I love anime, but I especially love good anime. Truly great anime are often hard to come by, and even the best ones may occasionally suffer from poor moments or seasons. Don’t even get me started on how confusing seasons can be with how arcs are adapted and episode counts. But that got me thinking. I know what anime are good or bad, and that they can all have good or bad stretches. But what makes one season or stretch truly stand out?
It might sound like a silly question, but it sent me down a rabbit hole as I searched for shows that fit my criteria. First, I looked at my favorite anime, Welcome to Demon School, Iruma-kun. I love the show because of how silly it is, but I wouldn’t really say that any of the seasons are truly “great.” One phenomenal anime is Mob Psycho 100, but I thought it was a great overall story that was supported by all three seasons.
Many of the seasonal anime I researched were similar to this. Season one of The Rising of the Shield Hero would have been perfect had it ended a few episodes earlier. Shows like Spy X Family, DanDaDan, and Kaiju No. 8 would have been candidates had the pacing been different. The list goes on, and I was having trouble finding a concrete answer… until now.
A week ago, I watched the final episode of My Hero Academia, and I looked back at the entire series afterwards. That was when I finally found it. I didn’t realize it at the time, but I now think that the fourth season is as close to being a perfect anime season as it can get. That’s saying a lot considering I didn’t like the season at the start.
Season four has a lot going on near the start, with a ton of mismatched pieces. The first three episodes cover three separate events. The first episode is about the journalist Tokuda, and he doesn’t even appear in the manga. The next two episodes serve as introductions to Overhaul and Sir Nighteye before starting the Shie Hassaikai arc. Then the rest of the season includes the Remedial Course, School Festival, and Pro Hero arcs.
The season is all over the place, and at first, I thought the pacing was weird, jumping from one event to the next in rapid succession. I didn’t like the season, but by the time all was said and done, I was able to truly appreciate its beauty. The journey to the finish line was a jumbled mess, but upon looking back at the completed season, I realized it was all one self-contained story that was nearly perfect.
But why do I think that? I have three main reasons for believing that this season is peak. They are the Shie Hassaikai arc, character growth, and the overall progression of the season.
I thought the Shie Hassaikai arc was the best arc of the first four seasons. The action is great, and there are some really high stakes, but it’s also a major turning point for the young heroes because it’s the first time they take initiative. This is hard to believe considering there’s been more than 60 episodes by this point, but it’s the truth: every conflict class 1A has been involved in was them being the victim of an attack.
Shigaraki attacked the U.S.J. Their training camp was attacked. Stain was killing heroes. Every conflict they’ve been involved in up until this point was them being the target of some attack. In season four, Midoriya and Togata see that Eri is in trouble and choose to help. This becomes a huge progression point for the entire series because they take matters into their own hands instead of just defending.
The next big aspect of the season is how much character growth there is in such a short amount of time. One of my favorite things about My Hero Academia is the massive cast, and this season gives so many of them their chance to shine. One prime example is Kirishima. At first, he’s drawn as someone akin to a toned-down Bakugo. But there are multiple moments throughout the first half of the season that really flesh out his backstory and personality. He immediately became one of my favorites.
Amajiki was in a similar situation. He was only introduced a few episodes earlier, but had a huge development arc early in the season. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. We learn a lot about Togata, and some of the smaller heroes like Sir Nighteye and Fat Gum had their moments, too. This season makes it so easy to fall in love with characters.
The biggest selling point for me was that the deeper into the series you get, the less janky it becomes. The first half is all over the place, but by the end, you realize it was all one cohesive storyline. That’s not something that happens often in seasonal anime. Sure, there are random side quests like the journalist, the remedial courses, Gentle Criminal, and Endeavor, but the season is really all about Overhaul and Eri.
The introductions to Overhaul and Sir Nighteye kick off the story before the Shie Hassaikai arc becomes the main conflict. Then there’s the school festival, which at first seems like a life-of-life filler. But it isn’t. There’s music, team building, and the debut of Gentle Criminal, but the main focus of this arc is Eri.
The entirety of the School Festival arc is about Eri recovering from the events of the Shie Hassaikai arc and how she acclimates to society. It also briefly dives into how Midoriya, Togata, and the others have been affected. There are many fun and upbeat moments, but this doesn’t really serve as a separate arc. The School Festival Arc serves as both a conclusion and epilogue to the story that’s been brewing since the start of the season, creating one epic saga.
Not many people seem to think too highly of this season, as it has a 7.86 score on My Anime List. That’s a great score, but not as high as I would have thought after looking back at the overall picture. The fourth season is honestly a masterclass on storytelling with its single and cohesive story, great character growth, and plot progression.
