For almost a decade, My Hero Academia the anime has earned the title of one of the most popular and most-watched modern shōnen titles. Fans around the world have eagerly followed each new manga chapter and anime season, drawn to the story’s characters, thrilling battles, and emotional arcs throughout the narrative.
However, with the latest season of the anime underway, there has been a noticeable difference in momentum compared to previous seasons and other anime of the same caliber. While each episode remains visually stunning and the narrative itself is well-crafted, there is a lack of excitement and buzz. For a franchise that was once among the best titles, this change is surprising.
My Hero Academia is one of the most popular anime titles
My Hero Academiacreated by Kohei Horikoshi, first aired in 2016 and quickly became one of the most notable modern shōnen anime. Set in a world where heroism has become a commercialized career path and the vast majority of society possesses superpowers known as Quirks. The story centers on Izuku Midoriya, a boy without a Quirk who inherits One For All.
From the beginning, the series effectively captured the audience’s attention with its emotional undercurrents and cinematic battles. Horikoshi’s vision of hero society and tropes helped propel the series to worldwide fame, gaining millions of fans. My Hero Academia has attracted both newcomers and longtime anime watchers, making it the entry point to the medium for many viewers.
Many viewers have often grouped the series together, with Demon Slayer And Jujutsu Kaisenas part of the “New Gen Big Three”, the series having become a mainstay of anime in the 2010s. The label reflects its excellence as a series, with a solid narrative structure, cinematic sequences, and well-rounded central characters.
However, when its eighth and final season released on October 4, 2025, it was met with a notable disparity in popularity and enthusiasm. Streaming exclusively on Crunchyroll, new reports revealed that the series was not performing well in relation to its consolidated status as an anime powerhouse.
My Hero Academia’s final season fails to meet viewers’ expectations
When My Hero Academia seventh season premiered on May 4, 2024, expectations were immense. As the series approached its final chapter, fans awaited the emotional payoffs and high-stakes showdowns that had been brewing since the first season. As the months pass, the penultimate season builds into several climactic showdowns, including Shigaraki vs. Deku and All Might vs. All For One.
On October 12, 2024, the seventh season closed on a dramatic cliffhanger that left major battles still unresolved and the fate of some characters uncertain. Despite the suspenseful ending, the series’ momentum hasn’t translated into the viewership numbers many might expect. My Hero Academia last season.
Premiering on October 4, 2025, season eight has already aired three episodes, but the buzz around the series and fan engagement seems muted compared to previous seasons. This is reflected in Crunchyroll’s popularity rankings, with the latest season currently sitting at twenty-fourth place. Even though the stakes are at their highest ever, the series remains surprisingly weak.
When considering the widespread appeal, influence, and momentum behind a series like My Hero Academiaone would expect the series to achieve a higher ranking on the streaming platform. Instead, after the cliffhanger at the end of season seven, season eight seems to be struggling to win back the same audience as previous arcs.
My Hero Academia suffers from too many characters and subplots
As My Hero Academia Approaching its finale, the story’s scope has expanded considerably, attempting to encapsulate each of its characters in meaningful ways. The Final War, rather than focusing on key characters that the storyline and fans were invested in, attempts to balance its large cast in a way that results in a fragmented narrative.
The final battles took place in multiple locations, forcing the series to frequently switch between stories, lessening the overall impact. The intention may have been to convey the chaos of all-out war; however, this removed emotional tension and interrupted central scenes before they could fully land, thus minimizing the overall payoff.
My Hero Academia has always had a large cast, but the series never suffered too much from it due to its centralized focus on key characters, interactions, and developments. While the story’s ambition is admirable, ending the series with several subplots revolving around background characters dampened the overall narrative and created uneven emotional highs.
With so many heroes and villains needing closure, not all storylines were given the space they deserved, with some failing while others dragged on too long. This, coupled with the timing of the series finale, likely contributed to the decline in viewership for the final season, leaving the anime’s conclusion falling flat compared to previous installments.
The anime entered its final arc around the same time as the My Hero Academia manga
Perhaps the most overlooked factor behind My Hero Academia the decline in momentum is its timing. The manga’s final chapter was released in August 2024, and its final volume in December 2024. The finale took place during the penultimate season and was released a year before the anime finale began airing.
This narrow gap between the manga and anime finale leaves little wiggle room for anticipation of story reconstruction. When an anime follows its manga too closely, it can hurt audience enthusiasm, especially those who may feel fatigued by seeing similar material twice in a row so quickly.
By releasing the final season less than a year after its manga counterpart, My Hero Academia offered fans almost no time between conclusions.
Rather than reigniting and building anticipation for the anime’s finale, the series had arrived at a time when the emotional impact of the story was still setting in. For example, The Demon Slayer the manga ended in May 2020, but its final film trilogy remains in production, likely until 2029. Likewise, Naruto’s the anime adaptation ended in 2017, three years after the manga.
By releasing the final season less than a year after its manga counterpart, My Hero Academia offered fans almost no time between conclusions. The timing of the series may have contributed to less reception among fans for what should have been a stronger increase in viewership, thus raising the series’ popularity ranking higher than it currently is.
The decline in viewership and lesser fan enthusiasm for the final season comes from a combination of factors. These include multiple subplots, an expansive cast, and overall timing. Even if the series remains as brilliant as ever, the last season of My Hero Academia is struggling to regain its previous momentum.
- Movies)
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My Hero Academia: Two Heroes (2018), My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising (2019), My Hero Academia: Mission of the World’s Heroes (2021)
- First film
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My Hero Academia: Two Heroes (2018)
- Cast
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Daiki Yamashita, Kenta Miyake, Nobuhiko Okamoto, Ayane Sakura, Yûki Kaji, Aoi Yuki, Kaito Ishikawa, Toshiki Masuda, Marina Inoue, Yoshimasa Hosoya
- TV shows
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My Hero Academia
- Video games
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My Hero Academia: Battle for All, My Hero One’s Justice, My Hero One’s Justice 2
- Character(s)
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Izuku Midoriya, All Might, Katsuki Bakugo, Ochaco Uraraka, Shoto Todoroki, Tsuyu Asui, Tenya Iida, Eijiro Kirishima, Momo Yaoyorozu, Fumikage Tokoyami
