A new My Hero Academia anime short adapting Kohei Horikoshi's 'I am a hero too' will arrive in summer 2026, following an adult Eri eight years after Deku's U.A. graduation.
A new My Hero Academia anime short is set for summer 2026, adapting Kohei Horikoshi's manga side story I am a hero too. The short focuses on Eri eight years after Izuku Midoriya's graduation from U.A. High School, and arrives as part of the franchise's ongoing 10th-anniversary celebrations.
The project animates I am a hero too, a bonus chapter Horikoshi originally drew for My Hero Academia: Ultra Age, the franchise's third official fan book released in Japan. The story is a quiet character piece set well after the main manga's events, checking in on Eri, the young girl rescued from Overhaul whose Rewind Quirk became central to the climactic showdown of the Shie Hassaikai arc.
In the chapter, Eri is no longer the frightened child Deku carried out of an underground lair. Eight years on from Midoriya's graduation, she is older, more self-possessed, and reflecting on what it means to live a normal life in a world still shaped by the heroes she grew up around. Horikoshi has used Ultra Age and the earlier Ultra Archive and Ultra Analysis volumes as a sandbox for this kind of epilogue material, and I am a hero too is widely regarded by fans as one of the most emotionally weighted entries in that lineup.
My Hero Academia first appeared in Weekly Shonen Jump in 2014, and the manga concluded in 2024 after a decade-long run. The TV anime's final season is currently in production, and the anniversary slate has expanded to include theatrical compilations, exhibitions, and now this animated short.
The announcement frames I am a hero too as a companion piece to the main anime rather than a continuation of it. By picking a self-contained side story instead of new canon, the production keeps the focus on legacy characters without pre-empting the TV adaptation's own ending. Staff, studio, and cast details for the short have not yet been disclosed; the franchise's main TV anime has been produced by Bones throughout its run.
Eri's arc has long been one of the series' emotional anchors. Her rescue gave Midoriya his first true taste of saving someone rather than simply defeating a villain, and her Rewind Quirk later allowed Deku and Mirio to push past their physical limits in pivotal fights. A short film that lets her speak for herself, after years of being defined by what others did for her, is a pointed choice for an anniversary project.
It also lines up with how Horikoshi structured the manga's closing chapters, which leaned heavily on the next generation and on what the surviving heroes leave behind. I am a hero too extends that thread in a format short enough to be experienced as an epilogue rather than a sequel.
A precise summer 2026 release date, the production studio, and returning voice cast particularly for Eri and Midoriya are still to be announced. Indian fans can expect the short to surface on the same platforms that have carried the TV series and films in the region, with Crunchyroll the most likely home for a same-day or near-simultaneous release once distribution is confirmed.
Weekly updates on the latest releases and announcements.
May 21, 2026
May 21, 2026
May 21, 2026