A Cast Reunion, One Day After Launch
Kohei Horikoshi doesn't seem ready to put his characters down. One day after "I am a hero too" went live on Japanese streaming services, the My Hero Academia author posted a new illustration on his official X account showing Deku, Eri, and other members of the cast gathered together. According to Japanese entertainment news outlet Oricon News, Horikoshi apologized in the post for the late notice and encouraged fans to go watch the short, which had launched at midnight the previous day.
It's the kind of post-series bonus fans have come to expect from Horikoshi, who has kept drawing the U.A. kids since the manga wrapped in Weekly Shonen Jump in August 2024.
Eri, Eight Years Later
The short adapts a one-shot Horikoshi drew for the My Hero Academia Ultra Age fanbook, released in Japan in December 2024, and it is part of the anime's 10th-anniversary project. The TV adaptation premiered in April 2016 and wrapped its final season in December 2025.
The story picks up eight years after Deku and his classmates graduated from U.A. High School. Eri, the girl Deku rescued from the villain Overhaul in the anime's fourth season, is now a high schooler herself. She visits U.A. while chasing her dream of singing, and the short follows her as she prepares for her first street performance. The series finale planted this seed: Eri appeared there carrying a guitar case.
The title also carries a callback. "Hero too" is the song Class 1-A performed for Eri at the U.A. School Festival in Season 4, and Japanese gaming outlet Famitsu's coverage of the short describes a live scene built around the song.
None of the Japanese reports name the short's director, studio, or voice cast, so the staff behind the new footage, and the voice behind the older Eri, remain unconfirmed for now.
Looking Ahead
"I am a hero too" is streaming now in Japan on subscription services including ABEMA Premium, Amazon Prime Video, DMM TV, d Anime Store, Hulu, Netflix, and U-NEXT, all on their Japanese versions. ABEMA and Lemino, two Japanese streaming platforms, are carrying it free for a limited time.
No international release has been announced. The main series streams on Crunchyroll outside Japan, but the short currently has no confirmed home abroad, and the Ultra Age fanbook that contains the original one-shot has only been released in Japan. The completed manga, all 42 volumes of it, is published in English by Viz Media, so the franchise itself is easy to catch up on while fans wait for word on this one.