The premiere of My Hero Academia Season 6 is now streaming on Crunchyroll and Hulu. Below is a spoiler-free review.
In its sixth season, My Hero Academia changes its tone and enters an all-out war. For five seasons we've seen our protagonists study, train, and learn what it means to be a hero, but now it is time for the real world – for real danger and stakes – and not everyone is coming back. The premiere cuts right to the chase, presenting what is at stake, why this matters, and setting the stage for an epic confrontation that will forever change this story. This is the season we've all been waiting for since the moment My Hero Academia first began, and so far, things are looking promising.
For once, we start the season without a recap episode that explains the basic premise for the umpteenth time for those who want to just jump into a show over 100 episodes deep. At this point, you've either been following along or you can buy the general idea of a world full of people with powers, so it’s free to go straight into the important stuff and lay the groundwork, to show where every character is and why they're there, and explain the plan of attack. The main focus of the episode is Endeavor and his team going after All for One's right-hand man and the mad scientist behind the evil Nomus — Dr. Ujiko.
Despite being mostly table-setting, we do learn some interesting bits about Dr. Ujiko and how he has perfected copying and replicating quirks, including giving quirkless people like himself powers. This is a fascinating development, as now there is no telling what crazy new powers the villains will come up with, raising the stakes and the threat of the bad guys. After last season's villain-centric arc ended up being lackluster despite some cool lore drops, this episode makes sure we know that everything is in the service of the overarching story – that the character bits, the additions to the lore, and the action is in service of telling a much darker story than we've seen before. We're in the endgame (or at least in an Infinity War), and there is no going back.
Having now spent several episodes with villains in the Meta Liberation Army, we understand how alluring and dangerous their ideology is, and how powerful their members are, so Season 6 uses that to create tension in ways My Hero Academia hasn't seen since the Kamino Incident. The camera moves like it's a horror movie, slowly creeping in as it anticipates monsters at every turn, and when the Nomus finally arrive, it is a horrifying horde worthy of George A. Romero, the sight of the monstrosities resembling flesh-eating ghouls. Studio Bones is having a great fall season between this and the upcoming Mob Psycho 100 III, and it's a relief to see that the animation hasn't been compromised in this premiere. There is not a lot of action here, but what we do see looks spectacular and fluid, a tease of what is to come.
We're in the big leagues now, the promise of a school that trains heroes is now fulfilled, and the world must be saved.
“
With the heightened stakes also comes a bigger scope than we've ever seen on this show. Virtually every hero we've met along the way is here to fight, as My Hero Academia makes it clear this is no mere school assignment or incident with a few villains. We're in the big leagues now, the promise of a school that trains heroes is now fulfilled, and the world must be saved. There's a brief moment when Kaminari jokes about being assigned to the front lines, and there is a bit of sadness in the delivery, as MHA signals that this upcoming battle is big enough to make kids face the worst dangers, teasing that we may start seeing bodies drop. For a show that is normally bright and optimistic, this is a stark and somber change of pace.
Based on the constant teasing from manga readers, we are in for a treat. My Hero Academia has always been an interesting addition to the current superhero-filled pop culture landscape. When it premiered, it was a fun, family-friendly alternative to the MCU, but now, even after Endgame and countless TV shows and movies, MHA is still offering something different. With this storyline, we may finally get a proper superhero all-out war that is not just faceless armies with a few known faces here and there. After six years, we've come to know and care for these heroes, and we're now getting their ultimate battle. And hey, if you still want the bright and colorful MHA of old, the new opening is a fantastic homage to classic American comic books, with their popping colors and fight onomatopoeia.
Verdict
Six seasons in, My Hero Academia is trading its bright and optimistic tone for a somber and serious premiere with higher stakes than ever before. Virtually every hero we've ever met is here, and it doesn't seem like they will all make it back home. Though a bit light on action, the Season 6 opener does a great job in presenting the stakes, introducing a new threat, and making sure we're ready for all-out war.
