Ever since its release in 2016, the My Hero Academia anime series has taken the world by storm with its unique storyline and characters, all based on Kohei Horikoshi’s original manga. This year marks the series’s 10th anniversary since fans first started following the story of Izuku Midoriya, hero name Deku, and his classmates on their journey to become heroes.
At Anime Expo 2026, Anime Trending had the honor of speaking with Daiki Yamashita and Koki Uchiyama, the voice actors of Deku and Tomura Shigaraki, about their experience with the series over the past 10 years voicing their characters.
This interview was conducted via an interpreter and has been edited for clarity.
Congratulations on the 10th anniversary of My Hero Academia! How does it feel to celebrate this milestone with fans, and what has your experience been like voicing your character from the very first season through to the final one?
Daiki Yamashita: Thank you very much. Honestly, I’ve felt like I’ve been struggling from the very first episode all the way to the very last. The fact that I’ve been able to keep acting all the way through to the end of My Hero Academia is really due to the fans. This is actually a series that could have been cut after the first season. Thanks to Horikoshi-sensei, who drew 42 volumes, and thanks to everyone who kept up with the manga, we were able to run for ten years.
In a way, we were chasing after him the whole time, and that push carried us through all ten years. Throughout the seasons, all the way to the final one, Deku and his core didn’t really change. His respect for the heroes and for all the other amazing characters supporting them stayed consistent. For me, in the first season, I felt like I was always running at my max on my own, but as the seasons went on, I became more aware of everyone supporting that effort around me. I think that’s something important to cherish.
Koki Uchiyama: First off, I want to express my biggest gratitude to the fans all over the world who have stuck with us. Tomura Shigaraki goes through a lot of changes as a character in the series. His character and the way he looks in Season 1 and the way he looks in the final season are almost like two completely different characters. I’ve had the pleasure of playing a character with that many transformations, and looking back now, ten years later, it made me think of all the ups and downs and the walls and challenges I went through across those changes. That’s why, looking back on it now, it means so much to me.
Yamashita-san, at Anime Expo 2024, I interviewed you while you were here promoting the movie, My Hero Academia: You’re Next. You previously mentioned that you and Deku are always together like partners and that you hoped you could always grow alongside him. How do you feel about Deku now that the series has ended and your last recording as Deku in the My Hero Academia special episode, “More”?
Daiki Yamashita: He’s a partner and hero, as always. What I’ve received from him is really indescribable, and I will take it with me to heart. Whenever I go on to do different things and challenge myself in the future, I’ll be able to remember his lines and the feelings behind them. Everything I’ve received from him, in the past and going forward — his lines, and even his spirit — will always stay with me.
Uchiyama-san, Shigaraki is one of the most complex villains in a shonen show. Is there a scene or line from Shigaraki that you feel defined the character for you — one that you’ll carry with you long after the series?
Koki Uchiyama: Because he’s a character who goes through so many changes, what he says and what he thinks shift as the character himself changes. Honestly, I could point to a defining line in almost every season. That said, his final conversation with Deku really stands out to me as an actor. He cheered Deku on to do his best as a hero, and it really surprised me while acting it. He’s come to the point where he’s finally able to say what he truly wants to say.
Questions submitted by Gerrymelyn Casupang and Isabelle Lee. Interview conducted by Gerrymelyn Casupang.
Special thanks to Toho Animation and 42West for organizing this interview.
All episodes of My Hero Academia are currently streaming on Crunchyroll.
