Watch order guide · My Hero Academia

How to watch My Hero Academia in order

Updated October 21, 2026 · 13 min read · 13 titles · 85 hours

Watch My Hero Academia in release order, starting with season 1 (2016): the eight seasons tell one story, which ended in December 2025, and the four films are side stories set between episodes. Two Heroes fits after season 2, Heroes Rising and World Heroes' Mission during season 5, and You're Next during season 7. Vigilantes (2025) is a prequel set five years earlier; watch it after the main series.

Titles

13

Films

4

Series

9

Watch time

85 hours

Box office

$137 million

Avg IMDb

7.8

My Hero Academia shows in release order

Here is every My Hero Academia title in the order it came out, 2016 to 2025: 4 films and 9 series. Optional entries are marked; you can skip them on a first watch.

My Hero Academia timeline: shows in chronological order

The same titles in story order, by when they take place, with the year or era each one is set in.

Release or chronological: which order is best?

Release order and story order disagree on 10 titles here. In release order you start with My Hero Academia Season 1 (2016); in story order you start with My Hero Academia: Vigilantes, set in Five years before Izuku, which came out 9 years later.

First time through, watch in release order. That is how the twists, returning characters and callbacks were built to land, and later entries assume you have seen the earlier ones. On a rewatch, try story order. It turns My Hero Academia into one continuous story and makes the prequels play as setup instead of backstory.

Where to start

Every My Hero Academia title, explained

One entry per title in release order: what it is about, why it matters to the bigger story, who is in it and how it did.

No. 01 · 2016 · Series · 5h 12m · 2nd in story order

My Hero Academia Season 1

For his entire life, Izuku has dreamed of being a hero—an ambitious goal for anyone, but an especially challenging one for a boy without superpowers. That’s right: in a world where 80% of the population has some sort of special Gift, Izuku was unlucky enough to be born completely normal. But that won’t stop him from enrolling in one of the most prestigious hero academies in the world to learn what it truly means to be a hero.

Why it matters: Izuku inherits All Might's power; the place to start.

Starring

Daiki Yamashita, Nobuhiko Okamoto, and Yuki Kaji

Scores

IMDb 8.2 · Rotten Tomatoes 100%

No. 02 · 2017 · Series · 10h · 3rd in story order

My Hero Academia Season 2

U.A. High School's most prestigious event begins: the Sports Festival, an opportunity for aspiring heroes to showcase their skills to both the public and potential recruiters. However, the path to glory is never easy, especially for Izuku Midoriya, who must now face off against his talented classmates to prove his worth to the world.

Why it matters: The Sports Festival, the Hero Killer and final exams.

Starring

Daiki Yamashita, Nobuhiko Okamoto, and Yuki Kaji

Scores

IMDb 8.2

No. 03 · 2018 · Series · 10h · 5th in story order

My Hero Academia Season 3

Summer is here and the heroes of Rooms A and B are in for the toughest training camp of their lives! A group of seasoned professionals will push the students individualities to the next level with one new challenge after another. Braving the elements of this secret location will be the least of their worries as routine training turns into a grueling fight for survival.

Why it matters: Training camp, All Might's last fight and the license exam.

Starring

Daiki Yamashita, Nobuhiko Okamoto, and Yuki Kaji

Scores

IMDb 8.2 · Rotten Tomatoes 100%

No. 04 · 2018 · Film · 1h 36m · optional

My Hero Academia: Two Heroes

All Might and Deku accept an invitation to go abroad to a floating and mobile manmade city, called 'I-Island', where they research quirks as well as hero supplemental items at the special 'I-Expo' convention that is currently being held on the island. During that time, suddenly, despite an iron wall of security surrounding the island, the system is breached by a villain, and the only ones able to stop him are the students of Class 1-A.

Why it matters: I-Island side story set between seasons 2 and 3.

Starring

Daiki Yamashita, Kenta Miyake, and Mirai Shida

Director

Kenji Nagasaki

Box office

$28 million on a $12 million budget

Scores

IMDb 7.3 · Rotten Tomatoes 100%

No. 05 · 2019 · Series · 10h · 6th in story order

My Hero Academia Season 4

With All for One out of the game, the evil world is on the brink of war. Shigaraki of the League of Villains and Overhaul of the Yakuza vie for dominance of the underworld. Meanwhile, Deku finds himself in another dangerous internship with his senior Mirio.

Why it matters: Overhaul, the school festival and Endeavor as No. 1.

Starring

Daiki Yamashita, Nobuhiko Okamoto, and Yuki Kaji

Scores

IMDb 8.2 · Rotten Tomatoes 100%

No. 06 · 2019 · Film · 1h 44m · 8th in story order · optional

My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising

Class 1-A visits Nabu Island where they finally get to do some real hero work. The place is so peaceful that it's more like a vacation... until they're attacked by a villain with an unfathomable Quirk! His power is eerily familiar, and it looks like Shigaraki had a hand in the plan. But with All Might retired and citizens' lives on the line, there's no time for questions. Deku and his friends are the next generation of heroes, and they're the island's only hope.

Why it matters: Set during season 5, after the joint training episodes.

Starring

Daiki Yamashita, Nobuhiko Okamoto, and Yoshio Inoue

Director

Kenji Nagasaki

Box office

$30 million

Scores

IMDb 7.8 · Rotten Tomatoes 92%

No. 07 · 2021 · Series · 10h

My Hero Academia Season 5

Deku's next challenge, in order to become the "best hero," is a rivalry with Class 1-B, who also intend to prove that they are true heroes, with all their pride on the line! The students' morale is boosted by a direct confrontation that hasn't occurred since the sports festival. Meanwhile, a new "something" is about to awaken within Deku.

Why it matters: Joint training, the villains unite and the Endeavor internships.

Starring

Daiki Yamashita, Nobuhiko Okamoto, and Yuki Kaji

Scores

IMDb 8.2

No. 08 · 2021 · Film · 1h 45m · 9th in story order · optional

My Hero Academia: World Heroes' Mission

A mysterious group called Humarize strongly believes in the Quirk Singularity Doomsday theory which states that when quirks get mixed further in with future generations, that power will bring forth the end of humanity. In order to save everyone, the Pro-Heroes around the world ask UA Academy heroes-in-training to assist them and form a world-class selected hero team. It’s up to the heroes to save the world and the future of heroes in what is the most dangerous crisis to take place yet in My Hero Academia.

Why it matters: Set during season 5's Endeavor internship episodes.

Starring

Daiki Yamashita, Nobuhiko Okamoto, and Yuki Kaji

Director

Kenji Nagasaki

Box office

$47 million

Scores

IMDb 7 · Rotten Tomatoes 87%

No. 09 · 2022 · Series · 10h · 10th in story order

My Hero Academia Season 6

Along with Bakugo and Todoroki, Deku interned at the office of the No. 1 Hero, Endeavor. Working hard in an environment rich in lessons, he improved as a hero and used Black Whip, a new Quirk that was hidden within One For All.

Why it matters: The Paranormal Liberation War, then Deku on his own.

Starring

Daiki Yamashita, Nobuhiko Okamoto, and Yuki Kaji

Scores

IMDb 8.2

No. 10 · 2024 · Series · 8h 24m · 11th in story order

My Hero Academia Season 7

Following an all-out battle with the Paranormal Liberation Front, it is difficult for the people of Japan to continue placing faith in their heroes. To combat the combined power of Tomura Shigaraki and All For One, All Might calls for his ally from the West—the strongest woman on the planet, Star and Stripe. However, All For One decides to intercept Star and her fleet to get his hands on her overpowered quirk before she can enter Japanese airspace. Although Endeavor, Hawks, and Best Jeanist are headed to the rendezvous point, Star makes a gamble in the present to save her comrades.

Why it matters: A traitor is revealed and the final battle begins.

Starring

Daiki Yamashita, Nobuhiko Okamoto, and Yuki Kaji

Scores

IMDb 8.2

No. 11 · 2024 · Film · 1h 50m · 12th in story order · optional

My Hero Academia: You're Next

In a society devastated by the effects of an all-out war between heroes and villains, a mysterious giant fortress suddenly appears, engulfing towns and people one after another. Then, a man reminiscent of All Might, the 'symbol of peace', stands in front of Izuku and his friends...

Why it matters: Set mid-season 7, after the U.A. traitor episodes.

Starring

Daiki Yamashita, Meru Nukumi, and Mamoru Miyano

Director

Tensai Okamura

Box office

$32 million

Scores

IMDb 7 · Rotten Tomatoes 95%

No. 12 · 2025 · Series · 10h 24m · 1st in story order · optional

My Hero Academia: Vigilantes

After a life-changing incident, timid college student Koichi Haimawari accepts an offer from revered vigilante Knuckleduster to train as his protégé.

Why it matters: Prequel set five years earlier; best after the main series.

Starring

Shuichiro Umeda, Ikumi Hasegawa, and Yasuhiro Mamiya

Scores

IMDb 7.2

Episodes

26

No. 13 · 2025 · Series · 4h 23m

My Hero Academia Season 8

Deku and the heroes are plunged into a final battle against villains across Japan. Deku, by fully unleashing One For All Quirks, faces off against Shigaraki. A young and refreshed All For One faces Armored All Might, Quirkless in his powered armor suit. Will Deku be able to bring the story of how they all became the greatest heroes to its finale? Or will everything be destroyed?!

Why it matters: The final battle and the epilogue; the series ends.

Starring

Daiki Yamashita, Nobuhiko Okamoto, and Yuki Kaji

Scores

IMDb 8.2 · Rotten Tomatoes 100%

My Hero Academia box office and budgets

The 4 My Hero Academia films with reported numbers have grossed $137 million worldwide on about $12 million in combined budgets, roughly 2.3 times what they cost. The biggest is My Hero Academia: World Heroes' Mission at $47 million, 34% of the franchise's total on its own, followed by My Hero Academia: You're Next ($32 million) and My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising ($30 million).

The best and worst rated My Hero Academia shows

Across 13 rated titles, My Hero Academia averages 7.8 on IMDb. The top of the list is My Hero Academia Season 1 at 8.2, then My Hero Academia Season 2 (8.2) and My Hero Academia Season 3 (8.2). At the bottom: My Hero Academia: You're Next (7) and My Hero Academia: World Heroes' Mission (7). Money and quality don't line up perfectly: the highest grosser, My Hero Academia: World Heroes' Mission, is only the 12th best rated.

1. My Hero Academia Season 18.2 · RT 100%
2. My Hero Academia Season 28.2
3. My Hero Academia Season 38.2 · RT 100%
4. My Hero Academia Season 48.2 · RT 100%
5. My Hero Academia Season 58.2
6. My Hero Academia Season 68.2
7. My Hero Academia Season 78.2
8. My Hero Academia Season 88.2 · RT 100%
9. My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising7.8 · RT 92%
10. My Hero Academia: Two Heroes7.3 · RT 100%

Who appears in the most My Hero Academia shows

Daiki Yamashita leads with 12 appearances as Izuku Midoriya, ahead of Nobuhiko Okamoto (12) and Yuki Kaji (12). Counted from each title's top-billed cast.

My Hero Academia directors and creators

2 filmmakers have directed or created My Hero Academia; Kenji Nagasaki has the most, with 3.

• Kenji NagasakiMy Hero Academia: Two Heroes (2018), My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising (2019), and My Hero Academia: World Heroes' Mission (2021)
• Tensai OkamuraMy Hero Academia: You're Next (2024)

How long it takes to watch every My Hero Academia show

All 13 titles add up to 85 hours: 7 hours of film and 78 hours of series, counting every episode. That is about 43 two-hour evenings, or 9 days of ten-hour binges. The essentials cut it to 68 hours. The longest film is My Hero Academia: You're Next at 1h 50m.

Which My Hero Academia shows can you skip?

5 titles can go without losing the main story. They are side stories, spin-offs or entries the later films ignore. Dropping them saves 17 hours.

• My Hero Academia: Vigilantes2025 · Series · 10h 24m · optionalPrequel set five years earlier; best after the main series.
• My Hero Academia: Two Heroes2018 · Film · 1h 36m · optionalI-Island side story set between seasons 2 and 3.
• My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising2019 · Film · 1h 44m · optionalSet during season 5, after the joint training episodes.
• My Hero Academia: World Heroes' Mission2021 · Film · 1h 45m · optionalSet during season 5's Endeavor internship episodes.
• My Hero Academia: You're Next2024 · Film · 1h 50m · optionalSet mid-season 7, after the U.A. traitor episodes.

Common questions

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