From the moment it started airing it became a cult classic. And now after plenty of great seasons and two movies it has become a staple in the shounen diet. So I thought it would be fun to look back and list my favorite moments from the series (the first four seasons, as of this writing). And fair warning: spoiler alert, duh.
40. Deku gets one shot
From Season 3 Episode 2 I want to start off with a few moments that just made me chuckle or smile, even if they didn’t hold any major narrative weight. Since I’m just a big child, Deku getting punched in the Midoriyas was absolutely hilarious for me. It’s also kind of wild looking back that this is how Kota initially responds to his future hero to be.
39. Monoma Flexing
From Season 2 Episode 5 I honestly loved Monoma as a character. Sure, he was obnoxious. But he was so consistent with it and so over the top that his appearances were a treat to me. And I especially liked his Quirk, which is why when he absolutely styled on Bakugo and the gang during the sports festival, I couldn’t help but root for him a little. It’s a shame that he hasn’t gone into combat since that scene. But I hope he’ll become a more prominent character in season 5.
38. Uraraka’s adorable flashback
From Season 2 Episode 1 I’m glad that Uraraka got a bit more depth than just Deku’s adorable love interest. So finding out that she wants to be a hero just so that she could help her parents landed her a lot of respect in my book. But then having a flashback where Uraraka is the cutest little button ever to walk the Earth, paired with an emotional scene of her parents backing her up 100%, was just more than my weak heart could take.
37. Deku getting his first W
From Season 1 Episode 4 Up until this point we’ve only seen Deku train and talk about how he’s going to be an amazing hero. So it was about time that we finally see him in action. Although this scene is short, as he literally breaks his arm and both his legs, it was beautifully animated. And the music was as hype as ever. Plus, he did it in order to save Uraraka, putting a bit more weight behind his vow to become a hero.
36. Nezu going psychotic
From Season 2 Episode 23 Since the teachers had to go against the students, it was a very nice look at the differences between students and pros. And sure, Eraser’s battle with Todoroki and Yaoyorozu was pretty sick. But it was to be expected. The lovable furry principle going full mad genius and defeating people through the power of psychics, on the other hand, was quite the surprise. Plus, it made for an excellent reaction GIF. Which will always land any great scene some brownie points in my book.
35. My Hero Academia – True Detectives
From Season 3 Episode 20 I usually don’t care much for episode specials. But this one entertained me way more than it probably should have. It’s literally a murder mystery where the students and teachers play pretend and try to crack the code of who killed All Might. Just seeing the characters out of place like this was a pretty cool change of pace, and the conclusion definitely made me chuckle for a bit. It can’t all be intense action okay!
34. Deku goes big brain mode
From Season 2 Episode 3 Although Deku’s whole schtick was his intellect, up to this point he just couldn’t seem to use his head without also breaking some bones. But then finally he did something that wasn’t suicidal, and yet landed him a very important advantage. I say it wasn’t suicidal, but what he did was gather landmines and then jump on top of them with a piece of metal to protect him. In Deku standards that’s probably the safest play you can make. Seeing Bakugo and Todoroki absolutely lose their head when he flew past them was quite the sight as well.
33. Selkie is best girl?
From Season 2 Episode 19 Honestly, I still have a hard time explaining to myself why I loved this episode so much. There’s just something about a manly seal constantly trying to be kawaii that just tickled my funny bone. Even aside from him, the episode was pretty dope. We got to see Tsu being a froggy badass, some Pirates of the Caribbean shenanigans, and I can’t stress this enough: a kawaii seal man. What more could you possibly want in life?!
32. Bigger brain time
From Season 3 Episode 17 Seeing U.A. go against other schools was just a hoot and a half, as so many interesting characters were jammed in that you could hardly keep up. And for whatever reason, the one battle that stuck with me was the tea-loving genius and Yaoyorozu playing 3D chess. It’s just personal preference, but I love seeing situations where the protagonist is against an organization that has a plan for their every move. The anticipation just climbs up through the roof.
31. Come and get your fanservice
From Season 3 Episode 1 To the dismay of Mineta, and probably most of the male audience, the beach/pool episode in My Hero Academia just shined a light at our fellas. And, you know, I’m straight and all but considering they all have six-packs you could grate cheese on, I have a sneaking suspicion that the yaoi cult was very pleased with this episode. I’ll also forever love the fact that Bakugo chose to fly in a swimming competition. It’s just so in-character.
30. Spooky Scary Skeletons
From Season 2 Episode 7 Shinso was quite the eye catcher. And even though it’s kind of ironic considering his entire character arc, he just looked like an interesting villain. So when Deku did literally the one thing he should not have done and activated Shinso’s Quirk, I thought it was GG. But then the ghosts of the previous One for All users peep out from the entrance and give Deku a wake-up call from beyond the grave. I remember seeing this for the first time and just being beyond hyped, and speculating what they were going to do with that concept. And they did not disappoint.
29. The first hope
From Season 1 Episode 2 This scene had the potential to be in the top ten. However, since it’s so early in the show, I wasn’t invested enough to really ball my eyes out like In later scenes. Still, it was a pretty heavy scene. And one which is constantly referenced in the show, as it’s the birth of the new number 1 hero, Deku. You might have grown numb to this scene. It pops up quite a few times. But it is extremely powerful nevertheless, and really set the tone for what My Hero Academia was going to be.
28. There is 1 impostor remaining
From Season 3 Episode 16 Shapeshifting has always made for an interesting power, as the director can always throw in a little surprise when someone goes undercover. And in the midst of U.A. going against other schools, one stuck out. Both because of her interaction with Deku, and because she was naked for half of it. A fact Mineta and Kaminari will never let go. So once we learn that it was in actuality Toga in disguise, the entire scene gets a lot more weight behind it.
27. A beam of hope
From Season 3 Episode 18 I had mixed feelings about Aoyama. He was undoubtedly fabulous with his dazzling cape, three words of French, and wide array of cheese. But also kind of forgettable. Yet this scene I liked quite a bit. To set the stage, class A-1 students have mostly been separated and Iida is trying to save Aoyama. Yet Aoyama decides to go on all fours and fire a beam into the sky to distract the enemy, so that at least Iida can escape. In actuality he just shows his classmates his location, but it was a pretty touching self-sacrificing intent nevertheless.
26. Best Mom
From Season 3 Episode 12 Although Deku’s mom was visibly worried about her son, it usually seemed like an afterthought. Until she flat out tells All Might that Deku should not attend U.A. anymore. This scene tugged at the heart strings from many angles. That of a worried mother, of a pleading teacher, an aspiring son, it was all there. But the little flashback that came in the middle of it, showing young Deku playing hero with his mom, was one of the most adorable thing ever.
25. Just Smile and Wave
From Season 4 Episode 14 Although I liked Overhaul a bit more than Shigaraki as a villain, it was still oddly satisfying to see Shigaraki get his revenge. Especially because it was very much R rated revenge. Not a slap to the face and some mean words, but rather taking away his life’s work and making him Quirkless by severing his hands. My Hero Academia doesn’t go into brutalities that often. But man am I glad they did this time around, it just game the scene so much impact.
24. Dabi being Dabi
From Season 3 Episode 7 I honestly did not expect for the League of Villains to actually capture Bakugo. But when Dabi just smirked while Deku half-broken ran towards him, it sent chills down my spine. This scene gets brought up with Dabi quite frequently as well, as that one still-shot does wonders in summarizing his entire character. Bakugo saying “don’t come, Deku” with such a hoarse voice was just the icing on the cake.
23. Casual Public Chatter
From Season 2 Episode 25 This is the moment that Shigaraki really started to develop as a character. And it came in a wildly unexpected form: Class 1-A going shopping, and then Shigaraki coming out of nowhere and just having a chat with Deku. Okay, he did also threaten his life and the lives of the people in the mall, but still. For whatever reason, the fact that it was in a public place and that Shigaraki didn’t have his iconic hands attached to his body just made it so much eerier. I mean, just look at that face! That’s a face only a mother can love. Oh wait…
22. Endeavor being a good father, kind of…
From Season 4 Episode 17 Endeavor’s character arc is one I did not see coming. And I definitely did not expect to like it as much as I did. For the majority of the series he was just an abusive husband and father with a Vegeta complex. But with the fall of All Might, he actually had to move on and figure out what it means to be a symbol of peace. This one scene where Endeavor tries to connect with his son, although a bit awkward, was also really touching.
21. Bakugo and his pride
From Season 2 Episode 24 Bakugo has never or will ever want help. That’s just the way he rolls. So when circumstance puts him in a situation where he either has to team up with Deku or lose, he almost choses the latter. But after a good reality punch to the face, he changes his mind and joins forces with his little pebble buddy. Just seeing how tenacious and passionate Bakugo is, to the point of just biting All Might’s hand, was both amazing and very worrisome. But it did pay off in the end.
20. The hand that let go
From Season 4 Episode 4 The Overhaul arc was amazing for many reasons. But one of the bigger points was how well it was set up. Just seeing Eri bump into Deku and Lemillion and seeing her tremble out of fear showed us how high the bars were being set. Even the fact that they allowed her to return to Overhaul was something you don’t see too often in shounen, because even though it’s a logical choice, god knows it’s not an easy one to make.
19. Clean up on aisle Nomu
From Season 1 Episode 11 In the whole USJ situation I was just waiting for that one moment when someone would march in to help. Because honestly, the situation wasn’t looking too good. Having All Might show up and actually look pissed was already a good sign of the fighting spectacle that would soon follow. And I was not disappointed: All Might had to work together with his students, the villains barely lost which made the fight very intense, and All Might once again proved that anything can be solved with enough punching.
18. Do I ship it?
From Season 4 Episode 10 At first I was disappointed that Dabi wasn’t part of the Overhaul action. But my disappointment quickly faded away before the combo that is Toga and Twice. They threw in a nice dose of chaos to the already-chaotic fight and gave a solid prediction of what’s to come. They were also kind of adorable together, as it seemed that Toga was the only one who truly understood what Twice was going through. Plus their banter is pretty funny.
17. Take my manly hand!
From Season 3 Episode 10 The Bakugo retrieval arc had some great moments, and even a fake out when he slips right between All Might’s fingers. So when he finally gets to safety it’s a huge relief to everyone. The animation team really flexed on us with his grand escape, as he explodes to the sky and grabs Kirishima’s hand, the only person he doesn’t really hate. Mountain Lady coming in for the clutch save was also quite the unforeseen spectacle.
16. Uraraka being a badass
From Season 2 Episode 8 I already mentioned this, but man am I glad they gave Uraraka some depth. In her fight against Bakugo, although we all knew she was destined to lose, she put up a valiant fight! And unlike a certain someone, she didn’t just cut her hair and cry for a man to save her. She came at Bakugo with everything she had. I’m also glad Aizawa pointed out that Bakugo saw her as a threat and treated her like a worthy opponent.
15. Knock, knock
From Season 4 Episode 7 I found it weird that when commencing the Overhaul lair raid, the police came to the door instead of just busting inside. But it made sense, it was the law. But a giant wrestler-looking hunk of muscle crashing through the door and immediately getting into a 1v1 with a dragon lady, now that was quite unexpected. It was such a good way to commence the high-speed flow of that entire arc, and really made me question where it was going to go from there.
14. Power!
From Season 3 Episode 25 I love the occasional flex-off. And Mirio really put on quite the show when he took on the entire 1-A class, minus Bakugo and Todoroki that is. Seeing his Quirk In action gave off these Obito vibes. And I just knew that his fights were going to be amazing. The added chaos element of him constantly being half or fully naked only added to the absolute circus that was this fight. It was also nice to see that just because Deku was smart and worked hard doesn’t mean he can lay a finger on someone who’s even smarter and worked even harder.
13. Kirishima the Rock Johnson
From Season 4 Episode 5 I kind of have to agree with Kirishima: his Quirk is rather dull and boring to look at. That is, until he went further beyond and became the hardest character ever! Oh god that sounds wrong. His power up, although fundamentally not changing much, made him way more impactful and made him jump into my top 5 favourite heroes from the show. He already had a great character design so all he was missing was that one power-up to push him into the mainstream.
12. You are what you eat
From Season 4 Episode 8 I think I can safely say that we all rooted for Suneater in our hearts. His crippling self-doubt, paired with some amazing and interesting powers, just made for an interesting character. But up until this point we’ve only seen him kind of fight against some thugs. So when he just went “I can beat these three elite mobsters on my own” I was glued to my screen. It wasn’t a stomp, far from it. But he did manage to get the W at the end by using his Quirk quite brilliantly.
11. Stain dropping truth bombs
From Season 2 Episode 17 Stain as a villain really shaped most of the My Hero Academia world. He had those strong Pain vibes(yes I’m making another comparison with Naruto) only he stayed true to his beliefs until the very end. His Quirk isn’t even that strong. But his raw skill and power made him a force to be reckoned with. He also had so much presence that even while half-beaten and bruised, barely standing on his feet, he managed to scare pro heroes with just a glare. No wonder so many villains flocked to him.
10. The end of an era
Season 3 Episode 11 To start off the top ten I have put down All Might’s final clash with All for One. The fight itself wasn’t as flashy as you might have expected it to be. However, the weight that it held was real. Getting countless shots of every character watching the television and rooting for All Might with all their heart, coupled with All Might’s own inner monologue, just woke up so many emotions. And then, that iconic point towards the camera at his successor.
9. He lost 100 lbs, doctors hate him!
From Season 4 Episode 9 I don’t know if I’m alone on this one, but Fatgum and Kirishima’s fight against vs Rappa and the boring guy was one of my favourites. I generally love when a character who isn’t supposed to be badass suddenly goes badass. And Fatgum was the worst ass ever. Kirishima’s backstory and inner monologue was also extremely motivational. Heck, even Rappa came off as oddly likable. So this shield/spear clash was a true beauty.
8. Not how percentages work
From Season 3 Episode 4 Besides looking like he’s Bakugo’s father, Muscular made for an excellent temporary enemy. Like he said himself, he was just a better version of Deku. But since this is shounen, once Deku gets pushed into a corner he has this touching monologue, and Kota finally understands what it means to be a hero. And Deku surpasses all of his limits and knocks Muscular out with a satisfying punch. It’s not breaking new grounds. But these are the kinds of scenes that My Hero Academia just knows how to execute perfectly.
7. The G.O.A.T. has fallen
From Season 4 Episode 11 Mirio was just cleaning house this entire arc, taking out Overhaul’s henchmen like it was nothing and even styling on Overhaul himself. If Ere was not there it would have been a slaughter, frankly. But unfortunately, Overhaul uses Mirio’s heroic nature and takes his Quirk away by shooting a Quirk-destroying bullet at Eri. But jokes on him: even without a Quirk Mirio still punches him around for a few extra minutes before he unfortunately can’t go any further.
6. You’re hot and you’re cold, you’re yes and you’re no
From Season 2 Episode 10 The fight between Deku and Todoroki felt like the most intense therapy session ever. By this point we all knew of Todoroki’s daddy issues. But it took a few punches to the gut for him to finally get over it. Or at least to start the journey towards getting over it. So seeing Todoroki finally use his flames and engage Deku with everything he had was hype as hell. And don’t get me started on the animation of this fight, it was superb.
5. The true love story?
From Season 4 Episode 22 Had Gentle been built up for an episode or two more, I probably would have just put him at number one, to be honest. His character was just so brilliantly simple, and yet so intriguing that I fell in love immediately. Not only does he bring up a good question of what happens to heroes who lose their face, he also introduces such an unexpected love story into the mix. Even though their age makes it a bit weird, and it’s somehow the purest one we’ve seen in the show so far. So his last stand, trying to protect his Honey, was just tragically beautiful.
4. In case you need more sadness
From Season 4 Episode 14 My Hero Academia doesn’t have many character deaths. And this scene made me realize why, as my eyes were permanently wet for like a week. Even though Nighteye wasn’t a staple character for very long, heck I didn’t even like him too much… But this one scene of a dying man speaking of his regrets, telling his loved ones to move on and comforting all the people that desperately needed him, it was nothing less than art. If you’re looking for a good sad cry this BNHA moment might hit number one for you.
3. One Punch Boy
From Season 4 Episode 13 Finally, we get to see Deku at his full strength for longer than a second! Not only that, but we also get to see Eri finally choose to be saved and trust the heroes. The battle between Deku and Overhaul, although it started off on a slow note, picked up the pace extremely quickly. And by the end it was just a spectacle of this giant monster fighting against green superman. That final blow was especially satisfying.
2. Endeavour goes Plus Ultra
From Season 4 Episode 25 Man, what a way to end a season! Not only have the Nomu become a serious threat once more(as let’s face it, all the Nomu after the first one were pretty useless) but Endeavour finally gets to show his full strength. What touched me most of all was that one boy, his true fan, screaming at all the people who gave up on the number 1 hero just because it wasn’t All Might anymore. And that triumphant stance at the very end, literal chills.
1. Brawl it out
From Season 3 Episode 23 The rivalry between Deku and Bakugo is the backbone of My Hero Academia. But never before have they gone all out. So this fight was amazing, both visually and narratively. We got to see them analyze each other, employ new techniques, everything. And the conversation that came right after it, when Bakugo laid all his cards on the table and the two rivals finally got a sparkle of understanding for each other, that was arguably even more exciting than the fight itself.
Bonus Moment – Season 4 Episode 22
Can we all just stop and appreciate the musical number at the end of the fourth season? I initially thought it was going to be just some filler nonsense, and yet it turned out to be such an amazing moment! The music was pretty bopping. And the visual display just made you excited beyond belief! And of course, the cutest and most heavily anticipated smile ever finally showed up. Between you and me, you can count this as my number 1 moment, but shush don’t tell anyone.
