By Isabel Dieppa
The power of friendship filled Ballroom 20 at San Diego Comic-Con on Thursday as My Hero Academia fans gathered for the 10th Anniversary panel powered by Crunchyroll. The panel featured the English voice actors behind All Might (Christopher Sabat), Deku (Justin Briner), Bakugo (Clifford Chapin), and Todoroki (David Matranga), with Crunchyroll Creative Director Lauren Moore serving as moderator.
After 10 years of watching our favorite U.A. students grow into the world’s greatest heroes, the panel felt like a class reunion. The actors reflected on how their characters have evolved over the years and how those journeys have shaped them personally.
“It was truly a dream come true. We don’t get to work with characters like that very often. It has been an honor,” Matranga said.
Matranga, who voices Todoroki, said the role reinforces the importance of community and friendship. Those themes, which sit at the heart of the series, remind him that growth comes from surrounding yourself with people who support you. Above all, he said Todoroki taught him to let go of the need to be perfect: “You can still be good if you’re not perfect.”
Sabat, who voices All Might, said the biggest change he has witnessed over the past decade has been the audience itself. He joked that when My Hero Academia began, the people sitting in the room “were all babies, and now they have babies.”
Sabat also said All Might taught him the value of vulnerability: “That’s a superpower, guys. Being emotionally available really does work.”
Chapin, who voices Bakugo, described the character’s impact on him as “very powerful and profound.” Playing Bakugo taught him “the ability to look beyond himself.”
Briner said playing Deku taught him the importance of knowing yourself while appreciating what others bring to the table: “Strength in leading with kindness and compassion. I think Deku taught me a lot aboutthe power of being able to ask for help.”
After the discussion, panel attendees watched the exclusive short I’m a Hero Too, which will debut on Crunchyroll on Aug. 2. The cast then performed a live voice-over session, bringing some of the series’ most memorable scenes to life on stage.
By the end of the panel, everyone in the audience felt like a graduate of U.A. My Hero Academia has told the story of how we all become heroes, even when the monsters we face are invisible.
Stay tuned to The Beat for more news from SDCC ’26.
