“My Hero Academia” is based on the manga of the same name by Kohei Horikoshi and is adapted by Studio Bones. Season five was one of the most-watched shows over the Summer  2021 and remains one of the most popular anime in mainstream culture.

The first part of the fifth season revolves around the main cast of UA students in Class 1-A as they train their abilities and face off against Class 1-B, their rival class, in a tag team battle. The second half of the season, however, shifts focus to the villain’s perspective as they take on a new threat in the form of the Meta Liberation Army.

The first half of the season definitely gives us a better look at Class 1-A, showing their cool and interesting abilities, which got little spotlight in the previous seasons. We also get more focus on Class 1-B, which has been in the background ever since they were introduced.

A standout character, in particular, is Shinsou, voiced by actor Wataru Hano, who really comes into his own in this part of the story, and his interactions with the protagonist Deku solidify the backbone of the arc.

The problems in the season come from the pacing. Too often, fights drag on longer than they should, causing what should feel like triumphant moments for these characters to feel boring and drawn out. This really hurts the season because making the characters’ struggles feel like a chore to watch doesn’t make for an engaging show. The cuts to flashbacks to extend the runtime also become an issue as they cut into content later.

The second half, however, is a major tone shift from the first half and instead opts to focus on the main villain of the series. This part, aptly titled “My Villain Academia,” follows Tomura Shigaraki and his “League Of Villains.” Shigaraki and the league were one of the first villains to be introduced and seemed one-dimensional at first, but now, we get to explore his backstory and why he and his crew chose the path they did. At points, they were almost more fun to root for than the heroes.

Unfortunately, the pacing problems mentioned above hurt this section of the story by forcing the studio to cut content in order to fit the episodes into the season. This is a shame because it takes away a lot of subtle characterizations that make the villains seem like real people.

Overall, season five of “My Hero Academia” still manages to effectively set up the tone of the story going forward and the themes it presents. Despite some hiccups, season five is just as enjoyable as the last.