‘My Hero Academia’s lead voice actors told us about the passage of time in one of the biggest shonen series

On April 3, 2016, Bones premiered their anime adaptation of the Shonen Jump hit series My Hero Academia. Even outside of Japan, it was almost an instant hit.

It’s easy to argue that My Hero Academia is the most influential shonen series of the modern era, creating the foundation upon which even bigger global blockbusters like Jujutsu Kaisen and Demon Slayer could thrive.

Now, it’s over eight years later. The manga just ended, the series’ fourth film just premiered in Japan (with an October North American premiere on the horizon), and the anime’s seventh season is in the process of ripping everyone’s heart to shreds. We’ve found ourselves inside a very different era, both in the real world and within the world of the series itself.

To unpack all of this, I was thrilled to sit down with Daiki Yamashita (the voice of Izuku Midoriya, a.k.a. Deku) and Kenta Miyake (the voice of Yagi Toshinori, a.k.a. All Might) during Anime Expo 2024 in Los Angeles, California. Both of them were very open, kind, and eager to chat.

Before we begin, I need you to know something: Kenta Miyake’s voice in real life is a bonafide force. Just listening to his low, soothing voice felt like the aural equivalent of watching butter melt over a bun that’s still steaming from being pulled out freshly from the oven. I need you to know that.

Kirsten Carey (TMS): Both Izuku and All Might have changed significantly over the course of the series. Have you altered how you approach the character or consciously changed their speech in any way? Or has the evolution been more natural?

Daiki Yamashita (Izuku): I would say the change in emotion is not so intentional, because the acting changes a bit. It’s an internal fight, or fighting a rival, or fighting a villain, and it’s just getting richer and richer is there’s more battles and more emotions to think about. So I would think it’s naturally changing.

A lot of people say that [Izuku’s] voice has gotten lower over the course of the series, but it’s kind of like he’s in a solitary battle in season six, since there’s nobody around him. So it’s not really an intentional change, but it’s more the voice actors feeling the emotions of the characters and basically adapting to how they feel is probably more the correct answer.

Kenta Miyake (All Might): I agree, it’s more of a natural change. All Might has his muscle and true forms, so that the form changes were very intentional, but anything beyond that is pretty natural. He used to stand in front of everyone in battles, but now, he has to swap to standing alongside Deku and watching over the entire class as a mentor. So compared to the beginning of the series, his current self is going to naturally be a little calmer, because he’s not the go-getter anymore. And that is not really intentional, because it’s more of an emotional change, and you just naturally pick up on the emotional changes as
you act.

TMS: Conversely, you’ve been voicing these characters for eight years, but in the story itself, barely a year has actually passed. Is that difficult to remember as you’re voicing the character, and does it change how you approach recording?

Yamashita: I would say their one year and our one year is quite different, because their life is so dense and eventful. Deku is filled with wounds all over his body from all the battling he’s been doing this one year, his first year in high school. I can also feel how rich and dense [these characters] lives are. At the same time, I know that they give it everything they’ve got—they’re always [going] all-out. They’re really passionate, and I can feel the passion. Conversely, for us, during our past eight years acting, they’ve always been at our side, so it’s been a very happy eight years.

Miyaki: It’s a surprise that it’s already been eight years in real life, because I always think that I’m living the same timeline as them when I act. So when I hear, “Oh yeah, season one was eight years ago,” [I think], “Eight years already?!!” It always surprises me each time.

And you asked whether I have to remember back to season one—it’s the opposite. I can’t forget what I’ve been doing over the years.

But when Kenta Miyaki wakes up in the morning, goes to wash his face, and sees his own face in the mirror—I think, “Ah. Eight years have passed.”

TMS: It’s the same for us all, isn’t it?

Miyaki: Yes, yes.