Hirokshi Kamiya, the Japanese voice actor for All For One’s younger version in My Hero Academia, has opened up in a recent interview about the immense pressure and personal struggles he faced upon joining the hit anime for its grand finale.
Per Oricon, Kamiya revealed that this was an experience unlike any other in his career. While expressing gratitude for the opportunity of playing the character, he also stated that voicing the series’ final boss felt like a “heavy responsibility.” Kamiya, known for portraying Levi Ackerman (Attack on Titan), Koyomi Araragi (Monogatari series) and Saiki Kusuo (Saiki K), confessed that his immediate thought upon being cast was “What have I gotten myself into?” The voice actor joined the long-running series during its climax, stepping into the role of All For One, a character who was previously established by the veteran Akio Otsuka. This daunting task of portraying the villain at the story’s peak and matching Otsuka’s standards left him with a significant sense of pressure.
My Hero Academia’s New All For One Forced to Deviate From Usual Methods for Star Role
Younger All For One surrounded by energy beams from Eri’s Rewind Quirk. in My Hero Academia.Image by Studio Bones
In order to prepare for his role, Kamiya revealed that he read through Kohei Horikoshi’s entire original manga. However, this only intensified his feelings of detachment from the character. “When I saw that AFO was not only pursued by heroes but even pressured by other villains, I felt a strange sense of distance,” he said. Additionally, Otsuka’s widely loved performance as All For One in the previous seasons made it difficult for him to connect with the character and think of it as his own role. This led to moments of self-doubt, with Kamiya admitting that he felt lonely. “When I was rehearsing lines at home, I sometimes thought, ‘This isn’t really my role…’ and it left me feeling lonely.” He even struggled with nervousness in the studio, but a change in perspective helped him find his footing.
Kamiya eventually realized that he needed to have more fun with the role just as Otsuka had done. This decision prompted him to analyze what made Otsuka’s portrayal so unique, forcing him to deviate from his usual acting methods. Kamiya noted that villains are not often “completely flawless embodiments of evil,” and that he typically tries to “leave some cracks or add a bit of charm” to make his antagonists more interesting. However, he observed that with All For One, Otsuka “didn’t play it that way at all—he went all in on being detestable.” Embracing this spirit became Kamiya’s new focus. He found enjoyment in the role by fully embodying the villain’s malice, asking himself, “How can I make him more aggravating? How can I deliver this line so it really gets under someone’s skin?”
The final installment of My Hero Academia anime will mark the conclusion of the climactic “Final War” arc from Kohei Horikoshi’s manga, which published its final chapter in August 2024 and has over 100 million copies in circulation worldwide. Helming Season 8 is Naomi Nakayama, who returns from the previous season. Meanwhile, Studio Bones continues to be in charge of its animation production. Other staff members include chief director Kenji Nagasaki, series composer Yosuke Kuroda, character designers Yoshihiko Umakoshi and Hitomi Odashima, and composer Yuki Hayashi.
Kamiya hopes that as the highly anticipated final season draws near, fans will continue to support the series and stay with them till the end. My Hero Academia Season 8 is scheduled to premiere on Oct. 4, 2025, and will stream on Crunchyroll worldwide, excluding Asia. Hulu will also be streaming the new release for U.S. viewers.