My Hero Academia revolves around the story of a quirkless Izuku Midoriya when he ran across the No. 1 Hero. Throughout the anime and manga, Kohei Horikoshi (mangaka) managed to produce a consistent writing quality, making it a must-watch. While the anime tackles heroism and a bit of comedy, some scenes remain unforgettable.
In this list, we’ve compiled and ranked all the best anime moments in My Hero Academia.
Caution: Massive spoilers for anime and manga ahead. Continue at your discretion.
17. Wolfram Gets Sandwiched in My Hero Academia: Two Heroes
Wolfram is the main antagonist of the Two Heroes film in the franchise. He’s the one who manipulated David Shield to hand over the Quirk Amplification Device. As Wolfram applies the item to himself, his Metal Manipulation and Muscle Augmentation quirk is significantly boosted.
With the already-struggling Deku to even land blows, All Might appears to aid in battle. At first, both are overwhelmed, but they still win the fight like a father-son tandem. We can’t describe how amazing the visuals are with this one, so we recommend taking a look at it.
16. Lady Nagant’s Change of Heart
My Hero Academia’s world of heroic acts has its blacks and whites – but Midoriya thinks otherwise. Lady Nagant’s fall from grace is one that’s understandable, even reflecting the state of modern society. With some corrupt Hero Public Safety Commission members, she fell for the dark side.
Lady Nagant escaped and casually met All For One in the Dark Hero arc. The latter then tasked her to bring Deku so he could steal his quirk. We’ve seen Lady Nagant’s deadly Sniper Rifle ability, which her prey wouldn’t survive had he not awakened his other skills.
At the climax, Lady Nagant is ready to kill the quirkless Kai Chisaki (as part of their deal), but Deku manages to save him. The two then engage in a conversation, saying that the peace they seek is fake. Deku then pointed out the good left in her, purposely missing the shot and offering him to surrender without a fight.
Despite suffering from an internal injury after All For One activates a self-destructing quirk, Lady Nagant becomes a valuable ally. Later in the Final War arc, she uses her quirk to save Deku from getting decayed by severing Shigaraki’s arms from a hospital room.
15. Twice Overcoming His Trauma
The League of Villains also has a fair share of best moments in the anime. Enter Twice, who can clone himself that makes building an army possible. This scene happened during the battle with Skeptic and, later, Re-Destro.
For context, Twice is incapable of distinguishing if he’s real, considering his clones say the same. But in the end, he overcame his trauma, gaining the upper hand versus Re-Destro’s army.
14. Eri Smiling
Eri’s story in My Hero Academia is one of the most disturbing out there. With her Rewind quirk, Overhaul (Kai Chisaki) synthesized her blood into quirk-erasing bullets. On top of that, she has to experience dying and getting revived for who knows how many times.
Things changed when Eri first encountered Lemillion and Deku patrolling. The ending? A traumatized Eri was finally freed from the likes of Chisaki.
When Class 1-A successfully delivered a top-tier performance during the U.A. Festival, Eri finally smiles. We bet that’s the best anime moment in My Hero Academia season four.
13. Endeavor vs Nomu
After All Might retires from the pro-hero scene, Endeavor steps in as the No. 1 hero. The controversial fire-wielding character finds himself contending against a Nomu, secretly plotted by Dabi.
For its flashiness and the close-quarters combat elements, this anime moment reigns second after the whole Todoroki family confronting their long-lost kin. Regardless, Endeavor stood strong with his allies‘ help amid crowd criticisms.
12. Bakugo’s Character Development
Katsuki Bakugo is the childhood friend of Izuku Midoriya, who also goes to U.A. High School. Since the first episode, Bakugo has picked fights with Deku, even with the latter disliking the idea.
During the Dark Hero arc, however, we see Bakugo finally apologizing to Deku. While many community members say it’s overhyped, it’s still one of the best moments in the anime.
11. Deku vs Class 1A
Speaking of the Dark Hero arc, Deku also faced his classmates who were trying to convince him to return to U.A.
The premise begins with Deku leaving the High School, with cooperation from All Might, Endeavor, Hawks, and Best Jeanist. As All For One is a large threat again after escaping Tartarus imprisonment, Deku knows what’s up. Despite this, his classmates are still willing to fight beside him, even if it will cost their lives.
10. Stain: The Hero Killer Moments
Rather than causing meaningless chaos in Japan like the League of Villains, Stain targets those unworthy of the Hero title. His latest victim, Ingenium, left Tenya Iida vengeful to the anti-hero.
Stain’s quirk is all about utility. One can easily beat him up using long-ranged attacks, but his raw skills make him a slippery target. After an encounter with Shoto, Deku, and Tenya, we see him saving Deku after being captured by the Winged Nomu. If that’s eyebrow-raising, let’s just say the Hero Killer has unconventional morals.
Later in the Dark Hero arc, Stain escapes from Tartarus and finds All Might to relay a piece of valuable information. As Chizome was under the same roof as All For One, it’ll definitely be a game-changer for the heroes. On top of that, All Might’s sense of purpose is renewed despite the backlash from Japanese citizens.
9. Shoto Using His Fire Quirk
The Todorokis are notorious for being a controversial family in My Hero Academia. Driven by obsession to become the number one hero, Endeavor indoctrinated his firstborn, Toya, resulting in his „death“ later on. The same cycle repeats with Shoto, with unfortunate outcomes as his older brother.
Because of circumstances from his early life, Shoto refused to use his father’s quirk. Instead, he only uses the Ice he inherited from his mother until Midoriya gives an unconventional encouragement.
Deku vs. Shoto during the U.A. Sports Festival is one of the best anime moments in MHA season two. Although Midoriya acted recklessly and lost, he helped push a friend to his best potential.
8. Himiko Toga and Twice’s Interactions
Saying that Toga and Jin are lovey doveys in their time with the League of Villains feels illegal. But you can’t deny that these two have some wholesome moments in the anime you won’t forget easily. Through thick and thin, they managed to survive the whole ordeal with the Shie Hassaikai Raid. We also witnessed how caring they are to each other.
By digging their backstories, it’s later revealed that Himiko Toga and Twice are broken individuals. Despite their villainous acts, there’s still humanity left to them.
7. Deku Awakening Other Quirks
There’s a theory that All For One’s doctor may have stolen young Midoriya’s quirk at the start of My Hero Academia. As the story progresses, he becomes the 9th successor of One For All – but it doesn’t end there.
The previous wielders of One For All have been showing up to Deku since his fight against Shinso in the U.A. Festival. However, he gets to meet and greet all of them eventually, with revelations like having multiple quirks possibly coming to light.
Among new abilities include:
- Black Whip. Inherited from Banjo Daigoro. It allows the user to immobilize enemies and increase mobility. The Black Whip’s power depends on the user’s emotions.
- Float. Inherited from Nana Shimura. Because of One For All’s stockpiling properties, Deku can use this ability at high speeds.
- Danger Sense. Inherited from Shinomori Hikage. This ability greatly helped Deku with his fight against Muscular Man when he reappeared after the Tartarus Prison breakout. The quirk’s user help detect potential threats in the surrounding and gives ample time to react appropriately.
- Smokescreen. Inherited from En. Helpful for escaping or launching surprise attacks, most notably when Midoriya fights Lady Nagant.
- Fa Jin. Inherited from the third user of One For All. This quirk gives the user an explosive burst of speed and power after performing repetitive movements.
- Gearshift. Inherited from the second user of One For All. This ability lets Midoriya change anything’s speed, even possibly ignoring the laws of inertia.
6. Deku and Eri Defeating Overhaul
Overhaul’s overpowered quirk is one lethal weapon heroes had to deal with in seasons three and four. Once Chisaki touches your skin, you’re done for. Thankfully, Deku’s powers proved a worthy contender to the ever-persistent villain that theoretically would and could ruin Japan.
As one of the best moments in the series, Eri’s quirk activation helps drive victory to the good guys.
5. Shigaraki Awakens His Power
In the eyes of the League of Villains, Shigaraki’s awakening (with his buffed powers) is a good thing. By default, his quirk is short-range, and activating decay needs to be a hand-to-hand combat. However, moments before his supposed capture is a slight mistake from the heroes.
Despite the effort from Mirko and the gang, Shigaraki managed to gain consciousness and cause another destruction. The scale is immeasurable as touching the ground lets his quirk’s effects travel.
4. Himiko Toga Reviving a Defeated Ochaco
Toga’s villainous acts supposedly originate after a series of unlucky events in her childhood. Even worse, people close to her didn’t show any empathy, considering her quirk’s evil-like characteristics. It’s also noteworthy that Shigaraki influenced her through the belief that everything must be destroyed.
At the Final War’s climax, Toga takes on Twice’s appearance and clones an army that shall vanquish every hero. Later, we see the villain fighting against Ochaco Uraraka, with the latter talking sense to the former.
With a lot of blood dripping and weakening strength, Toga is finally knocked sense. But at the looks of things, her contender won’t make it alive, so she has to do a blood transfusion on the spot. In the end, Ochaco is revived, with Toga’s fate uncertain.
If you read the manga, this scene is going to be emotional as it tackles the history of Himiko Toga. That’s why we think this is one of the best anime moments in My Hero Academia.
3. Todoroki Family vs Dabi
Endeavor and Rei’s quirk marriage is one controversial topic in the world of My Hero Academia. Instead of love, the former’s agenda is only for self-interest. It’s a lot of trauma to process for the children born in that household.
Shoto might have a bad experience, but Toya has it worse. With Endeavor’s current position as No. 2, he wants the best candidate to surpass All Might and reach the top spot. Toya Todoroki is surprisingly enthusiastic, while Shoto thinks otherwise.
With an obsession with getting stronger, Toya finds himself in harm’s way, causing Endeavor to stop him. Still, the firstborn pleaded for his dad to come to Sekoto Peak but was left alone. The young boy lost control at the height of things and apparently passed away.
It was later revealed during the battle with an awakened Shigaraki that Toya Todoroki’s alive – now known as the murderous Dabi.
Jumping a few chapters, we see Shoto and Endeavor fighting Dabi. The villain’s body has been burning up, although the Ice quirk of Rei, Natsuo, and Fuyumi saves him.
In the end, Dabi is still himself. His mind is conditioned to hate the Todoroki family, especially Endeavor. Once this scene is animated, you can expect an emotional roller coaster.
2. One For All vs All For One
All Might live up to his name, being the No. 1 hero until his rematch with his (im)mortal nemesis, All For One. It’s no mystery that All For One has been hunting down One For All users to steal the quirk. However, all of them are successful at repelling the thief.
During the Kamino Incident, All Might has to face All For One despite only having residues of the ability. Thanks to Deku, Kaminari, Momo, and Ida, they managed to snatch away Bakugo from the battlefield. Of course, this means more freedom for All Might to unleash all his strength.
All Might and All For One’s rematch is phenomenal. It’s the second-best anime moment in My Hero Academia, as it’s loaded with heroism. This part is also where he used his ultimate move, the United States of Smash, to fully subdue the villain.
Despite having to reveal his lost form, contrary to being muscular, people continue to cheer All Might. The celebrated No. 1 hero is loved and respected, even until the latest episode when Stain showed up.
1. Armored All Might vs All For One
Inspired by Deku’s action in their first meeting, a quirkless Toshinori Yagi faced All For One once more. Technically, All Might have quirks with the help of support items. Hercules provides the hero abilities inspired by Class 1-A’s.
Initially, Tsukauchi Naomasa thought it was too dangerous, but All Might persisted. It’s evident that one should have their spirits down with their current situation. But during the battle, he remembers his deceased mentor’s message that choosing to smile in the hard times makes them the strongest.
The battle between All Might and All For One consists of exchanging taunts and blows. However, there are too many death flags for the hero. If he’s going out like this, he will always be remembered. But deep down, we wish for a silver lining where Stain uses his Blood Curdle quirk to immobilize All For One and buy time for All Might.
As My Hero Academia’s season seven is yet to be released, you can expect this to be the best anime moment in the series. The battle with Shigaraki and Deku is yet to be concluded, so prepare for the best and worst-case scenario.
