The My Hero Academia franchise has been massively popular, almost since its debut as a manga in 2014, and that popularity has led to several movies being released. Unlike many other anime franchises, which tend to relegate their movies to non-canonical status, there's good reason to think that My Hero Academia's movies have been brought into the series' canon, with characters from the films appearing in the manga, albeit mostly in brief cameo form. That makes it a little more important than usual for My Hero Academia fans to stay caught up on the series' films, which isn't always an easy task in the modern, fragmented streaming marketplace.

To date, there have only been three My Hero Academia movies, with a fourth My Hero Academia film already announced, but not yet released. These movies are set at various points in the series' chronology, usually pretty close to where the anime was when they were released. My Hero Academia is known for using its big screen time well, with awesome fights and some incredible moments that will blow away even close fans who've never seen the films before. The films have all been very successful in their theatrical runs, and are definitely worth taking the time to watch for anyone who's even a casual fan of the series.

My Hero Academia: Two Heroes

My Hero Academia: Two Heroes opens with a flashback to All Might's time in America, when he worked with a scientist who developed support gear, David Shield. All Might receives an invitation to a hero expo at the artificial I-Island, and opts to bring Midoriya along as his plus one. Several of the other students also end up attending as well. Not long after arriving, Midoriya meets Melissa Shield, David's daughter, who presents him with a special gauntlet that will allow him to use One for All without hurting himself. Not long after, the expo comes under attack from a villain named Wolfram, who takes the entire island hostage. The students must fight back against Wolfram and his goons, but can All Might, whose power is already waning, actually defeat this foe?

The film takes its name from the idea of Deku and All Might fighting side-by-side, something fans desperately wanted to see. The movie is absolutely loaded with exciting moments, and Melissa Shield is an adorable character who instantly became a fan favorite. Melissa has appeared in the manga on several occasions and even builds Deku another gauntlet later in the story, so it helps to be familiar with her and her role in this film. The anime features a special tie-in episode,"Special Episode: Save the World With Love!" which acts as a prologue to the film, and establishes when it takes place.

My Hero Academia: Heroes: Rising

Heroes: Rising follows the entirety of U.A.'s Class 1-A as they're sent to a small island, Nabu Island, to act as its local heroes for their winter semester safety program. The island is quite peaceful and idyllic, meaning there isn't a lot of danger for the kids to get involved in, which gives them the opportunity to really get to know the islands' residents as they help them with everyday tasks. A villain involved with the League of Villains, who goes by the name "Nine" for his nine Quirks, arrives at the island, however, seeking a certain child whose blood could save his life. With their capacity to communicate with the mainland immediately destroyed, the kids of Class 1-A are on their own to deal with Nine and his gang.

This film is equally split between calm, peaceful moments, where the kids are able to relax and interact, and intense action, which makes up the bulk of the back half of the movie. The film is intended to be set during the Meta Liberation Army arc of the manga, which hadn't yet been adapted for the anime at the time of its release, meaning some characters such as Hawks debuted in the film first. Heroes: Rising is well known among fans for its climax, which features a moment that no fan would've predicted.

My Hero Academia: World Heroes' Mission

World Heroes' Mission takes the kids of Class 1-A on a globe-spanning adventure, introducing heroes from overseas, not just Japan. The emergence of a terrorist organization dedicated to ridding the world of those with Quirks, called Humarise, necessitates all hands on deck, leading to Bakugo, Todoroki, and Midoriya being sent to the foreign nation of Otheon, where Humarise is rumored to be based out of. Midoriya meets up with a local named Rody, a poor boy caring for his two younger siblings, who happened to be delivering a package for the group. With Rody now a target of Humarise as well, he and Midoriya must work together to track down their villainous leader, Flect Turn, and defeat the supremacist group once and for all.

World Heroes' Mission was very well received, with much praise for the character of Rody and his relationship with Midoriya. Rody acts as the emotional core of the film, so the execution of his character was critical. Like Two Heroes, this film featured an anime tie-in prequel episode as well, called "Long Time, No See, Selkie." Rody and his siblings did a cameo in the manga, as did many of the international heroes created for the film.

What is the Best Way to Watch My Hero Academia's Movies?

Unfortunately, My Hero Academia's films are, at present, scattered across multiple streaming services, meaning there's no simple way to watch all three. Aside from streaming, however, all three are easily available on BluRay, which do come with some additional special features. The My Hero Academia films can also be digitally rented on marketplaces like Youtube, Google Play, and Amazon. Crunchyroll's page for My Hero Academia: Two Heroes is titled "My Hero Academia Movies", implying that the other two films may someday be available to stream there, but at present only the first film is available.

Are My Hero Academia's Movies Worth Watching?

The My Hero Academia films are absolutely worth watching for fans of the franchise, especially as characters from the films have become more ingrained in the manga. This has the benefit of making the films feel like they matter, something that a lot of anime movies that are non-canonical to their series have trouble doing. Where exactly the films fit into the anime is a sometimes difficult question, and the anime often keeps references to the films vague for that reason. As big-budget anime films, the My Hero Academia movies have plenty of incredibly animated action to offer, which can be worth the price of admission alone for fans who really want to see the characters go all out. The films are also fairly enjoyable even for those who aren't caught up on the series, thanks to Deku's earnest desire to be a hero.

My Hero Academia's movies have maintained a high quality across all three releases so far, and anticipation for the fourth film, which is said to be set during the Dark Hero arc, is exceptionally high. While it may not be as easy as if they were all on one streaming service, it's worth the effort to track down and see these movies for fans. Full of epic battles, character moments, and all kinds of expansions of My Hero Academia's world, the series' films are astonishingly good, and offer fans everything they might want out of an anime movie.