One of the most popular manga/anime series is My Hero Academia (MHA), created by Kōhei Horikoshi. The best-selling superhero saga is divided into distinct story arcs. With 22 story arcs currently available, here are all the major MHA story arcs ranked from worst to best.
All Major My Hero Academia (MHA) Arcs, Ranked from Worst to Best
My Hero Academia is set in a world where people develop superpowers, known as Quirks, either deciding to use them for good as a Pro Hero or for their own nefarious ends as supervillains. The series follows protagonist Izuku Midoriya, who trains to become a Pro Hero at U.A. High School, taking on rival classmates and sinister villains lurking in the shadows. However, not every MHA story is created equal.
16. U.A. Sports Festival Arc
Covering Chapters 22-29 of the manga and Episodes 13.5-20 of the anime, the U.A. Sports Festival Arc has the U.A. High School students put on a showcase for the visiting Pro Heroes. Your enjoyment of this low-stakes arc varies depending on how much you appreciate MHA’s sense of humor and sillier characters as they stand at the forefront of this story. Utterly forgettable, the arc has little impact on the overarching narrative that isn’t better handled elsewhere.
15. Remedial Course Arc
Running in Chapters 163-168 and Episodes 78-80, the Remedial Course Arc is another light-hearted romp between more intense MHA story arcs. After failing their exams, Katsuki Bakugo and Shoto Todoroki are saddled with taking care of children from a local primary school. More glorified filler, the arc doesn’t really add anything new to the story, and its shift in tone in between larger, darker arcs is completely jarring.
14. Entrance Exam Arc
Like many stories, MHA starts on a shaky foot as it finds its own voice and direction while introducing its premise and ensemble cast. Running for the first four chapters and episodes of the series, the Entrance Exam Arc is Izuku at his least likable, seemingly without his own Quirk in a world full of them. MHA quickly finds its narrative footing, but its opening chapters are among its most uneven.
13. Provisional Hero License Exam Arc
Kicking off the Rise of the Villains Saga, the Provisional Hero License Exam Arc runs from Chapters 98-121 and Episodes 51-62. The heroes prepare for their temporary certifications as Pro Heroes, the next big step in their training. A filler arc with some poor characterizations across the board, this story goes on way too long for a contrived way to put the main characters on active duty.
12. U.A School Festival Arc
The U.A. School Arc, in Chapters 1691-83 and Episodes 81-86, has the students put on a public celebration to help bring them closer to the community around them, with the proceedings disrupted by an annoying outsider. The anime wisely condenses this story more than the manga, and while the world-building and themes make it more interesting than the Sports Festival Arc, it still overstays its welcome. It’s another bit of relatively inconsequential filler that the anime actually improves upon.
11. Final Exams Arc
It is no great coincidence that many of the weakest arcs in MHA are ones set primarily within the school, mitigating the sense of stakes and narratively spinning their wheels. The Final Exams Arc, in Chapters 60-69 and Episodes 34-38, is no different, as the students prepare for both written and field exams to prove their worth. Making up for the annoying prominence of Minoru Mineta is a glimpse of just how twisted Tomura Shigaraki is, especially with his unhealthy interest in Izuku.
10. Joint Training Arc
MHA likes to highlight its characters’ powers and rivalries in tournament-style bouts, and one of the major examples of this is the Joint Training Arc in Chapters 194-217 and Episodes 91-100. As the two classes take each other on in public matches, more about All For One is revealed through Izuku’s own investigation. Overlong and without any major revelations for much of its cast, the fights in the Joint Training Arc feel like they’ve been done better elsewhere, while the arc demonstrates just how ridiculously overpowered Izuku is.
9. Shie Hassaikai Arc
The Shie Hassaikai Arc, in Chapters 121-162 and Episodes 62-78, starts out really strong as the yakuza develop a drug that can destroy Quirks, and the villainous Overhaul makes his presence known. It’s interesting to see Izuku work with All Might’s former sidekick, Sir Nighteye, and their work against the criminal element scheming against the Pro Heroes, but the arc loses its momentum fast. Again, this is one of those instances when the anime knows how to streamline a story better than the manga, improving the pacing and sense of stakes.
8. Meta Liberation Army Arc
After lurking in the shadows for much of the series, the Meta Liberation Army Arc, in Chapters 218-240 and Episodes 100-112, puts the attention squarely on the villains. As Tomura is groomed to succeed All For One, the power dynamics within the villain community are explored. Running a bit too long in the manga, the arc does provide a welcome change of pace as it spotlights its antagonists.
Related: What My Hero Academia (MHA)’s Invisible Girl Looks Like
7. Pro Hero Arc
The Pro Hero Arc, in Chapters 184-193 and Episodes 87-90, offers rankings of the students at U.A. High School. After so much of the early portion of the series is spent on their ongoing rivalries and aspirations, this arc shows the fruits of the students’ labors. It’s not a particularly high-intensity arc, but with the arcs coming up after it, this narrative breather is definitely welcome.
6. Hideout Raid Arc
In the wake of the attack on the forest training camp, the Hideout Raid Arc, in Chapters 84-97 and Episodes 46-50, focuses on the Pro Heroes’ counterattack. This arc really gives audiences the chance to see Pro Heroes clash against their villainous counterparts, elevating the scope considerably. With this arc, MHA clearly draws its battle lines and asks its audience to strap in for the ride.
5. Star and Stripe Arc
With the situation dire for the heroes after the past several arcs, the greatest American Pro Hero, Star and Stripe, arrives in Japan in the Star and Stripe Arc. Running in Chapters 329-334, the arc is one of the crueler storylines in the series while demonstrating how calculating Tomura can be. A glimmer of hope shines before another twist leaves readers reeling, which is when MHA is firing on all cylinders.
4. Forest Training Camp Arc
The Forest Training Camp Arc, in Chapters 70-83 and Episodes 39-45, is a training story arc done right. While on a field training mission in the woods, the students find themselves under attack by the League of Villains and are put to a very different kind of test. Full of twists and a genuine sense of peril, the Forest Training Camp Arc sets the stage for the true battle to come and the climax of the U.A. Beginnings Saga.
3. Paranormal Liberation War Arc
There are a lot of moving pieces in the Paranormal Liberation War Arc in Chapters 253-306 and Episodes 107-131 as the Heroes confront the Paranormal Liberation Front head-on. One of the bleakest arcs in MHA, audiences can be overwhelmed by the sheer shock and awe of the constant, prolonged battles. However, given how deep into the story it takes place, the arc does feel earned, elevating the scope and intensity to new heights.
2. Dark Hero Arc
Izuku faces a full gauntlet in the Dark Hero Arc, running in Chapters 307-328 and Episodes 132-138, as the villains rampage around the country. Coming off the preceding arc’s downer ending, Dark Hero is all about consequences and fiery determination when confronted with seemingly impossible odds. That is, of course, what truly being a Pro Hero is all about, marking Izuku’s full acceptance of his destiny.
1. Vs. Hero Killer Arc
After a series of more comedic and coming-of-age stories, MHA kicks into high gear with the Vs. Hero Killer Arc. Unfolding in Chapters 49-55 and Episodes 26-33, the arc has Izuku and his friends hunt Pro Hero serial killer Chizome Akaguro in one of the series’ most terrifying stories. This arc brings the series’ tone and stakes to a much more serious level and provides a sense of mounting dread that has yet to be matched while Chizome stands as one of the show’s most memorable villains despite his relatively short screen time.
And those are all of the major My Hero Academia (MHA) arcs, ranked from worst to best.
My Hero Academia is available to stream on Crunchyroll.
