Stream It Or Skip It?

After a year of waiting, fans of My Hero Academia can rejoice as the title returns for an eighth and final season on Crunchyroll starting this month. The sci-fi superhero adventure anime series wraps up the story of teen boy Izuku Midoriya (Daiki Yamashita), who aspires to become the number one Hero, despite being one of the 20% of humanity’s population born Quirkless. In My Hero Academia: Season 8, we’ll see an ultimate clash between Heroes and Villains as Izuku and his mentor, All Might (Kenta Miyake), take on Tomura Shigaraki (Kōki Uchiyama) and All For One (Akio Ōtsuka/Hiroshi Kamiya) to end this Final War arc and say goodbye to the characters and storylines that fans have come to know and love over the past nine years.

Opening Shot: Petals fall from beautiful, blooming cherry trees as the voice of Izuku “Deku” Midoriya (Daiki Yamashita) narrates, “The heroes declined, and the villains flourished. The odds of winning in a frontal assault were slim, and it felt like we were attempting to reel in a delicate line of string. That’s why we worked out a plan, split up our opponents, and tried to seize the advantage.” A wrinkled hand reaches out before pulling back. “A powerful wind was raging,” Deku concludes before a young, scarred hand catches an errant petal. “A powerful wind.”

The Gist: Things aren’t looking too great for our heroes as we begin the new season. Season 7 ended with America’s number one Hero, Star and Stripe (Romi Park), sacrificing herself in a battle against Tomura Shigaraki (Kōki Uchiyama), gecko-like Villain Spinner (Ryō Iwasaki), helping Shigaraki regain full control of his body, and Villain Himiko Toga (Misato Fukuen) sacrificing herself to save young Hero, Ochaco “Uravity” Uraraka (Ayane Sakura).

Now, at the start of Season 8, Deku and Shigaraki are deadlocked in a brutal battle, Toga’s many clones of Twice (Daichi Endō) are overpowering and outnumbering the Hero forces while simultaneously weighing down their Coffin in the Sky, and the U.A. student duo of Tenya “Ingenium” Ida (Kaito Ishikawa) and Shoto Todoroki (Yūki Kaji) are en route to stop the Villain, Dabi (Hiro Shimono) — who we now know is Toya — from causing major destruction as his thermal energy rises to critical levels following a clash with his father, Endeavor (Tetsu Inada).

But what’s center stage in this first episode is one last big fight between longtime enemies, Japan’s former number one Hero, Toshinori Yagi, AKA “All Might” (Kenta Miyake), and the 200+ year old Quirk-stealing Villain who forced him into an early retirement, the dastardly All For One (Akio Ōtsuka/Hiroshi Kamiya). As the last bastion of the Heroes’ defense able to stand against All For One, All Might uses an assistive mechanical suit to overcome his now Quirkless state and emulate the various Quirks and attacks of his students at U.A. to stall and de-age All For One enough to take him out of the fight.

While this back-and-forth battle ensues, another fight occurs hundreds of miles north as U.A. student traitor Yuga Aoyama (Kōsuke Kuwano) stands as the unlikely last hope to defeat Tartarus jailbreaker, mass murderer, and corpse collector Villain Kunieda (Tatsumaru Tachibana). But when “Invisible Girl” Toru Hagakure (Kaori Nazuka) comes to his aid, they just might have a hope of saving the Heroes from Kunieda’s life-force-stealing evil flowers. Get ready for plenty of surprises, epic showdowns, and emotional moments as My Hero Academia officially comes to an end.

What Shows Will It Remind You Of?: My Hero Academia will remind you of other fight-filled anime series revolving around the battle between Good vs. Evil (plus the grey areas in between), like Naruto, Jujutsu Kaisen, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Hunter x Hunter, and of course, My Hero Academia: Vigilantes.

Our Take: The first episode of My Hero Academia: Season 8 is an electrifying beginning-of-the-end that manages to carry the gravitas, energy, and thrills that you would both hope for and expect for a popular show’s final season. Even with the moments of recapping previous events and over-the-top dialogue, this episode still flies by and keeps you on the edge of your seat from the start.

From the smooth animation and eye-catching visuals to the moving moments that tug at your heartstrings to the humorous lines that break the tension in this sometimes grim, deadly war arc to the across-the-board amazing, evocative voice acting work, My Hero Academia: Season 8 pulls you in and gives you goosebumps as it honors the characters and story that came before, while building up to an unforgettable finish. There is an earnestness that’s baked into the very DNA of this series that, even in the cornier bits, still makes the show ultimately feel winning, charming, and human. It’s an absolute (Detroit) Smash!

Sex and Skin: None.

Parting Shot: ​​All For One has managed to recover from All Might’s attacks, and he closes in on the older hero, ready to make his finishing move and erase that ever-present smile for good, when suddenly, the villain is frozen in his tracks, unable to move. “Blood… runs red for everyone,” we hear before witnessing the return of the big My Hero Academia: Season 2 villain, Hero Killer: Stain (Gō Inoue), who now will fight alongside All Might and the heroes.

Also, a post-credit scene reveals Aoyama planning to work alongside Hagakure to free the heroes from Kunieda’s flesh-eating plants as his last act as a U.A. student.

Sleeper Star: Undoubtedly, Kenta Miyake as All Might. Even on death’s door with the stakes impossibly high, All Might retains a positive attitude, belief in humanity, and sense of humor that’s all conveyed through both the dialogue and Miyake’s masterful vocal performance.

Most Pilot-y Line: There are several All Might lines to choose from (it’s just in his nature as a slightly sappy catchphrase-slinging superhero), but this one, directed to All For One, particularly stands out: “I heard Shigaraki’s hatred has affected you. Then you can’t ignore me, can you? Why? Because I am here!”

Our Call: Between the vibrant and fluid animation, stirring soundtrack, and versatile vocal performances, My Hero Academia: Season 8 spares no expense in ensuring that it sticks the landing for its swan song. As a result, viewers who have grown alongside the story and its characters will likely be pleased and proud to see them all through to the end in this must-see final season. STREAM IT!