The first My Hero Academia movie, My Hero Academia: Two Heroes, wasn’t just a Texas Smash or a United States of Smash. It was a worldwide smash hit, rocking the box office in Japan and even overseas. With the superhero shonen franchise getting bigger and bigger each year, it only makes sense for a new film spin-off to be in the works. The 2nd film, My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising, is set to open in Japan on December 20. To lead into the impending release of the movie, we’ve got a couple new trailers that show off a variety of climactic scenes from the hot-blooded theatrical event.
Shared via the official Twitter account for the My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising film, the first promotional video is titled “1-Nen A-Gumi Zenin Shūketsu” (All of Class 1-A, Assemble)/”Eiyū 1-Nen A-Gumi Plus Ultra” (Heroes of 1-A Plus Ultra). Despite being a contender for the lengthiest YouTube video title in history, the commemorative countdown trailer also shows off all of class 1-A in action. We get fun and casual shots of the class getting accustomed to their hero duties on the tropical island that this film takes place on. Once trouble strikes, though, every hero in the class springs to action. Besides the central figures of the film like Katsuki Bakugo, Shoto Todoroki and Izuku Midoriya getting the limelight in the trailer, we also get to see snippets of other characters from class 1-A putting their skills to use in some climactic battles.
The second trailer for My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising, meanwhile, is titled “Saikyō no Villain” (The Worst Villain)/”Saikyō no Villain Nine” (The Worst Villain Nine). As that video name suggests, this countdown trailer focuses on the mysterious villain of the film, as well as his numerous companions who plan to make trouble on the island for it’s inhabitants and class 1-A.
Like the rest of the My Hero Academia anime, the production of this film is being handled by studio BONES. Kenji Nagasaki and Yousuke Kuroda, central directors and scriptwriters for the anime series and the previous film, are set to return as director and scriptwriter for this latest film. Yoshihiko Umakoshi is also returning to handle character design, while Yuuki Hayashi will be composing even more incredible music for the film. The theme song for the film, meanwhile, is a track titled “Higher Ground” by rock band sumika.
Alongside the returning voice actors from the series, My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising has the following guest cast members:
- Tomoyo Kurosawa as Mahoro
- Yuka Terasaki as Katsuma
- Yoshio Inoue as Nine
- Mio Imada as Slice
- Kousuke Toriumi as Mummy
- Shunsuke Takeuchi as Chimera
- Yūichi Nakamura as Hawks
The casting of Yūichi Nakamura as Hawks is especially noteworthy, While many of these characters are film-original characters without any ties to the main series, Hawks is a very special exception. He’s a major player in the original manga, being the current Number 2 Pro Hero. Hawks will make his animated debut in this film, before eventually appearing in the tv anime.
Anyone lucky enough to attend a screening of My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising in theaters in Japan will receive a special exclusive manga by My Hero Academia author Kohei Horikoshi. It’s titled My Hero Academia Vol. Rising, and will be included in a special booklet that participating retailers plan to hand out to attendees. The full booklet contains an exclusive interview with Horikoshi, special character design images, original character sketches for the brand new film characters, and a gorgeous original cover illustration.
According to AnimeNewsNetwork, this might be the last time My Hero Academia graces the silver screen. When asked about more films in the franchise, he’s quoted as saying “there won’t be a third film. Probably.” Apparently, he’s treating My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising as a sort of finale for the series. That’s attributed partially to the fact that the story of the film uses concepts that he originally had in mind to be used in the manga’s final battle. Much like the last film in the series, Horikoshi has overall supervision of this film, making these spin-offs far more canonical and meaningful than regular anime film spinoffs.
Boku no Hero Academia (My Hero Academia), abbreviated as HeroAca, is a Japanese superhero manga series written and illustrated by Kōhei Horikoshi. It has been serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump since July 2014, and, as of February 2019, 22 volumes have been collected in tankobon format. The story follows Izuku Midoriya, a boy born without superpowers (called quirks) in a world where they have become commonplace, but who still dreams of becoming a hero. He is scouted by Japan’s greatest hero, who shares his quirk with Izuku after recognizing his potential, and later helps to enroll him in a prestigious high school for heroes in training.
The manga was adapted into an anime television series by Bones. Its first season aired in Japan from April 3rd, 2016, followed by the second season in 2017, then the third season in 2018. An animated film titled Boku no Hero Academia: Two Heroes was released on August 3rd, 2018. A second animated film is in production and there are plans for a live-action film by Legendary Entertainment.
The series has been licensed for English-language release by Viz Media and began serialization in their weekly digital manga anthology Weekly Shonen Jump on February 9th, 2015. Shueisha began to publish the series in English on the website and app Manga Plus in January 2019.
Boku no Hero Academia synopsis:
One day, a four-year-old boy came to a sudden realization: the world is not fair. Eighty percent of the world’s population wield special abilities, known as “quirks,” which have given many the power to make their childhood dreams of becoming a superhero a reality. Unfortunately, Izuku Midoriya was one of the few born without a quirk, suffering from discrimination because of it. Yet, he refuses to give up on his dream of becoming a hero; determined to do the impossible, Izuku sets his sights on the elite hero training academy, UA High.
However, everything changes after a chance meeting with the number one hero and Izuku’s idol, All Might. Discovering that his dream is not a dead end, the powerless boy undergoes special training, working harder than ever before. Eventually, this leads to him inheriting All Might’s power, and with his newfound abilities, gets into his school of choice, beginning his grueling journey to become the successor of the best hero on the planet.
