As Demon Slayer‘s record-breaking cinema outing has shown, anime films are now big business at the box office – and a third My Hero Academia movie looks set to be the next big international anime hit.
The animated superhero movie has already grossed over $29million in Japan, becoming the highest-earning film in the franchise and is now set for an international release in the United Kingdom and beyond.
Debuting ahead of the show’s upcoming sixth season, My Hero Academia: World Heroes’ Mission sees Izuku Midoriya and his classmates given only two hours to save the world – which is fittingly around the length of the movie.
Here’s everything you need to know about spin-off film My Hero Academia: World Heroes’ Mission.
My Hero Academia movie release date
My Hero Academia: World Heroes mission will be released in cinemas in the UK and Ireland on Friday 29th October 2021.
The film will be available in both dubbed and subtitled versions, with tickets already on sale.
The My Hero Academia spin-off was released in its native Japan back in August, where it easily out-grossed My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising to become the highest-earning film in the franchise.
When does My Hero Academia: World Heroes’ Mission come to streaming?
My Hero Academia does not yet have an official streaming release date, though will undoubtedly come to a streaming service shortly after its theatrical run.
Previous film My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising was added to Funimation in June 2021 and Netflix in July 2021 – four and five months respectively after the film’s release in UK cinemas.
Going by that same time window, expect a streaming release on Funimation around February 2022 – and possibly a Netflix debut the month after.
My Hero Academia movie cast
The cast will very much depend on whether you opt for the dubbed or streaming version of the movie – though both voice casts have received praise for their work on the series.
The English dub sees Justin Briner once again return as Deku aka Izuku Midoriya, a role that has brought him fame at anime conventions around the world. He will once again be joined by Attack on Titan voice actor Clifford Chapin as Izuku’s hot-tempered childhood friend Katsuki Bakugō, while Fairy Tale’s David Matranga voices Half-Cold Half-hot student Shoto Todoroki.
The rest of the ensemble cast includes Star Wars: Visions actor Patrick Seitz as Shoto’s stern father Enji Todoroki, Demon Slayer’s Zeno Robinson as good-natured hero Keigo Takami and Xenoblade Chronicles star Josh Grelle as stoic student Fumikage Tokoyami.
For those watching with subtitles, the Japanese voice cast sees Daiki Yamashita reprise his long-running role of Izuku Midoriya, while Beastars actor Nobuhiko Okamoto voices Katsuki Bakugō in this version.
Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure star Yuki Kaji also appears in the subtitled edition as Shōto Todoroki, with Kamen Rider’s Tetsu Inada as Enji and Keigo voiced by Yuichi Nakamura, who is known for dubbing over Chris Evans in the Marvel Cinematic Universe films.
My Hero Academia movie trailer
The English dub trailer was released in October 2021 and looks suitably action-packed – including a swinging scene which looks to be a homage to Spider-Man:
What is My Hero Academia: World Heroes’ Mission about?
My Hero Academia: World Heroes’ mission begins with Deku and his new friend Rody on their internship with the number one Pro Hero Endeavor Agency, which is surely stressful enough before a terrorist cult Humarize releases a toxin that causes people’s abilities to spiral out of control.
Humarize then announces that the toxin is set to be released around the world in two hours’ time – so Pro-Heroes seek the assistance of U.A. Hero Course students to hunt down Humarize’s criminal mastermind and find all the toxin sources before Quirks everywhere are wiped out.
It is here that the film really lives up to the World Heroes part of the title – with characters sent all over the globe to stop the toxins, resulting in fight scenes of iconic international locations such as the Golden Gate Bridge.
As if that wasn’t enough however, Deku and Rody are framed for a crime they did not commit – so must save the world while also being pursued by the authorities.
How does the My Hero Academia movie link to the series?
My Hero Academia: World Heroes’ Misson was released in Japan while season five was still airing, which could easily have caused potential confusion.
However the third My Hero Academia movie tells a mostly self-contained story, introducing a brand new villain and largely ignoring any dangling plot threads from the series – meaning even those who are not up to date with the show could still enjoy this latest film without fear of spoilers.
Similarly the events of the first two films did not impact the series and indeed have barely even been mentioned since, which at least alleviates the need for a complex watch order akin to the ever-expanding MCU.
It’s not uncommon however for anime films to be set at an indeterminate moment in the show’s timeline, or to have little bearing on the show’s overall plot – a similar tactic was used previously for many Dragonball and Naruto movies.
My Hero Academia: World Heroes’ Mission will be released in cinemas on Friday 29th October 2021. Check out the rest of our Sci-fi and Fantasy coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what’s on tonight.