Cartoon Network Japan has added My Hero Academia to its weeknight schedule, airing the superhero anime on the channel for the first time. Discovery Japan, which runs the channel, started the series on Friday, November 6 with 2 episodes per night. Check out the official post down below:
Where My Hero Academia Fits On Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network Japan airs 24 hours a day, and Discovery Japan's description of the channel names Tom and Jerry first, followed by Japanese series including My Hero Academia and Blue Lock, and Cartoon Network originals such as The Powerpuff Girls, The Amazing World of Gumball and Adventure Time.
Discovery Japan says Cartoon Network is seen in more than 192 countries and about 400 million households worldwide, making it one of the largest animation channels. In Japan, it is available through SKY PerfecTV!, cable and IPTV services, with about 7 million households able to watch.
Anime has a long history on Cartoon Network. In the United States, the channel's original Toonami block launched in 1997 and brought shows like Dragon Ball Z, Sailor Moon and Mobile Suit Gundam Wing to afternoon television before it ended in 2008. Toonami returned in 2012 as part of Adult Swim's late-night lineup.
That revived Toonami block is where American cable viewers first saw My Hero Academia, with the English dub premiering there in 2018. The Japanese Cartoon Network slot puts the series in the early evening instead, ahead of the channel's 11 PM rerun. Shonen Jump adaptations are busy elsewhere too, as Kaiju No. 8's final battle is heading to theaters next year.
Air Times And Episode Count
- Premiere: Friday, November 6 at 6 PM JST, which was 2 AM MST
- Weekdays: 6 PM to 7 PM JST with 2 episodes back to back
- Reruns: 11 PM to midnight JST
- Total: 13 episodes, 30 minutes each
Those 13 episodes line up with the anime's first season. Studio Bones, also known for Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood and Mob Psycho 100, produced the TV series, which premiered in April 2016 and has since finished its run with a final season, making 2026 the anime's 10th anniversary.
What The Series Is About
The story takes place in a world where about 80 percent of people are born with a superpower called a Quirk. Izuku Midoriya, nicknamed Deku, has no Quirk but wants to become a hero who protects people from villains. He meets the No. 1 hero, All Might, who sees his potential and passes on the Quirk One For All. Izuku then enters U.A. High School, a top academy for heroes, and the series follows him and his classmates as they train and fight. The Japanese cast that Cartoon Network viewers will hear is led by Daiki Yamashita as Izuku and Kenta Miyake as All Might, with Nobuhiko Okamoto as Katsuki Bakugo.
Cartoon Network's post quotes Izuku's opening narration, "This is the story of how I became the greatest hero," and points to the manga's circulation of more than 100 million copies. Kohei Horikoshi wrote and drew the manga in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump for 10 years.
More My Hero Academia This Season
The franchise has several anniversary projects underway in Japan. Bandai Namco opened pre-registration for My Hero Academia: Ultra Rumble Mobile on November 9, and the official anime site has announced a second Tough Gummy candy collaboration, a fair at the Keio Department Store in Shinjuku and an event at the Umeda Sky Building in Osaka. A My Hero Academia stage is also scheduled for Jump Festa 2027.
Crunchyroll released the official trailer for the final season:
Should Cartoon Network in the United States follow Japan and give anime like My Hero Academia a regular early-evening slot again?
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