Warning: Contains spoilers for My Hero Academia episode #170+1.After a phenomenal nine-year run, My Hero Academia’s anime came to an end, but fortunately, that wasn’t the end of the series by a long shot. Just a week after the anime’s finale, it was announced that the anime would receive a variety of projects for its 10th anniversary in 2026, and one of them was an adaptation of My Hero Academia’s original epilogue, marketed as episode #170+1, and it has just finished airing to much fanfare.

In My Hero Academia’s finale, eight years after the final battle with Shigaraki and All For One, Izuku, having long since lost his Quirk, retired to be a teacher at U.A., and while he missed being a hero, he was content with his new life. Izuku’s friends, on the other hand, didn’t accept that, and unbeknownst to him, they had spent years building him a suit of armor that mimicked One For All’s Quirks; Izuku happily accepted the gift and returned to being a hero part-time, and episode #170+1 picks up one month after that.

What Happens In My Hero Academia’s Epilogue?

My Hero Academia episode #170+1, “More”, opened with Ochaco and Tsuyu doing Quirk counselling with Mirio, Tamaki, and Nejire, with Ochaco noting that, despite how exhausting it was and how she had no time to herself, even with all the work Hawks has done to improve Quirk education, it was worth it if she could make the children happy. Tsuyu, however, could tell that something was troubling her, and that same night, Ochaco confessed that for the past month, she had been having dreams about Himiko, although she could never remember what Himiko would say to her.

At the same time, Bakugo was driving Izuku and Kirishima to a dinner party, with the two of them making fun of Bakugo for how hard it was for him to get sidekicks because of his bad personality. Soon, though, the topic shifted to Izuku; Izuku rejected Bakugo’s offer to join his agency because he’s only working as a hero part-time so he can continue teaching, as he loved both careers too much to give them up. Even then, though, Bakugo told Izuku that he couldn’t be truly happy if he treated everyone as equally special, which only confused Izuku.

Soon enough, it was revealed that the party was a class 1-A reunion to celebrate Todoroki becoming the Number Two Hero. With years of reflection, Todoroki had come to feel that his tragic history with his family was just part of a larger story, and he had even taken up bowl and chopstick making so that being a hero wasn’t all there was to his life. That, combined with others talking about romance, made Izuku’s gaze fall on Ochaco, but before he could say anything, a call came out about a nearby criminal, and the entire class leaped into action.

The villain was quickly dealt with, and everyone decided to call it a night, with Ochaco feeling disappointed that she didn’t get to talk to Izuku and that she’s been too busy to tell him how she feels. Suddenly, though, Izuku, who had seemingly gone home, ran up to Ochaco and told her that while he loved everyone, he wanted more from his relationship with Ochaco than he was getting from everyone else.

Ochaco, now realizing that her dreams started at the same time Izuku came out of retirement, finally remembered what Himiko was saying in her dreams: that Ochaco should live her life and find love. On that note, Ochaco told Izuku that the feeling of wanting more from their relationship was mutual, and the episode ended with them finally becoming a couple.

My Hero Academia’s Epilogue Was Short, But Sweet

Much like the manga chapter it adapted, My Hero Academia episode #170+1 didn’t have much action or general story to it, but the main series ended on a largely definitive note, so it wasn’t as if it needed to be much more than a fun bonus story. The main draw was just getting to see the cast one last time, and with their new character designs and the general sense of growth from them, that made it well worth the wait.

More than that, though, was the resolution to Izuku and Ochaco’s romance. One of the main reasons the manga’s original ending was so contentious was that it failed to give Izuku and Ochaco’s relationship a definitive conclusion, so not only is episode #170+1 focusing primarily on that great, but the way it does it by tying into their arcs of always putting the needs of others above themselves felt incredibly organic and added even more catharsis to their long-awaited coupling.

My Hero Academia was, at its core, a coming-of-age story using being a superhero as a metaphor for a person coming into their own, and the anime’s epilogue did a perfect job of that by highlighting how much everyone had grown and finally allowing Izuku and Ochaco to take a chance on themselves. It wasn’t as big an epilogue as many fans hoped for, but that didn’t make it any less fitting.

What’s Next For My Hero Academia?

My Hero Academia’s epilogue was well worth the wait, and that begs the question of what’s left for the franchise. Episode #170+1 was only one of many projects announced for the anime’s 10th anniversary, and not only will there be a concert world tour, but following episode #170+1, it was announced that My Hero Academia’s second epilogue, a story centered around Eri, will also receive an anime adaptation this summer, and there are sure to be more projects to follow it.

My Hero Academia might have ended in 2024, but with its various epilogues, its animated adaptations, and the wide variety of original projects coming out, there’s plenty more in store for the franchise for years to come. That might feel rather excessive, but if it’s all of the same caliber as episode #170+1, then there’s plenty of reason to be excited for My Hero Academia for years to come, and hopefully, it won’t be long before more news of the franchise’s future comes out.

Release Date

2016 – 2025-00-00

Network

TBS, MBS, Nippon TV

Directors

Shouji Ikeno, Tsuyoshi Tobita, Ikuro Sato, Takudai Kakuchi, Masashi Abe, Tetsuya Miyanishi, Kazuma Komatsu, Yoshifumi Sasahara, Masayuki Otsuki, Daisuke Tsukushi, Takayuki Yamamoto, Yohei Fukui, Takuro Tsukada, Masatoyo Takada, Naomi Nakayama, Sayaka Morikawa, Takanori Yano

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  Daiki Yamashita

  Izuku Midoriya (voice)

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  Kaito Ishikawa

  Manga Fukidashi (voice)