Every great hero starts somewhere, and for fans of My Hero Academia, the starting point is often a single question: in what order should I watch this sprawling superhero saga? Since its 2016 debut, Kohei Horikoshi’s story of a quirkless boy who inherits legendary power has exploded into a multimedia universe spanning six TV seasons, multiple films, OVAs, and tie-in specials. Navigating it all can feel overwhelming, especially when the timeline weaves between major story arcs and side adventures. This guide breaks down both the release order and the chronological order, helping you tailor your journey through U.A. High School whether you’re attending for the first time or returning for advanced training.

Understanding the My Hero Academia Universe

At its core, My Hero Academia follows Izuku Midoriya, a teenager born without a Quirk in a world where 80% of the population possesses some superhuman ability. After a chance encounter with Japan’s greatest hero, All Might, Izuku inherits the power of One For All and enrolls at U.A. High School to pursue his dream of becoming a professional hero. The narrative thrives on high-stakes battles, emotional character arcs, and a layered exploration of what it truly means to be a hero. The anime adaptation, produced by Studio Bones, has closely followed Horikoshi’s manga while adding original scenes and entirely new animated films that nestle into specific points on the timeline. Understanding where these pieces fit is essential for a cohesive viewing experience.

Why Watch Order Matters

Unlike some long-running series where filler arcs can be neatly skipped, My Hero Academia integrates its supplementary material in ways that enhance character relationships and backstories. The three feature films—Two Heroes, Heroes Rising, and World Heroes’ Mission—are officially considered canon-adjacent; their events are referenced in the manga and add depth to key classmates like Melissa Shield, Mahoro and Katsuma, and Rody Soul. Watching them at the wrong time can either spoil later developments or leave you confused about the characters’ current abilities. Meanwhile, OVA episodes and specials often fill gaps between seasons, offering lighter moments that strengthen the bond between classmates. The order you choose shapes not just continuity, but also emotional payoff.

The Release Order: Experiencing the Series as It Aired

The simplest path for new viewers is to follow the order in which the content originally premiered. This approach respects the creators’ intended pacing and allows you to witness the evolution of animation quality, voice acting, and storytelling without any timeline headaches. Every major plot twist lands precisely when the production team planned, and you avoid internal conflicts with character power levels or relationships.

Full Release Order List

  • My Hero Academia Season 1 (2016) – Episodes 1–13
  • My Hero Academia Season 2 (2017) – Episodes 14–38
  • OVA: “Save! Rescue Training!” (2017) – Takes place after the U.A. Sports Festival but can be watched right after Season 2
  • My Hero Academia: Two Heroes (2018) – Set during a summer break trip before the Forest Training Camp, but released after Season 2
  • My Hero Academia Season 3 (2018) – Episodes 39–63
  • OVA: “Training of the Dead” (2017) – A joint training exercise with another school, blends well after early Season 3
  • My Hero Academia Season 4 (2019–2020) – Episodes 64–88
  • My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising (2019) – Set on Nabu Island during a work-studies period, best watched after Season 4
  • My Hero Academia Season 5 (2021) – Episodes 89–113
  • My Hero Academia: World Heroes’ Mission (2021) – Takes place during the Endeavor Agency arc, ideally after Episode 104 of Season 5
  • OVA: “HLB” and “Laugh! As If You Are in Hell” (2022) – Side stories that can be enjoyed after Season 5
  • My Hero Academia Season 6 (2022–2023) – Episodes 114–138
  • My Hero Academia Season 7 (2024) – Airing now, covering the Star and Stripe, U.A. Traitor, and Final War arcs

Watching in release order keeps you aligned with the global fandom and official discussion threads. It also dodges any minor continuity snags—for instance, World Heroes’ Mission premiered while Season 5 was still airing, and its placement is more intuitive when viewed between the Endeavor Agency and Paranormal Liberation War arcs, just as it was shown in theaters.

The Chronological Order: Following the In-Universe Timeline

If you prefer a narrative that flows strictly according to the calendar inside the My Hero Academia world, chronological order rearranges the movies, OVAs, and seasons to match the exact sequence of events. This method highlights how past experiences inform future actions and often reveals subtle character growth that can be missed otherwise. For example, Izuku’s evolving relationship with Bakugo feels more organic when their movie-only clashes are placed right before the internship arcs that test their fragile trust.

Complete Chronological Viewing List

  1. My Hero Academia Season 1 (Episodes 1–13): U.A. entrance exam through the first battle training and the USJ attack.
  2. My Hero Academia Season 2, Episodes 14–25: U.A. Sports Festival arc.
  3. My Hero Academia Season 2, Episodes 26–38: Hero Killer Stain arc and midterm exams.
  4. My Hero Academia: Two Heroes: Takes place during the summer break between Seasons 2 and 3, before the training camp. All Might invites Izuku to I-Island where they encounter a villain plot.
  5. OVA: “Training of the Dead”: A joint combat simulation with Isamu Academy students. Its lighthearted tone fits the summer period before serious internships.
  6. My Hero Academia Season 3, Episodes 39–50: Forest Training Camp and the Vanguard Action Squad attack; Bakugo’s rescue mission.
  7. My Hero Academia Season 3, Episodes 51–63: Provisional License Exam and the encounter with All For One.
  8. My Hero Academia Season 4, Episodes 64–76: Shie Hassaikai raid and Eri’s rescue.
  9. My Hero Academia Season 4, Episodes 77–88: Remedial Course arc and the U.A. School Festival.
  10. My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising: Takes place during the winter work-studies, after the School Festival. Class 1-A is sent to Nabu Island without their mentors and must face the towering villain Nine.
  11. My Hero Academia Season 5, Episodes 89–100: Joint Training Battle between Class 1-A and Class 1-B.
  12. My Hero Academia Season 5, Episodes 101–104: Endeavor Agency arc, where Izuku, Bakugo, and Todoroki intern under the new Number One Hero.
  13. My Hero Academia: World Heroes’ Mission: Occurs during the Endeavor Agency internship. Izuku, Bakugo, and Todoroki are dispatched internationally to stop a cult threatening to wipe out Quirks.
  14. My Hero Academia Season 5, Episodes 105–113: My Villain Academia and the lead-up to the Paranormal Liberation War.
  15. OVA: “HLB” (Hero League Baseball) and “Laugh! As If You Are in Hell”: Fun side stories that logically occur before the chaos of the war arc, after joint training.
  16. My Hero Academia Season 6, Episodes 114–138: Paranormal Liberation War, Tartarus breakout, and the Dark Hero arc.
  17. My Hero Academia Season 7: Current season, beginning with the Star and Stripe battle and the U.A. Traitor revelation.

Chronological order places a dramatic pause between the second season’s upbeat school festival and the harrowing events of the Shie Hassaikai raid, which can heighten the emotional contrast. It also integrates World Heroes’ Mission smoothly into the Endeavor Agency storyline, where Deku’s emerging Blackwhip quirk is still raw and his international mission makes narrative sense.

Which Order Should You Choose?

The decision boils down to your personal viewing style. For most newcomers, the release order is the safest and most enjoyable route. It preserves the mystery around character abilities and ensures that emotional climaxes land as the creative team originally planned. If you are a returning fan or someone who thrives on deep continuity, the chronological order can feel like a director’s cut, revealing hidden connections and foreshadowing that enrich the world.

Comparison at a Glance

  • Newcomers: Release order. It avoids spoilers, matches streaming platform defaults, and lets you share real-time reactions with the community.
  • Rewatchers: Chronological order. It’s perfect for spotting Easter eggs, tracing character development in a straight line, and catching movie references that pop up in later TV arcs.
  • Time-Limited Viewers: Release order but skip OVAs initially. The movies Two Heroes and Heroes Rising add meaningful context but can be enjoyed later; World Heroes’ Mission is more self-contained.
  • Canon Purists: Chronological order with the warning that a few OVA scenes sit slightly outside strict manga continuity. The movies are considered soft canon—events are referenced but never crucial to main plot comprehension.

No matter which path you take, the core series remains consistently strong. Season 6’s Paranormal Liberation War arc, in particular, benefits from having the earlier films in your memory because the scale of catastrophe and the heroes’ desperation feel even more weighty when you’ve seen them triumph against similarly overwhelming odds on Nabu Island and I-Island.

Where to Watch and Handy Resources

Most regions stream My Hero Academia on Crunchyroll, which carries all six seasons, the OVAs, and the films. Funimation also offers the series in select territories, while physical Blu-ray collections often include the OVAs as bonus features. For a detailed breakdown of episodes and air dates, the MyAnimeList entry is an excellent reference. The official My Hero Academia Wiki maintains strict spoiler policies and can help you verify placements without ruining surprises.

Additional Viewing Tips for Ultimate Hero Training

To immerse yourself fully, treat each story block as a training module. Season 1 establishes the dream; Season 2 tests the dream in public; the Two Heroes film shows what heroism looks like on a global stage. Then Season 3 strips away innocence, and Season 4 questions whether being a hero is enough. The movies function as high-budget special assignments that allow Class 1-A to operate without immediate adult supervision, foreshadowing their eventual independence in the later seasons.

If you enjoy podcasts or reaction videos, consider watching in release order alongside fan discussion threads. The community’s speculation about the Traitor reveal, for example, built over several years and adds a layer of shared excitement that chronological viewing can diminish. On the other hand, if you’d rather focus on character nuance, chronological order makes the growth of Shoto Todoroki, Ochaco Uraraka, and Katsuki Bakugo feel like a continuous evolution rather than a series of seasonal break leaps.

Pay special attention to the musical cues. Composer Yuki Hayashi often reprises motifs from the films during climactic moments in the TV series. Recognizing the Two Heroes theme when All Might fights his final battle or the Heroes Rising motif when Class 1-A unites creates a richer auditory tapestry (without leaning on tired metaphors).

Frequently Asked Questions

Are the movies necessary to understand the main plot?

No, the TV series stands on its own. However, the films enhance secondary character backstories and showcase original villains that expand the world. Two Heroes dives deeper into All Might’s past, Heroes Rising delivers a class-wide team fight that the anime later echoes, and World Heroes’ Mission pushes Izuku’s solo development.

What about the OVAs? When should I watch “Make It! Do-or-Die Survival Training”?

That two-part OVA fits chronologically after the U.A. Sports Festival but before the final exams. In release terms, watch it after Season 2. Other OVAs like “Training of the Dead” and the baseball episode are mostly comedic filler, safe to pause between arcs.

Will the watch order change when the next movie releases?

The fourth film, My Hero Academia: You’re Next, is set to take place after the events of Season 7, according to early reports. Once it premieres, chronological viewers will likely slot it after the current season’s conclusion. Release-order viewers will simply watch it when it becomes available and after completing the existing anime episodes.

Is the English dub worth considering?

The dub is widely praised, with voice actors like Justin Briner and Christopher Sabat delivering performances that capture the original’s spirit. The choice between sub and dub is a matter of preference, and both options are available on major streaming platforms.

How long is the total watch time?

As of Season 6, the entire series (excluding OVAs and movies) runs roughly 55 hours. Adding the three films and all OVAs pushes the total near 62 hours. It’s a substantial but rewarding investment.

Embrace Your Hero Academia Journey

Whether you follow the steady pulse of release order or trace the winding path of chronology, My Hero Academia rewards patience and attention. Every training arc, every tear-streaked victory, and every quiet moment in the dorms builds toward a larger statement about what heroism really means. The best order is the one that keeps you engaged, moved, and ready to go Plus Ultra. So pick your route, gather your friends, and step into a world where even a quirkless dreamer can become the world’s greatest hero.