My Hero Academia Season 7 Leaks Raise Questions About the Anime’s Pacing

This week, viewers were able to get a sneak peek at the first episode of My Hero Academia season 7 through various leaks, mostly in the form of photos from the premiere. These leaks included glimpses of the opening and ending themes, as well as scenes of the highly anticipated Star & Stripe versus TomurAFO battle and confirmation on which chapters will be adapted in the first episode.

These My Hero Academia season 7 leaks persisted throughout the day, unveiling even more thrilling advance details about what fans can anticipate from one of the show’s potential last seasons. While most of these leaks were continuations of the previously reported ones, they did divulge some fascinating elements about the upcoming season.

Specifically, a single scene in one of the thematic sequences of My Hero Academia season 7 has left fans wondering about the extent to which the upcoming production will follow the source material. According to the leaked information, it is being suggested that this may be the last complete season of the series to be adapted for television.

Warning: Spoilers ahead for both the original My Hero Academia manga series and the upcoming 7th season of the anime. Reader discretion is advised.

My Hero Academia Season 7: The Final Showdown between Deku and Shigaraki?

As evidenced in Kohei Horikoshi’s original manga series, the ongoing epic battle between Izuku “Deku”Midoriya and Tomura Shigaraki has recently led them to Mt. Fuji. Interestingly, the latest leaked screenshot from season 7 of My Hero Academia also includes a scene featuring Mt. Fuji in one of the season’s thematic sequences, further emphasizing the significance of this location in the story.

Despite not being a definite confirmation, this strongly implies that the seventh season will bring viewers to the climax of their final, decisive conflict. The animation studio BONES has followed a similar pattern in previous seasons, hinting at future events through anime-exclusive scenes and thematic sequences.

Nevertheless, achieving this milestone in My Hero Academia season 7 would necessitate a rapid pace of adaptation from BONES, as they would have to cover approximately 80 chapters in the reported 25 episodes. Although this could be accomplished given the multitude of action scenes in those chapters, it is likely that some scenes may still be condensed or hurried.

As a result, fans have been speculating on what may need to be sacrificed or reduced in order to reach this goal, especially given that BONES has hinted at reaching it in season 7. Some suggest that Mezo Shoji’s storyline may be cut, while others believe that the Ochaco Uraraka versus Himiko Toga fight could be another casualty in the name of progress.

Despite this, it is highly probable that BONES is laying the groundwork for future events that will be featured in the anime’s eighth season instead of season 7. The urgency with which they must progress in order to reach this point, as well as the possibility that reaching the Mt. Fuji waypoint may not provide enough content for an eighth season, supports this idea.

Nevertheless, this also brings up uncertainties about the possibility of a film conclusion for the anime franchise instead of an eighth season on television. Regardless, this remains purely speculative at the time of writing this article, as the leaked information for season 7 has yet to be confirmed by official sources. Fortunately, viewers will have the opportunity to confirm for themselves when the seventh season debuts on Saturday, May 4, 2024 in Japan.