My Hero Academia Season 8 Just Delivered Its Avengers: Endgame Moment

It is fine now. Why? Because I am here ... to warn you about spoilers ahead for "My Hero Academia" season 8, episode 7, "From Aizawa."

"My Hero Academia" is coming to an end. For eight seasons, the popular superhero anime (which is essentially everything Disney's cult classic "Sky High" could have been) has delivered an action-packed story about kids learning what it means to be a hero, facing supervillains, dealing with an ever-changing society that doesn't trust heroes anymore, and much more. Adapting Kohei Horikoshi's manga of the same name, the show is packed with thrilling fights, lots of emotion and heart, and hard-hitting drama.

The ongoing final season of "My Hero Academia," in particular, is one of the show's very best. It's already given us an epic all-out battle between the series' heroes and the villainous forces led by All For One, complete with sacrifices, lots of tragedy, one hell of a Bakugo fight, and some huge lore drops. Now, the latest episode of season 8, "From Aizawa," has set the stage for the final fight by having the show's protagonist, Deku, hit his absolute lowest and lose both arms in a fight against his opponent Shigaraki (whose body is fully possessed by All For One). Just when all hope seems lost, however, Deku gets unexpected help in the form of his entire Hero Course Class 1-A, who arrive in the nick of time to join the fight. It's a fantastic moment, but it also appears to be an explicit reference to a huge pop culture event.

That's right: "My Hero Academia" just gave us its version of the portals scene from "Avengers: Endgame," and it's beautiful.

Now, Horikoshi is famously a big fan of Western comics and has referenced DC and Marvel properties throughout his run of "My Hero Academia." Deku, for example, is very clearly inspired by Spider-Man and essentially has his own web-slinging and spidey-sense abilities. So, given that "Endgame" debuted in 2019 and the manga chapters that inspired "From Aizawa" were published in 2024, it's entirely possible — even likely — that this was an intentional homage.

Moreover, this moment is more than just a cool reference or fan service. Up to this point, the whole season has focused on the idea of heroism and inspiration. In keeping with this, the individuals that emerge from the portals to aid Deku in his final fight are classmates, teachers, co-workers, and other allies who've inspired him and, in turn, been inspired by him in the past. Indeed, the last couple of episodes have focused as much, if not more, on the greater impact Deku has had as his climactic battle with Shigaraki (though their actual showdown should still be part of any conversation about the top anime fights of all time).

In-between the scenes of their confrontation, "My Hero Academia" has cut away to shots of regular citizens and other heroes watching Deku fight on TV, including the various characters who've crossed paths with him during his journey (all the way down to that guy who confronted Deku when he was a dark vigilante). They all believe he can save the day now, just like Deku used to see All Might as a symbol of peace when he was a kid. Heroism is about more than punching villains; it's also about inspiring hope, and in this moment, Deku has become the greatest hero.