The Best Fights In My Hero Academia

Key Takeaways

• Endeavor and Hawks vs. Hood showcases power and teamwork in a pivotal battle with high stakes.
• Mirko’s fight against High-End Nomus demonstrates raw power and resilience.
• Muscular vs. Deku reveals the protagonist’s ethos with raw determination and high stakes.

In My Hero Academia, heroes take on villains in a battle over whose version of society will win the day, and go on to shape the lives of the next generation of quirk users. Characters prove themselves and what they believe in through the fights they have, willpower clashing through action. Because of this, the series is jam-packed with interesting fights.

These battles advance the plot, showcase our favorite heroes and villains at their best (or worst), and are, at a baseline, interesting to watch unfold. One thing is for sure, it just wouldn’t be the same series without these key fights.

11 Endeavor And Hawks Vs. Hood

With so much build up behind both the number-one hero and the number-two hero, it’s satisfying to see the two get to flex their abilities in a real fight to the death. Endeavor pulls out massive amounts of firepower against the incredibly resistant Hood, while Hawks uses his unmatched speed to minimize damage and back him up.

After the fall of All Might, these two have huge shoes to fill, and the stakes couldn’t be higher in proving to the public they can do so. It’s a tense fight that ends with giant, flaming wings in a very cool combo move. What’s not to love?

10 Mirko Vs. High-End Nomus

With a display of raw power, Mirko demonstrates why she’s the number five hero in her fight with multiple of the type of Nomu that almost took out Endeavor. Leaving everyone else behind, she goes straight to the source, and she does so while demonstrating an indomitable personality that makes what should have been a weaker quirk into a powerful one.

While it’s broken up between other scenes, the flashes we get of Mirko’s work are still electrifying. One of the most memorable takedowns in the show is her using only her legs to take out a Nomu after getting up close and personal.

9 Stain Vs. UA Students

In the midst of training, a group of UA students gets a taste of real combat in their fight with Stain, which challenges not only their powers but their bonds with each other. This fight is not only one that challenges Deku’s ability to strategize on the fly, it also advances Shoto’s and Iida’s character arcs through action.

Besides life and death, what’s at stake in this fight is what it means to be a hero. Deku is growing into his role as inspiration for his friends, and this fight is an important, early example of how he’ll be evolving with the people who are going to end up supporting him.

8 Kirishima Vs. Rappa

There’s something so satisfyingly simple about strength versus endurance, and that’s exactly what this fight boils down to. Kirishima needs to break past his insecurities to withstand the force that Rappa can dish out. While short, the fight is a fantastic bit of character development for fan-favorite Kirishima.

In a series where mind can triumph over might, with characters’ determination lending them strength beyond limits, this is a perfect example. Of all the sub-fights that happen in Overhaul’s compound, this one is the most compelling of them for that reason. We can relate to Kirishima’s doubts and rejoice in his triumph despite them.

7 Bakugo Vs. Midoriya

An emotionally charged battle that marks the turning point for their relationship and Bakugo’s character, this battle is crucial to the shape of the plot going forward. The fight is a physical manifestation of the two finally seeing each other clearly: Midoriya is able to explain why he looks up to Bakugo, and Bakugo comes to terms with the faults in his worldview that have made him a bully.

It’s not the flashiest fight in the series, but it’s very satisfying to watch these two start to become the two sides of All Might’s inheritance they were meant to be. They leave this fight seeing each other as equals moving forward.

6 Aizawa Vs. The League Of Villains

This is the battle that not only introduces the stakes that the story will be dealing with, but also shows off the abilities of some of the pro-hero teachers. After all of his lectures on what it means to be a pro, Aizawa walks the walk in this fight, combining his quirk, support items, and experience to take on multiple opponents himself.

Rushing into battle with no thought but keeping his students alive, his quick wit saves multiple students from certain death despite almost impossible odds. In the words of Shigarki, Aizawa really is just too cool.

5 Bakugo Vs. All For One

There’s a lot to love about this confrontation that wraps up a lot of the reveals Horikoshi had been teasing for hundreds of chapters. We get the promised scene where Bakugo finally takes Deku’s hand, we see him embrace his nickname in the same way that Deku has his, and we see him finally take on the role of the mentor he felt responsible for ending.

Plus, watching Balugo rise from the dead to answer Deku’s plea for someone to save their hero, who had been destined to die, is an incredibly satisfying way to shine the spotlight on such a beloved character.

4 All-Might Vs. All For One

This emotionally charged battle not only showcases the levels of power that the students of UA are expected to live up to, but also gives us the heartbreaking end of an era. We get a glimpse into the epic fights that All For One and All Might were having leading up to the events of the manga.

Even more so than the eventual showdown between Deku and All For One, this fight is extremely personal, and it’s hard not to get caught up in this feud with the intensity that both fighters bring to the table. Despite everything staked against him, All Might manages to use what’s left of his ability to still deliver on his promise to be the Symbol of Hope. He embodies what it means to be Plus Ultra!

3 Overhaul Vs. Deku And LeMillion

In the course of the power leveling in My Hero Academia, the Overhaul fight comes at an important stage in Deku’s development as a hero. He’s gotten better control over his ability, but he still isn’t able to stand against such a powerful opponent on his own. That’s where the support of LeMillion comes in, both of them fighting to save Eri.

The fun of this fight is in the scale of the quirks being used, especially Overhaul’s extremely powerful transformation quirk. Given this, paired with the emotional backbone of protecting someone innocent, it’s a fight that perfectly balances what makes My Hero Academia so inspiring.

2 The League Of Villains Vs. Deika City

Where the heroes are limited by a moral code that limits harm and forbids killing, the League of Villains has no such qualms. This means that their battle in Deika City is an over-the-top explosion of violence and action we can’t look away from. Fighting to free their friend, Giran, the League is pushed to their limits in this battle, developing both as characters and as a team.

Dabi fights the ice-user Geten; Twice takes on his own fears fighting Skeptic’s puppets; Toga unlocks her potential in her battle with Curious; and Shigaraki faces off against Redestro. There’s something so satisfying about getting to see our favorite villains win, just once.

1 Muscular Vs. Deku

There’s no fight in My Hero Academia that better showcases the ethos of its protagonist. Deku isn’t yet the overpowered hero we see in his fight with All For One, nor is he backed up by an army of others with an arsenal of support items. He only has the embers of his unstable quirk, his willpower, his high pain tolerance, and his determination to protect someone.

Every other fight in the series is built on the basis of his actions in this fight, where no one else is coming to save him, and he’s the last line between the life or death of a child. This rawness makes it the most compelling fight in the series, even without the buildup.