Summary
My Hero Academiaquickly became one of the most popular shōnen action series for a multitude of reasons,with one of the biggest ones being its fair share of high-octane and exciting fights. Author Kohei Horikoshi really knows how to write some truly intense clashes that put his character’s abilities to the test.
As high quality as the original manga is, there have been several times in which theMy Hero Academiaanime – which is animated by Bones – has managed to not only perfectly adapt some of these fights, but also improve on them with its impeccable animation, voice acting, soundtrack and more. This has already happened plenty of times, but the following eight fights are the most prominent examples of this occurrence.
8Izuku Midoriya vs. Shoto Todoroki
An Incredible Battle That Changed The Show’s Reputation
TheMy Hero Academiaanime kicked off with a very solid first season that was on par with the manga in terms of quality. But Season 2 is truly when this show made a huge impact on the industry, with the climactic fight betweenDekuandTodorokiduring the U.A. Sports Festival being the standout moment of the entire season.
This intense encounter between these two rivals was already quite emotional in the manga, but Bones’ adaptation took it to a whole new level with its voice acting, music score, and, most important of all, the animation. The final moment of the fight, in which Todoroki unleashes his Flashfreeze Heatwave against Deku, is still one of the most astounding moments in the entire anime, even after 6 years since the original airing of this episode.
7All Might vs. All For One
The Finishing Move Alone Cemented It As One Of The Best Fights In All Of Anime
For a long time, viewers were told about the impending rivalry between the Symbol of Peace,All Might, and the Symbol of Evil,All For One. But none of it felt real until All For One himself was properly introduced to the story during the Hideout Raid Arc, and he immediately proved how dangerous he truly was.
The clash between these two icons of the past generation was as exciting as it was emotional, with All For One making use of his numerous stolen quirks and All Might wielding the final remaining embers of One For All. Seeing the #1 Pro Hero keep fighting despite his poor condition was really inspiring,and it all culminated with his amazing final attack: United States of Smash. The fluid animation of this move, combined with Kenta Miyake’s breathtaking performance, cemented this moment as one of the most incredible in all ofMy Hero Academia.
6Izuku Midoriya vs. Katsuki Bakugo
Closing Off Season 3 With An Amazing Final Battle
The second half of Season 3 – which focused on the Provisional Hero License Exam Arc - was far from bad, but it definitely lacked a big emotional battle when compared to the first half.But viewers were ultimately proven wrong when longtime rivals,Izuku MidoriyaandKatsuki Bakugo, engaged in an intense battle in one of the season’s final episodes.
The rematch between Deku and Bakugo features some of the most fluid, impressive, and downright breathtaking animation in all ofMy Hero Academia, which was quite impressive for a fight that was originally overshadowed by more ambitious clashes in the manga. And the final touch is Nobuhiko Okamoto’s incredible performance as Bakugo, which added a much-needed dose of emotional impact to the entire encounter.
5Izuku Midoriya vs. Overhaul
An Epic Battle Against A Giant Kaiju
At the very end of the intense Shie Hassaikai Arc, the main antagonist,Overhaulused his powerful quirk to fuse with some of his subordinates and turn himself into a menacing giant monster. With the help of Eri and her quirk, Rewind,Dekumanaged to get One For All to 100% and face this intimidating beast at full power. This battle was already quite monumental in the manga, but the anime version was on another level.
The animation on display here was truly unbelievable, as getting to witness Deku at his full power, flying around and destroying Overhaul’s monstrous form piece by piece was extremely satisfying. His final flurry of punches in particular was perfectly animated and demonstrated how terrified Overhaul was when he was about to be defeated. Thanks to all of its components, viewers of this fight could actually feel Deku’s high power, something that is not as easy to convey in the medium of manga.
4Endeavor vs. Hood
A Fiery Clash That Changed Endeavor Forever
For a long time, fans believed it was impossible for the current #1 Pro Hero,Endeavor, to ever live up to All Might’s legacy. But they were proven wrong when he was forced to fight and defeat the High-End Nomu known asHood. Animating fire is not always easy, but the artists at Bones managed to make every single fiery attack coming from Endeavor look both beautiful and powerful, and his synergy with Hawks resulted in some amazing coordinated attacks.
But the big star of this fight is voice actor Tetsu Inada, who portrays Endeavor, who proudly exclaims “Plus Ultra!” while finishing off Hood with his Prominence Burn. He finally accepted the motto of U.A. High School,which marked the beginning of his complex character development. The use of silence and music at the very end, to create suspense before showing that Endeavor came out victorious, was also extremely clever on the anime’s part.
3Izuku Midoriya vs. Lady Nagant
The Intense Climax Of Deku’s Dark Hero Arc
There’s no doubt thatthe Dark Hero Arc was one of the darkest and most intense moments forIzuku Midoriya, and it needed an over-the-top climactic encounter in order to prove how serious the protagonist had gotten. Fortunately, this is exactly why his clash withLady Nagantwas written into the plot, and it worked perfectly.
This fight had two major goals: To demonstrate how skilled Deku had gotten at using his new quirks granted by One For All and to show off Lady Nagant’s dangerous sniping abilities. Thanks to the dynamic animation, viewers could get a much better sense of scope when compared to the original manga, as it was much easier to pinpoint exactly where each character was located. And of course, Deku finished the encounter off with a beautifully animated Manchester Smash that looked even more impressive in motion when compared to the manga.
2Tomura Shigaraki vs. Star And Stripe
Kicking Off Season 7 With A Mind-Blowing Battle
The fight betweenTomura ShigarakiandStar and Stripewas infamous among manga fans for a few years, due to its brief duration and the abrupt death of the #1 American Pro Hero after so much buildup. While Kohei Horikoshi’s art was at its best during this entire battle, it wasn’t enough to save its reputation. But this negativity was almost entirely suppressed by the anime adaptation.
Season 7 ofMy Hero Academiastarted with this fight, and it was so incredibly adapted that most fans felt it was completely redeemed. This was mostly because ofthe impeccable animation that was not only used to better explain Star and Stripe’s complex New Order quirkbut also translated her over-the-top attacks into some of the most epic set pieces in the entire show. The music and voice acting also helped improve this fight a lot, especially at the end when Cathleen Bate sacrifices herself in order to heavily weaken Shigaraki, which hit way harder in the anime.
1Ochaco Uraraka vs. Himiko Toga
One Of The Weakest Parts Of The Final War Arc Became One Of The Strongest Ones
The Final War Arc is filled to the brim with many long-awaited and intense encounters, so some of them were naturally going to feel less exciting than others. This is what originally happened to the climactic final encounter betweenOchaco UrarakaandHimiko Togabecause, while it was far from bad, it was nowhere near as interesting as other fights set within the same arc.
However, this fight’s reputation was completely redeemed in the anime,and it is now considered one of the strongest points of this arc. The use of color and music certainly benefited it, but even other elements that usually hinder an anime’s quality helped it exponentially, like the use of CGI animation or reused flashbacks. Uraraka and Toga’s encounter feels much bigger and more ambitious in the anime, and the two voice actresses involved, Ayane Sakura and Misato Fukuen, did an excellent job of expressing their characters' respective troubles and ideals. Lastly, the moment in which Uraraka awakens her quirk and makes the army of Twice clones float felt downright magical in the adaptation.
