GRAPHIC NOVEL

Looking for the my hero academia books in order? The main story is refreshingly simple: read Kohei Horikoshi’s 42 volumes from Volume 1 to Volume 42, in number order. There is no timeline trick, no reboot, and no volume to skip. One complete story follows Izuku Midoriya, a boy born without a superpower in a world where nearly everyone has one, from his first day at U.A. High School to the final battle for hero society.

My Hero Academia ran in Weekly Shonen Jump from July 7, 2014, to August 5, 2024, collecting 430 weekly chapters — plus one extra chapter, Chapter 431, added to the final volume. VIZ Media publishes the series in English. This guide gives you the full order, breaks the story into its major arcs, and explains where the spin-offs fit once you finish Volume 42.

My Hero Academia Books in Order: The Complete Run

The 42 volumes divide naturally into three eras:

• Volumes 1–11: Becoming a hero. Izuku inherits the Quirk One For All from All Might, enters U.A., and survives the U.S.J. attack, the Sports Festival, and the first clashes with the League of Villains. Stain, the Hero Killer, forces hero society to look in the mirror.
• Volumes 12–27: The world gets bigger. The Provisional Licence Exam, the Shie Hassaikai arc with Eri, the School Festival, and the Joint Training Battle all deepen the cast — then the Meta Liberation Army arc shows the villains’ side of the story in full.
• Volumes 28–42: The final war. The Paranormal Liberation War, the Dark Hero arc, and the Final War arc bring every thread together: Deku versus Shigaraki, the heroes’ last stand, and an ending that gives the whole cast a future. Volume 42 adds 38 pages of new content after the original ending.

The Spin-Offs: What to Read After Volume 42

Finish the main series first — the spin-offs are dessert, not required reading:

• My Hero Academia: Vigilantes (15 volumes): A prequel set a few years before the main story, following Koichi Haimawari, an unlicensed “vigilante” hero. It is the strongest spin-off and adds real depth to characters like Aizawa and All Might’s world.
• My Hero Academia: Smash!! (5 volumes): A gag comedy retelling of the early story. Light, silly, and best read as a palate cleanser.
• My Hero Academia: Team-Up Missions: Short side stories pairing students with pro heroes. Fun extras, not essential plot.
• Light novels (School Briefs): Slice-of-life stories set between arcs — dorm life, festivals, and quiet character moments.

Box Sets and Editions

VIZ publishes two box sets covering the complete series: Box Set 1 collects Volumes 1–20 and Box Set 2 collects Volumes 21–42, each with a poster and an exclusive booklet of Horikoshi illustrations and commentary. Buying the sets is usually cheaper than collecting all 42 volumes one by one, and the second set’s release in late 2026 makes the full run easy to own at last. Digital readers can follow the whole series through VIZ and the Shonen Jump app.

Should You Watch the Anime Too?

The anime, produced by studio Bones, follows the manga closely across its seasons, with a final season completing the adaptation. Many fans read and watch side by side, since the anime’s music and voice acting add a lot to the big battles. But the manga is the complete, original story — and with the series finished, you can now read all 42 volumes without waiting for the next chapter.

Why Reading in Order Matters for This Series

My Hero Academia is built on slow-burn payoffs. A throwaway line in Volume 3 becomes a major revelation in Volume 30; a background character in the Sports Festival becomes a key player in the final war. Reading out of order would spoil those reveals and flatten the story’s biggest emotional beats. The series also tracks its whole cast growing up: Class 1-A’s students change in visible, earned ways, and the villains get the same careful treatment. That is why the numbered order is not just the easiest path — it is the intended one, and the reason the finale lands so hard for readers who have been there since Volume 1.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many volumes of My Hero Academia are there?

42 volumes in total, collecting the complete story from 2014 to 2024.

Is My Hero Academia finished?

Yes. The manga ended on August 5, 2024, and Volume 42, with its extra chapter, is the final volume.

Do I need to read Vigilantes first?

No. Vigilantes is a prequel, but it works best after the main series, when you already know the world and its heroes.

Where do the movies fit?

The four anime films are side stories that slot between arcs but are not required to understand the manga. Watch them after the corresponding seasons if you want more of Class 1-A.

Read Volumes 1 to 42, in order, and you will get one of modern manga’s most complete hero stories — a story about what heroism costs, who gets to be called a hero, and why a Quirkless kid became the greatest of them all.