The Spring 2021 Preview Guide

My Hero Academia Season 5

The heroes of Class 1-A are back and there's already rumblings underway that could accept the status quo. Former number two hero Endeavor is attempting to claim is new spot as a symbol of hope for the people following All Might's retirement, but those are big shoes to fill. Endeavor's past could spell his undoing if he can't make good with his estranged family. Meanwhile the hero Hawks might have other plans than simply supporting the new #1. Meanwhile, Deku and the rest of the class prepare for a surprise rescue drill.

My Hero Academia's fifth season streams on Crunchyroll and Funimation on Saturdays at 5:30 a.m. EDT.

Lynzee Loveridge
Rating:

I've learned over the years to temper my expectations with My Hero Academia season premieres. This is a franchise that has, by and large, proven itself to viewers and I think that's turned the pressure down on making sure each premiere hooks us. That doesn't mean I don't wish it would; ideally I'd like to come back to this show after it takes half a year or more off and get a nice reminder of why I love it. I tune into MHA for its silly character interactions and for punch fights. This episode had a little bit of the first part and not enough of the second part. If it can't deliver on the punches, then I'd at least like the characters to feel like they're engaged in the start of something.

But this premiere's focused mostly on biding its time. The kid heroes take part in a rescue drill in the same way you might remember having earthquake drills in school where everyone's huddled under their desks. For Class 1-A, a rescue drill means dealing with Mirio, who is now sans-powers and is playing a disaster victim the same way a toddler plays "the floor is lava." I laughed when he just casually threw himself off a bridge when the heroes quit paying attention to him. It ends up taking way too many heroes to make sure Mirio doesn't "drown" and while there was effort to make every hero look important, most of the presented challenges looked like they could have been handled by half the team.

Bakugo is certainly the highlight of the episode, thanks in no small part to his buddy Kirishima. I've decided it was definitely Kirishima's idea to give his buddy a flamboyant entrance, and if that means Denki hotwiring a car with his mouth, then so be it.

I'm glad My Hero Academia is back and I'm looking forward to watching the new arc play out (plus Mushroom Girl from class 1-B!!!), but I wish this episode turned the dial up a bit more.