Are the My Hero Academia Movies Canon?

My Hero Academia is gearing up to release the fourth movie in the anime franchise, and it's raising the question once again as to whether or not they are an official part of the series' canon! As fans have seen in most cases with action series like My Hero Academia in the past, the movie releases are often made to be approachable to wide audience without necessarily being completely up to date with everything that's currently happening in the anime or manga releases. But it's a strange case with My Hero Academia as while it's true they have original stories, there are ties back to the canon. 

My Hero Academia's fourth movie is releasing later this Summer in Japan, and My Hero Academia: You're Next will feature a story exploring the ruined Japan that was seen in the end of the sixth season. While the fight against this upcoming villain will not be referenced in large when Season 7 of the series kicks off this Spring (which makes sense given the movie releases after the TV anime returns), it will be an official part of the canon as it's a story idea from series creator Kohei Horikoshi himself. These things are indeed happening to Deku and the others. 

Are the My Hero Academia Films Canon? 

As for the truly canonical evidence that the movies exist within My Hero Academia's story, there are a few cameos from the movies' original characters in later chapters of the manga. It's a bit of a spoiler to highlight them now, but these characters are seen in various group shots when people around the world start to witness the big fights that happen throughout the Final Act's climax. But for a less spoilery concrete detail, Deku continues to use those enhanced bracers that Melissa Shield had developed in My Hero Academia: Two Heroes. 

Deku was seen with them during his initial fights in the start of the Final Act of My Hero Academia Season 6, and will be seen using them even more in the next season of the series. For further proof, he's using them in this upcoming movie as well set in between Season 6 and 7. So while these are technically episodic stories that stand alone, they are also part of Deku's heroic adventures overall. There aren't overt references to the fights they had in the movie in any of the main series, but characters from the film will be appearing in the anime's future in small cameos here and there. 

This was seen a bit with the worlds' heroes from My Hero Academia: World Heroes' Mission, and will continue to be shown later. So while it's not necessary to see the movies themselves to keep up with the overall canon, they are officially part of the story nonetheless. But what do you think? Let us know all of your thoughts about it in the comments! You can even reach out to me directly about all things animation and other cool stuff @Valdezology on X (formerly known as Twitter)!