After nearly 10 epic years of showing the world how to go Plus Ultra, the anime adaptation of My Hero Academia will be coming to an end this December.
Deku and the heroes are plunged into a final battle against villains across Japan. Deku, by fully unleashing One For All Quirks, faces off against Shigaraki. A young and refreshed All For One faces Armored All Might, Quirkless in his powered armor suit. Will Deku be able to bring the story of how they all became the greatest heroes to its finale? Or will everything be destroyed?!
To celebrate My Hero Academia coming to an end after eight seasons, Nick L’Barrow spoke for over an hour with the English dub voice cast about their feelings as the show reaches it’s climax, the impact the show has had on them and fans, and some of their favourite character moments!
Nick: To timestamp when we are all talking today, it’s only a few days out from the series finale of the Japanese version premiering, and then in a few weeks the English dub will close out the series. This show has had such an immense cultural impact for almost a decade now – reflecting back on that time, how has the show impacted you personally?
Clifford Chapin: I mean, my whole life is in a different place than it was before My Hero Academia. I was a single guy, living in a one bedroom apartment with his dog. And now I don’t live in a one bedroom apartment! Everything about my life is different to when it all began. It’s been such a long chapter of my life.
My Hero has always been consistent. Every year we’ve had a new chapter, or a new movie, or something else like that. It’s almost unreal to think about what my life will look like in a few weeks from now. Maybe we’ll get lucky and we’ll get to continue on playing these characters in the future, but as long as it’s for the right reasons!
Justin Briner: I think I’m in denial [laughs]. But, I feel the hype and the energy, even though I think a lot of people are beginning to grieve losing the show. There’s a lot of excitement to see how it all ends. I’m definitely coasting on that sentiment, but it’s bittersweet. It’s amazing that this has all happened, and to have been a part of this ride. I’m really grateful for that.
Christopher Sabat: I can’t say it enough – I’m just happy All Might made it! Seriously! He was on the brink of what I thought was disaster for many, many years. And I didn’t even want to look at the manga because I was scared I was going to open it to a page and see something. I remember reading something in book 4 or 5, and there was this mysterious panel that made it seem like All Might was gonna go off and do something dangerous or sacrifice himself, and I started panicking and stopped paying attention!
John Swasey: I’m so tired [laughs]! No, it’s been an amazing ride. It’s been a journey. It’s hard to believe it’s all coming to an end. This has felt like a fireworks show, and you’re having a great time watching it with you kids and family, and then you’re waiting for that final boom. You’re excited for it, but you know in the back of your mind that once you see that, it will be all over. And I don’t want it to be over because I’m having too much fun with it!
David Mantraga: I love the way you encapsulated that with “cultural impact”. I haven’t quite heard it put that way, but that feels like the right way to describe it. I can’t even begin to describe the impact this show has had on me as an actor. It’s my passion, and I could talk about it all day long. But, to get to do it for close to 10 years – it’s an unbelievable gift. It’s rare to get to live in a character and a world with this much depth for close to years.
Patrick Seitz: It’s weird because I’m sad that it’s ending, but I would rather it end strongly and definitively, rather than just go, and go, and go. These characters are getting their due, and they deserve that. It’s been such an unexpected gift.
Jason Liebrecht: I’m distinctly in the beginning phases of mourning! The creators [of MHA] did us such a service by developing characters with such depth, emotion, and relatability. There’s so much for people to look at in these characters that echoes in their own lives and circumstances.
For me personally, it’s made me a better father and a better friend. This has been the most cathartic thing I’ve ever worked on. I’m a survivor of childhood abandonment, and I relate to my character on so many levels. I don’t think I’ll ever say “goodbye” to this guy. He will always be in my heart.
Not to mention, the relationships this show has given me. These guys here are my brothers now. And it’s no small thing that working on this show has let me get to know them, and their hearts. That’s never happened to me on a project before.
Luci Christian: Oh, wow. I feel like because I’ve been in the industry for a minute, I got to see the power of streaming. Anime was always so difficult to find and hard to watch. You had to work to get your hands on it. And suddenly, this whole demographic of people that maybe hadn’t seen anime before were watching My Hero because it’s such a great accessible show.
The characters are great. The quirks are interesting and fun. The story is great. The villains are good. And I feel like we got to watch anime become so much more mainstream, and My Hero played a huge part in that and birthed a whole new generation of fans. I knew it was a big deal when my cousins, who are not the normal anime demographic, were wanting me to get Justin [Briner] to sign their manga for them [laughs]!
Leah Clark: I am both surprised and not surprised at the same time, you know. It’s become so endearing to so many people, and I love how attached people have become to it. I love that it’s touched them personally. People go out of their way to be a part of the community, to meet us – just because we have some link to the story in this world they love. And I love being a part of something like that.
It’s a very bittersweet ending. But, someone kind of resembled it to the loss of a dog or pet. I think people resonate with this feeling of loss. We’re sad about it. It’s a big deal. But that means it mattered. It’s an indication of how important this show was. That’s such a blessing, and that’s so cool. I’m grateful.
Christopher Wehkamp: The craziest part is that it’s almost been a decade of life that has blown by so fast. The take away is that this show has probably led to the most interactions I’ve had with fans, and it showed me that entertainment like this shows me that shows like this mean so much to people. The themes of My Hero, the characters of My Hero, have ended up supporting people through some very, very dark times in their lives. And I feel so privileged that they’ve been able to share those moments with me at live appearances and elsewhere. It makes me feel really humbled and grateful to be part of such a cultural moment.
Justin Cook: I like that the show is getting to conclude on its own terms. That’s pretty incredible to me. But also, the world building of this franchise isn’t over yet! We have Vigilantes moving into a second season, and I’m looking forward to seeing how this world will develop.
J. Michael Tatum: Honestly, it doesn’t feel real! It’s so satisfying to see the show end strongly, but it’s also bittersweet because I’m not ready to let go, you know? It’s rare for actors to be with characters this long, and we have grown with them too, along with the fans. I’m also incredibly grateful that I’ve had such great cast mates and creators and fans. It’s been such a pleasure to work on this show. I could do it for the rest of my life, but I got 10 years, and that’s more than I had any right to get.
Nick: Is there a moment, either in this season or the series overall, where your character had a moment or scene that made you truly understand your character and their journey throughout the story?
Patrick Seitz: I think for me the fight at the end of season four where he and Hawk are in the high-end, no-move fight. And it explores this idea of selflessness and sacrifice that he hadn’t really embodied during his hero’s journey. He wanted to be number one so bad, but being number one isn’t just about burning things or punching things, but being able to humble yourself.
David Mantraga: At the beginning of season two, the sports festival fight with Deku, and the origins episode in season two! That’s where I really rooted into what was going on with him. And a lot of the things that came from that fight actually come full circle in season eight, especially when it becomes about needing more time with certain characters before this all ends.
Luci Christian: For Ochaco, she progressively has been about the business of being the main character in her own life. She starts as a good support character, but she’s matured and grown, and experienced life. Dealing with villains and coming away with the idea of what good and bad is. But then at the end of it all, she’s in the aftermath of recognising the gratitude of the hero’s journey, which is hard and earned through all of the fighting.
Leah Clark: I felt like she was so truthful. I couldn’t just play someone who liked to stab people and drink blood. I was playing someone who is lacking love, who needs friends, and who doesn’t have that to a desperate point of finding it. The first time we saw her back story in season five solidified all of that for me. It showed that the writing was brilliant and made the point that there is a truth underneath everybody.
J. Michael Tatum: For me, it’s been about learning to trust his friends, especially in a group like Class One. He’s the kind of character that I’m quick to remind myself can be annoying and frustrating to deal with in real life, but that attitude comes from a place of love. At the end of the day, it’s about being concerned with their friends and their well-being, which is it’s own unique version of heroism.
Justin Cook: There is a moment at the end of season three where Kirishima is put in his place for putting Sue in the position to lie, and he’s apologising to her. I don’t know if that was a pivotal moment for the character, but it was pivotal to me and making connection points for the character. It was the moment everything clicked.
Christopher Wehkamp: There’s probably a dozen moments throughout the last eight seasons where Aizawa lets his guard down when he’s trying to teach and mentor and mold these heroes into more than that. They really need him for emotional support in this very difficult challenge they’ve been faced with. And it’s in these moments that I feel like we saw the truth of who Aizawa is really shine through. They’re gold to me. I hold them so close to my heart.
Nick: I love the concept of the One For All quirk, because to me it exemplifies that one person can be great and have great talents, but only because of the strength, power, and knowledge of people who have come before them. I’m curious to know, is there someone in your life, whether it’s personal or professional, that you consider to be one who bestowed a quirk onto you? Someone who you attribute to helping you become the person you are today?
John Swasey: There’s a lot of people who have inspired me and that I have looked up to in the industry, especially actors in this industry. Hank Azaria is one of them. I’ve always wanted to be an actor ever since I was 15 years old, and I never dreamed that I would be able to do what I’ve been doing now with anime. When I started acting, I didn’t even know what anime was. It wasn’t even a blip on my radar. And now it’s something that has enveloped my life and career. It’s been amazing.
Christopher Sabat: I can trace back my history as a performer to these really supportive teachers that I had in junior high school. I was supposed to take a typing class in seventh grade, and long story short, I cut the end of my finger off with a pair of scissors as a joke, and they realised I wasn’t smart enough to do anything besides acting! And I got into drama after that.
The teachers I had in middle school – these teachers in seventh or eighth grade – they told me I was really good at something at a young age, and it gave me so much confidence to be a great performer, and to have the ability to be free to do anything I wanted to do. Those people were kind of everything.
Justin Briner: It’s a bit of the same story for me. My acting teachers growing up definitely took chances on me, and that meant a lot. The community that formed from being an actor among other actors, that has also followed me to this day. A big part of my process is that I just watch a ton of TV and movies, and steal from other actors. I really admire the craft that goes into all of this is really, really fascinating to me. And I am still learning more to this day.
Clifford Chapin: I think of Canadian voice actors like Ian Corlett, Scott McNeil, Gary Chalk, David Kay. They were all working on the shows I was watching. But my acting journey was a little different because I was already pretty far into pursuing film and television studies, but I hadn’t settled into acting. I really scrutinised my own performances, and honed my craft as best as I could on my own.
But then there was a big turning point where I moved to Dallas to pursue acting, and Tony Oliver did a voiceover class in the area, and it focused on dubbing and video games. And he pulled me aside afterwards and told me I needed to make a demo and move to Los Angeles. I couldn’t afford to move there! I was fresh out of college! But I got the demo, and one day I got really fed up by not getting work that I went and ran into Chris Sabat. And he gave me an audition a week later. So, if anyone bestowed a quirk on me, it would be Tony Oliver and Chris Sabat.
Luci Christian: In my life, it’s probably my grandmother. But in my work, I have been so benefited by my peers, but in particular, Monica Rial. When I was just a baby in this industry, Monica showed me the ropes. And as I’ve had questions over the years, she’s been a sounding board. It’s such a lovely thing to have people like that in your industry.
Leah Clark: My answer is my grandma. She’s an angel on Earth. She’s so kind. She loves everybody. She would give you everything she had if you needed it. She’s a wonderful person.
But, in this industry, it’s Luci [Christian]. I got hired to do sub-directing way early on in my career, and Luci was one of the first people to come in, and I remember she was talented beyond belief. Everything was spot on. She was fierce, and nice, and patient. That was such a lesson for myself, because not only was she super talented, but she made other people feel good too.
The eighth and final season of My Hero Academia (English dub)is now streaming on Crunchyroll. Thank you to Crunchyroll and The Connect Agency for organising the interviews. You can watch the full and uncut interviews now at Novastream’s YouTube channel.
