My Hero Academia: You're Next

by Mike McGranaghan

The My Hero Academia series has transferred very well to the big screen with Heroes Rising and World Heroes Mission. They’ve been accessible enough for casual fans while still giving the hardcore ones everything they expect. That’s similarly true for the latest installment, My Hero Academia: You’re Next. It isn’t precisely a standalone story, but the basics of what you need to know are made sufficiently clear from the outset.

An alluring new villain makes his debut. Dark Might is a megalomaniac with a potential way to gain absolute power. Key to his plan is a young woman named Anna whose “quirk” (or magic power) he relies on. The catch is that Dark Might takes the appearance of series hero Deku’s mentor, All Might. This causes complications as Deku and the team try to figure out how to stop him. Another hurdle comes in the form of Guilio, a protector of Anna’s who seems to think killing her is the best way to save her.

My Hero Academia: You’re Next has a ton of imagination on display, from Dark Might’s massive floating fortress to a creature that has extra mouths on his stomach and appendages. Action scenes are clever, as well, given that the villain wraps everyone up inside an artificial environment that makes it difficult to tell where the edges are. These and other fantasy elements give the movie a sense of fun that’s complimented by colorful, stylish animation.

What really stands out this time, though, is the emotional subplot involving Guilio and Anna. Over the course of the film, we learn more about the nature of their relationship, along with a secret pain she carries that affects both of them. None of the previous MHA movies had anything that went quite this deep, so You’re Next automatically feels a bit more substantive. Having that core adds weight to the climactic battle between good and evil.

As is often the case with anime adventures, that battle is a slightly confusing jumble of lightning bolts, explosions, and clouds of smoke. We’ve seen it before, but director Kenji Nagasaki keeps the pace swift enough to earn our rooting interest anyway. My Hero Academia: You’re Next keeps the train rolling smoothly, giving viewers a rousing story that sets the stage for where the saga will go next.

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