‘My Hero Academia’ Season 8 Episode 1 review: “Toshinori Yagi: Rising Origin”

Based on the popular manga series written and illustrated by Kōhei Horikoshi, Studio Bones has a high bar to clear.

Coming on the heels of two formidable seasons, My Hero Academia Season 8 Episode 1, to its credit, thrusts us straight into the action rather than reacclimating us to the world or the current fight. The message is clear: at this point, you’re either onboard or not, and with the countdown begun, there’s no time left for filler or re-introductions. At most, “Toshinori Yagi: Rising Origin” replays some of the Season 7 finale. But there’s little overt or excessive exposition. Which is good because, frankly, there’s room for little else.

My Hero Academia Season 8 Episode 1 gives the primary focus to All Might (Kenta Miyake) and his ongoing battle with the rapidly regenerating All for One (Hiroshi Kamiya). It’s a spectacle of clashing personalities and virtues that highlight the sometimes diminished growth All Might has undergone. The premiere highlights just how far he’s come. His understanding of his power – or, rather, his lack thereof – is finally on par with that of his protege, Izuku Midoriya (Daiki Yamashita). Here is a figure who once stood and told Midoriya he couldn’t be a hero without a quirk. And yes, he quickly saw the inherent heroism Midoriya possessed, but he still believed the only way forward was by passing on One for All – a powerful, stockpiling quirk. Now, finally, it seems that All Might has recognized the power that comes from the quirkless.

In contrast, All for One succumbs to a near, desperate state in their battle, his ego struggling to maintain composure as All Might taunts him while pummeling him through the skies. This All Might is fearsome not so much in his fighting skills but in how he pulls at every thread keeping All for One afloat. As All for One grows younger and younger with each devastating hit, their differences become increasingly potent. All Might is willing to grow, change, and learn – to age and bear the triumphs of it. One for All can only succumb to the glory of past pursuits.

All Might looms large but another character gets the real hero moment.

All of this is aided by the suit that All Might wears, which, design-wise, is still rendered a little goofy. Horikoshi has never attempted to conceal the Western superhero iconography that influences his work (there is more than one Spider-Man-like homage in his characters). But he does manage to maintain a fresh fun with just how silly his characters look. If all superheroes maintained Peter Parker’s first attempts at a cowl and costume rather than racing straight for the “cool factor.”

In most cases, these designs are created by teenagers. They should look scrappy, tacky, and a little ill-informed. Of course, All Might is an adult, but the spirit remains even if it takes a second to accept the final product. What makes the suit more than just a last-ditch, loophole is the fact that it isn’t impervious to All for One’s attacks, and that a member of Class 1-A inspires each attack. Otherwise, it would have fallen into the ‘too little, too late’ box, just to service a major character in the final arc of the series.

However, despite All Might stealing most of the spotlight, he isn’t the highlight. Instead, the best moment of My Hero Academia Season 8 Episode 1 goes to Aoyama (Kosuke Kuwano) and Hagakure (Kaori Nazuka). The ensemble in the series is dense and sprawling, yet it still manages to surprise when B- and C-tier characters get their breakout, heroic moments.

Aoyama and Hagakure sparkle in My Hero Academia Season 8 Episode 1.

And there’s no denying that Aoyama and Hagakure’s teamwork delivers not just the most emotionally resonating moment but also more striking animation. Dynamic and full of life, the sequence where Hagakure appears to help Aoyama navigate his laser quirk is an explosion of necessary vibrancy. As Hagakure becomes fully visible—the first time in the series—the episode delivers a flurry of color as her form settles into the otherwise morose setting. The written payoff with Aoyama using his quirk despite his body’s limitations is already a narrative triumph. The animation emphasizes the high, even if both characters realize there’s more work ahead.

In contrast, too much of the All Might fight is dour, swathed in grays and rainfall. So often, viewers criticize the anime for its abundance of blue skies and primary color palettes. Yet the interfering storm clouds only serve to remind us of the re-emergence of the sun, a wise choice, if deliberate. Luckily, All for One’s glowing form and, more importantly, the return of Stain intercepts the monotonous gray. Stain is another choice that could be seen as hokey but since his debut he has existed in the margins, his beliefs warped and manipulated.

My Hero Academia Season 8 Episode 1 , serves as an intense premiere that propels us into the final arc of the series with gusto. While it falls short of the highs of Season 7, it serves as a foundation on which the rest of the story will build. All Might lays the course so Midoriya and the rest of the young heroes can seek a better future.

My Hero Academia Season 8 Episode 1 , is now available on Crunchyroll, with new episodes released every Saturday. 

Images courtesy of Studio Bones and Crunchyroll. 

Allyson Johnson

Based in New England, Allyson is co-founder and Editor-in-Chief of InBetweenDrafts. Former Editor-in-Chief at TheYoungFolks, she is a member of the Boston Society of Film Critics and the Boston Online Film Critics Association. Her writing has also appeared at CambridgeDay, ThePlaylist, Pajiba, VagueVisages, RogerEbert, TheBostonGlobe, Inverse, Bustle, her Substack, and every scrap of paper within her reach.