The My Hero Academia openings range from forgettable to iconic. My Hero Academia (Boku no Hīrō Akademia), based on the manga by Kōhei Horikoshi and produced by Studio Bones, is ripe for divisive opinions. Who makes for a more dynamic character, protagonist Izuku Midoriya or his rival Katsuki Bakugo? Are the villains actually more interesting than the heroes? Did the series peak in seasons 2 and 3 (not one bit!)? What is the best action scene? The best quirk? In comparison, the best My Hero Academia openings open up a less divisive and relatively harmless debate
Since the start of the series, the My Hero Academia openings (known as OPs) have largely helped establish the tone and style of each cour. While not all are absolute winners, the tone and style have remained faithful to the source material. From bold, comic-book-style colors and panels to featuring the expansive cast and their formidable powers, the OPs allow for fun spins on the upcoming storylines that inject the series with bursts of energy, helping set the tone before the episode even begins.
11. Odd Future
Despite introducing one of the best seasons of the anime, the first cour OP for My Hero Academia Season 3 is shockingly ineffective. Again, like most of the OPs, it’s fine, but only if you remove it from the incoming plot. “Odd Future” by Uverworld tries to capture the mayhem and drama of the upcoming plot, but it all feels a bit too on the nose — a song masquerading as an anime OP rather than one fully embracing the medium. The stilted visuals don’t help, especially paling compared to some of the all-time greats of the series.
10. Star Maker
The seventh opening of the series, “Star Maker,” is performed by Kana-Boon, a group known for their openings for the Naruto franchise. Like the cour it’s opening, the song is cute enough. And it certainly lays the groundwork for what to expect from the arc, which slows the pace down after the emotional turmoil of the Overhaul arc. There’s just not much substance despite it being relatively harmless and even charming in the opening moments. It doesn’t help that the closer of the cour, “Shout Baby” by Ryokuoushoku, is much more distinctive.
9. Make My Story
One of the worst things that can happen to an anime OP is for it to be skippable. There’s a thrill to watching great OPs (look no further than the first cour of Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 or the latest for the Egghead One Piece arc.) The fifth opening for My Hero Academia, “Make My Story” by Lenny code fiction, is precisely that — easy to skip. Perhaps due to it being another training-adjacent plotline, the OP lacks visual vigor and is, worst of all, forgettable.
8. No. 1
There’s a playfulness to “No.1” performed by DISH that makes it more palletable than some of the forgettable OPs. The song itself is jaunty and catchy. This helps mask the straightforwardness of the visuals that play directly into the main storyline of Season 5 Cour 1. The generic visuals are bolstered by the song itself.
7. Bokurano
Depending on the day and time, “Bokurano” by Eve ranks much higher on this list. The only thing working against it is that, from here on out, every OP is a killer. But the My Hero Academia opening “Bokurano” perfectly encapsulates the tonality leading into the second cour of Season 6. Deku is working on fumes alone and away from his friends. The opening highlights that isolation, working in Kōhei Horikoshi evident reverence for Spider-Man through Deku’s utilization of Black Whip. It’s one of the more visually significant openings as we watch Deku reach out to a young Shigaraki, his resolve to save some part of him remaining despite the horror he witnesses.
6. Merry Go Round!
Infused with a level of emo-adjacent buttrock, Merry Go Round! is, on surface level, ridiculous. But it grows on you. The opening to the second cour of Season 5, the opening primes the viewer for a turbulent bunch of episodes of villainous uprising and the despair of Eraserhead and Present Mic learning the truth behind the death of their childhood friend. There’s a lot packed into this group of episodes and the opening spectacle clearly indicates the tone and energy behind it. It’s darker, in theory, but it also bottles that feeling of excitable mayhem. It’s that feeling of watching your favorite Saturday morning cartoons and all of the drama and intrigue that follows.
5. Peace Sign
The opening notes of “Peace Sign” are just about synonymous with My Hero Academia. From Kenshi Yonezu (whose work includes Chainsaw Man’s “Kick Back”), the song captures the new chapter for the 1-A students. The opening primes the second season as the students and heroes in training work towards the Sports Festival, ready to show their might against their friends. It charmingly works through several notable main and supporting characters to show their training routine. Despite the requisite flash still images of the remaining cast, it never dampens the overall comfort of re-listening this song.
4. The Day
If “Peace Sign” nears being synonymous with My Hero Academia, “The Day” actually achieves it. The first-ever opening for the series beautifully captures the energized spirit of its young characters and the icons they look up to. The song by legendary Porno Graffiti (Fullmetal Alchemist, Bleach) is addicting and ramps up the energy and excitement immediately. The visuals double down on this as they both introduce the ensuring characters while bringing the past and present of Deku’s potential. The opening suggests the rivalry between Deku and Bakugou, the oncoming fight with Shigaraki, and the main friends Deku will be making without ever leaning too fully into spoiler territory.
3. Hitamuki
Despite the darkness that begins to envelop My Hero Academia Season 6, the opening for the first cour keeps things relatively buoyant. Or, more accurately, plainly in the superhero scope. The beginning moments are clear references to comic books and onomatopoeias, with images of the leading players — heroes and villains — following. Deku, Bakugou, Todoroki, and Shigaraki all get center-stage moments, but the flashes to characters such as Hawks, Toga, Twice, and Eraserhead give the visuals drama. That, plus the fantastic earworm of a song by Super Beaver, whose work includes openings for Haikyu and Naruto.
2. Sora ni Utaeba
My Hero Academia has a clear playbook they follow with openings. The first third begins with creative visuals that don’t actively reference or spoil upcoming storylines. The middle gives us the character title sheets of whoever the main players will be in the ensuing arc, while the last third directly references the storyline. We see that in “Sora ni Utaeba” as we watch a piece of the battle between Stain against Deku, Todoroki, and Iida play out.
But what “Sora ni Utaeba” showcases is that, at their very best, those familiaries don’t hinder the enjoyment as long as it’s done well. The song by Amazarashi (with prior work appearing in anime such as Dororo) is an instant hit and an addition to the gym playlist. Addictive and replayable, the song and opening kick the series into high gear with one of its strongest storylines to date.
1. Polaris
Hands and the imagery of someone reaching out to another are enormously poignant elements in My Hero Academia. From Deku as a child reaching out to Bakugou, to later Kirishima reaching out his hand to rescue Bakugou and the latter accepting it, to Season 6 seeing Iida rescue Deku with the same move, these are crucial moments to the series. It’s partially why “Polaris” by Blue Encont is such a pivotal moment in the series and the best opening.
The opening bookends itself with these critical images. From the transformation of Deku’s hands growing increasingly scarred to his desperate reach to Eri, the opening plays with themes directly tied to the first cour of Season 4 while also speaking to the more extensive foundation of the series. Aided with creative imagery such as Nighteye’s roll of film that lets him see into the future, the opening is addictive, pulsing with electrifying, forward momentum that speaks directly to the breathless thrill of watching the Overhaul storyline for the first time.
My Hero Academia Seasons 1–6 are available now on Crunchyroll. Season 7 premieres May 4.
