My Hero Academia Watch Order (2026): 8 Seasons, 4 Movies & Specials
My Hero Academia is finished. The manga ended in August 2024, the anime wrapped its eighth and final season in December 2025, and 2026 added two anniversary specials that close the story for good. That makes now the cleanest possible time to watch the whole thing start to finish. This is the complete My Hero Academia watch order for 2026 — every season, all four movies, and where the specials fit — with episode counts and streaming for each.
The good news for new viewers: the main series has no confusing branches. Watch the eight seasons in numerical order and you are done. The only decisions are whether to add the four movies and where to slot the 2026 specials, and both are answered below.
My Hero Academia Watch Order at a Glance (2026)
Here is the full My Hero Academia watch order in one table, movies included. If you only want the TV story, watch the eight seasons in order and skip the film rows.
| # | Title | Type | Episodes | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Season 1 | TV | 13 | 2016 |
| 2 | Season 2 | TV | 25 | 2017 |
| ★ | Two Heroes | Movie | — | 2018 |
| 3 | Season 3 | TV | 25 | 2018 |
| 4 | Season 4 | TV | 25 | 2019–2020 |
| ★ | Heroes Rising | Movie | — | 2019 |
| 5 | Season 5 | TV | 25 | 2021 |
| ★ | World Heroes' Mission | Movie | — | 2021 |
| 6 | Season 6 | TV | 25 | 2022–2023 |
| 7 | Season 7 | TV | 21 | 2024 |
| ★ | You're Next | Movie | — | 2024 |
| 8 | Final Season (S8) | TV | 11 | 2025 |
| ★ | "More" epilogue | Special | 1 | 2026 |
| ★ | I Am a Hero Too | Short | 1 | 2026 |
That is 170 TV episodes across eight seasons, plus four films and two 2026 specials. If you are already planning a shelf while you binge, Akibato ships My Hero Academia figures and Ichiban Kuji prizes from Japan, so the collecting can start on day one.
The Simplest Watch Order: Seasons 1 to 8
For a first watch, the answer is short: play Season 1 through the Final Season in numerical order. The main plot never splits, so there is no chronological puzzle to solve.
- Season 1 (2016) — Deku inherits One For All and enters U.A. High.
- Season 2 (2017) — The Sports Festival and the Stain arc.
- Season 3 (2018) — Forest training camp and the Kamino confrontation.
- Season 4 (2019–2020) — The Shie Hassaikai arc and Eri's rescue.
- Season 5 (2021) — Joint training and My Villain Academia.
- Season 6 (2022–2023) — The Paranormal Liberation War.
- Season 7 (2024) — Star and Stripe and the final war begins.
- Final Season / Season 8 (2025) — The last battle against All For One and Shigaraki.
The eighth season was marketed as My Hero Academia: Final Season. It ran 11 episodes from October 4 to December 13, 2025, adapting the manga's closing chapters and ending Deku's main story.
My Hero Academia Movies in Order (and Where They Fit)
There are four My Hero Academia movies. They are side stories that creator Kohei Horikoshi oversaw, so they are best described as loosely canon — fun and consistent, but not required to follow the plot. If you want them during a first run, this is where each one slots in.
| Movie | Year | Watch after |
|---|---|---|
| Two Heroes | 2018 | Season 2 (after ep. 38) |
| Heroes Rising | 2019 | Season 4 (after ep. 100) |
| World Heroes' Mission | 2021 | Season 5 (after ep. 113) |
| You're Next | 2024 | Season 7 (after ep. 4) |
Two Heroes sits between the Final Exam and Forest Training arcs and introduces Melissa Shield. Heroes Rising takes place before Shigaraki's rise and delivers one of the franchise's biggest emotional payoffs. World Heroes' Mission plays during the early Paranormal Liberation War timeframe, and You're Next — the most recent film — follows Star and Stripe's battle. None of them changes the TV plot, so you can safely watch all four after the series if you prefer.
The 2026 Anniversary Specials: "More" and "I Am a Hero Too"
2026 marks the anime's 10th anniversary (it debuted in April 2016), and the studio used it to give the story a proper send-off with two extras. Both come after the Final Season.
- "More" (epilogue special) — Premiered May 2, 2026. It adapts the bonus chapter bundled with the manga's final volume, jumping roughly eight years past graduation to show how Hero Society and Deku turned out. Crunchyroll streamed it outside Asia.
- "I Am a Hero Too" (short) — A six-minute short centered on an older Eri, based on a one-shot from the Ultra Age fanbook. It premiered at Anime Expo in July 2026 and released globally on August 3, 2026 (August 2 on Crunchyroll).
Watch both last. They are epilogues, not new chapters, so seeing them before the Final Season would spoil the ending.
Release Order vs. Chronological Order
For most series, this is where watch guides get complicated. For My Hero Academia it does not. The release order and the chronological order of the TV seasons are identical — Season 1 through the Final Season play in the same sequence events actually happen.
The only nuance is the movies, which are set inside gaps between seasons rather than after the whole show. If you care about strict chronology, use the film placements in the table above. If you just want the cleanest story, watch the eight seasons in order and treat the films as bonus viewing afterward. Either way you will not miss anything essential.
If you enjoy this kind of clean, branch-free timeline, two other big series work the same way — our Demon Slayer watch order and Jujutsu Kaisen watch order guides lay out their films and seasons the same way.
Are There Fillers? OVAs and What You Can Skip
My Hero Academia has almost no filler. The TV seasons adapt the manga closely, so there are no long anime-original arcs to skip. New viewers can watch every numbered episode without worrying about padding.
The truly optional material is:
- OVAs — Short specials such as Save! Rescue Training and Training of the Dead. They are self-contained and skippable; none affects the main plot.
- My Hero Academia: Vigilantes — A separate spin-off anime (2025) set before the main series. It is a prequel side story, not part of the core watch order. Save it for after you finish the main show if you want more.
Bottom line: there is no filler list to memorize here. The main eight seasons are all essential viewing.
Where to Watch My Hero Academia (Streaming in 2026)
Crunchyroll is the home base. It carries every season, the OVAs, and the movies, in both subtitled and English-dubbed versions, and it is where the 2026 specials landed first (the dub typically arrives about two weeks after the Japanese broadcast).
- Crunchyroll — All eight seasons, the four movies, and the 2026 specials.
- Netflix / Hulu — Carry select seasons and the earlier films in some regions; availability varies, so check your country.
- Digital rental/purchase — Apple TV, Amazon, and Google Play offer all four movies to rent or buy.
Streaming rights change often and differ by region, so confirm on your platform before you start. Crunchyroll is the safest single subscription for watching the entire franchise in one place.
What to Collect While You Watch
Now that the story is complete, My Hero Academia has become a settled collector's franchise rather than a moving target — the character lineup and the biggest moments are locked in, which is exactly when figure lines and Ichiban Kuji sets are worth chasing. If you want a map of the major releases, our My Hero Academia figures guide breaks down every line and where to buy.
When you are ready to build a shelf, Akibato ships My Hero Academia figures and Ichiban Kuji prizes directly from Japan, so you can pick up Deku, Bakugo, All Might, and Shigaraki pieces while you make your way through the seasons.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many seasons of My Hero Academia are there?
Eight. The series ran from 2016 to 2025, with the eighth entry marketed as the Final Season. Two 2026 specials, "More" and "I Am a Hero Too," close the story after Season 8.
How many episodes is My Hero Academia in total?
170 TV episodes across the eight seasons (13 + 25 + 25 + 25 + 25 + 25 + 21 + 11), not counting the movies, OVAs, or 2026 specials.
Do I need to watch the My Hero Academia movies?
No. All four films are loosely canon side stories that do not change the main plot. They are worth watching for the action and character moments, but you can enjoy the full story with the TV seasons alone.
Is My Hero Academia finished?
Yes. The manga ended in August 2024, the anime's Final Season concluded in December 2025, and the 2026 anniversary specials wrap up the epilogue. The main story is complete.
Where should I watch the 2026 specials?
Watch "More" and "I Am a Hero Too" last, after the Final Season. Both premiered on Crunchyroll — "More" on May 2, 2026, and "I Am a Hero Too" on August 2–3, 2026.
Key Takeaways
- Watch the eight TV seasons in numerical order — there are no branches, and release order matches chronological order.
- The series is 170 episodes total; the Final Season (11 episodes) aired in late 2025.
- The four movies are optional side stories; slot them after Seasons 2, 4, 5, and 7 if you want them in-timeline.
- Finish with the 2026 specials "More" (May) and "I Am a Hero Too" (August) — they are epilogues, so save them for last.
- Crunchyroll is the one platform that carries the entire franchise; Netflix and Hulu vary by region.
Sources
- Wikipedia — My Hero Academia season 8
- Wikipedia — My Hero Academia
- Collider — My Hero Academia locks a May 2026 release for its new finale episode
- CBR — Where all 4 My Hero Academia movies fit into the timeline
- ComicBook — My Hero Academia confirms release for the anime's return after finale
- Screen Rant — Every My Hero Academia movie in order and where to watch