Although My Hero Academia focuses mostly on Izuku Midoriya and his development, its evolving story also discusses what it means to be a hero. Every single one of these ten story arcs is fantastic in its own right, and fans will never be able to get enough of them.
10. Meta Liberation Army Arc
- Chapters: 241-252( 23)
- Episodes: 106-112( 6)
- Season: 4
While the anime adaptation of this was a major disappointment and might not have left fans with the best impression, the manga version is still one of the best antagonist arcs in all of the shounen. Popularly called “My Villain Academia”, it follows the league of villains as we see them struggle to rise from a ragtag bunch of people to a huge army while we dive into each of their backstories. This truly cements Shigaraki as an amazing antagonist where we go on to sympathize yet fear him.
9. Unforeseen Simulation Joint Arc (USJ)
When the students of Class 1-A are taken on a trip to the USJ facility to train their rescue skills, they are interrupted by the League of Villains who appear for the first time. This is the first instance where we see the true power of both the villains as well as heroes such as All Might and Eraser Head which gives us a taste of what’s to come in the future.
8. Tartarus Escapees Arc
More commonly known as the Vigilante Deku Arc, this follows the aftermath of the Paranormal Liberation War, where Hero Society is facing a decline and Japan’s Top villains take advantage of this situation and escape prison. We see Deku have a drastic change in personality after he leaves U.A High School to hunt down the villains as well as increase his power for the next time they face AFO and Shigaraki.
7. Star and Stripe
This is one of the shorter arcs in MHA where we get to meet America’s No.1 Hero, Star and Stripe as she attempts to take down Shigaraki whose power is ever-growing. The fight between the two is arguably the best battle in the series with emotions running high and complemented by the beautiful artwork of the manga.
6. U.A Sports Festival Arc
My Hero Academia is a series filled with competitions and festivals, however even among those, the U.A sports festival manages to stand out. While we see students exhibit their quirks in unique and creative ways, we also form attachments to many of the characters, mainly Shoto, whose past we get a peek into.
5. Hideout Raid Arc
The Arc follows the Pro-Heroes who team up to save Bakugo who had been kidnapped by the League of Villains earlier. The pièce de résistance however is the battle between AFO and All Might which is a brutal battle between evil and good, filled with shocking revelations.
4. Hero Killer Arc
- Season: 2
- Episodes Covered: 26-33
When the students are sent on internships with Pro-Heroes, Deku runs into the Hero Killer, Stain, who is one of the most intimidating yet understandable villains in the show as he embodies the discrimination faced by the non-powerful in a Hero-Worshipping society. This is the first time where we are confused and can neither refute nor support either side’s ideologies.
3. Shie Hassaikai Arc
This subplot revolves around the villain known as Overhaul and how he leads his Yakuza group while dealing with both heroes and a complicated relationship with the League of Villains. We also get introduced to Eri, who is being chased by Overhaul due to her unique quirk while she’s being protected by Deku and Mirio. This is the first truly “Dark” arc of MHA while it deals with a lot of brutality and mature themes. It elevates the series from being just another battle shounen.
2. Pro Hero Arc
Following All Might’s retirement, we see the new No.1 Hero Endeavor navigate around the position of extreme responsibility while being disliked or feared by a majority of subordinates and the population. With extremely nuanced and complex character writing followed by some amazing character development, it is not a stretch to call this the best arc in the anime.
1. Paranormal Liberation War Arc
Finally coming in at No.1 is the Paranormal Liberation War, which is undoubtedly the best MHA arc to date. We see the huge battle finally happen between heroes and villains with shocking reveals, heart-breaking moments, and tragic deaths. It contains unprecedented levels of violence and excitement where we don’t know who to support. Season 6 of the anime will be covering it and if done well, it will even be comparable to Marineford from One piece and the 4th Shinobi War from Naruto.
