My Hero Academia: You are next is the latest movie in the My hero academia Franchise. typically, My hero academia Movies (of which this is the fourth) are set during the season of the anime in which they were released, and that’s true here as well.
Due to a number of clues, it is possible to pin down exactly when the movie is set, even without resorting to spoilers. The clues are found both in the movie itself and the anime series. Since season 7 of the anime is largely focused on the final confrontation between the heroes and villains, it is obvious that the incident depicted in the movie takes place just before the conflict goes down, but what is less clear is how close the Events movie are to the final battle seen in the series.
My Hero Academia: You’re Next is set early in Season 7
The film precedes the final confrontation with the villains
My Hero Academia: You are next is set just after Season 7, Episode 4 of the anime. This episode is right after Aoyama is revealed as the UA traitor, and as a result, Aoyama is not featured in the movie along with the rest of Class 1-A. The timeline placement is further supported by a scene added to the episode of the class being divided into three teams, with one led by Bakugo, one by Shoto, and one by Deku, with the objective of chasing jailbreakers. At the beginning of the film, the students are still split into teams, and they are seen performing the jailbreaker hunting duties.
This time period is right after the Stars and Stripes arc that kicked off season 7, in which Shigaraki was badly injured and forced to retreat, spending a week recuperating from his injuries before the start of the final war. This fact is commented on by characters in the movie, and supported by a post-credits scene. The movie only takes place a day or two at most, so it could be anywhere in the week of time.
How does My Hero Academia: You’re Next setting affect the film?
The film’s timeline placement puts some limits on what it can do
Because the film is set before the final war arc, Deku is only back in UA for a relatively short time, after his homecoming seen in season 6. Deku has used some new abilities during the final war, but none of these will be seen during The film, because he technically hasn’t unlocked them yet. Other characters who received power-ups during season 7, such as Shoto and Ochaco, will also not have their latest abilities in the film.
As a result of being set after season 6, much of Japan is still in ruins, and people are still struggling with the rampant villains who were released from prison by All for One. UA is seen in its defensive configuration, acting as a shelter for the many civilians who were forced to retreat there. The villain, Dark Might, seems to be drawn to Japan specifically because of the bad state it is in, hoping to use the chaos to seize power. My Hero Academia: You are next Makes excellent use of its setting, and although tight, it manages to fit comfortably together with the series’ timeline.