The My Hero Academia anime series has come to an end after 9 years and 8 months, with Koki Uchiyama, the voice of Tomura Shigaraki, sharing personal insights into the character’s final moments and how the long running series led him to reflect deeply on his own life.

The television anime My Hero Academia, commonly known as HeroAca, concluded with Episode 11 of My Hero Academia FINAL SEASON, the 170th episode overall, titled “My Hero Academia.” The episode aired on December 13 on the Yomiuri TV and Nippon TV network during its regular Saturday evening time slot.

On the same day, a special marathon screening event titled “My Hero Academia FINAL SEASON ULTRA SCREENING” was held in Tokyo, where fans gathered to celebrate the finale together with the cast.

The event featured appearances by Daiki Yamashita, the voice of Izuku Midoriya, also known as Deku, as well as Nobuhiko Okamoto as Katsuki Bakugo, Ayane Sakura as Ochaco Uraraka, Kaito Ishikawa as Tenya Iida, Marina Inoue as Momo Yaoyorozu, Tasuku Hatanaka as Denki Kaminari, Kenta Miyake as All Might, and Kouki Uchiyama as Tomura Shigaraki.

Koki Uchiyama on Shigaraki’s Final Scene and a Decade of Memories

As the cast reflected on behind the scenes recording stories and nearly ten years of history with the series, Koki Uchiyama stood on stage as the only cast member portraying a villain, surrounded by fellow actors who played heroes.

Uchiyama shared that he quietly fueled his motivation by carrying the emotions of villain characters throughout the series. When asked about Tomura Shigaraki’s final scene, he explained that he consciously chose to stop portraying Tomura Shigaraki and instead play Tenko Shimura, describing the experience as if something that had possessed him was finally lifted.

Asked about his feelings as the sole villain actor on stage, Uchiyama spoke candidly about the passage of time. He recalled how staff had prepared memorabilia for the event backstage and how seeing “2016” written on the first script made him realize he had been 25 years old at the start of the series. He remarked that he truly felt the weight of time, reflecting on whether his younger self could have imagined who he would be today.

Uchiyama shared that through My Hero Academia, he found himself thinking deeply about life itself, expressing a sense of quiet nostalgia and gratitude for having been part of the series for so many years.

About My Hero Academia

My Hero Academia is based on the hugely popular manga by Kohei Horikoshi, which was serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump published by Shueisha from 2014 to 2024. Set in a world where superhuman abilities known as Quirks are commonplace, the story follows Izuku Midoriya, also known as Deku, as he strives to become a hero who protects society from villains who misuse their powers. He trains alongside his peers at the prestigious U.A. High School, a leading academy for aspiring heroes.

The anime began airing in 2016 and continued through seven seasons, with FINAL SEASON serving as the eighth and final chapter of the long running hero action series.

Source : ORICON NEWS