Autumn Anime] Sakura Ayane is on the verge of falling into the hands of the enemy (villain)! Commemorating the start of the 6th season of "My Hero Academia! Interview with Nobuhiko Okamoto and Ayane Sakura Part 1

The sixth season of "My Hero Academia" (hereafter referred to as "Heroaca") will begin airing on October 1, 2022!

Set in a world where the existence of people with supernatural abilities called "individuality" is commonplace, the main character, Midoriya Izuhisa (CV: Yamashita Daiki), aka Deku, is a "hero" who protects society and stands up to criminals who misuse their "individuality". The story unfolds as the main character, Midoriya Izuhisa (CV: Yamashita Daiki), grows up together with his friends at the prestigious hero training school, Yuuei High School, to become a "hero" who protects society and stands up to "villains," the criminals who abuse "individuality.

The sixth season of the series will feature the "All-out War Arc," an unprecedented fierce battle between heroes and enemies (villains).

The "Supernatural Liberation Front," a huge enemy force led by Mamoru Shigaraki (CV: Koki Uchiyama), who has regained his memories of the past and awakened, decides to take the fight to the next level. The police, who have obtained the information from the No. 2 hero, Hawks (CV: Yuichi Nakamura), and the professional heroes including the No. 1 hero, Endeavor (CV: Toru Inada), launch a large-scale operation with all their might. Deku and the other students of the Hero Department at Yuuei High School join in the operation and challenge the police to a fierce battle.

Akiba Research Institute interviewed Nobuhiko Okamoto, who plays Katsumi Bakugou, and Ayane Sakura, who plays Ochako Reichi!　In the first part of the interview, we asked them about their thoughts on the sixth season, which depicts an unprecedentedly fierce battle, a look back at the fifth season, memorable scenes and characters, and how their feelings about the recording sessions and the work have changed.

We are finally entering the "All-Out War Arc. How are you feeling now that you are about to start the 6th season?

Okamoto: In terms of Bakugou, he has passed his provisional qualification test and is now at the stage where he has matured and can finally fight against the villains. I am worried about that. To tell you the truth, I don't want him to fight too much (laughs). Deku is getting too strong, and I think it will be a little tough for Kacchan. To be honest, I don't think he can win if he really gets into it. I wonder how far he can sustain his fighting strength. ......

Of course Kacchan is very strong, but there are so many enemies of Cheeto-klasse that I think it is difficult for him to keep winning with his straight "personality" of "blowing things up".

Bakugou's blasting in the second movie "My Hero Academia: The Movie Heroes: Rising" was amazing, but I have the impression that it would be a bit difficult for him to win in scenes where he cannot use that much power.

Sakura: Since there are more and more technical fighters, you are certainly at a bit of a disadvantage when it comes to technical fighters vs. straight-up fighters, aren't you?

Okamoto: That's right. At the end of the 5th season, when the villain, Shigaraki, awakens, it's like, "How are we going to defeat him? I find myself thinking, "That's impossible.

Sakura: Because our "individuality" as early members was simple (laughs).

Okamoto: That's right. If we were rescuing people, we could fly in the sky and save them, so I think we could play an active role and be good at it, but when it came to fighting, I felt like, "What should we do? But when it comes to battles, I have to admit that I have a feeling of "What should I do?

Sakura: I understand.　In the case of Ochako, her appearances are like stepping stones, so I have to be conscious not to lose my feelings. Even when she is not on screen, I try to imagine how she was feeling and keep the tension in my mind. I am also concerned about how well the students will be able to fight alongside the professional heroes when all-out war breaks out, and I am sure that some of them are still scared. I think that must be unimaginable, and when I think about the thoughts of participating in an all-out war from various perspectives, I find myself getting more and more involved in the story.

Okamoto: They are still in their teens, aren't they?

Sakura That's right. They are about half our age, and yet they are placed in such an environment. I guess that those who are chosen for this project experience things that are unimaginable.

Okamoto: You can tell that Yuei (high school) is amazing, can't you?

Sakura: Deku-kun is the one who is leading them. I also feel the same dependability in Daiki (Yamashita) during the recording sessions. I feel that he is going ahead of the others while maintaining a calm demeanor. Daiki himself is the same as usual, but when he stands in front of the microphone, his spirit is clearly different from that of the first season, and I think he is very dependable.

Okamoto: Yes, that's true.

Deku and many other characters have changed and grown since the first season. Could you tell us about the most impressive characters for both of you and how they have changed?

Okamoto: I really like them all. ...... I thought "Wow!" when I saw the last scene of the 5th season, especially how much he grew. I thought, "Wow! I thought Uchi (Koki Uchiyama) had a very attractive voice, dirty, sexy and somewhat lonely, and it matched with the situation of the character. I thought the character, voice, and acting were a great match. I felt like there was no end in sight. I think people are afraid of the unknown, and I feel like I'm getting more and more close to that feeling. In the first and second phases, I still felt like a bad guy, but now I have the impression that there is no end in sight.

Sakura: This is a change in myself, but I am becoming more and more fond of the enemies (villains). If I am shown this kind of human drama, I would be ...... (laughs).

Okamoto: I understand!　(6th season, 3rd episode, 116th episode) The part of Twice and ...... were so good.

Sakura I was remembering that scene too!

Okamoto: It was great, wasn't it? ...... (smiling).

Sakura At first I thought that Heroaca was all about good and evil, but then I realized that it's also about .......

Okamoto: Yes, yes. I was thinking, "Hawks, don't say Twice!

Sakura That's really true. Because the film is so bland, it seems very unforgiving. On the other hand, when you see the enemy (villain) living life to the fullest, you wonder what is righteous and what is evil. I thought that the fear of total war is also here. Twice is also looking cuter and cuter. ...... I used to be on the side of the heroes and only focused on the heroes, but I was surprised by a series of fresh surprises and my heart is clearly leaning toward the enemies (villains). I didn't expect such a change and was surprised. It's like my whole outlook on life is changing. I am thinking that what I thought was bad is not so bad at all, and in fact, this side is closer to me than the other. I think everyone was different at first. ......, are you on the verge of falling into the darkness?

Okamoto: Oh no (laughs), have you fallen?

Sakura: Do you feel that way about your enemies (villains)?

Tatsuya: I think there are some. In fact, I watched the villains with the view that "there must have been a reason for it," and I like many of them.

Sakura So there are people like that. But are you okay with that?　You have been looking at enemies (villains) from that perspective from the very beginning (laughs).

Okamoto: It's like finding a "good guy who is no good. "He must have some good qualities!" I think.

T: The enemy (villain) is not a bad guy (laughs).

Sakura Oh, ────, he's fallen.

Okamoto: Oh, no, no, no. Maybe he's the type of guy who doesn't realize he's fallen (laughs). Be careful!

Trying to change the subject (laughs). With the growth and changes of the characters, was there anything in particular that you were conscious of or that was important to you in the 6th season?

Okamoto: Bakugou has changed since the 4th and 5th seasons, and has grown a lot in terms of recognizing others. He has grown not only internally but also in his "personality," but I still feel that he has grown at a slower pace. I don't know if Bakugou is okay with that, but I feel that he wants to see how far he can go in the all-out war and what he is lacking.

He himself is very smart, so he thinks he can grow if he fights. I think he has confidence in himself, not overconfidence, and I feel that he has a strong desire to fight as soon as possible. I want to see how much I can do and what I can't do. I feel that the way to challenge the war is different from the past because it is not easy to assess the situation and make the best use of it like a game.

Sakura: Ochako comes to a point where she has to work much harder, so until then, I was aware of the underlying tension that "if she dies, it's the end" that flows through her, just like Nobu-san. Until now, it has been the students who are caught up in the accidental, but recently I feel that there is more tension than ever before, as they are intentionally thrown into the battlefield as combatants, and are firmly entrusted by the heroes. I would like to play with a sense of the tense exchange of life and death.

To be continued in the second part of the interview!

(Interview, text, and photography by Shinobu Tanaka)