For a series that has literally been passed on the torch for the next generation top shounen, My Hero Academia has been doing pretty well so far. But, as a relatively recent addition, it has yet to accumulate the double-digit years its senpais have been gaining (two more!). So despite being such a huge franchise, its watch order is relatively more modest.
Don’t worry, though. Our specific My Hero Academia watch order might have been somewhat late to the fray. But rest assured the information is just as condensed and as updated as the rest. The heroic path for both the true manga adaptation and its growing list of independent media!
And hey, in case the series would feel too short for you anyway, we still have the hefty time-burning lists for our Naruto watch order, Fate watch order, and Danganronpa watch order.
Ah well, just scratch that last one.
Recommended Watch Order
Continually gaining derivatives and spin-offs that add to its overall lore can be quite confusing and daunting. Especially when viewing sources as canon or not. For My Hero Academia, the OVAs actually serve important storyline connection purposes, even if they don’t seem to be that important to the stakes of the show. So generally don’t skip on those, although be aware of the specific timeline that they are supposed to take place in.
1. Chronological Order
While the time-based watch style makes sense of the major events, lore-wise it could potentially create confusion specifically for this series. As such, this order may not be as recommended for My Hero Academia compared to other previous series that we covered.
- My Hero Academia: All Might: Rising (Two Heroes Special)
- My Hero Academia
- My Hero Academia: Save! Rescue Training!
- My Hero Academia 2
- My Hero Academia: Training of the Dead
- My Hero Academia (the Movie): Two Heroes
- My Hero Academia 3 (Episodes 1-12)
- My Hero Academia: Make It! Do-or-Die Survival Training Part 1
- My Hero Academia: Make It! Do-or-Die Survival Training Part 2
- My Hero Academia 3 (Episodes 13-25)
- My Hero Academia 4
- My Hero Academia the Movie 2: Heroes: Rising
- My Hero Academia 5
- My Hero Academia: Hawks SOOTHE
- My Hero Academia: World Heroes’ Mission (Movie)
- My Hero Academia: Hero League Baseball
- My Hero Academia: Laugh Like Hell
- My Hero Academia 6 (not aired yet)
2. Release Order
Narratively speaking, this type of watch order makes so much sense considering the technicalities of its world. In fact. much of the prequel lore can be taken better if served as flashbacks since you actually need present-day details first.
As such, as nonsensical as this sounds, this is actually our default recommended watch order for My Hero Academia.
- (2016) My Hero Academia (TV Season 1)
- (2017) My Hero Academia: Save! Rescue Training!
- (2017) My Hero Academia 2: Hero Note (Special)
- (2017) My Hero Academia 2 (TV Season 2)
- (2017) My Hero Academia: Training of the Dead
- (2018) My Hero Academia 3 (TV Season 3)
- (2018) My Hero Academia (the Movie): Two Heroes
- (2019) My Hero Academia: All Might: Rising (Two Heroes Special)
- (2019) My Hero Academia 4 (TV Season 4)
- (2019) My Hero Academia the Movie 2: Heroes: Rising (Movie)
- (2020) My Hero Academia: Make It! Do-or-Die Survival Training (online)
- (2021) My Hero Academia 5 (TV Season 5)
- (2021) My Hero Academia: World Heroes’ Mission (Movie)
- (2022) My Hero Academia: Hawks SOOTHE
- (2022) My Hero Academia: Hero League Baseball
- (2022) My Hero Academia: Laugh Like Hell
- (2022) My Hero Academia 6 (TV Season 6) -October 2022
Plot of My Hero Academia
Izuku Midoriya has been obsessed with superheroes all his life. Not only is he one of their biggest fans, but he also idolizes the best of the best, All Might, aspiring to stand on the same side of these wonderful individuals someday.
But there’s a problem.
All through his young life, he never develops a quirk, which is akin to a superpower, something that qualifies you to eventually become a hero. To someone who longs to become a hero all their life, this was a death sentence. Any environment where quirks are the norm is sure to invite prejudice and suffering for this lost soul.
One day, however, his heroic (but ultimately vain) acts caught the eye of an unassuming, gaunt man. It’s eventually revealed that his secret identity was the one and only All Might himself, and he is looking for a worthy successor of the “superpower” that is called… One for All.
Plus Ultra! … but maybe not too much
So, unlike One Piece and Naruto movies which are squeezed between the regular runs of their respective TV series, My Hero Academia movies go straight in the middle of entire seasons. As such, watching them in the recommended order (release order) is usually far easier to do. Not to mention, some people who might be into popular anime series won’t have to be intimidated by the number of episodes.
Still, if you are just starting to watch My Hero Academia, you’ve still got quite a ways to go before you run out of things to watch. The neverending itch to simply jump straight to the manga is as real as usual, and the debate on whether movie characters are relevant to the TV series would continue to rage on for the foreseeable future. Though at the very least, all you need to do is wait and see right after you finish.
Up for a bigger watch marathon challenge for the same genre? Why don’t you check out our dedicated shounen anime list for our top recommendations? See you soon!
