I really mean it this time. This figures to be the actual final post on Boku no Hero Academia the anime – excepting Vigilante of course, which I fully expect to get more seasons. At the time I wrote the series finale post last December, there was a good chance Chapter 431 would get an OVA but nothing announced. Well, an overwhelming chance if we’re honest. It came out some months after the “official” manga ending, so the debate about what the true end of HeroAca was could and did begin. But for me, Chapter 431 always felt pretty contiguous with the main series.
So this OVA is no surprise to anyone. Perhaps it’s surprising just how fast it showed up, but that’s a smart move and of course means it was well into production before the final season ended. Given its nature More feels less like an OVA and more like a final episode. Yes it has a timeskip but there’s nothing “extra” or omake about it. This is an epilogue, a denouement, no more and no less. And you know my feelings about those. Long series need them desperately, and often their writers shortchange them. Horikoshi Kouhei in effect gave us two epilogue chapters, and BnHA is the better for it.
What More doesn’t have is fluff. It’s laser-focused on the core characters of Boku no Hero Academia – this is their story. Not even All Might makes so much as a cameo. Eight years on our young students are now heroes. Bakugo broke into the charts at #4 but his foul temper quickly tanked him down to 15th. Shouto is riding high at #2 – behind only Lemillion. And let’s be honest, Lemillion was the one Yuuei student that had that “#1 hero” personality to him. His quirk is actually pretty mid, but nobody we met was better at leveraging it – either tactically or psychologically.
Uraraka Ochacho is the co-lead of this chapter. She’s been seeing Kouga Himiko in her dreams – maybe her blood still courses through her veins. She’s leading a fulfilling life helping kids adapt to their quirks and helping the world understand them. Froppy works closely with her. As for Deku, he’s teaching – a job which, truth be told, he was always pretty well-suited for. He has device-aided heroing capabilities too, but he’s not the same person he was before the great war. Both of them seem happy and fulfilled, but both have a certain sense of regret, of something unfulfilled.
Much of the episode takes place at a Class 1-A nomikai, which seems to be a semi-regular event – except that it’s a dry one, as everyone is perpetually on-call. There are a number of catch-ups here, with most of the crew being more or less where we might have expected them to be. Todoroki almost quotes Kiseijuu in a moment of introspection, and Kacchan calls him out for it. Todoroki seems happier than he was. Among for the others, Tokoyami is butting heads with the marketing people because of his Batman-esque persona and really, none of the prospective ships really seems to have taken off.
Including the obvious one. Fans wanted some resolution between Uraraka and Izuku – well, those who didn’t want another ship which never had any chance of sailing outside doujin seas. And they got it after the party, more or less. I mean it’s not like we have anything official, but emotional resolution at least. It was pretty clear in the end that the two of them were at least going to give a chance for their feelings to flourish. And it was Kacchan who pushed Deku into acting (andDeku was the one who made the approach in the end) with that “everyone is special” comment.
The Izuku-Uraraka stuff was great, but honestly it was the interaction between he and Bakugo that I found the most emotionally resonant. Kacchan is an incredibly irritating character. To be blunt I never fully warmed to him. But I did grow to appreciate him. I enjoy the contrast between his abrasive personality and the razor-sharp intellect and observation it was covering for. He knows Izuku better than anyone else, almost surely. And what’s more, he genuinely cares for him. He shows it so rarely that on the rare moments he does, it really makes an impact. I wouldn’t say Bakugo has really mellowed much, but maybe he is a bit more capable of being honest (not least with himself).
In sum, I think More works almost perfectly as a kind of HeroAca benediction. It feels like a chill and low-key way to say goodbye that manages to pack an emotional punch without wallowing in sentiment. Don’t get me wrong, the original ending works perfectly well – it would stand just fine on its own. But I think this one is even more satisfying. It leaves these characters in a very good and believable place, and you can’t ask for much more than that.
Raikou
May 4, 2026 at 4:41 pmYeah, after the end I still can’t 100% like Bakugou. Although I can say he’s matured.
I like that Izuocha is finally confirmed, although I wondered why Horikoshi take this so long that he only published it in the extra chapter, not in the main series. Is he afraid of the backlash from Dekubaku shippers?
The epilogue is nice, even with other ‘prospective ships’ not confirmed.
I didn’t say in the previous Heroaca review, but thanks for the Heroaca review, Enzo.
Guardian Enzo
May 4, 2026 at 4:57 pmWell you’re welcome of course, but I can honestly say it’s been a pleasure.
Even though it came a couple of months later I think we can safely say that Horikoshi always planned on 431 being the real end. I assume he just wanted to save the Izucha resolution for that. I don’t think BakuDeku was ever a thing outside of doujins.
Raikou
May 4, 2026 at 5:37 pmYeah, it’s doujin only, but the thing is on twitter there are some bakudeku shippers on denial after this episode (or maybe after 431 release).
Still not on Tokyo Ghoul level of rage though.
Guardian Enzo
May 4, 2026 at 5:54 pmYeah, we talked about that in the BnHA podcast episode. It’s fine to ship whoever you want – that’s why doujins exist, pretty much. But to rip the mangaka because he didn’t canonize that ship is the definition of entitlement and unrealistic expectations.
nickk
May 4, 2026 at 10:11 pmIt was a very nice epilogue! Indeed surprising that some ships were unconfirmed (I can’t believe that Kirishima and Jiro have their companies next to each other but nothing more happened)…
Kind of overkill to have the whole class (with multiple top heroes) going after a stolen van LOL, but it is still nice to see them all in action once again.
sanzal
May 5, 2026 at 9:48 amIt’s just sad that Izuocha seems to have such a large part of its fanbase comprised of right-wing, incel chuds. Their misogyny pops up whenever they talk about Ochako as some sort of prize for Deku, not to mention the constant sexualizing of her. When screenshots of her adult version in this episode dropped, all these guys spoke about was her ass. It was gross.
That’s not to mention the horrendous homophobia. I was there when the manga chapter dropped, and man, the way these assholes just harassed the queer shippers was disgusting.
Sometimes, I hate Horikoshi for creating this extra chapter. When it was just chapter 430, things seemed fine because everyone would just imagine their own version of a romantic resolution, and things didn’t get too crazy. But then, Hori went and published this, and it just feels like he emboldened some of the worst people imaginable. I was already not feeling Izuocha as a ship because I just don’t feel like it was executed well in the story, but the fanbase for the ship just ruins it for me completely.
Susugu Mitarai
May 10, 2026 at 6:03 amIf you think guys who like 2d asses are some of the worst people imaginable, you have a pretty poor imagination and a very limited knowledge of the world. This is a piece of fiction, meant to entertain; Let’s try and keep some healthy proportions.
sanzal
May 11, 2026 at 3:58 amYou ignored the part where I said these people were also very homophobic and relentlessly and cruelly harassed queer shippers after this chapter came out.
So, yes, these people are the worst people imaginable, no matter how much you try to downplay it, and screw Horikoshi for emboldening them with this chapter.
Susugu Mitarai
May 11, 2026 at 5:46 amI don’t condone harassment, but that is definitely not the worst thing a person can do. It doesn’t matter how homophobic, racist, whatever, a person is, if the extent of their nastiness is mean words on the internet, they are infinitely better than an actual murderer, an actual rapist, an actual batterer, etc.
And regardless, how is any of this Horikoshi’s fault? Do you think he was sitting around plotting how to encourage harassment of queer shippers? This isn’t his fight and it’s certainly not his responsibility.
sanzal
May 11, 2026 at 9:36 amWhy is the bar always so low for Izuocha shippers? As long as they’re not real-life murderers and rapists, then it’s okay for them to be homophobic and racist? Fucking hell, Izuocha shippers will always get away with anything as long as there are people like you making excuses for them.
Guardian Enzo
May 11, 2026 at 10:54 amLet’s take it down a notch, please.