My Hero Academia has had a long history.  Starting in 2014 as a serial in Shueisha’s shōnen manga magazine, it quickly became popular and was collected in several volumes. From there it spawned several spin-offs, including video games, stage plays, novels, and of course an award-winning anime series. While the magna recently came to a conclusion, rumour has it that the anime is returning for an eighth season, and My Hero Academia: You’re Next is now in theatres.

My Hero Academia: You’re Next takes place between season 6 and 7 of the anime series. It takes place specifcally right in the middle of the Paranormal Liberation War and the Stars & Stripe arcs. Many people aren’t sure if the movie is canon or not. But it definitely is and should be required viewing for fans. The plot is fairly straight forward. It shows the aftermath of the aforementioned Paranormal Liberation War. By then, Izuku Midoriya (Deku) and his classmates are tracking down the Jailbreakers that have been running rampant across Japan. Before they can complete their task, however, a mysterious giant fortress appears. That fortress has a team led my someone who resembles their old leader All Might.  He however is far from being an ally, and is in fact the new major enemy of the heroes.

If you are looking for an action-packed film, My Hero Academia: You’re Next is definitely it. There are fight scenes from start to finish, with many of them focusing on Deku. Thankfully there are enough characters that you can pick other characters to cheer for if Deku isn’t the hero you are looking for. There are also a couple of newcomer heroes, Anna (Meru Nukumi) and Guilio (Mamoru Miyano), who really add to the team. The villainous crime family led by Dark Might (Kenta Miyake) and Gorrini are also fun to watch. Unfortunately, the rest of the villains are nothing special, and more like side missions before getting to the final boss.

Good anime also needs to have a good story, and thankfully My Hero Academia: You’re Next has one. It even makes you look at what All Might did in the past and wonder if his path was the right path. At times it even has you question whether the villains of the story are really who they appear to be. Could it be they are right about All Might? Marvel Comics has always done a great job of blurring the line between right and wrong, and My Hero Academia: You’re Next does it almost as well.

Of course, the animation and soundtrack also play a great role in making the film as good as it is. Clean, crisp animation keeps you in the action, and the sound effects make you feel as if you are standing in the heart of the battle. Fans of the manga will also love how the story they read seems to be remade on the screen. At times it’s like you are watching a moving comic book. The action scenes are intense as well, which is exactly what you want them to be.

As you would expect, My Hero Academia: You’re Next takes the heroes on adventures. It has them facing off against the villains, and in the end, win the day. Fans of the anime and manga will love the film. And while you don’t have to have to know anything about this franchise before going into it, you might feel a little left behind if you go in blind.