This volume was on my list of anticipated reads for the year, as are all volumes of My Hero Academia. And Horikoshi did not disappoint. Horikoshi is able to weave in plot throughout the story and keeps the reading guessing as to what will happen next. It’s essential to read the 24 previous volumes to understand the significance of what happens in this one. This volume brings in Tomura’s backstory along with the manifestation of his quirk and what this means to our favorite hero, Midoriya.
I can’t wait to see what happens next in the upcoming 26th volume!

Another great addition. Whew are these books getting darker or what? Getting to see Tomura's backstory while knowing it was most likely going to be a sad one I felt such pity for the little guy then getting to see the progression of him getting older and wondering what's up with those hands. Wow. Then theres the whole finding out who they are going to be working under for another work study and what will happen because you know things just simply go well and I'm here for it! Love getting to see a bit more into the live of my favorite characters.

I love my hero academia and this volume was no exception. I cannot wait to add it to my collection when the volume comes out.

My Hero Academia is shaping shonen manga for a new generation. The previous volumes of the series have subverted old tropes for heroes and rivals and created new ones. Volume 24 of the series from Kohei Horikoshi began a new arc: Villains. When it comes to villains in shonen, they’re rarely terrifying because they’re not fleshed out. Powerful? Yes. Sympathetic? No, not really. Devastating? Well of course, they have to be.  It would be boring if our overpowered hero didn’t look like they’re on the ropes. We rarely see deep dives into their psyche and motivations. With My Hero Academia Volume 25, Horikoshi completes building his villain, 235 chapters in the making: Tomura Shigaraki. Volume 25 stands out as truly excellent, even among the other novels of this great manga.

My Hero Academia Volume 25 is published in English by VIZ Media through their Shonen Jump imprint and is written and illustrated by Horikoshi. The English edition is translated by Caleb Cook, with lettering and touch-up art by John Hunt. This volume encompasses volumes 236 to 246 and continues the villains arc from volume 24of the series. We get to see the ending of the terrifying moment when Tomura’s Quirk manifested and how All for One was the only one able to speak to the broken young boy’s heart. The consequences of that fateful meeting play out in the present as Tomura and Re-Destro, the leader of the Meta Liberation Army, battle for supremacy over the villains and the MLA.

The grandson of one of One For All’s previous holders, Shigaraki was born into a family with a father who despised heroes, Quirks, and the complications that come from them. While Shigaraki wanted to become a hero, his father attempted beat the notions out of him until one day, his devastating destruction powers surfaced. To put it in simplest turns, everything Shigaraki touches turns to dust. The family dog, his sister, his mother, everything around him. This volume is split into two sections. The first section focuses on the villains, focusing on Shigaraki.  The second section focuses on Deku, Kacchan, and Shoto as they start their training with Endeavor.

The heroes’ section of this volume is good and well worth the read. However, it’s Horikoshi’s take on becoming a villain that makes this volume outstanding. This narrative solidifies My Hero Academia as one of the strongest shonen titles to date. The dynamics of the different villains interacting with the members of the MLA really highlight that Horikoshi’s writing strength is writing darker themes of power. The narrative of Hawks infiltrating their ranks drives this assessment home. This is not a knock to his hero’s story. We can really see his passion when crafting evil. 

Horikoshi knows how to build a villain. Horkoshi deftly pulls us into sympathy for Shigaraki’s past. Once we really start to feel for the poor child, he turns that empathy against us by showcasing the malice building up in the young Shigaraki’s heart. In the villain’s final act of familial destruction, it’s clear that he wants to kill his father.  He accidentally killed his mother and sister, but he actually wants to murder his own father. This shift undercuts what the reader thinks is sad happenstance, and makes us question whether he always planned on murdering his family.

Hirokoshi’s art remains inventive and his use of grayscale builds atmosphere and tension unlike other mangaka, especially in the opening chapters. His ability to balance the art and narrative of hope and progress in the young heroes’ careers with the darkness and death in Shigaraki’s story is unparalleled.  It showcases his knowledge of crafting a narrative that is both multifaceted and dynamic. In Horikoshi’s My Hero Academia Volume 25, you see the rare quality of managing storylines with different tones so that the whole volume feels cohesive.  At the same time, the pace of this volume feel active, like we are witnessing important things in both storylines.

Overall, My Hero Academia Volume 25 reaffirms my love of the series and Horikoshi as a writer. The darkness of this volume, coupled with the small hope provided by the hero training, makes the volume sing. Having caught up on the individual chapters – now at chapter 286 via the Shonen Jump App – I know the hope is about to fade and I can’t wait for volume 26.

I absolutely love this series! Usually the villains are clearly "evil" but here we get the backstory of a character we know we're supposed to hate. And I couldn't help but feel sorry for Tomura, even though we know he's the bad guy. Sometimes the bad guys say really wise and thought-provoking things that make me have to put down the book for a minute while I work through it. Both entertainment and philosophy in one beautifully drawn book.

The way this volume was divided felt perfect to lead into the next arc (no spoilers from me though). As usual I love me a good origin story and this was no exception. Also I found the balance between intense background information and intense set up for the next arc to be properly done with some lightheartedness. While this volume definitely has a villain focus, and while this volume primarily serves to finish one arc and set up another, the hilarity of heroes is definitely still there and these elements make for an important volume to read for any MHA fan!

Thank you to Netgalley and Kohei Horikoshi for the advanced reading of Volume 25 of My Hero Academia in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed both elements of villains and heroes in this volume. I'm excited to see how these two finally come together, especially with more students working with Pro Heroes.

I especially loved Shoto's  one liners in this! He is still my favourite character and I cannot wait to see more from him.

I don't want to say too much as I feel like there's a lot happening in this volume that will eventually play a huge part in the main story line. 

Thanks to Net Galley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review.

As the story with the focus on the villains continues, my 12 year old daughter (who is currently the one obsessed with mah) finds herself working to encourage her friends to also read the series so that she may discuss the characters and their situations at length.  This volume continued that detailed character development nd need for discussion.  she is already asking for  Vol 26's release date information.

My Hero Academia is arguably the most popular series my library has, so I know the teens are going to love this volume just as much as previous ones. Volume 25 is just as interesting as 24, in that the focus is more on the villains of the story than our heroes. I don't agree with the villains, but it's incredibly fun to see their point of views and backstories in addition to those of the heroes.

Man, are we already twenty-five volumes in to My Hero Academia? That's almost hard to believe. Then again, there's been a lot going on, so maybe it isn't all that surprising. Either way, it's been a thrilling series, and I hope that the end is nowhere in sight.

My Hero Academia Vol. 25 has two major plot arcs running through it. The first revolves around the one and only, Shigaraki Tomura. His origin story was left unfinished in the last volume, and now it's time to see how dark that is going to get.

With Shigaraki new and greater understanding of himself, things are about to get worse for the heroes of this world. The League of Villains and the Meta Liberation Army are about to become one and the same – and that cannot be a good sign.

Meanwhile, the students at U.A. are still actively in training, while the heroes are struggling to find what it means to be heroes in a world where All Might has retired.

It's so hard to believe how much ground was covered in My Hero Academia Vol. 25. Not just the two major plots mentioned above, but everything else that was tucked into these pages as well. Because honestly? There's a lot to take in here.

The Shigaraki arc is probably one of my favorites so far, from the villain side of things. I knew that it was only a matter of time before we learned of his true origins...but even so I hadn't expected something quite this dark. It was shockingly powerful, especially when combined with the events that triggered those memories.

This volume did an excellent job of highlighting the efforts that the heroes have been going through as of late. I had been wondering how they would handle a world without the hero All Might (yes, I know he's still alive, but he's retired, and thus...). I feel like those questions are starting to be answered.

All while raising even more questions, naturally. My favorite hero has what appears to be one of the more complex arcs right now, though it is one easily pushed to the sidelines if you're not paying attention. I'm not sure how I feel about what he's doing, or what his goals are. Only time will tell, I guess?

Along with plenty of intense moments are the parts that just make you want to laugh out loud. This series has always been good about balancing reader emotions, something that was used to great effect in this volume.

Confession: I've actually been reading each chapter as it drops on VIZ Medias app, so I'm way ahead of this volume. Still, it was totally worth coming back and reading this all in one go. I picked up on details that I had missed (or forgotten). Though now I do want to go and read what will eventually become volume 26 again...