The world of My Hero Academia is not finished telling its story. After the emotional finale of the main series and the recent special episode “More,” the franchise has confirmed a brand new anime project. This time, the spotlight moves away from Izuku Midoriya and focuses on a fan-favorite character who has grown up right before our eyes.
The upcoming short anime is titled “I Am a Hero Too.” It will show what happens to the world of heroes years after the final war ended. The announcement has brought a wave of excitement across the anime community, especially for those who wanted to see more of the future timeline.
Short Anime Release Date and Global Streaming Details
The new My Hero Academia special is set to debut globally on August 3, 2026. Fans around the world will be able to watch the short story on major streaming platforms on that day.
Before its official online release, the anime will have its world premiere at Anime Expo 2026 in Los Angeles. This event takes place from July 2 to July 5, 2026. Attendees at the convention will be the first to see the special during a dedicated panel for the franchise.
For viewers in Japan, there will be early theatrical screenings on August 1 and August 2, 2026. These screenings are part of the “Character Matchup” events showing famous battles like Deku vs. Bakugo and Deku vs. Shigaraki. The general streaming release follows immediately after on August 3.
This timing makes the special a major event for the summer of 2026, celebrating ten years of the anime adaptation which first aired in April 2016.
Story Based on Kohei Horikoshi’s Ultra Age Manga
“I Am a Hero Too” is not a random filler story. The project adapts a special one-shot manga drawn by series creator Kohei Horikoshi. He originally made this short chapter for the official fanbook titled My Hero Academia: Ultra Age, which came out in December 2024.
The original manga is only about five pages long. Despite its short length, the story carries heavy emotional weight. It shows a peaceful time eight years after Class 1-A graduates from U.A. High School.
The production studio Bones is adding special animation techniques to expand this short story into a full viewing experience. This makes it more than just a direct copy of the manga panels.
Eri Returns as a High School Student Pursuing Music
The main focus of “I Am a Hero Too” is Eri, the young girl Deku saved during the Shie Hassaikai arc in Season 4. Fans watched her suffer under Overhaul’s experiments and slowly heal thanks to the kindness of Deku, Mirio, and Class 1-A.
In this new special, Eri is no longer a frightened child. She has grown into a teenager who now attends high school. The story follows her as she returns to U.A. High School. She has a personal reason for visiting: she wants to invite Deku to her first street concert.
“I Am a Hero Too” will portray Eri as a teenager who is visiting U.A. High School as she is thinking about her own dreams. Her journey in this series has been one of the most emotional storylines.
The title “I Am a Hero Too” carries a deep meaning. It suggests that even someone who does not fight villains with powerful Quirks can still be a hero. For Eri, her journey to heal and find happiness is her own way of being heroic.
A Calmer Future Eight Years After The Main Story
The special takes place in a very different world compared to the main series. The major wars against the League of Villains and the Paranormal Liberation Front are over. Society has had time to rebuild.
Deku is now a teacher at U.A. High, while his classmates like Bakugo, Todoroki, and Uraraka have become professional heroes. The special episode “More,” which aired on May 2, 2026, set up this timeline and showed the emotional conversation between Deku and Uraraka.
“I Am a Hero Too” pushes the timeline even further forward. Instead of focusing on high-stakes battles, the story shows what daily life looks like in a peaceful society. It is a slice-of-life style story that gives fans a final look at how the characters have settled into their lives.
Many fans are eager to see how Eri interacts with the now-adult members of Class 1-A. The story offers a sense of hope and shows that all the fighting was worth it to create a world where children can simply chase their dreams.
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What This Means For The Franchise
While the main story of My Hero Academia has ended, the franchise is still active. This special is part of the 10th-anniversary celebrations for the anime. However, producers have clarified that this does not mean a full sequel series is coming.
“I Am a Hero Too” is a one-shot special, meaning it is a self-contained story. It gives proper closure to Eri’s character arc, which many fans felt deserved more attention in the main series finale. The project shows that creator Kohei Horikoshi and the animation studio want to give fans a complete emotional sendoff for all the beloved characters.
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