My Hero Academia’s manga is in the thick of its final arc, and while it’s not over yet, the anime has been following close behind, leaving many fans to figure that the seventh season will be the last. However, while the tale of Izuku Midoriya might be coming to a close, that doesn’t mean this franchise doesn’t have more to offer, especially with a studio like Bones at the helm.
My Herostarted airing in 2016, helmed by since-then series director Kenji Nagasaki, at Bones Studio C, which animatedDarker Than Black,Soul Eater,Ouran High School Host Club,and the originalFullmetal Alchemist. As of the time of writing, the series has received six seasons and three feature animated films, the third of which earned $47 million worldwide.
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New Films
Perhaps one of the most exciting ideas is the prospect of more original stories told within the universe but on the big screen.My Hero Academia’s films have continuously stepped up their game with each new story, getting bigger, bolder, and more ambitious with their animation. Although not everyone has been as ecstatic about the visual flair of the films.
When the quality of the TV anime occasionally suffers, it’s not hard for fans to point at the films and accuse them of leeching the budget and talent that could have made the TV series even better. It’s hard to disagree with fans on this one asshōnen film spin-offs can sometimesfeel pointless because they often aren’t allowed to change the status quo. Why should these movies of nebulous canon get all the budget?
However, in defense of these films, they’ve rarely struggled to create entertaining and likable original characters whose stories are engaging on their own, even if the main cast doesn’t change dramatically. The third film,World Heroes' Mission, was loved by fans for its inclusion of the original character Rody Soul, voiced in English by Ryan Colt Levy (AKADenji fromChainsaw Man’s English dub).
When the show is over, and there’s no longer another behemoth of a season lurking around the corner, it would be much easier to justify creating new original big-budget films. They could be class adventures in the style of the past three films, but they could also offer a glimpse of the main characters' futures, or explore completely separate parts of the world.
With the involvement of series creator Kohei Horikoshi, new films could serve as big-budget expansions but also serve to explore ideas that Horikoshi didn’t get the chance to. Fans have already seen examples of this,such as the second film, Heroes Rising. The film’s concept was originally how the series was going to end.
Watching the film that way gives the story a whole new meaning and makes the climax hit that much harder. It would be cool to see Horikoshi explore what might have been in a new format, or even just let different directors and artists take a crack at the world ofMy Hero Academia. In fact, if there were to be a continuation - even on television -there’s already a spin-off begging to be animated.
Vigilantes
My Hero Academia: Vigilantesis a manga prequel to the main series, and it’s already finished at 15 volumes, and 132 chapters. As the title suggests, it focuses on superheroes who act outside the law, without having graduated from a hero academy or acquired an official license. The series is written by Hideyuki Furuhashi and illustrated by Betten Court.
We’ve written aboutVigilantesin the past a few times, talking about how different it is from the main series and things thatthis spin-off does arguably better than the original. As a show focused on illegal hero work, it implicitly has a bit more of an edge to it, but as a prequel, it also offers a meaningfully different glimpse of characters that fans know and love.
Characters like All Might and Aizawa appear, but in different roles compared to the series proper, where they were mostly mentors. The shift in perspective from official heroes to vigilantes naturally impacts the way the world is presented. Elements that become more prominent in later seasons ofMy Heroare at the forefront ofVigilantes' storytelling, making it an effective follow-up.
IfVigilanteswere to get an adaptation, it would probably benefit the project to be helmed by a different creative team, to reflect the change in approach and art style. Perhaps a new director and character designer, with a production hostedat one of Bones' other studios. Studio C can’t work on the franchise forever, can it?
Something Completely Different
On that note, it might be worth reminding fans that all good things must come to an end. There are possibilities for continuing theMy Hero Academiabrand in animation, but when the main series ends, perhaps a long break would serve the series best. Bones Studio C has been working exclusively on this franchise since 2016, and there’s sure to be a lot of work before it’s over, but when itis, perhaps that studio should get the chance to work on something new.
Again, that shouldn’t outright mean the end of Bones' involvement inMy Hero. Thanks to their production model, they were able to adapt an ongoing shōnen series just about yearly, and while there were noticeable low points, it was still far better than what might have been. Gone are the days when shōnen adaptations were practicallyguaranteed to have long hiatuses, filler arcs, or a made-up ending once they caught up to the manga.
Bones already has done that twice withFullmetal AlchemistandSoul Eater, and at least in the former case they got a second chance. They should be proud of what they accomplished withMy Hero, but now that the end is in sight, maybe they should take the exit while they can, at least for a little while.
This is the studio that was created very much as a result ofCowboy Bebop, a show that was quite unlike anything else out of Studio Sunrise. Bones was founded to createeclectic, unique, and captivating art likeBebopwith the best people the industry has to offer. They made gorgeous works that were sometimes obscure, but they were never above creating art that appealed to mainstream audiences, either.
My Hero Academiais going to end soon, and it’s worth thinking about where the story - and the IP - are going next, cynically or optimistically. No matter which way one looks at it, it’s not a controversial statement to say that wherever the franchise goes, it should be in whichever direction is best for the art and the artists.
