The world of anime has long been a way to escape reality. But stars of the award-winning series My Hero Academia believe its success is down to the show embracing heavier themes.

Based on a manga series which launched in 2014, the eighth and final season is wrapping up the story of Izuku Midoriya, a boy born into a world of superpowers with none of his own.

US actor David Matranga, who voices Izuku’s classmate Shoto Todoroki in the English dubbed version, tells BBC Newsbeat he feels the show has become popular “because of the story, the characters, the world that was built”.

“The fact that they tackle challenging ideas, ideologies that aren’t black and white,” he says.

Throughout the years, the show has explored discrimination, domestic abuse and mental health.

Actor Ernesto Jason Liebrecht, who voices the villain Dabi, says being part of the franchise has been a “remarkable journey” and has helped him “work through a lot”, including abandonment issues from his childhood.

His character is the eldest son of anti-hero Endeavor, who becomes a villain due to his father’s abuse and wants to take revenge on him.

“You see echoes of things that are happening or have happened to you in your own life,” Ernesto says. “There are distinctly very similar moments, very similar traumas.

“It’s very important to have characters like this for people who have been through simliar circumstances. So that they know that they’re not alone.”

Since its release, My Hero Academia has become one of the most popular anime series, both in Japan and globally.

It has appeared on several “best anime series” lists and was named most in-demand anime series of 2024 at this year’s Global Demand Awards.

Voice actor Christopher Sabat, also known for his roles in popular anime series like Dragon Ball Z and Fullmetal Alchemist, says it’s all down to the “depth that these shows have”.

The 52-year-old, who plays hero All Might in the series, feels anime is a unique way of storytelling which is “different than anything else, anywhere else in the world”.

And it’s not the only one. Recently anime films have been breaking through into mainstream viewing with the likes of Demon Slayer and One Piece.

Rahul Purini, the president of anime streaming service Crunchyroll, told the BBC earlier this year that anime was “one of the fastest-growing entertainment sectors” in the world.

“It is a very unique storytelling format, and it has not only stunning visuals, but strong characters, very unique storytelling that’s set in these amazing worlds, and that’s what attracts fans to these stories,” he added.

The company says there are about 1.5 billion “anime-curious” fans around the globe who are accessing popular anime shows more easily since services like Crunchyroll and Netflix added them to their services.

The last episode of the eight and final season of My Hero Academia is due to be released on Crunchyroll on 13 December.

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