“Every day you get another opportunity to redeem yourself; this series really shows that”: An interview with the cast of My Hero Academia on the final season
An inspiring hero’s journey, one that has taken its viewers through a whirlwind of unforgettable action sequences and everlasting emotional impacts, My Hero Academia celebrates its almost decade-long run with a final season. Kohei Horikoshi – a fan of Western comic book stories and heroes, like those seen in Marvel and DC – creates a fantastical world full of action and heart. Set far into the future, where mutated individuals with unique abilities and superpowers called “quirks” make up 80% of the population, My Hero Academia follows Izuku Midoriya, a quirkless teenager who dreams of becoming the number one hero. This gilded title is held by the mysterious and unwavering “Symbol of Peace” known as All Might. A chance encounter with his idol takes Izuku on a dark and dangerous path towards his dreams, one he all-too-happily accepts in hopes of saving people with a fearless smile. My Hero Academia tackles an exhaustive list of themes, including discrimination, corrupt governmental institutions, criminal rehabilitation, and abusive family dynamics. This is all wrapped in the flourish of the typical high school coming-of-age and the relentless questions of what it means to be a hero and do good for the world.
The Upcoming caught up with the English voice actors of the show to celebrate the end of the My Hero Academia era. Luci Christian and Leah Clark, voices behind Ochaco Uraraka and Himiko Toga, started by exchanging notes on their favourite arcs from the anime. Christian highlighted the UA Sports Festival in the second season, while Clark found herself drawn to the final battle between Ochaco and Toga. Christian dove deep into Ochaco’s development, specifically focusing on how her motivations changed from wanting to provide for her family to wanting to help people because it’s the right thing to do. Clark reflected on her initial thoughts about Himiko and how that gradually shifted as she got to know her character. The two looked back on the importance of the My Hero Academia fandom throughout its nine years of airing.
Justin Briner led this next group’s discussion and talked about his experience with reading the original manga. This was something he did not do solely for research for the show and his character, Izuku, but because of his own investment in the story. He commented on the most memorable action sequences of the series, but also highlighted the importance of the intricate and silent moments with the characters that helped shape their personalities and added to their individual arcs. Clifford Chapin, voice actor for Katsuki Bakugo, expanded on his time with the character and applauded My Hero Academia for its tackling of the theme of “winning to save and saving to win”. Christopher Sabat, a veteran voice actor who had worked on titles like Dragon Ball Z, marvelled in his attachment to All Might, the essence of the Symbol of Peace, and his early interaction with Horikoshi. Patrick Seitz, who took on the role of the main antagonist, All for One, discussed his character’s motivations and the relationship between All for One and his brother, which catalysed the plot of My Hero Academia.
Class 1-A figures also talked about their experience with Horikoshi’s work. Christopher Wehkamp – voice of Shota Aizawa, 1-A’s homeroom teacher – mentioned his character’s constant state of being in mortal danger and his musings on whether Aizawa would make it out alive by the end of the series. J Michael Tatum fondly remarked on his similarities with Tenya Iida, the class representative of 1-A. He also spoke of his favourite Tenya moments and the emotional recording session during Izuku’s reunion with his classmates in the Dark Hero arc. Justin Cook, voice of Eijiro Kirirshima, sang praises for their production team, who worked on the English version of the anime.
Finally, we were joined by members of the Todoroki family: Patrick Seitz, the voice of the patriarch, Enji, and David Matranga and Jason Liebrecht, who voiced his sons Shoto and Toya. They all spoke about their lingering sentiments about their characters’ storyline, mostly focusing on Enji and Touya’s redemption arcs. Matranga expanded on the found family aspect of his character’s journey and the importance of Shoto finding solace in his teachers and classmates in place of his abusive father. Seitz opened up about playing a complex character like Enji and the fulfilment in being able to portray all the different layers of nuance in the hero. Liebrecht outlined the theme of forgiving oneself and the chance at redemption every day.
Mae Trumata
My Hero Academia season eight is released on 4th October 2025.
Watch the trailer for My Hero Academia season eight here:
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