Few anime have balanced explosive action andemotionalstorytelling quite like My Hero Academia. What started as a tale of a powerless boy chasing an impossible dream evolved into something much deeper, a series about legacy, loss, ideals, and what it truly means to be a hero in a flawed world.
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Over the years, My Hero Academia has delivered moments thatshook fansto the core, episodes that redefined characters, exposed uncomfortable truths, and left us staring at the screen long after the credits rolled. These episodes weren’t just well-animated or beautifully scored. They mattered. They carried weight. They sparked conversations, tears, and goosebumps.
Here are the best episodes of My Hero Academia, ranked by there impact on the viewers.
8Lemillion
S4, Episode 11
Season 4, Episode 11 marked one of the most defining moments in My Hero Academia, not for Midoriya or All Might, but for Mirio Togata, the man who was once considered the closest to inheriting One For All.
This episode, titled “Lemillion,” was a masterclass in what it means to be a hero, even when stripped of all yourstrength. During the brutal raid on Shie Hassaikai’s underground hideout, Mirio finds himself face-to-face with Overhaul in a desperate attempt to rescue Eri, a young girl who has never known safety. For several minutes, he fights alone, outnumbered, outgunned, and eventually, de-quirked.
The moment Mirio loses his Quirk to Chronostasis' bullet is where this episode becomes unforgettable. Instead of backing down, he keeps fighting, dodging fatal attacks with only his instincts, raw will, and years of hard-earned training. Every blow he throws after that moment tells the viewer one thing: being a hero isn’t about powers. It’s about choice.
7Symbol Of Peace
S3, Episode 10
All Might’s final fight against All For One in Season 3, Episode 10 was more than just the end of an era, it was the passing of a torch, delivered through flames, punches, and the iconic cry of “United States of Smash!”
This episode brought the weight of eight seasons’ worth of All Might’s legacy crashing down in a single confrontation. For years, All Might had been Japan’s unwavering pillar of hope. But this battle laid bare the physical cost of that legacy. His emaciated form could barely hold the weight of his power anymore, but that didn’t stop him from going beyond for one last mission.
The fight choreography was nothing short of cinematic. The animators at Studio Bones poured every ounce of emotional storytelling into the battle. Even the pacing slowed down as All Might’s embers flickered. There’s a raw vulnerability in watching the Number One Hero’s secret exposed to the world, and yet, in that moment, he stands tall.
6Dabi’s Dance
S6, Episode 11
Season 6, Episode 11 gave fans what they had been speculating for years, confirmation of Dabi’s true identity. But it didn’t just reveal a name; it blew a hole through the Todoroki family’s fragile façade and set fire to the nation’s trust in its heroes.
When Dabi climbs the transmission tower during the aftermath of the Paranormal Liberation War and broadcasts his message to the entire country, the reveal lands like a bomb. Dabi is Toya Todoroki, Endeavor’s supposedly dead firstborn son, back from the ashes with a grudge and receipts.
This wasn’t a twist for shock value. The seeds of Dabi’s true identity had been planted throughout the anime, from his flames being hotter than Endeavor’s to his odd interest in Shoto. But the strength of “Dabi’s Dance” lies in how it forces us to view heroism through a darker lens. The episode intercuts his monologue with flashbacks, screams, and Endeavor’s stunned silence, giving fans a painful look at the cost of unchecked ambition.
5Shoto Todoroki: Origin
S2, Episode 10
For a character introduced as cold and distant, Shoto Todoroki’s emotional thawing in Season 2, Episode 10 was a moment that resonated deeply with fans, especially those who understand what it means to carry the weight of a parent’s expectations.
The episode takes place during the U.A. Sports Festival’s final rounds, where Todoroki faces Midoriya in what became one of the series’ most beloved and character-driven battles. But this fight wasn’t about victory, it was about identity.
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Midoriya pushes Todoroki not with arrogance, but with empathy. He tells him to stop running from his fire side, the side inherited from Endeavor, the father he hates. And for the first time, Todoroki hesitates. He sees the truth behind Midoriya’s words, and what follows is a cathartic eruption of fire and emotion as he finally uses his full strength, not for his father, but for himself.
4His Start
S4, Episode 25
This season finale did something rare, it brought calm after the storm, but it wasn’t empty. It was emotionally loaded.
Endeavor, freshly declared the #1 hero after All Might’s retirement, hadn’t earned the people’s trust. Not yet. But he was ready to try.
When the Nomu High-End attacks, the city watches anxiously. And for the first time, Endeavor has to fight not to impress, but to protect. It’s the most brutal battle he’s ever had, one that pushes him to the brink and forces him to redefine what kind of hero he wants to be.
The final shot, Endeavor raising his fist into the air as he collapses in victory, is hauntingly similar to All Might’s pose. But it’s not a copy. It’s a statement: I’m not All Might. I’m something else. I’m starting now.
This episode turned one of the anime’s most hated characters into one of its most complicated. It marked the beginning of Endeavor’s redemption arc, and, perhaps, of a new kind of hero.
3Deku Vs Kacchan, Part 2
S3, Episode 23
Midoriya and Bakugo, childhood friends turned rivals, had been dancing around their unresolved tension for years. But when Bakugo learns the truth about One For All, it all boils over.
He’s angry, not at Midoriya, but at himself. For being strong, but not chosen. For feeling responsible for All Might’s downfall. For seeing someone he used to look down on rise past him.
The fight is raw. There are no cheering crowds. No tournament stakes. Just two kids throwing everything they have at each other in the middle of the night.
2Infinite 100%
S4, Episode 13
There are a few scenes in My Hero Academia that fans instantly associate with peak emotion and animation, and this is one of them.
As Eri’s quirk spirals out of control, Deku does the impossible. He taps into One For All: Full Cowl at 100%, and with Eri rewinding the damage in real-time, he’s finally able to move without limits.
The moment he floats above the battlefield, sparkling with energy and hope, you feel it. This is the kind of hero Eri needed. This is the kind of hero All Might once promised to be.
Overhaul, who had been untouchable until now, crumbles before the sheer force of Deku’s will and power.
The visuals during this sequence, combined with Yuki Hayashi’s breathtaking soundtrack, elevated it to legendary status. Even people who had dropped the anime came back just to witness this.
1One For All
S3, Episode 11
Following the events of “Symbol of Peace,” this episode explores the aftermath, and the weight, of All Might’s final battle.
It shows us two faces of Japan. One that cheers. One that panics.
We see Midoriya sobbing, terrified and unsure. We see Bakugo, silent, conflicted, finally grasping what being a hero really costs. And we see All Might, exhausted and powerless, still smiling for the people even as his secret is finally exposed.
When he points at the screen and whispers “You’re next,” it’s not bravado. It’s a farewell.
This episode wasn’t just an ending. It was a funeral for the world’s greatest protector, and the beginning of a new, uncertain era.
My Hero Academia
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