My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising Director Reveals Film’s Original Title

My Hero Academia has already launched one successful film (Two Heroes) and is now set to deliver a second feature, Heroes Rising. That film will follow Class 1-A as they travel to an island in the south of Japan, on special assignment to tutor the next generation of heroes. Of course that doesn’t go as smoothly as planned (does it ever, in My Hero Academia?), and he students of Class 1-A find themselves having to face a new villain called Nine and his cohorts, when they show up to attack and destroy the island’s facilities.

However, we now know from My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising director Nagasaki Kenji that the film originally had a much different title – one that arguably would’ve been better at snagging fan intrigue!

As director Nagasaki Kenji revealed in a recent interview:

“Actually, we initially wanted to call the movie “ONE FOR ALL” since we were going to show each individual character fighting together, but this isn’t a story about the quire “One for All.” This story focuses on the entire Class 1A members, so we decided on he word “Rising…”

Kenji is completely right in his statement that fans would’ve been very confused, had this new film been called My Hero Academia: One For All. It would’ve seemed like an insightful backstory about the One For All quirk and All Might predecessors – while delivering none of that. Needless to say, fans would’ve been beyond frustrated.

Get more from the interview with Nagasaki Kenji, below, as well as the full synopsis for My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising:

“The story takes place on a cold winter’s night where the snow continues to fall. Shigaraki Tomurra plans to destroy all of hero society as the leader of the League of Villains. Prior to this, as a battle between heroes unfolds, without else knowing, something quietly wakes up and leaves the area.

During that time, Deku and the other students of U.A. Academy Class 1-A are told by the retired No. 1 Hero, All Might, that they will be part of a project to raise the next generation of heroes. They are sent to do hero work for a short time at a warm island south of Japan.

Deku and the others are stationed within the island to work as heroes to help with the daily lives of citizens on the island, and while their schedule is busy, they have time to relax as well.

However, that calm is soon disturbed as villains suddenly made their appearance on the island. One by one they begin destroying the facilities around the island. The one who commands them goes by the name Nine. That night, something awakens there.

Deku, Bakugo, and there best of the Class A members will need to combine their strength to overcome the villain Nine! Why does Nine want to attack this island after all? Can Deku and the other Class A ‘New Heroes’ protect the citizens of this island from the villain Nine!?“

My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising is currently slated for a release in Japan on December 20th.