My Hero Academia Final Season Episode 1 Review: Does Aoyama’s Redemption Finally Begin?
My Hero Academia Final Season blasts out of the gate with Episode 1, Toshinori Yagi: Rising Origin, as the unlikeliest MVP emerges—Yuga Aoyama, the Class 1-A traitor whose pivotal play even tilts All Might’s clash with All For One.
Spoilers ahead for My Hero Academia Final Season, Episode 1. The final stretch is finally here, and the premiere, 'Toshinori Yagi: Rising Origin', comes out swinging with All Might back in the fight... and yet, somehow, the episode keeps handing the spotlight to Yuga Aoyama. Not a bad idea on paper, but the way it plays out is messy. The short version: more lows than highs for a goodbye lap, and the tension I was hoping for never quite shows up.
All Might is back, and he absolutely brings it
Let me give credit where it is due: All Might being All Might again works. Even without a Quirk, he jumps back in as Armored All Might, and the suit borrowing elements of Class 1-A’s abilities is a great, emotional touch. He’s older, outmatched, and still smiling through the worst of it. That spirit is why you root for him in the first place.
All For One is terrifying, too — especially now that Rewind has him rolling back to his prime. Their rematch taps right into the show’s core. The problem is the premiere leans hard on material we literally just saw in the Season 7 finale. Some added context is nice, but a chunk of this feels like reruns when the final season should be flooring it.
On top of that, the episode slips into the classic shonen habit of over-explaining mid-fight. MHA’s done it before, sure, but this is the most distracted it has felt.
The Aoyama detour that keeps stealing the hype
Here’s the weird part: the premiere almost plays like an Aoyama episode. The former Class 1-A traitor ends up contributing more than anyone expects — arguably even boosting All Might’s momentum — but the timing is rough. Right as All Might is winding up a big move, the episode hard-cuts to Aoyama’s battle elsewhere. I get the intent (the war is everywhere, heroes are stretched thin), but it slices through All Might’s hype in a big way.
To be fair, Aoyama teaming up with Hagakure to drop Kunieda is slick: his laser, her reflection, one villain down. It’s just placed exactly where it undercuts the main event.
There’s also a tonal faceplant: a gag where Aoyama and Hagakure suddenly clock that she’s naked — because, right, she’s invisible. It’s fan service at the worst possible time, and it breaks the mood again, especially since the episode wants to close on Aoyama’s resolve.
'Nothing will stop him.'
Stain to the rescue (yes, really)
If you felt the episode losing altitude, Stain parachutes in late and freezes All For One in place. It’s a clean, momentum-resetting beat, and probably the smartest choice in the back half.
Episode 1 quick hits
- Title: 'Toshinori Yagi: Rising Origin'
- All Might returns as Armored All Might, with a suit that mirrors Class 1-A’s powers in clever ways
- All For One is de-aging thanks to Rewind, which puts him back in prime form
- Large chunks of the All Might vs. AFO material repeat what we saw in the Season 7 finale
- Mid-fight exposition overload hurts momentum during the main showdown
- Cutaway to Aoyama right before a big All Might move derails the hype
- Aoyama and Hagakure’s combo takes down Kunieda — cool idea, bad placement
- A misplaced gag about Hagakure being naked undercuts the tone, again
- Stain pops in late and paralyzes All For One, which actually restores some energy
- Overall: a shaky, disjointed start with bright spots that suggest the next episodes can still lock in
Bottom line
As a curtain-raiser for the final season, this one stumbles. The All Might material hits emotionally, but the episode keeps cutting itself off — literally — and leans on old footage and chatter when it should be building tension. I’m still optimistic the coming episodes will be tighter and more fight-forward; the pieces are here, just not assembled cleanly yet.
My Hero Academia is streaming on Crunchyroll.