Shueisha Inc. has launched a global character popularity poll called "WORLD BEST HERO" to celebrate author Kohei Horikoshi's internationally acclaimed manga series, "My Hero Academia" reaching its grand finale after 10 years.

TOKYO, Aug. 13, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Japanese publisher Shueisha announced today that they will be launching a global character popularity poll called "WORLD BEST HERO" in celebration of author Kohei Horikoshi's internationally acclaimed manga series, "My Hero Academia" reaching its grand finale after 10 years. The beloved series which surpassed 100 million copies in worldwide circulation this past April (over 60 million in Japan and 40 million internationally) started its serialization in the weekly magazine, "Weekly Shonen Jump" back in 2014 and will release its final chapter in its August 5 issue of this year.

The first-ever global popularity poll for the franchise, "My Hero Academia Worldwide Character Popularity Poll 'WORLD BEST HERO'," will be held from 6:00 PM on August 5 to 11:59 PM on September 30 (Japan Standard Time). The event will kick off with the first round of voting, "MAIN STAGE," where rankings will be determined over a two-month voting period. Results for the MAIN STAGE will be announced on December 2 at 7:00 PM via a premium live broadcast on the Jump official YouTube channel, "@JumpChannel." Following this, a special and final round of voting, the "PLUS ULTRA STAGE" will be held for 24 hours to determine the #1 character from the top 3 characters, who will have a statue created in his or her honor. The results of the PLUS ULTRA STAGE will also be revealed on "@JumpChannel" via a premium broadcast.

Shueisha also announced that author Kohei Horikoshi has written a message of gratitude to his readers worldwide and this heartfelt message will be featured in today's issue of The New York Times. Details on Horikoshi's message to his fans and accompanying advertisement visuals will be included in this release.

Overview of "WORLD BEST HERO"

• Special Website: https://myheroacademia.worldbesthero.com/
• "WORLD BEST HERO" Launch Announcement Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mroCFnh07Sk

MAIN STAGE Details

The character who wins first place in the "MAIN STAGE" will be honored with the prestigious title of "WORLD BEST HERO" to commemorate the worldwide character popularity poll "WORLD BEST HERO."

• Participating Regions: Participation is open to fans worldwide.
• Voting Period: August 5, 2024 (Monday) 6:00 PM – September 30, 2024 (Monday) 11:59 PM (Japan Standard Time)

• How to Vote:
  • Voting can only be done through the official global popularity poll website.
  • Each person can vote once per day.
  • You can vote again every day after 12:00 AM (Japan Standard Time)
• Eligible Characters: You can vote for a total of 278 characters that appear in the Jump Comics series 'My Hero Academia.'
• Results Announced: The results will be announced in a premiere broadcast on the official

Jump YouTube channel, "@JumpChannel" on Monday December 2, 2024 7:00 PM JST.

PLUS ULTRA STAGE Details

The character who wins first place in the "PLUS ULTRA STAGE" will be honored with the prestigious title of "THE MHA" to commemorate the worldwide character popularity poll "WORLD BEST HERO."

• Participating Characters: The top 3 characters from the MAIN STAGE.
• Voting Period: From December 2, 2024 (Monday) at 8:00 PM to December 3, 2024 (Tuesday) at 7:59 PM Japan Standard Time. *If there are any changes to the schedule, they will be announced on the special website.
• Voting Rules: Each person can vote once every hour with a maximum of 12 votes per person within the 24-hour period.
• Results Announced: The results will be announced in a premiere broadcast on the official Jump YouTube channel, "@JumpChannel," on December 3, 2024 (Tuesday) at 9:30PM.

Future Promotions

• First Place from MAIN STAGE: A special video will be released on the official Jump YouTube channel, "@JumpChannel" to commemorate the crowning of the WORLD BEST HERO.
• First Place from PLUS ULTRA STAGE: To celebrate the winner of "THE MHA" title, Mr. Horikoshi will create a new illustration that will serve as the model for a commemorative statue.

Summary of the Schedule *All Times Japan Standard Time

• MAIN STAGE Voting Period: August 5, 2024 (Monday) 6:00 PM – September 30, 2024 (Monday) 11:59 PM
• MAIN STAGE Halftime Announcement: September 1, 2024(Sunday) 7:00 PM on the special website.
• MAIN STAGE Results Announcement: December 2, 2024 (Monday) 7:00 PM in a premiere broadcast on the official Jump YouTube channel "@JumpChannel".
• PLUS ULTRA STAGE Voting Period: December 2, 2024 (Monday) 8:00 PM – December 3, 2024 (Tuesday) 7:59 PM
• PLUS ULTRA STAGE Results Announcement: December 3, 2024 (Monday) 9:30 PM in a premiere broadcast on the official Jump YouTube channel "@JumpChannel".

Weekly Top 20 Rankings

• The previous week's popularity rankings will be announced for both the total worldwide votes and broken down across 8 regions.
• The rankings will be updated every Monday at 12:00 AM JST.
• Regional statistics are based on the IP address information of the voting devices and are divided into eight regions accordingly: Asia, Oceania, North America, Central and South America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Japan.

*Weekly updates will continue until the interim announcement. Please note that the update schedule may change without notice.

WORLD BEST HERO - FAN ART CONTEST

Support your favorite hero by posting your illustrations on X with the hashtags "#WBH_FANART" or "#頑張れって感じのファンアート" (DoYourBestFanArt).

• From all the submissions worldwide, 10 works will be chosen as " WBH Fan Art10" to be showcased on the special website.
• Winners will receive a digital data with a personalized signature from Horikoshi-sensei.
  • Submission Period: August 5, 2024 (Monday) – September 1, 2024 (Sunday)
  • Results Announcement: September 15, 2024 (Sunday)

MY BEST HERO GENERATOR

Create an image of your 'BEST 5' heroes with the generator and share it with everyone!

Super Poll Event

To commemorate the conclusion of 'My Hero Academia,' we are conducting four reader polls and collecting questions for Horikoshi-sensei! The poll results and Horikoshi-sensei's answers will be published in the final fanbook.*The final fan book's sales regions will be limited to Japan.

• Poll Details

Voting Period: August 5, 2024 (Monday) 18:00 – September 1, 2024 (Sunday) 23:59 *The fanbook will be available only in Japan.

1. Hero Name Ranking: August 5 (Monday) 6:00 PM – August 11 (Sunday) 12:00 AM
2. "Quirk" Ranking: August 12 (Monday) 12:00 AM – August 18 (Sunday) 12:00 AM
3. Best Episode Poll: August 19 (Monday) 12:00 AM – August 25 (Sunday) 12:00 AM
4. Comic Cover Poll: August 26 (Monday) 12:00 AM – September 1 (Sunday) 12:00 AM

• Questions for Horikoshi-sensei:
  • Submission Period: August 5, 2024 (Monday) 12:00 AM– September 1, 2024 (Sunday) 11:59 PM
  • Multiple submissions allowed
  • The editorial team may correct any typos in the selected questions.
  • Some changes may be made to the submitted text due to editorial reasons.

New York Times Advertisement

To coincide with the conclusion of the serialization, we are hosting a worldwide character popularity poll. As part of this announcement, we will publish an advertisement in the New York Times, reaching readers worldwide. The advertisement will feature a message of gratitude from Horikoshi-sensei to readers around the world, alongside the campaign announcement in the context of the series' conclusion.

Message from Horikoshi-sensei

"Thank you for all the love and support for My Hero Academia! Seeing everyone enjoy the series was a joy for me as well. As you continue your daily lives, I hope you will fondly remember Deku and friends every now and then. Kohei Horikoshi"

Details

• Media: New York Times (US edition and International edition, including Japan)
• Dates: August 5 (Monday) for the US edition, August 6 (Tuesday) for the International edition (including Japan)

About "My Hero Academia"

In a world where everyone possesses some form of superpower known as "Quirks," professional "Heroes" have become symbols of admiration by protecting people and society from accidents, disasters, and villains who misuse their Quirks. The protagonist, Izuku Midoriya (nicknamed "Deku"), who was once "Quirkless," is discovered by the No.1 Hero, All Might, for his hidden heroic potential. Deku inherits the Quirk "One For All" and, after much effort, enrolls in the prestigious U.A. High School to train and become the "Greatest Hero." The series has surpassed 100 million copies in circulation worldwide in April of this year(with over 60 million copies in Japan and over 40 million copies overseas, including digital edition), making it a highly popular hero action manga. It has also gained popularity through various media adaptations, including a highly successful TV anime series, anime films, games, and stage plays.

About the Author, Kohei Horikoshi

Born in 1986 in Aichi Prefecture. In 2006, he received the Honorable Mention award at the 72nd Tezuka Award for his work "Nukegara." In 2007, he made his debut with the one-shot "Tenko" in "Akamaru Jump." In 2008, "My Hero" was published in the same magazine. In 2010, he made his "Weekly Shonen Jump" serialization debut with "Oumagadoki Zoo." After serializing "Barrage" in 2012, he began "My Hero Academia" in Issue 32 of 2014.

Other Links

• Official "Weekly Shonen Jump" website "My Hero Academia" page: My Hero Academia (Japanese site only)
• Official "My Hero Academia" X account: @myheroacademia

Art assets can be found in this LINK. All art assets must be credited with:

©Kohei Horikoshi / Shueisha

Media Contact
Ikuko Shimizu, Shueisha, 1 3105968045, ikuko.shimizu@stories-llc.com

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SOURCE Shueisha