ADVANCED REVIEW: ‘My Hero Academia: Team-Up Missions’ Volume 1

The first volume of the newest spin-off manga within the My Hero Academia series, My Hero Academia: Team-Up Missions, is set to be released on March 2nd. The new series is published by Shonen Jump, is written and illustrated by Yoko Akiyama, translated by Caleb Cook, and lettered by John Hunt. Volume One follows the characters created by Kohei Horikoshi teaming up with different hero agencies and students from different hero schools.

Since All Might has officially retired from hero duty, people are desperately waiting for their newest “Symbol of Peace.” This leads the Heroes Public Safety Commission to establish a new program centered around the hero students called “Team-Up Missions.” In pairing students with different hero agencies, there is hope to build teamwork within the hero students.

The overall premise of this new spin-off manga series introduced in Volume 1 is fantastic. While the main MHA series has over 300 chapters and is still going, most of that story is focused on the main characters. My Hero Academia: Team-Up Missions Volume 1 sets up the many adventures that all characters could go on. The possibilities for entertaining and action-packed adventures are endless. It also gives side characters opportunities to get their moments to shine, which might not happen too often on the main series. Above all else, this serves as a great addition in storytelling to an already immense fan-favorite franchise.

Many of the character traits and interactions from the original series are prevalent in My Hero Academia: Team-Up Missions Volume 1. However, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t instances that show character development. One of the characters to show early character development is Bakugo. While he has shown to be willing to be a part of a team and even respecting his classmates, Bakugo’s behavior in the first two chapters show his early stages of wanting to be a part of a team. Fans of his character will surely like the rapid development he gets and that it may change the minds of people that don’t like Bakugo as much.

Akiyama’s artwork in My Hero Academia: Team Up Missions Volume 1 was incredible. The characters’ designs remained the same, and the fight scenes flowed smoothly from panel to panel. One of the illustrations that stood out the most was in the first few pages of the first chapter. It shows many fan-favorite characters in the series while also acting as the introductory page for the chapter. At a normal glance, this would look like just another ordinary page. However, All Might is standing in the middle, with his back facing the reader. It fits perfectly with the story’s overall theme, which is that it’s up to the future generations to take over as heroes. One simple illustration says a lot about the confidence that All Might has in future generations and emphasizes the importance of the hero students’ teamwork development.

Overall, My Hero Academia: Team-Up Missions Volume 1 was such a joy to read, especially as a long-time fan of the My Hero Academia franchise. The spin-off series premise emphasizes the new generation of heroes while also setting up the many stories that can be told. While the characters’ traits from the series are carried over, there is still character development. The illustrations are incredible, and some even support the overall theme of the spin-off series. Fans of the original series will surely love reading these new adventures while waiting for new stories to be told.

My Hero Academia: Team-Up Missions Volume 1 will be available on March 2nd wherever books are sold.