Prior to the ending of the My Hero Academia manga, fans were intrigued by the tease of a secret project that was to be revealed on August 5th. Although series creator Kohei Horikoshi already stated that he had no plans to develop a sequel series or spin-off, fans were still looking forward to the project's reveal. And we now know what its — a popularity contest.
Confirmed via a press release, the MHA franchise kicked off a worldwide character popularity poll on August 5, 2024. The poll, dubbed "World Best Hero," sees 278 characters fight for the top spot before it closes on September 30, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. (JST).
Fans can cast their vote over on the official My Hero Academia website. Each person can cast one vote per day, with the eligibility resetting at midnight JST. The results will be announced via the official Shonen Jump YouTube channel on December 2, 2024. Fans will get interim results every Monday at midnight JST.
Following the initial results of the World Best Hero poll, a separate vote for the top three ranked characters — dubbed the Plus Ultra Stage — will be held from December 2nd through December 3rd. During this phase, fans will be able to vote once per hour for a maximum of 12 votes per person within 24 hours. The results will be announced on December 3rd at 9:30 p.m. via the Jump channel with the winning character receiving the title "THE MHA." Additionally, the character who is crowned World Best Hero will receive a special commemorative video along with a new illustration created by Horikoshi.
An official My Hero Academia World Best Hero announcement video was released along with new visuals and a special message by Horikoshi printed in the August 5th edition of The New York Times.
The popularity poll is one of multiple new My Hero Academia projects announced following the manga's conclusion. We also have the My Hero Academia Volume 42 — which will be the last manga volume — releasing on December 4, 2-24. This will be followed by a My Hero Academia Final Fanbook in January 2025 and a My Hero Academia Art Book in April 2025. A large-scale original art exhibition will open in Summer 2025.
While the My Hero Academia manga has officially come to an end, it's clear that there's still plenty for fans to look forward to. That also includes the currently ongoing anime series, which is currently in its seventh season, and the newly released film, My Hero Academia The Movie: You're Next. The franchise's fourth animated film released in theaters this month but arrives in North America in October.