk Jutsu Was the Highlight of Her Personal Arc
Many of My Hero Academia's 10/10 episodes feature a jaw-dropping climactic fight between good and evil, but the anime has more tricks up its sleeve than that. The vulnerability of the heroes and UA students came to the fore in Season 6 onward, including Deku's strain with his role as the new symbol of peace. Deku was emotionally drained and needed class 1-A to support him, and then, he needed the civilians to support him as well. Deku didn't have the words to win over the frightened crowd, but Ochaco Uraraka did with her "talk jutsu," and that made her a star in a whole new way.
Ochaco's season-defining speech accomplished many things, such as allowing Ochaco to support Deku in refreshing ways and prove the strength of her conviction. It also bridged the gap between pro heroes and the civilians whom they protect, a dynamic that My Hero Academia was overdue to explore. Usually, the anime keeps those two parties separate, but "A Young Woman's Declaration" forced the two parties to interact not with action, but with emotional appeals and new levels of trust. Heroes fight with ideals, not just Quirks, and Ochaco knows it.
Season 8, Episode 3: "The Final Boss!!"
Katsuki Bakugo Showed Off His Bottomless Grit Against the Symbol of Evil
Yet another series-defining Quirk battle earned its place among the 10/10 episodes, this time with Katsuki Bakugo as the star. In Season 7, fans thought they saw Bakugo die at Tomura Shigaraki's hands, only for Edgeshot to grant him a second chance, and Bakugo didn't waste it. On a physical level, it was stunning and even cathartic to see Bakugo wield Explosion to destroy All For One for all time, since fans were desperate to see the symbol of evil go down.
Most of all, fans were delighted to see Bakugo fight as an earnest hero, not a bitter Vegeta type who's fixated on one-upping the MC to feel good about himself. Bakugo finally stopped making things about him and risked his life in battle for duty's sake as a young hero, and it was a good look. Bakugo was still aggressive and proud, but only as a hero who wanted to help Deku fight for a villain-free future for all. Bakugo's humility fit him snugly in this battle without compromising his most entertaining character traits.
My Hero Academia
- Release Date
- 2016 - 2025-00-00
- Network
- TBS, MBS, Nippon TV
Cast
-
Daiki YamashitaIzuku Midoriya (voice) -
Kaito IshikawaManga Fukidashi (voice)
WHERE TO WATCH
In My Hero Academia, some humans have superpowers called quirks. Izuku Midoriya, nicknamed Deku, is not one of them. Deku has always idolized heroes like the number one hero, All Might, and since he was a child, he has always wanted to be a hero. However, his lack of a quirk has always held him back, but a chance encounter with All Might after discovering a classmate in danger sets Deku on the path to becoming a true hero. My Hero Academia centers around Deku and a class of heroes-in-training at UA. This school shapes young quirk users into future heroes through fake rescue missions, combat training, and other hero-tempering tasks. With young Deku inheriting the "One-For-All" quirk, he will learn what it means to be a true hero while facing off with dastardly supervillains.
- Studio
- Bones
- Japanese Title
- Boku no Hero Academia
- Distributor
- FUNimation Entertainment
- Number of Episodes
- 159
- Streaming Service(s)
- Hulu, Crunchyroll
- MyAnimeList Score
- 7.85 (Season 1)
