The eighth and final season of the TV anime series " My Hero Academia, " based on the manga by Kohei Horikoshi that was serialized in "Weekly Shonen Jump" (Shueisha), began airing on October 4th (Yomiuri TV/Nippon TV, Saturdays at 5:30 PM). The story of the hero and villain that has been airing for about nine years is reaching its climax. We spoke to Yamashita Daiki and Tomura Shigaraki, who have played the main character Daiki Yamashita Izuku Midoriya (Deku) and the villain who threatens to destroy everything, respectively, since the first season of the TV Koki Uchiyama began airing in 2016, about their thoughts on the final chapter.
◇The joy of being able to act until the end I am here now because I worked hard in every episode
--The seventh season, which aired from May to October 2024, depicted various dramas of both heroes and villains. What scene left an impression on you?
Yamashita: I think all the scenes were great because they involved the resolution of various feuds. Among them, I couldn't watch the scene between Uraraka (Uraraka Ochako) and Toga (Toga Himiko) without crying. It was a story that made me think about all the "what if"s that might have happened if something had been different, and it also made me wonder about what "normal" is, a heavy topic that could happen in reality. I think it was a battle that made me think about a lot of things, and that there is no such thing as "feeling good when you fight and win."
-What did you feel while playing Deku in season 7?
Yamashita-san , there were a lot of frustrating scenes in Season 7. It was a constant struggle. When the heroes tried to execute their plan, things didn't go well, and they were warped to an island. They started off by having to hurry to the front lines, but when they got there, something unbelievable was happening. They had to keep the Celestial Coffin in the air, so it was a battle with a lot of restrictions. The only time I was able to really make a statement was when I activated Overdrive for the first time. The scene where the Successor's Second "quirk," which had been hidden all this time, was very memorable. When I read the script, I was surprised, thinking, "So that's what his 'quirk' was!" It was also fun to think about how to express it, so I think I was able to take an approach that hadn't been tried before.
-What was the most memorable scene for you in season 7?
Uchiyama: For me, the fight between Shigaraki and the American hero Stars and Stripes, which was depicted at the beginning of season 7, left a lasting impression. When I saw the finished footage, I was really entertained as a viewer by the power of the images and the surreal scale of the battle. Around that time, Shigaraki was taken over by All For One, and the way his lines were spoken also changed, so in that sense it was a turning point as well.
--After the 7th season, "My Hero Academia" is finally reaching its final stage. How do you feel having reached this point?
Yamashita-san's original work was completed after 10 years, so I feel very happy that we were able to follow up on it and welcome the FINAL SEASON without any gaps. With the excitement still high, I am approaching the dubbing with a deep sense of happiness at being able to do it until the very end. I feel a little lonely, but the joy surpasses that. I feel filled with gratitude for being able to do it.
Uchiyama: There are new character secrets that will be revealed in the final season, so I'll look back and think about it once everything is over, and I still can't say what I think. However, when I think back to the first season, it was an unimaginable development, and every season I really thought about how to act in the episodes in front of me, and I think I've come this far by taking on challenges one by one. I think that I've made it to the final season by building on each one.
◇ Moved by All Might's brave figure, surprised and delighted by Hiroshi Kamiya participation
--What did you keep in mind and what did you value when recording the FINAL SEASON?
Uchiyama: The battle has been going on since the previous season, so I thought it was important to continue that. There are times when Shigaraki is taken over by All For One, and there are also moments when he regains his sense of self, so I had to check each of those moments and work on them.
As Yamashita-san and Ucchi-san said, this is the final season set in the midst of an ongoing battle, so we had to remember things like fatigue and the extent of our injuries when recording, and we all confirmed this when we started the first recording session. There's no one standing normally in perfect health, everyone tried to approach recording with the atmosphere and mindset of standing beyond their limits. For Deku, that's especially true, as he "absolutely has to keep standing." If he's too tired, he sounds weak-willed, so we surpass that by making him seem almost insane, like "I have to stop here." We consciously thought about that very strongly.
--The final season begins with a battle between All For All Might, equipped with a powered suit and support item, Hercules.
Yamashita: The seventh season ended in the middle of the battle, and the final season begins in the middle of it, so Armored All Might's battle is really moving. The suit was made by Melissa, who appeared in the movie (My Hero Academia: The Two Heroes), and the voice of the suit is provided by Shida Mirai, who played Melissa, so I thought it was an incredibly emotional idea!
--Hercules is equipped with the "quirks" of the students in Class 1-A of U.A. High School, including Deku.
Yamashita: It was also moving to see All Might fight using the "quirks" of everyone in Class 1-A, and each and every fighting style was overflowing with love. I could also feel the richness of All Might's mind that "there are no superiors or subordinates among heroes, everyone should respect each other," and I thought All Might was really wonderful. That's why I want him to never lose, and keep smiling, and I find myself watching those scenes with personal feelings.
--All For One, as opposed to All Might , is getting younger and younger, and the actor playing him has been replaced by Hiroshi Kamiya from Akio Otsuka, which has also become a hot topic.
I was surprised to see Uchiyama-san and Hiroshi Kamiya joining the team. Even in the recording studio, we were talking about who would voice All For One as he gets younger, so when I found out it was Kamiya-san, I was surprised, but also convinced, and thought it was an exquisite casting. Although he's the same All For One, I also felt like a new member had been added to the enemy (villain) team.
--With the addition of new allies, did the villain cast members ever talk to each other?
Uchiyama: From my perspective, it must have been difficult for him to play the last season, not as a new character, in this position, and with so many lines. However, even though "My Hero Academia" has been going on for many years, none of us, including Taiki, have fallen into a routine in the bad sense. Each and every dubbing session feels like a challenge, so in a good way, there isn't much difference between those who have been doing it for a long time and those joining for the first time. In that sense, I think the dubbing went smoothly and in a good atmosphere.
To be continued in interview (2).
