A cool new collaboration visual featuring My Hero Academia protagonist Izuku Midoriya (Deku) and Vigilantes lead Koichi Haimawari has been revealed, building hype for what is shaping up to be a huge year for the franchise. The artwork brings the two generations of heroes together for the first time ahead of the two major anime premieres in 2025.
This visual comes at a time when both My Hero Academia: Vigilantes and the main anime are preparing for huge projects, one making its anime debut, and the other concluding its run with the final season.
Two Generations of Heroes
First, the spin-off anime My Hero Academia: Vigilantes will premiere on April 7, 2025. Based on the manga written by Hideyuki Furuhashi and illustrated by Betten Court, and inspired by original work from Kohei Horikoshi, Vigilantes is set five years before the main story.
It follows Koichi, a street-level hero who protects his city without an official hero status, operating in the shadows long before Deku ever stepped into the spotlight. The main visual and trailer were recently revealed.
Later in the year, My Hero Academia will return with Season 8, which was officially announced as the final season following the Season 7 finale in October 2024. The anime is set to air in Fall 2025, bringing the adaptation of Horikoshi’s manga, which ran from July 2014 to August 2024, to its conclusion.
Official Art Exhibition
Adding to the hype around the franchise this year, the official website for Kohei Horikoshi’s My Hero Academia Original Art Exhibition was recently updated with a new key visual, showing the fight between heroes and villains. The illustration was drawn by Horikoshi himself.
Titled A Celebration of My Hero Academia’s Legacy, the exhibition will run from June 21 to August 31, 2025, at Creative Museum Tokyo, Japan. The highlights include:
- Original sketches and manuscripts by Kohei Horikoshi
- Video and storyboard showcases from Studio BONES
- Three-dimensional exhibits recreating iconic moments
- Exclusive merchandise, including items featuring the new key visual
2025 Will Be a Big Year for My Hero Academia
Between Vigilantes launching its anime debut, the conclusion of Deku’s journey in Season 8, and the large-scale exhibition, 2025 is shaping to a huge year for the My Hero Academia franchise. The You’re Next movie also released on Blu-ray & DVD in Japan on February 19, 2025 and included a new anime with an original story by Kohei Horikoshi.
Source: My Hero Academia Official X
© Kohei Horikoshi / Shueisha, My Hero Academia Project
©Hideyuki Furuhashi, Betten Court, Kohei Horikoshi/Shueisha, Vigilante Production Committee
