Fall 2025 was a highly anticipated season, especially with the return of One-Punch Man Season 3. While that series has turned out increasingly disappointing, all eyes were truly laid on shonen’s biggest title, My Hero Academia, which is concluding its decade-long journey. Since the finale began, My Hero Academia has consistently proven itself to be the standout anime of the season. The third episode, featuring Bakugo’s return, was one of the most celebrated episodes of the series, and even of the year. However, the latest episode, showcasing the final battle and concluding the main fight, has surpassed it and become the highest-rated episode of 2025.
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My Hero Academia Episode 167, titled “Izuku Midoriya Rising,” has earned a near-perfect 9.9/10 rating, overtaking other top-rated episodes released this year. Previous holders of this position included one of One Piece’s most emotional episodes, Episode 1136, which revealed Kuma’s tragic past. Before One Piece, the record belonged to Solo Leveling Season 2 with its twelfth episode. My Hero Academia’s achievement is no fluke; it highlights the legacy the series has built over more than ten years and what it continues to mean to fans.
Shonen Jump’s Popular Series’ Latest Episode Becomes the Best of the Year
The achievements My Hero Academia has secured with its final season are truly remarkable. Every episode so far, all eight, has earned a rating above nine stars on IMDb. This is a phenomenal record, as even other highly celebrated series like Solo Leveling have not accomplished this. The only other anime to achieve this was Takopi’s Original Sin, which, with its short run of six episodes, saw every episode rated above nine stars, becoming the first anime to hold that record. With all eight episodes of My Hero Academia’s final season reaching this mark, the series has now surpassed even that milestone, solidifying itself as the strongest season without shortcomings.
The main reason My Hero Academia has been able to do this is that Kohei Horikoshi’s manga represents the true essence of the shonen genre, perhaps the last to do so. My Hero Academia stands as the final long-running shonen with more than 400 chapters. With no upcoming series expected to reach or surpass this length, not even Black Clover, it becomes clear that My Hero Academia may be one of the last of its kind.
Meanwhile, the reason fans have embraced the final season with such enthusiasm, especially the latest episode, is how it brings Deku’s journey to a powerful end. Rather than becoming an untouchable figure, the final moments revealed that Deku’s strength lies in his ability to inspire others and bring people together, a quality that clearly resonated deeply with fans and sets him apart from many other shonen protagonists by the end of their stories. As a result, fans have celebrated My Hero Academia and Deku’s journey as one of the best shonen experiences, crowning the series as one of the year’s strongest and surpassing all others.
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Image Courtesy of HBO -
Courtesy of TOHO Animation
