Second My Hero Academia film gets North American release date

Me Hero Academia fans outside of Japan will get their chance to see the new film this coming February.

Are you ready to go plus ultra? I mean, like, really go plus ultra? If not, then don’t talk to me. But if you are, then boy do I have some good news for you! The second film based on the massively popular anime, My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising has been announced for a release date of February 26 in the U.S. and Canada.

The film, which was first released in Japan on December 20, 2019, is set to run in more than 1000 theaters in both Japanese (with English subtitles) and English. The news is certainly a timely one, as season 4 of the My Hero Academia anime is currently hitting its stride.

The last movie, My Hero Academia: Two Heroes, was a huge hit with North American audiences and became one of the 10 highest-grossing domestic anime films of all-time with a box office total of $5.7 million. Not too shabby, especially considering it was only the first in what, I assume, will be several animated films for the hero epic. But while the first film was certainly a solid entry in terms of quality, Heroes Rising looks to be even better.

The film follows class 1-A as they travel to Nabu Island to finally get some real hero work under their belts. What was meant to be more of a peaceful and easygoing experience, however, is interrupted after a new powerful villain invades and puts everyone at risk. But with All Might retired, it’s up to Deku and friends to show that the next generation of young heroes can save the day.

The teasers for Heroes Rising have been exciting, and seem to hint at some truly unbelievably powerful foes that each of the characters will be up against. But more importantly, it seems like many of the characters are going to be showcased a lot more than not only the last film, but the current season of the anime as well.

This isn’t necessarily a dig — as I’ve been having a blast with season 4 so far (and can’t wait for episode 76!) — it’s just refreshing to see that the characters we grew to love in the first place will again get their time in the limelight. Especially with Bakugo, who hasn’t exactly been featured much this season. It’s going to be wonderful seeing Lord Explosion Murder himself back in action again.

It’s also nice to see that the movie will release with both subbed and dubbed versions, even if it was to be expected. My friend and I will be making bets with each other for the next month to determine which version we end up seeing (he’s a sub guy, while I prefer the dub; sue me). Aside from our unhealthy football addiction, My Hero Academia is pretty much our weekly dosage of escapism from the morbid nature of our daily lives that we can gleefully obsess over.

Fans can look forward to getting their hands on advanced tickets for My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising which will go on sale on January 31. Also, remember you can catch new episodes of My Hero Academia every Saturday on Funimation and Crunchyroll, followed by written recaps from yours truly (which all the experts, that may or may not be just my one friend, say are just lovely!) to accompany them.