Summary
My Hero Academiais one of the most popular shonen anime series to date, telling the empowering story of Izuku “Deku” Midoriya and his growth from a Quirkless boy to the world’s ultimate hero. Alongside a cast of colorful and beloved characters, the series is packed full of action, drama, emotion, and intertwiningthought-provoking themes.
MHAhas had an incredible array of truly memorable opening sequences over the years. Every opening, that being the animation itself, the accompanying song, and how the two play off each other, is brilliant and does so much to kick off a new season or arc for fans. Though some stand out even more prominently, whether mostly due to nostalgia, hype factor, or unique visuals, it’s fair to say these openings truly make fans excited about the series.
13"No.1" (Season 5, Opening 1)
Gradually Builds Up The Drama
MHA’s fifth season started in a much less action-packed way than previous ones, but that doesn’t mean this opening sequence isn’t enjoyable to watch. The first half shows little action, showing Class 1-A’s students warming up for the battles against Class 1-B. However, as the music builds, so does anoverall feeling of anticipationfor what the season will bring.
“No. 1” itself is a beautiful and dramatic opening theme, starting off more emotionally and calmly but with a dramatic build-up to the chorus. This does plenty to carry a feeling of build-up despite being an overall calmer opening sequence than what preceded it.
12"Sora ni Utaeba" (Season 2, Opening 2)
Has Interesting Visuals
Season 2’s second opening features some unique visuals such as the title animation and initial color palette. It’s also notable for depicting how much stronger Izuku has grown by this point, having him on par with All Might instead of admiring him from a distance.
After the excitement of season two’s Sports Festival Arc, things took a different turn with the incident involving Hero Killer Stain and Iida’s brother. As such, the accompanying song is much less beaty than what preceded it, but still achieves astrong feeling of dramadespite a slower pace overall.
11"Starmarker" (Season 4, Opening 2)
Extremely Memorable, With A Relaxed Vibe
It may stand out as an anomaly among the other MHA openings, but Starmarker’s title sequence is undeniably fun to watch. Taking a sharp turn from the norm,this opening shows Class 1-Apreparing for the school festival. Fans get a much more relaxed vibe and feeling of lightheartedness, yet this sequence is alsovery colorful and excitingin its own way.
After the intense events of season four’s first half, “Starmarker” offers a feeling of refreshment, depicting Izuku and his friends in casual clothes and playing instruments. With a unique visual style and addictive sense of sync and rhythm with the music, Starmarker will undoubtedly stay in viewers' minds.
10"Merry-Go-Round" (Season 5, Opening 2)
Darker, Intense Visuals
“Merry-Go-Round” marks an important turning point in the overall tone of the franchise, and the start of the series' openings havinga darker vibewith instrumentation to match. This opening gives Izuku Midoriya, Katsuki Bakugo, and Shoto Todoroki center stage, and the visuals have a very ‘fiery’ color palette and aesthetic, fitting for the season’s focus on the three students doing their work studies with Shoto’s father, Endeavor, now the No.1 Pro hero.
“Merry-Go-Round” stands out among other songs with the lyrics being half in Japanese and half in English. This opening has a catchy sense of sync, with a build-up in action to match the music’s triumphant and dramatic chorus.
9"Make My Story" (Season 3, Opening 2)
Hyped And Exciting
After the chaotic events of season three’s first half, that being the villain’s ambush, Bakugo’s kidnapping, and All Might’s last fight against All For One, the season’s second opening features much less dramatic events. Instead of focusing on the villains as the first half did, this time the opening follows Class 1-A taking their Provisional Hero License exam alongside rival schools. That doesn’t mean this isn’t an action-packed opening though.
The theme song is an upbeat rock track, which really gives offa great feeling of hype, gearing viewers up for an exciting arc. This opening manages to achieve a feeling of sync and even foreshadows certain notable events, such as Bakugo being told the secret of Izuku, All Might, and One for All, a massive turning point for the seriesand for him as a character.
8"Curtain Call" (Season 7, Opening 2)
Aggressive Yet Reflective
This opening has a steady sense of sync, with a strong focus on the characters’ growth across the series up to this point, for both hero and villain alike. Izuku and Shigaraki are juxtaposed against each other, and the music is synced with showing how both hero and villain have grown and changed across the series to the point they’re at now.
“Curtain Call” itself is a fan favorite song, with a catchy rhythm but a sharp, aggressive edge to it which perfectly captures the vibe of the season’s events. Overall, this opening excels atachieving a sense of reflection, marking the journey of the main heroes, Deku in particular, and how far they’ve all come as not just classmates, but as a team of heroes, and that there’s still a way to go before peace can be restored.
7"Tagatame" (Season 7, Opening 1)
A Stunning, Metaphorical Opening
“Tagatame” is a truly incredible opening, featuringthe most powerful opening theme songto date. It’s such a dramatic song with a highly unique sound, and the power to inspire both feelings of hope and excitement for the season yet also a sense of sadness and emotion at the same time.
The visuals are stunning, showing Class 1-A’s incredible teamwork, whilst perfectly matching the song’s metaphorical lyrics, which talk about seeing the light of the rainbow reflected in bubbles before they burst. The sequence ends with Izuku reaching out to grasp the bubbles. All this is a powerful metaphor describing that, despite the current crisis, there’s a sense of hope to finally end the war and restore the broken world.
6"Odd Future" (Season 3, Opening 1)
Showcases More Action And More Heroes
“Odd Future” has a great opening sequence which does so much toincite hype among fans. As well as a good sense of sync with the music, the visuals are intriguing, depicting Shigaraki’s League of Villains prominently for the first time. The two big fights of the season featuring Izuku and All Might are briefly depicted in a brief yet very intense way, doing even more to hype fans for what is set to come.
UVERworld’s music is extremely beaty, which further adds to the drama created by this opening animation, and is a very different musical style than most other songs in the series, setting it apart as something truly special. What’s more, the TV version is quite different from its full-sized version.
5"Peace Sign" (Season 2, Opening 1)
Fun To Watch, With An Extremely Catchy Song
For many fans, “Peace Sign” will always remain extremely iconic and beloved, as will the arc this opening depicts: that of the UA Sports Festival. The visuals depictIzuku and his classmateswarming up and preparing for the festival, and due to the highly catchy song, viewers feel as if they’re warming up with them to prepare for a highly enjoyable arc.
Even if the visuals depict less intense action, the song “Peace Sign” inspires sucha strong feeling of hypethat this isn’t an issue. Being a lighthearted pop-rock earworm, this song remains beloved by the fanbase today and serves to make this opening sequence all the more memorable.
4"Bokura no" (Season 6, Opening 2)
A Much Darker Yet Resonating Opening
“Bokura no” has both a fan-favorite opening and accompanying song, depicting Izuku’s descent into “Dark Deku” in the latter half of season six. As such, Deku is the only prominent focus of this opening, yet even in this short sequence, viewers get a sense of his inner pain and weariness due to the very striking and dramatic visuals.
This is the most dark and serious of all the MHA openings, with the unique art style and darker color palette creating a sense of gloom and heightened drama. As such,it’s very visually pleasing, and combined with the powerful music really marked a change in mood for the series. However, it ends on an optimistic note, showing Deku’s pureheartedness and how he still hopes to reach Shigaraki’s true self.
