My Hero Academia World Heroes Mission before or after season 5

Movies that come out of long-running shonen series typically play fast and loose with continuity, rarely fitting into the canon. Kohei Horikoshi took a different route with the movies tied to his series, My Hero Academia, by bringing them into canon through small manga mentions and utilizing small gaps in the timeline. While Horikoshi did not write these films, he oversaw their production and embraced them in terms of the series' continuity.

While these films are canon, their placement in the series is slightly blurred. Luckily, all three films contain enough context clues that have allowed keen viewers and readers to figure out their order in the series. Having a shonen franchise merge the side stories into the main canon is refreshing. Let's look at where all three My Hero Academia movies fit in the timeline.

Where My Hero Academia: Two Heroes Fits in the Timeline

Two Heroes is the first of the three My Hero Academia films released in 2018. The placement of this film is a bit chaotic due to an anime-only prologue episode. One might assume the movie would fit in the timeline directly after this episode, but this is not the case. Episode 58, the prequel, is a “special” that falls out of sequence with the rest of the season. Two Heroes and its prequel episode fall between Episodes 38 and 39, after the “Final Exam” arc but before the “Forest Training” arc.

The manga placement of Two Heroes is even trickier, as it does not fall directly between chapters but takes place in the middle of one. This movie occurs during Chapter 70, after the run-in with Shigaraki but before the “Forest Training.” There is also a retelling of Two Heroes in manga format, but this does not further connect the story to the core manga and so is not essential reading.

Where My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising Fits in the Timeline

The second My Hero Academia movie, Heroes Rising, is trickier to fit comfortably into the series while avoiding spoilers, as the film reveals something chronologically before Horikoshi does so in the manga or anime. The movie technically happens during Episode 101, but those who are worried about slight spoilers should wait until after Episode 112. This film also fits between the “Meta Liberation Army” arc and the “Endeavor” arc since the students have yet to start their work studies.

Much like Two Heroes, Heroes Rising takes place in the middle of a manga chapter. Horikoshi is often able to cover a large chunk in his chapters, which usually leaves some gaps that allow for these films to fit nicely. Heroes Rising occurs in the middle of Chapter 257.

Where My Hero Academia: World Heroes' Mission Fits in the Timeline

The most recent My Hero Academia film, World Heroes’ Mission, occurs after the “Endeavor” arc and should be watched after Episode 113. This placement is partially for the same reasons as Two Heroes -- there are spoilers for reveals at the end of Season 5. Experiencing these spoilers through the movies could lessen the potency of their respective moments during the series, so fans are advised to wait until the end of Season 5 to watch both Two Heroes and World Heroes’ Mission.

Since the placement of this film is in the early portion of the “Paranormal Liberation Army” arc, its order in the manga is a bit trickier. World’s Heroes’ Mission follows the trend of having a movie occur during a time gap in the middle of a chapter. The film fits during Chapter 257, before the heroes disappear from the streets.

The viewing order may seem like a lot of information to digest, but these films’ placement should not feel daunting. The viewing order for anime fans is a bit easier than the reading order for manga-only fans. To simplify this process, watch Two Heroes after Season 2 and then Heroes Rising and World Heroes’ Mission after Season 5 and before Season 6. These films, while canon, can be viewed as supplementary stories when there is a need for more My Hero Academia, as their overall impact on the narrative is minimal at best.