Top 11 High-Octane Battle Anime Like My Hero Academia Where Underdogs Rise Up

Still chasing that Plus Ultra feeling after Deku's rise from quirkless kid to the next Symbol of Peace? Plenty of anime like My Hero Academia deliver the same mix: an underdog who trains at an institution for young heroes, a diverse power system, a fierce rival, a found-family class, and the heroes-versus-villains stakes that make every fight matter. No show replaces it, but the closest ones carry that same hopeful, heroic spirit.

The timing makes a watchlist worth it, too. My Hero Academia is bowing out: the manga wrapped in 2024, and the anime's Final Season arrived in 2025 to bring Deku's journey to a close. If you are still catching up before the end, our My Hero Academia filler list points you to the parts that matter.

We ranked these from closest match to loosest, judged on one thing: how much each shares My Hero Academia's actual build, a superhero shonen where an underdog trains within a hero institution, with a diverse power system, a rival, a found-family class, and a hopeful, spectacle-driven coming-of-age. There is a quick table up top, plus honest notes at the end.

11 shows like My Hero Academia at a glance

If you just want the fast read, here is the whole roster. The Similarity column is our call on how close each one gets to My Hero Academia itself, not how good the show is on its own.

Streaming rights shift by region, so these are a starting point. Check what is available where you are before you commit.

The anime most like My Hero Academia, ranked

Here are the anime like My Hero Academia that genuinely share its build, ranked from the closest match to the loosest. The Similarity Rating is our read on how near each one gets to My Hero Academia specifically, not how good the show is overall, and we kept the stars to whole numbers. The build we are measuring against is simple: a superhero shonen where an underdog trains at a hero institution, with a diverse power system, a rival, a found-family class, and a hopeful, spectacle-driven coming-of-age.

1. Black Clover

Similarity Rating: 5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Anime Overall Rating: 4/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Watch on: Crunchyroll

Synopsis: Asta is born with zero magic in a world where magic defines social standing, so he grinds his body into a weapon and fights his way up the Magic Knight ranks on sheer stubbornness. He receives a rare, ostracized anti-magic grimoire, competes against his elite foster brother Yuno, and takes a competitive squad entrance exam. Both chase the highest public rank: the Wizard King. Along the way he joins the rowdy, misfit Black Bulls squad.

Black Clover is the fantasy mirror to Deku's journey. Asta is born completely without magic in a society where magic defines social standing, which is Deku being Quirkless almost exactly, and through pure physical grit and relentless training he receives a rare, ostracized power, takes a competitive squad entrance exam, and aims for the highest public rank: the Wizard King, the setting's Symbol of Peace. The powerless-outcast origin, the training grind, and the climb toward the top title are MHA's structure in a fantasy coat. Our Black Clover filler list helps you skip the slow patches.

2. Kaiju No. 8

Similarity Rating: 5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Anime Overall Rating: 4/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Watch on: Crunchyroll

Synopsis: Kafka Hibino cleans up kaiju corpses for a living, having repeatedly failed the Defense Force entrance exams, until a freak incident turns him into a kaiju himself. A washed-up man suddenly handed power he never expected, he finally breaks into the elite force that fights giant monsters, where he must master a dangerous, monstrous power while keeping it hidden. The monster-of-the-week structure plays like a modernized hero association. The animation is a genuine spectacle.

Kaiju No. 8 is the closest match to MHA's modern institutional hero-defense work. Kafka is an older underdog who repeatedly failed the official entrance exams, finally breaking into a defense force where he has to master a dangerous, monstrous power while keeping it hidden, which mirrors MHA's tactical military rescue raids, specialized gear, and public-safety operations alongside younger prodigies. The professional-hero institution, the underdog's late shot, and the hide-your-power pressure all land exactly like MHA.

3. World Trigger

Similarity Rating: 4/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Anime Overall Rating: 4/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Watch on: Crunchyroll

Synopsis: When gates to another world open and monsters called Neighbors pour through, a defense organization named Border holds the line using special weapons called Triggers. Osamu Mikumo is a low-ranked agent with weak stats who makes up for it with grit and strategy, fighting to climb an explicit ranking system alongside his team. The series runs on tactical team battles rather than raw power. It rewards patience with some of the sharpest fights in the genre.

World Trigger is the definitive peer for MHA's tactical battle drills, Class 1-A exams, and squad-based strategy. Osamu is weak and stays tactically dependent on his team, winning through positioning, utility triggers, and synergy rather than raw power, and the B-Rank Wars capture the exact feel of an extended, high-strategy U.A. Sports Festival. The ranked ladder and the team missions mirror MHA's class and hero rankings closely. It is calmer and more tactical, but on the squad-strategy front it is one of the closest here.

4. Blue Exorcist

Similarity Rating: 4/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Anime Overall Rating: 4/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Watch on: Crunchyroll

Synopsis: Rin Okumura learns he is the son of Satan, born with blue flames sealed in a blade, a heritage that makes him feared and hated. He enrolls at True Cross Academy to become an Exorcist and forge his own identity, taking classes, completing license exams, and training in specialized combat roles. He must also learn to control an overwhelming, volatile power that could destroy his body and reputation if he loses his grip. He fights beside classmates who become his found family.

Blue Exorcist is a direct hero-academy structure. Set inside True Cross Academy, students take classes, complete license exams, and train in specialized combat roles, Knight, Dragoon, and Doctor, exactly the shape of U.A.'s hero course. Rin also has to control an overwhelming, volatile power that threatens to destroy his body and his reputation if he loses control, which is Deku's early struggle with One For All in a different coat. The academy structure and the volatile-power burden make it a close fit.

5. Fire Force

Similarity Rating: 4/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Anime Overall Rating: 4/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Watch on: Crunchyroll

Synopsis: In a world plagued by spontaneous human combustion, special fire brigades fight Infernals, people who ignite into rampaging monsters. Shinra, a boy with flame-powered feet and a nervous grin, joins Company 8 to lay the Infernals to rest and uncover the truth behind the phenomenon. The squad becomes a tight-knit family, and the mythology runs deeper than it first appears. The action is flashy and stylish.

Fire Force matches MHA's civic-superhero framework. The Special Fire Soldiers are licensed civil servants responding to citywide emergencies and monstrous threats in a modern metropolis, complete with public-image concerns, rival-brigade politics, and rookie tournament games, all of which could have been lifted from U.A. and the Hero Association. Shinra even dreams of becoming a hero who saves people with a smile, which is Deku's exact ambition. The licensed-hero institution and the modern-city stakes make it a strong match.

6. Naruto

Similarity Rating: 4/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Anime Overall Rating: 4/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Watch on: Crunchyroll

Synopsis: Naruto Uzumaki is the dead-last of his ninja class, mocked by a village that fears the beast sealed inside him, and he decides he will become its leader anyway. He trains at the ninja academy, climbs the ranks, and chases the dream of becoming Hokage. His rivalry with the prodigy Sasuke defines him, while his squad becomes the family he never had. It is one of the foundational shonen epics.

Naruto is the primary direct inspiration for My Hero Academia. Kohei Horikoshi drew heavily from its DNA: an outcast protagonist carrying immense destructive power, an academy training arc, high-stakes testing, with the Chunin Exams directly influencing the Sports Festival, and a volatile, complex childhood rivalry, with Deku and Bakugo mirroring Naruto and Sasuke. The underdog origin, the training institution, and the rival who defines the hero are the roots MHA grew from. Our Naruto filler list points you to the parts that matter.

7. Soul Eater

Similarity Rating: 4/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Anime Overall Rating: 4/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Watch on: Crunchyroll

Synopsis: At a school for weapon-wielding meisters and the human weapons they partner with, teams of students hunt evil souls to turn their blades into legendary death-scythes. Maka and her scythe partner Soul, along with a cast of oddballs, face witches, madness, and monsters. The series pairs stylish, gothic-cartoon visuals with fast, funny action. It is weird, bold, and endlessly energetic.

Soul Eater shares MHA's specialized academy setup for gifted youths. At the Death Weapon Meister Academy, students balance classes, homework, and field assignments to collect souls and protect civic peace, the same school-trains-young-protectors shape as U.A. It even shares MHA's animation studio in BONES and the classroom dynamic, though its style is much more gothic, eccentric, and irreverent. The academy-and-missions build lands for MHA fans, even with the weirder tone.

8. Jujutsu Kaisen

Similarity Rating: 3/5 ⭐⭐⭐

Anime Overall Rating: 5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Watch on: Crunchyroll

Synopsis: Yuji Itadori swallows a cursed object to protect his friends and is pulled into a hidden war between sorcerers and curses, the monsters born from human fear. He enrolls at a secret school for sorcerers and trains alongside a ranked organization of specialists. The threats escalate fast and the cost is brutal. The animation delivers some of the most explosive fights around.

Jujutsu Kaisen shares MHA's modern training-school setting in Jujutsu High, its student squads, and an outcast protagonist hosting an unwieldy power. It sits in the lower half here because it drops the public hero licensing, the large classroom ensemble, and the optimism, trading them for a much darker, lethal world of sorcery with minimal actual classroom time. The school-and-squads bones are there, but the hopeful, hero-course heart that defines MHA is not. Our Jujutsu Kaisen filler list marks what matters.

9. Blue Lock

Similarity Rating: 3/5 ⭐⭐⭐

Anime Overall Rating: 4/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Watch on: Crunchyroll

Synopsis: After Japan's World Cup humiliation, a ruthless program locks three hundred of the country's best teenage strikers into a facility designed to forge one supreme egotist, pitting them against each other in brutal elimination games. Isagi is an unremarkable striker who discovers a hidden instinct as the pressure mounts. The series is a high-stakes psychological sports thriller. It is as intense as any battle shonen.

Blue Lock is a sports wildcard, but mechanically it is nearly identical to an intense U.A. training camp. Hundreds of teenagers are isolated in a high-pressure training facility, forced to analyze their distinct individual weapons, their version of Quirks, and put through brutal elimination rounds and tactical team scenarios. The institution, the diverse abilities, and the relentless ranking echo MHA's structure closely. It is soccer rather than superheroes, which keeps it lower, but the training-facility build is a surprising match.

10. One Punch Man

Similarity Rating: 3/5 ⭐⭐⭐

Anime Overall Rating: 5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Watch on: Crunchyroll

Synopsis: Saitama has trained so hard that he can defeat any opponent with a single punch, which has left him bored out of his mind. He registers with the Hero Association, a ranked bureaucracy of professional heroes, and goes largely unrecognized despite being the strongest of them all. The series skewers superhero tropes while delivering spectacular fights. It is as funny as it is gorgeous.

One Punch Man shares MHA's exact civic setting: a modern metropolis governed by a bureaucratic Hero Association with ranked C-Class to S-Class heroes. The pro-hero bureaucracy and the rankings come from the same world-structure. It ranks low here because it is a satirical deconstruction, with Saitama beginning at peak power and zero room to grow, inverting Deku's struggle and removing the school-and-training progression entirely. The superhero setting lines up, but the underdog growth that powers MHA is gone.

11. Hunter x Hunter

Similarity Rating: 3/5 ⭐⭐⭐

Anime Overall Rating: 5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Watch on: Crunchyroll

Synopsis: Gon sets out to become a Hunter and find the father who left him, starting with a punishing exam that weeds out the weak. The journey opens into one of the most carefully built power systems in anime, alongside a crew of friends who grow into something like family. It gets darker and more complex than its bright start suggests. Many fans call it the best shonen ever made.

Hunter x Hunter features brilliant tactical combat and an iconic, high-stakes license exam arc, but it lacks the core MHA framework. There is no regular school environment, no civic superhero system, and no central class ensemble; it is an unpredictable, globe-trotting adventure that progressively turns into a dark psychological study. The Hunter License exam will scratch the entrance-exam itch and the deep power system rewards MHA fans, but the hero-school structure that defines MHA simply is not here.

A few anime similar to My Hero Academia that watch differently

Search around for anime like My Hero Academia and a couple of names come up for fans that share a piece of it but not the full hopeful-hero-school build. They are worth your time. We just want the match to feel honest.

My Hero Academia: Vigilantes is the direct spin-off, following street-level heroes in the same world, so it is less a show similar to MHA and more literally more MHA, best watched as a companion to the main series. Attack on Titan gets recommended for its powers and its scale, but it is a grim, tragic deconstruction rather than a bright coming-of-age about becoming a hero, so it trades MHA's optimism for despair. Both are worth watching. Just know that one is a companion piece and the other is a very different beast.

Keep the heroics going as the Symbol of Peace era ends

My Hero Academia is bowing out: the manga wrapped in 2024, and the Final Season aired in 2025 to bring Deku's journey to a close, which leaves a real hole for hero-shonen fans. The good news is that plenty of anime like My Hero Academia carry a piece of what made it special. Start at the top with Black Clover and Kaiju No. 8 for the closest matches, play the tactical squad chess of World Trigger, or go back to the source with Naruto. The whole point of a good list of shows like My Hero Academia is to keep that mix of training, rivalry, and heroic heart going long after Deku takes his final bow.

While you line it all up, come hang out with us at Kaminari, where our weekly newsletter rounds up the shows worth your time, the news that actually matters, and takes written for people who love this stuff as much as you do. We will keep flagging the best hero shonen as they land, so you never miss the next one.

FAQs

Is there an anime exactly like My Hero Academia?

Not a perfect twin, but two come very close. Black Clover is the fantasy mirror, with a powerless underdog in a status-by-power society taking a squad entrance exam and chasing the top public rank, and Kaiju No. 8 is the closest match for modern institutional hero-defense work, with an underdog breaking into an elite force. Each captures the core of what makes MHA work.

What are the best anime like MHA?

For the closest structure, Black Clover and Kaiju No. 8 lead with their underdog-joins-a-hero-institution builds. For the tactical squad-and-exam side, World Trigger is the best anime like MHA to jump into next, with Blue Exorcist and Fire Force close behind for the hero-academy and civic-superhero angles.

What anime to watch if you like My Hero Academia?

Start with the closest matches: Black Clover, Kaiju No. 8, World Trigger, Blue Exorcist, or Fire Force. Each one carries over the underdog, the training institution, the diverse powers, or the licensed-hero framework that made MHA so easy to love.

Is My Hero Academia over?

Yes. The manga concluded in August 2024, and the anime's Final Season, its eighth, aired in 2025 to adapt the story through to the end. The spin-off My Hero Academia: Vigilantes continues to explore the same world from a street-level angle.

Where can you watch anime like My Hero Academia?

Every pick on this list streams on Crunchyroll, including My Hero Academia itself. Streaming rights shift by region and over time, so double-check what is available where you are before you settle in.