Boku no Hero Academia 6th Season

If you told me nearly seven years ago when My Hero Academia first aired that it would end up dropping into a secondary popularity tier among anime fans, below something like Attack on Titan or even Bleach, I would’ve told you to leave me the hell alone because I didn’t like anime and didn’t care at all about My Hero Academia.

But, if you told me the same thing four years ago when I first watched mha, I would’ve called you an overly cynical edgelord; an embittered asshole desperately tearing down earnestly crafted pop media pieces as some pretentious measure to justify their supercilious ass taste. ... Of course, this anime snob in my head turned out to be largely true. That isn’t to say My Hero Academia has lost its cultural weight entirely, as it continues to enjoy endless success in Japan with a cavalcade of spin-offs, financially successful filler movies, merchandise tie-ins, and 85 million copies sold to boot. I’ve probably seen at least a dozen random civilians (mostly kids) wearing heroaca t-shirts out in the wild since the pandemic and I live in the fucking boonies. This, among anything else, speaks to mha’s continued resonance among audiences over the years. However, among the anime fandom at large “acamania” has ostensibly waned substantially since I finished season 3 in the Summer of 2019. Let alone before I became interested in anime which I thankfully never had to experience. And it isn’t hard to tell why if you’ve had eyes on the anime fandom as a whole over the last few mha releases. After a series of middling adaptations of arcs that were controversial even during their initial publication, it’s no wonder that My Hero Academia couldn’t retain its luster forever. Frankly, it exposes one of the key flaws in the “seasonal” model of anime production that’s become dubiously more popular over the last half decade. If the material no longer resonates with its core audience due to recurrent weak seasons, then fandom passion will rapidly dwindle. Anime fans are probably more forgiving than they should be when it comes to art, but it becomes quickly apparent when they stop giving a fuck about something. I honestly couldn’t believe my ears when I heard the biggest English-speaking anime content creator, when asked by another major content creator if it was worth catching up to heroaca from episode 89, straight bold-faced said fucking “no.”

Again, don’t blame him.

Season 5 was straight garbo I didn’t even consider because I never planned on watching the anime or touching the property ever again after season 4. The only reason I returned to mha after the labyrinthine, drawn-out slog that was the Overhaul arc, was because a friend of mine in early 2021 showed me a picture of Deku when images of the Dark Hero Arc were leaked online. And as jaded as I was, it seemed like they were finally picking back up the thematic thrill line Stain left spiraled on the ground, and I liked Stain. So, seven months later, during a standard biannual weeb library trip while I had some time to kill, I impulsively grabbed the volume from where the Pro Hero Arc began and started reading. I discovered two things: 1. Horikoshi’s art is genuinely amazing, some of the best talent Jump has at the moment. And 2. despite the Joint Training arc being one of the most dull, anemic, and tedious fucking things I’ve ever read, Horikoshi can actually write a story with interesting ideas and decent characters. The MVA Arc is awesome and even though the producers of season 5 did their best to pound that arc into the ground, I felt like it was going to be impossible to adapt it well anyway outside of a few amazing sakuga moments (which didn’t materialize at the frequency I expected). I came back to season 6 specifically because there were key moments of the war arc that, if adapted well, were going to be as cool, engaging, or emotional as they were in the manga. Any adaptation worth their salt tries to do this, and with a studio that has the man power and prestige to excel, especially without a filler movie this year, I expected just that.

Unfortunately, that isn’t what I got.

I don’t want to sound like an uncompromising pontifical manga fanboy here, but the My Hero Academia TV show will never look as good as it did pre-season 4. When the flashbacks in your shonen anime are at a consistently higher visual echelon than the show you’re currently watching that’s a fucking problem. Whenever there was content from seasons one or two, I was thinking “damn, this season generally looks aight, but this shit seems excellent,” and I just shouldn’t. I remember—like the naïve young lad I was, being so excited to witness a scene from the anime where a character bifurcates a huge woodland complex with his quirk, only to be sorely disappointed when it was truncated into a single still frame. I can’t even begin to tell you the migraines I got with all of the panning shots with speed lines over blobby ass crowds “running around.” There are some decent cuts, but there’s this consistent impression of absolutely amateurish direction and utilization of talent. Seiji Mizushima, the director of Fullmetal Alchemist (2003), said in a relatively recent interview that the key role of a director in anime is to distribute the resources properly and efficiently to both meet deadlines and create a well-made product. Despite not making a filler movie, this show doesn’t fucking have that. Cuts that SHOULD look amazing were uninspiring at best, and other way less important scenes received tender love and care without proper justification. I don’t need every anime to be this Mob Psycho-esque perfectly crafted masterpiece where everything is drawn on one’s. I just want the good shit to look good, and for the rest of it to not flounder around as a poorly composited and shittily art directed mess. I do want to mention that the whole season isn’t terrible visually. In fact, there’s some segments that look pretty solid or are at the very least visually engaging. It’s just, as both a viewer of prior seasons and aS a MaNgA rEaDeR, I expected more from the available staff.

It doesn’t hurt that I find the ost horribly melodramatic at times, and it completely rips me out of scenes I would normally give a shit about. It makes emotional moments so manipulative that it’s almost lame? There are pages of the manga, same arcs mind you, where I was feeling sincerely emotional, because Horikoshi’s art and paneling can be that legitimately powerful.

The main reason I’m giving this show a 5 is because the material is still commendable with some flaws. The War Arc is a great action piece with lots of moving parts, fun twists, and legitimate narrative consequences (sort of, with one major asspull). I think Horikoshi learned from his mistakes during his previous action arcs and tried to pace this one in a way that felt more balanced and thus more riveting overall. Though, the Dark Hero Arc is rockier, and I can understand why this would be the point the manga fans start having issues again, because I kind of feel like I was lied to. This arc FEELS rushed, as if there were storyboards created for two or three extra chapters that got stolen by his editor and thrown into the recycling bin. The intention of the arc and what I think Horikoshi wanted to do with Deku was probably cucked by both hackneyed editorial incompetence, and publication cowardice, because whenever My Hero does anything edgy or cool it’s a whole ass issue. From my understanding, a lot of this has to do with the fact that whenever villainy is depicted in Jump as too sympathetic, a lot Jump’s associative partners like video game companies get kind of pissy. Sure, Chainsaw Man does exist, but Fujimoto is shielded by reinforced concrete thanks to his editor, and mha is trying to reach far broader of an audience than Chainsaw Man ever dreamed of having. Additionally, it doesn’t lean into the appeal of mha in Japan at all. A lot of casual Japanese audiences just kind of want a high school super hero power fantasy manga, and not the comparatively interesting meta-commentary that Horikoshi wants to write. This tension leads to things like the MVA arc getting screwed in season 5, and Dark Hero getting screwed during its publication. Of all the times to not have fucking filler, WHY NOW? This ultimately amounts to the emotional beats of the arc containing little impact, and the overall plot evolving in less imaginative ways. It’s a shame too, I was looking forward to seeing Deku, comprehensively burdened by his own ideals, hitting ideological walls and self-destructing despite his insane power increase. The arc ends up being underwhelming to watch because of its aforementioned problems despite its own potential.

Recently, I got sick with both the flu and COVID in the same week, and while I was in my various fever states straining to hold my body together after having it internally beaten with a leather belt, mha was the only show I could actually pay attention to since everything else was “too thinky for me.” Even so, I pondered to myself, “Am I too old for shonen anime adaptations?” I know I’m not too old for shonen, because I like earnest camp affair like Fist of the North Star, and shows like Yu Yu Hakusho and Hunter x Hunter are among my favorites. Hell, I LIKE the My Hero Academia manga as a whole despite the constant issues that’s plagued its narrative pacing in the last two years. But, when I was half-awake—half-dead, watching—gobsmacked, Bakugo garrulously repeating exposition the audience should already know in the midst of a fight between Deku and Shiguraki that mostly amounted to speed line infused panning shots; only to then have one of the most important and cathartic emotional climaxes of the series be depicted as a FUCKING STILL FRAME, I considered that maybe for shonen anime, I was.

Have a nice day.

***THIS REVIEW MAY CHANGE A LITTLE AFTER SEASON ENDS***

I like Boku no Hero. I really do. It's a fun and thrilling journey, about this odd ball kid called Izuku Midoriya; and how he wants to become the biggest hero, a point he always used to mention in episode intros. After passing for UA, the Academy of heroes, he makes friends and also rivals in the way, all while studying his powers and receiving support from All Might, the #1 hero until season 4.

Well, introductions given, let's go right to the point, since if you're reading this, there is a high probability that you have ... watched the previous seasons:

This series has been a drag to watch lately.

I'm an anime only, and I know people will condemn me for writing without knowledge of what's ahead, however I'm only judging BNHA until this season. I don't plan and won't even try to call it "mid" or anything, since I don't think it is. I'm only judging from the last parts until this half-season.

Season 6 is the highest point until this moment, we have a war going on in BNHA's Japan, with the epicentre of it being Shigaraki Tomura, the decaying-power enemy. And also one of the biggest problems of this season. Shigaraki is just not interesting. His whole past story setting is shocking, but that's it. Bad things happen, but this doesn't mean I need to care. There was little time for a viewer-character bond until this moment, since S5 was so worried in throwing 1 full cour of a class A x class B, consisting of characters we don't even know in a properly way and presentation (how many more class battles will we have? This is not the plot beginning anymore, for Satoshi Kon's sake!)

This leads us to the second big issue here: the protagonists. Class A has so many characters and so little time to develop all of them, that the whole crew becomes uninteresting. Which is sad to write, since there are so many cool sthdents and perks, but not enough moments to shine. And they probably won't have, since introductions are made in the beginning, and don't even "they will be properly introduced" me. You and I know this opportunity is lost forever now, with so many heat and action in this cour.

Deku? Lost in the middle of the jungle. His whole writing point is getting out of hand and tracks. Does a goal based on mere childhood wish is enough to act as fuel? Deku got less interesting.

These issues are present in the previous seasons, regardless of the next parts.

Characters names are always shown every episode, but this doesn't change the fact that they are briefly shown just to be shoved in the crowd, and then fade into obscurity once more. Just to make some faces in awe after explosions happen, and then some random dialogue about wanting to become stronger. This happened so many times that I lost count. Saturday we had episode 10, and we have a Uraraka x Himiko in the last minutes. Himiko killed an elder lady, just to disguise as her and deceive Ochako. She founds out the truth, after Toga's camo melts, and then she starts to shout about how she won't let people like her ever die again and this and that.

Guess what? I don't even care for the lady, she didn't have a proper time to show up and touch the audience.

As mentioned previously, this review may have a couple of writings after season ends, but the idea here is: MHA's plot is temporarily no longer interesting to me. I catch myself checking the time stamp to know when the episode will be over, and it makes me sad. I want to be happy watching Boku no Hero once more. Chisaki's arc was so thrilling... I want that energy back.

Thank you for reading.

The beginning of this season is very good with the war arc, but as the season goes on, especially in the last few episodes, I started to lose interest. Horikoshi has built a really interesting world, but the audience does not get as much time as we should to explore it because Izuku's plotline takes up a lot of the runtime. This could just be personal preference, but I know I am way more engaged with episodes focusing on other heroes and hero society as a whole. That being said though, this is still a great season and there are a lot of iconic ... moments and characters! It definitely feels like an improvement over seasons 4 and 5, and I hope that the 7th season will continue to be on this level. Also Lady Nagant is such a great character and I hope we see more of her.

i've watched bnha since the beginning and the last few seasons were really underwhelming (especially seasons four and five). i'm at episode 10 of season six now and since the season began, i had this feeling that something is off and that i should just quit this anime for the time being. i wonder if anyone else feels this way, but the feeling gets stronger with every episode.

you may like or even love the first few seasons, but by the fourth season, will that still be the case? or will it by the fifth season? if i answer that for myself, i'm not sure.

Season with a very weak direction even having a lot of action as little seen in so many seasons of this anime. Editing and continuity were the part that sinned the most. They extended and directed the part with Giganchia very badly and left the prison part with a few minutes of the episode, for example. I could detail everything but I don't want to dwell on a mediocre season of an anime. because the dialogues were clearly appealing. And even repetitive because they are already beaten dialogues and speeches from other seasons. I know it's a children's anime and for such minds, but I ... have to criticize based on the work as a general production. So, 5 for season 6.

This and the previous season are rather difficult for me to rate, mainly because I find myself comparing the experiences with those I've had reading the manga. Previous seasons had a bit of that too, but these seasons have been... different. S5 was a real down point for the series, since it excluded a lot of what made the manga great and just lacked the visual punch of the manga. For all that this series gets treated as basic bitch shonen, the manga can sometimes bleed into the horrific with some absolutely terrifying panels that have yet to be replicated in the series, even going ... back to the early seasons. Part of that is the detail that the mangaka put into those panels, part of it is that the anime is aiming to bring in younger audiences, but another part is the that it's pretty clear that Bones has not been putting their A-game into this series. They can produce amazing content, and, when it finishes this week, I'll be talking about one of those series, but they clearly took their attention off of this series for a good while, especially in S5.

That's a long walk to talking about this season, which I liked quite a bit more than S5. Considering the content in this season, it should be my favorite (was going to say that about S5 too - the My Villain Academia Arc is so damn good in the manga), but still loses out to S2 for me. The Paranormal Liberation War featured some awesome stuff and I was happy to see that they didn't leave out large swaths of it, though its most pivotal scenes lacked the punch of the manga panels. Still, the whole dynamic of the series was flipped on its head in pretty spectacular fashion. The Dark Hero arc that followed was much better from a visual perspective, and while it's not as interesting on the whole, I think its presentation cements it as one of the better arcs in the anime.

All that is to say that this season was worth the watch, even if I was hoping for better in some aspects.

I really enjoyed the first several seasons of this show, but the last couple have been a huge drag and I find myself tempted to fast forward through episodes or entirely quit watching. And I think I've pinpointed why...

The show had such heart to it at the beginning, and this was largely due to Midoriya and the other students. Their training, relationships, and growth were such fun to watch. But the show seems to have mostly forgotten about this and instead is interested in the adults and 'the big bad' now. It has lost its way in my opinion.

I struggled to ... finish S5 and S6 is giving me just as much trouble. It feels slow, and the only emotion that has leaked through at all was with Toga and Twice. Otherwise it feels stale and I just don't find myself caring about what is going on. Anyone else agree or am I on my own with this?

My Hero Academia Season 6


This anime is one of my sinful favorites that managed to capture my heart despite its mediocrity. I don't know why, but I love the drawing style, the setting, and the whole hero concept. Unfortunately, the anime is not particularly impressive unless you manage to find an interest in it. That's why I keep saying it. My Hero Academia isn't for everyone, as it simply can't convince in enough aspects. If you don't like the superhero and villain concept, you'll be bored to death here.

In any case, almost everyone agrees that the 6th season, despite flaws, has undoubtedly been the highlight ... of the anime and manga. This season contained the most important fights, twists, and character developments. Unfortunately, it is still a shounen and therefore does not escape the constant clichés and standards.

Season 6 is particularly impressive, due to a very realistic illustration of superheroes and the consequences of their actions. People only see superheroes as something positive as long as they get results. But superheroes are people too, and here the author has made a very interesting point. I didn't expect the series to show you how heroes have to deal with such stress while the media almost wants to eat them up.

Those who know Marvel Avengers and have seen the movies should understand what I'm getting at.

[Story 5]

This is a complete war arc that features only new character interactions. Apart from that, this arc contains some character development regarding Bakugo and Endeavor. Which for many has been a long-awaited event. Likewise, some unexpected twists and resolutions are in store here.

I can say without exaggeration that this season is by far the greatest. It has more content than most seasons combined, and among other things, even has better execution. Thus, to call it the "peak" of My Hero Academia would not be wrong.

Unfortunately, the Vigilante Deku arc was mostly disappointing even if the result has been good. It was rushed too much and a lot of potential was lost here. It could have been formed into a real diamond.


[Characters 6]

My Hero Academia has always had a relatively average but balanced character cast. We have practically every possible character combination here and honestly, they sync up pretty well with each other, allowing the main characters' personalities to shine very well. Of course, only from the more "important" characters, the minor characters from the class hardly get any screen time, they are just extras.

Midoriya is a very interesting protagonist by Shounen standards, he is immensely human and hardly the badass superhero type like most others. He makes mistakes, fails, and is often afraid to face his problems, which simply makes him more likable. In this season, he doesn't change but just becomes mentally stronger and more determined to carry his burden. Which in turn is quite interesting to watch, as a broken child slowly becomes an adult.

Most of the side characters also have various moments of brilliance especially Bakugo who slowly and finally opens up and closes his issues with Deku.

What I like most about My Hero Academia, however, are the convincingly written villains who come close to the Marvel and DC format. None of them are one dimensional, each has their own story, problems, and goals. Most of them are rooted in the problems of society which gives more depth to their reasons. Shigaraki and Dabi are the two best examples of this.
Despite what I said, however, I must say that good old "All for One" is my favorite. Somehow I just love these Darkforce antagonists who invariably represent defined evil and do so without being awkward. Most villains are presented as sympathetic or attractive women and men, while All for One simply looks like a normal adult. Evil, after all, has many faces and that's what makes him so fascinating.

[Music 7 / Animations 6]

In terms of music, the Osts is once again a brilliant performance here. Unfortunately, the intros and outros aren't particularly noteworthy. They are just above average and have no recognition value. Unfortunately, they don't even come close to the very first intro, which almost everyone can recognize.

Animations are much better than in previous seasons but have remained shaky. However, this season has a large number of really well-animated fight scenes, especially in the first episodes.

Even though the fact that the last fight between Midoriya and Nagant turned into a comedy disturbs me to the bone. When the two fell off the house, did the animators seriously think it was okay to draw a 500-story building? The fall lasted 2 minutes almost and every 5 seconds they flew past 10 windows. This is straight out of a cartoon.


[Conclusion 6]


The best season of My Hero Academia without a doubt. Unfortunately, it will also remain the best, as the final arc in the manga is relatively average and there will hardly be any more revelations or twists. I can understand why so many people love this anime but also why many dislike it. It's very unbalanced in that regard because it can practically only capture the interest of superhero fans. Of course, those who also didn't like superhero stories from the beginning will be bored to death here. For me, it's an anime and manga with a lot of ups and downs and I have to say that I like MHA. Even if some moments make me wonder what the hell the author was thinking.

[Enjoyment 7]

My Hero Academia, for me, has become a worse Attack On Titan; rumbling on without any real feeling of a conclusion... except there IS one for AOT.

Season 6 looks to have two main arcs, episodes 1-14 and 15 onwards, and while I enjoyed 1-12(ish), this season has seen some oddities in pacing, and it's increasingly feeling like the "bad guys" always get the upper hand; like the school bully punching the class weakling for the 14th time for his lunch money.

Art, music and other characteristics are on par with other seasons but I've noticed a tendancy to use either more focused segments of movement ... and reduce overall movement, or a "repeat" of animations for certain frames. Not sure if this is due to a redirection of funds towards the more action intense scenes, but there's some scenes which feel a bit bland compared to the rest of the show.