My Hero Academia’s End Opens the Door for Anime’s Greatest Revival in Years

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Merlyn De Souza is a freelance writer and anime enthusiast based in Goa, India, with a Bachelor's in English Literature. When she isn't writing, she can be found exploring various realms of entertainment, including, but not limited to, K-dramas, novels, and even the occasional manhwa. She also enjoys all things creative, like sewing and makeup.

From old classics like Fullmetal Alchemist, Soul Eater, and Space Dandy, to new emerging hits like Gachiakuta, Studio Bones has consistently produced many of anime's most humble yet beloved series for the last two decades. The studio has also witnessed plenty of growth in the last decade in terms of its quality of animation, and no other series better illustrates this than My Hero Academia.

After close to a decade, My Hero Academia's anime finally concluded in Winter 2025, and its last few seasons completely blew fans away. Studio Bones pulled out all the stops towards the end, and it only left fans wanting more. That said, while My Hero Academia's story is over, Bones is still sitting on one shōnen series begging for a revival.

With My Hero Academia Out of the Way, Bones Needs To Bring Back Noragami

Yato glares after slaughtering people as Yaboku from Noragami.

Released back in 2014, Noragami had a very unique appeal, drawing the eyes of even shojo audiences despite technically being a shonen. The series follows the stray god Yato, his Regalia Yukine, and Iki Hiyori, a high schooler who unexpectedly gets sucked into this supernatural world of gods, phantoms, and spirits.

By itself, the premise sounds like something straight out of Inuyasha or Kamisama Kiss. However, Noragami's execution of this premise is quite unexpected, taking a darker, more stylized tone and setting much like Bleach, Jujutsu Kaisen, and even a bit of Shin Megami Tensei and Persona in terms of the striking visuals.

It's truly hard to pin down which series or franchise Noragami is most reminiscent of, and this blend might explain its unique, cross-demographic appeal. The anime was also seemingly a huge hit back in the day, as it went on to be renewed for a second season in 2015.

However, despite adapting less than 40 chapters of the manga, Noragami would go on to be completely forgotten, with fans waiting indefinitely for a third season that would never come.

The following year would see Bones release the first seasons of My Hero Academia and Mob Psycho 100, among various other series, seemingly forgetting about Noragami altogether, which is criminal considering how good the series is.

Noragami Can Still Compete With Modern Shonen A Decade Later

All that said, with Noragami's manga having concluded in January 2024, and My Hero Academia's anime also done and dusted, there's no better time than now for Noragami's anime to make a comeback. It might have taken more than a decade, but better late than never.

After all, the last year or so has seen the revival of many older anime, like Ranma 1/2, Kimi ni Todoke, Yona of the Dawn, and Kakuriyo: Bed and Breakfast for Spirits.

More importantly, even though the series may be over a decade old at this point, its story and aesthetics are ones that can still resonate with fans of modern shonen series. Noragami's entire premise of fighting phantoms is not unlike Jujutsu Kaisen, with its Cursed Spirits, while Yato's charismatic personality is surely one that will immediately win over Gojo fans.

With Bones' current animation capabilities, Noragami's stylized fights could maybe even stand alongside the likes of Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War. Now, all Studio Bones needs to do is bring it back.