SDCC 2019: My Hero Academia Panel Recap

My Hero Academia is one of the biggest anime series out there, and it is coming to take over San Diego this week! After all, San Diego Comic-Con is here, and Funimation is hosting one PLUS ULTRA panel to celebrate the shonen series. ComicBook.com is here covering the anime’s big panel, and you can find out all the juicy details from the anime below:

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The event begins with a special treat for fans. The first-ever English dubbed trailer for season four it shared, and the crowd is going wild. Fans are in love with newcomers like Mirio and Sir Nighteye, but Overhaul’s gritty voice is more than enough to instill fear. And of course, Justin Briner wows with his performance as Izuku Midoriya.

There are also special guests! As they head to the stage, the crowd goes wild. The first out is Kellen Goff, the voice of Overhaul. Second up on stage is Adam Gettis, an NFLC player who happens to be a major fan of the series. The third guest coming to deck is Marcus Davenport from the New Orlean Saints. The next talent out is Clifford Chapin, the voice of Bakugo Katsuki. Now, Justin Briner is coming out, and the crowd is going wild for the voice of Izuku Midoriya.

The first question up is how the gang feels about the way My Hero Academia has become so popular. Goff says he is not surprised but he gives all the credit to fans. Goff hopes the series becomes the “big big big big” thing. As for Gettis, the football star says he was introduced to the series after being told by a friend at Funimation about it, and he fell in love with it. Davenport says he might have come in late to the series, but he talks about it all the time now. He even speaks about it to his teammates to try and “convert them over.”

Chapin says they have been involved by day one, and they were told it would be big. Season one was popular, yes, but it has since explored according to the actor. And now, Chapin says it is incredible to be here with so many fans. Briner echoes these thoughts, and he says he identifies with it more so than others.

The second question is about personal quirks for the panelists. Goff says his would be memorization as he has an ability to tie down lyrics and such. As for his relationship to Overhaul, the actor cannot say as sharing the power is spoiler, but he wishes he had Kaminari’s power. Gettis says his quirk is drink 1.5 gallons of water everyday, and his favorite in-show power is Tokoyami. Davenport believes he is like Izuku with how he overanalyzes everything which he is working on it; However, it does help him on the football field when the game is on. As for his anime show, All For One is his favorite, and he will take everyone’s power.

Chapin says he would identify with Momo in how she must know the minute details of everything she is working with, but his actual in-show quirk would be Bakugo (of course). Briner says he has a similar power to Sugar Rush, but it is with caffeine instead which he calls Captain Caffeine. Any quirk in the show that doesn’t break bones is great, but he really loves Todoroki’s power.

The third question is about favorite moments. Kellen says his favorite would be any Denki and Jiro moment as he likes them together. As for Gettis, he loves the fight in season two where Iida fights Stain. The athelete says the animation took him back with all its emotions. Davenport’s favorite moment is the moment during the entrance exam when he sacrifices himself to keep Ochaco safe, but he loves the moment when All Might explains why selflessness got him into the program. The star even says he let out a solid tear.

When it comes to Chapin, he says there are so many great moments, but his favorite is at the end of season three. The little moment when Bakugo and Izuku are over their big battle, Chapin says he was impressed Bakugo actually gave his former friend advice on fighting. Briner’s favorite moment is the fight between Todoroki and Izuku during the Sports Festival.

When it comes to how anime and sports are changing, Gettis says the scene is changing. While it is still a bit taboo, the player says a lot of fans are being introduced to the medium and falling into it with super-fans leading them. Gettis says they are going to make the industries work together, and Davenport says he was an anime fan before he ever played football. It was something the player could identify with that was beautiful. When asked if he takes any part of anime to work with him, Davenport says he channels Izuku on the field by analyzing and making his own hero notebooks.

Continuing, the group is asked what they are most excited to see in season four. Kellen says he is very interested to learn more about the Big Three. Gettis said he wants to see the confrontation between Shigaraki and Deku; He is not sure if that will even be happening in season four. As for Davenport, he says he is ready for more villains. It is interesting these bad guys are so relatable; Fans can see the villains have real development, and Davenport wants more.

Chapin is really excited to see Bakugo’s winter outfit. The crowd laughs because of the innocent pitch, but Chapin is just happy to see where Bakugo is taking his wardrobe and relationship with Izuku. As for Briner, the actor says season four is going to take everything to the next level. Everyone is there, and they are PLUS ULTRA!

As for surprise anime fans, Gettis says Mohamed Sanu surprised him today despite them being on the same team!

So, are you caught up on this series….? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics and anime!

My Hero Academia was created by Kohei Horikoshi and has been running in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump since July 2014. The story follows Izuku Midoriya, who lives in a world where everyone has powers, even though he was born without them. Dreaming to become a superhero anyway, he’s eventually scouted by the world’s best hero All Might and enrolls in a school for professional heroes. The series has been licensed by Viz Media for an English language release since 2015. My Hero Academia is gearing up for an even bigger end of 2019 with a new film in theaters later this year too.