My Hero Academia needs to end after season 7 – it's almost unrecognisable

Since 2016, fans have watched Izuku Miyadora – also known as Deku – blossom from a timid little boy into a superhero capable of taking on the most terrifying villains in the world. For eight years, personal growth, connections and self-belief have all made My Hero Academia the anime that we know and love, but as season 7 begins to air, it feels as though things might have changed for the worse. In fact, the story is now so far removed from the original idea that the series should probably end after its latest run.

What was once an endearing and plucky tale about studying up to harness your unique quirks and being the best version of yourself possible has now descended into international warfare, bringing in global villains that make the current storyline seem more like a UN summit.

Season 7 has engineered this in the form of Japan vs America, with the US’s number one hero Star and Stripe flying in to go head-to-head with Shigaraki in episode 1. Any good anime is rich with a wealthy number of characters who come and go, but what is My Hero Academia actually trying to achieve with this?

As her name obviously suggests, the introduction of Star and Stripe is a homage to anime lovers across the pond, but also hints at political opposition. By introducing politics into its seventh season, My Hero Academia suddenly becomes a very different show. Gone are the days when all Deku would have to worry about was having his quirk stolen from him by All For One – now there’s a much more real fish to fry.

In its earlier days, there was a sweetly innocent quality to My Hero Academia, which is strange to say about a show that prides itself on life-threatening action. Sticking close to the subjects that always play well in anime, such as a tiered educational system in a familiar yet fascinating high school setting, the beating heart of the anime has always been what’s inside that counts. Fast forward to season 7, and nuclear warfare is legitimately being considered as a means to end all. Not only are new episodes already proving to be a step too far, but My Hero Academia never needed to get political in the first place.

Fans might moan about anime always sticking to tropes and playing safe, and there are plenty of good reasons for them to do so. In the case of My Hero Academia, less is actually more, now becoming disillusioned with itself by bringing outside forces in. Suddenly, fans are being reminded – albeit in a completely fictional way – of the chaos of the outside world, severing the ties that the magical powers of the show once held. Sure, Deku’s problems and insecurities have always been relatable, but they’ve never hit so close to home that entertainment dries up… until now.

Thanks to the visual feast that the medium of anime offers, shows can always afford to be light-hearted. Packing a more serious punch where it needs to, the creativity of the art form means there are no real boundaries for what can be achieved – and a lot of the time, that means leaning into the sillier side of things.

Whether it’s through creating a training academy beyond anyone’s wildest imagination or a dream-like sequence that visualises the team's emotions, anything could happen. Typically, that “anything” doesn’t resemble real life.

However, season 7 not only proves that My Hero Academia’s silly side is long gone, but also that it’s probably wise to end things before it’s too late. The shift into politics feels as though the show is running out of ideas, turning to the usual story blueprint of international war for inspiration.

It’s not a perfect fit, with the show now out of sync with its own structure. This almost isn’t surprising given how heavily franchised the IP now is. With toys, movies, games and manga, it was only a matter of time before something stopped working.

Bowing out after season 7 doesn’t have to be a bad thing either. With shows such as Hunter x Hunter rumoured to be making its return after a long hiatus, the franchise might just need a substantial break in order to find its feet again. If the worst comes to the worst and it didn’t come back, fans can’t complain – it’s better to have loved a show that didn’t put a foot wrong than one that dragged on for far too long.

At this point, it’s all speculation, but My Hero Academia in its current state is almost unrecognisable from the curious and energetic show it started out as. The beauty of something special is knowing when to give up the ghost, and Star and Stripe might be the superhero to shine that light.

You can watch My Hero Academia on Crunchyroll.

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