'My Hero Academia': What Is the Hero License Exam Arc?

Like so many anime and manga series, My Hero Academia is organized into storyline arcs of different names, and now the anime is about to transition into a new volume, known as the "Hero License Exam Arc." So, what is the "Hero License Exam Arc" all about?

Here's what you need to know:

The anime story arc that just wrapped up is known as the "Hideout Raid Arc", which saw students of Class 1-A and an elite pro hero team all converge on the League of Villains' two big hideouts: the bar where they held student hostage Katsuki Bakugo, and the Nomu factors in Kamino. By the end of the Kamino Raid Operation, top Pro Hero All Might had expended all of his One For All quirk power, in order to defeat his quirk-stealing nemesis, All For One. The victory proved costly as All Might's de-powered form was revealed to the world, thereby shattering the illusion of "The Symbol of Peace" for good. In response to the Kamino incident, U.A. Academy was forced to take drastic steps to secure its students and reputation -- and Izuku Midoriya nearly lost his opportunity to continue at the prestigious school.

The "Hero License Exam Arc" catches up with U.A. in its new boarding school form, with students picking up where their studies left off: training for the Provisional Hero License Exam. The exam is a biannual test the government holds, in order to grant provisional pro hero licenses to the most capable students; after the villain attacks on U.A., the school administrators are especially keen on arming their students with the legal authorization to fight back and save innocents, should the villains strike again. However, after All Might's retirement and the various troubling incidents in the pro hero world, the government has made this year's license exams even tougher and more selective than ever,meaning Izuku and Class 1-A have to step up their respective games, if they hope to pass.

This particular story arc opens up the pro hero world and student trainee world in a major way - particularly by introducing rival schools and students for U.A. Shiketsu High School is U.A.'s chief rival, holding the title of 'most prestigious' in the Western region, as U.A. is in the Eastern. There's also Ketsubutsu Academy High School, which is also in the running. From these new schools we meet some talented new students, who compete against Izuku and U.A.'s other candidates in the exam. The test itself happens in phases, similar to the Sports Festival, with two main parts to the exam. Meanwhile, there are several other big subplots, as the students, heroes, and larger world begin to truly enter a world that no longer has All Might. ANd in the shadows, the League of Villains begins to regroup, after their leader's defeat...

The exciting part for fans to remember is that the "Hero License Exam Arc" marks the first chapter in the larger "Rise of the Villains" saga. With a title like that, you can be rest assured that some exciting events are coming up - and if you were someone who loved the anime's Season Two "Sports Festival Arc", then you'll probably get a lot of enjoyment out of the actual License Exam sequences (if the manga is anything to judge by).

Catch new episodes of My Hero Academia streaming on Saturday mornings; however, there will be some brief breaks coming up, so be aware. The first My Hero Academia movie drops on August 3rd, after an early preview at San Diego Comic-Con 2018.