After nine years, My Hero Academia has finally reached its conclusion with the last episode streaming yesterday. In honor of the series finale, let’s take a look back at the openings that have been included in the franchise. Here’s our ranking of all 14 openings from the series!
14. Sora Ni Utaeba (Season 2 Part 2)
This opening is, unfortunately, the most forgettable in My Hero Academia, compared to the rest of the lineup of openings. While it does have some nice teasers for this half of the season, including who joins the League of Villains, the arcs are drastically different and ultimately, one overpowers the other throughout, much to this opening’s detriment.
13. No. 1 (Season 5 Part 1)
While the song itself fits My Hero Academia really well, what ranks this opening so low is the arc it was made for. The Joint Training Arc isn’t bad by any means, but it does drag, and it is very dull compared to the rest of the series. The opening itself does a good job of showing the class’s abilities as well as teasing Shinso’s return, but that’s pretty much it.
12. Merry-Go-Round (Season 5 Part 2)
This opening suffers from the opposite of what its predecessor did. The arcs are memorable and impactful, but the opening’s animation feels like it lacks something. Playing during a portion where the villains have their adventure, a bigger presence from the League, or even just Shigaraki would have been great. Especially since this is when Shigaraki really starts to grow as not just a villain, but a character.
11. Make My Story (Season 3 Part 2)
This opening ranks as low as it does because while it does shine in its own way, the ones above this shine brighter. It’s nice seeing the class in action and working together, but there are other openings that showcase this better, and you don’t really get a sense of everyone the class is up against to get their provisional licenses, or if they are serious about this goal.
10. Starmaker (Season 4 Part 2)
This opening is much more stylistic than most others. It’s bright and vibrant, showing the class and other characters enjoying their last bit of rest and relaxation before things start to pick up. But similar to Merry-Go-Round, it lacks a presence from this arc’s antagonist. A few more glimpses of Gentle and La Brava would have done this opening wonders, but it’s understandable why a fun and bouncy opening excluded them.
9. Tagatame (Season 7 Part 1)
The opening really does capture how dark and bleak times have gotten after their first defeat. But it also shows how determined the class has gotten since Deku’s return after his futile attempt to leave and protect them. It also does a good job showcasing the main conflicts that are soon to come. The shot of the class getting Deku closer to Shigaraki is also really cool. But the shot of the class with the bubbles at the end does feel very out of place and unnecessary. The song itself also doesn’t really hit that hard compared to the others, but the chorus is really good.
8. Hitamuki (Season 6 Part 1)
The opening starts off great, utilizing a comic-inspired art style. The song itself matches the beginning of the opening pretty well, but the back half of the opening falls apart a little bit. They drop the comic art style, and it follows a montage of the plethora of characters we see throughout the Paranormal Liberation War.
7. Polaris (Season 4 Part 1)
This opening is where things start to get a little nitpicky since this and the ones above it are all neck-and-neck with each other. The song itself is one of the best in the franchise, and the animation does serve the song well; the issue for me comes from the arc it is attached to. The Overhaul Arc is great, and I can see why people view it as one of the best arcs, but for me, it is a somewhat boring arc. The actual raid on the yakuza base is amazing with standout character moments, but a lot of the exposition just felt meh to me at most points.
6. ODD FUTURE (Season 3 Part 1)
This song is one of my personal favorites from the series, and the arc it is associated with is one of my favorites. The thing that keeps the opening from ranking higher is that it feels like the animation doesn’t match very well with the song, personally. This opening is the first to feature a good look at the League of Villains, as well as teases one of Izuku’s breakthrough moments in his battle with Muscular. Overall, the song and animation are fantastic, but I just wish they matched just a tad more.
5. The Day (Season 1)
This is the opening that started it all. It does a great job at establishing who Izuku, Katsuki and All Might are and showing what their main goals and conflicts are. The song is very catchy and memorable. You also get some quick glances at their new classmates, their teachers, and some of the Pro Heroes as well. The pace of the song also matches the animation very well, and My Hero Academia couldn’t ask for a better first opening than this.
4. Bokurano (Season 6 Part 2)
The opening for the second half of Season 6 perfectly counters the first one for the season. The animation conveys the hopelessness and dark times Japan is in during this arc, and shows how secluded it is. The animation throughout the opening is absolutely stunning, and the song itself is one of Eve’s best works and perfectly complements the animation. Overall, this opening doesn’t disappoint and deserves every ounce of recognition.
3. Peace Sign (Season 2 Part 1)
This opening had a hard act to follow with Season 1’s opening, and it absolutely delivered on all fronts. We get better looks at some of the characters in this opening and get a feel of what they are capable of during the UA Sports Festival. The song is bouncy and catchy in all of the best ways possible. The only bad thing is that it set the bar so high so early on and remained one of the best throughout the series.
2. Curtain Call (Season 7 Part 1)
This opening does a great job at highlighting the most significant battles of this war while teasing their outcomes. From Ochaco looking at a downtrodden Himiko Toga to Shoto and his family finally reaching out to Dabi to stop his rampage, it encapsulates what each of their goals is. The opening also ends perfectly as Deku, in his current appearance, reaches Shigaraki in his season 1 appearance, representing Deku’s wish to save him rather than merely defeating him. The song itself is great at being a fast-paced opening set during the climax of the war, while not being a dark song, but rather a hopeful song about giving it your all.
1. THE REVO (Final Season)
This opening serves as the perfect send-off for My Hero Academia. From Izuku, Katsuki and All Might during their fights with Shigaraki and All For One, to all of Izuku’s allies and supporters reaching out to the light he has created in the world, or shouting out their support in defeating the villains. The song, performed by the band that did the very first opening, features a massive callback to the aforementioned song with the line “The day has come.” It serves so many meanings on the day when Izuku must finally stop AFO, even a real-world meaning, where the day has come to say goodbye to My Hero Academia as it wraps up its final season. Overall, from the song to the animation, nothing tops this opening.
Although the series may have ended, you can currently experience Izuku’s, Katsuki’s and the rest of 1A’s journey by streaming My Hero Academia on Crunchyroll!
Leave a Reply