Broadcast in our theaters since January 26, My Hero Academia: World Heroes Mission could well be the cause of the chronological upheaval that occurred in season 5 of the animated adaptation.
Currently released in theaters, World Heroes Mission, the third film in the My Hero Academia franchise, uses the events of the Endeavor arc as the basis for its pitch.
With a Japanese release dated August 6, 2021, coinciding with the broadcast of season 5 of the anime, the feature film could well be the reason for a chronological upheaval adopted by the series: the inversion of two manga arcs .
After a very calm start to season 5 which saw the students of second A and second B face off in school duels, manga fans were eager to move on to the next arc which they subtly baptized “My Villain Academy”. Indeed, for a few chapters, exit our high school apprentice heroes and make way for the disturbed Tomura Shigaraki and his minions of the Alliance.
In the anime, this part should have followed directly from the common training of the two second classes. But in fact, we had to wait 6 additional episodes! And for good reason: the directors of the anime have chosen to reverse the chronology established by the author. Kōhei Horikoshi, switching “My Villain Academia”, with “Agency Endeavor”, the arc following the alternation of Deku, Bakugo and Shoto.
This choice, which has not failed to complicate the correct understanding of history for anime onlyhowever, was not done lightly.
While nothing has been confirmed on the production side, two theories could explain this decision.
PREVENTION AGAINST CENSORSHIP OR CONCERN OF TEMPORALITY?
One of them evokes an inversion for the sake of prevention. Packed with action and gore scenes potentially unsuitable for young audiences, Bones studios would have chosen to swap the arc of the villains with that of the Endeavor agency to avoid a change of schedules or censorship, the anime being broadcast at prime time.
By starting the second half of the season with the apprenticeship with the number 1 hero, much more accessible in terms of themes and animation, this gave the production time to properly inform the spectators. She thus avoided disturbing her young audience, and prevented a possible loss of hearings.
DNA Tomura Shigaraki
The second, more likely theory relates to the movie World Heroes Mission. Indeed, the events of this new part, takes place during the arc devoted to the heroic training of Midoriya, Bakugo and Shoto within the Endeavor agency. It therefore seems logical that this part be adapted upstream, in order to facilitate the understanding of the events for the only spectators of the anime, who have not read the entire manga released to date.
Started on June 26 and completed on August 14, a week after the theatrical release of World Heroes Mission, the broadcast of this arc before that of the villains offered the possibility for the film to throw us directly into the action, without having to give explanations about learning and about the collaboration of the main trio with Endeavor. A concern that had been detected in the second film Heroes Rising which had gotten ahead of the animated adaptation and therefore created a slight disconnect with the public.
2021 My Hero Academia The Movie Project / K. Horikoshi / Shueisha
Endeavor Agency ready for battle
Season 5 having ended in France last September, those who have seen the entire series will have no problem resituating the film and understanding the situation in which the characters find themselves.
Moreover, if you want to refresh your memory before discovering World Heroes Mission, the anime is available in its entirety on the DNA platform! Season 6, meanwhile, is set to debut in October 2022.