Even as shōnen manga has entered a new era, thereby changing the way their anime are adapted, there will always be an irresistible charm to big, bombastic, and barely canon shōnen anime films. The latest evidence of this lasting appeal is My Hero Academia: You’re Next, the fourth film in the series, and, if the trailer is any further indication, the biggest of the bunch.

Supervised by series author Kohei Horikoshi, You’re Next is an original story that looks to be set between Episode 142 and the end of 143, while the students are patrolling Japan. The film centers around their conflict with a new villain who bears a resemblance to All Might, and who wishes to surpass the former #1 hero, even going so far as to refer to himself as “Dark Might.”

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The New Trailer is a Blast

Much like the previous teaser, it opens on the villain seeing All Might’s message from Season 3 (“You’re next”), and receiving it as a sign that he must become the new symbol of peace. In the present, as Japan reels from the destruction wrought by the villains, a strange flying fortress begins to devastate a city, and Class 1-A rushes to offer aid. Amid the chaos, Anna Scervino, voiced by Meru Nukumi, seems to be Dark Might’s target, but he’s not the only one seeking her.

Mamoru Miyano (Osamu Dazai in Bungo Stray Dogs, Rintaro Okabe in Steins;Gate) voices Giulio Gandini, the butler and loyal servant of the Scervino family. Despite their family ties, the trailer shows him attempting to kill Anna before Deku intervenes. In return, Giulio warns the students that they don’t understand how powerful her quirk is. Dark Might and his gang capture her, and he states his intent to use her to become stronger than All Might.

“Keep All Might’s Name Out of Your Mouth”

With the amount of focus on Deku and All Might’s relationship in the main series, it can be easy to forget just how big of an inspiration he is to the entire main trio, to say nothing of the rest of the cast in general. Part of what makes this film so exciting on a purely emotional level is how furious Deku, Bakugo, and Todoroki are to see such a pitiful pretender tarnish All Might’s name and aesthetic. That anger fuels practically every frame of the trailer.

Like in previous films, the whole class is getting in on the action too, and the films have only gotten better at giving everyone their time in the spotlight, especially Heroes Rising. Dark Might’s coterie of fellow villains also look ridiculously stylish and, while not much is known about them yet, hopefully their quirks are as cool as their fashion.

Another Gorgeous Studio Bones Production

Most people praise Bones for their TV productions – be they original or adapted – but their movies are a force to be reckoned with, if not always narratively, then definitely visually. A few months back we wrote about how this film has the potential to be “bigger than ever,” as it would be the first one not directed by Kenji Nagasaki. Instead, it’s directed by Tensai Okamura, the director of Darker than Black, Wolf’s Rain, the first Naruto movie, Blue Exorcist Season 1, and more.

We previously called him a “dream pick” for a film like this and the team surrounding him is no joke either. Ever since the trailer dropped, social media has been buzzing about the animators they suspect worked on the bits and pieces shown. A particularly beautiful series of impact frames was attributed to animator Kohei Hirota, Yuki Sato’s character animation looks quite smooth, and people suspect One Punch Man animator Yoshimichi Kameda is even making an appearance.

The Two Yuki Hayashi’s of My Hero Academia

But one of the most exciting credits is Yuki Hayashi, and no, not just the composer, but the animator of the same name who is listed as one of the chief animation directors. Yuki Hayashi, the animator, has been working on My Hero Academia since Season 2 and has been an AD on every film in the franchise. The cuts from the trailer attributed to him already look amazing, so the finished product is going to be quite a sight.

As an added bonus, Hayashi even illustrated the cover for VAUNDY’s new single, “Homunculus,” the new ending theme for the film. In a year celebrating Studio Bones’ 25th anniversary, the studio has been busy with a few different projects, but among them all, My Hero Academia: You’re Next feels like a fireworks show to cap things off.

My Hero Academia: You’re Next hits theaters in Japan on August 2, 2024.

My Hero Academia is available to stream on Crunchyroll.

Source: My Hero Academia The Movie website