With the My Hero Academia manga officially wrapped, fans came into this year’s Anime Expo panel with a bittersweet mix of closure and curiosity. Is there going to be a sequel? While no follow-up story was revealed, creator Kohei Horikoshi had something even more unexpected in store—something that’s sure to shake up the anime’s final season in a big way.

Thanks to his now fully cleared schedule, Horikoshi confirmed he’s working closely with Studio BONES on the upcoming eighth and final season of the anime. That involvement doesn’t just mean supervision—it means brand-new content. “Now that My Hero Academia’s manga has ended, I have been able to work more closely with the production studio on the anime and the production process,” he shared in a special message during the panel. “I’ve had the chance to suggest adding extra scenes and emotional layers to the performances.”

What those new scenes are remains under wraps, but knowing Horikoshi’s talent for character depth and high-stakes storytelling, it’s safe to say this fall’s swan song will offer fresh surprises even for readers who thought they knew how it all ends.

On the voice recording side of things, they revealed that the Japanese recording is currently underway. At the same time, the English dub has yet to begin. This likely puts the Japanese release slightly ahead in timing.

The panel also teased that something significant is coming up very soon—July 15, to be exact. While My Hero Academia fans recognize that date as Deku’s birthday, the panel hinted that they’ll unveil a “special present” on that date. No one said the word “trailer” out loud, but it doesn’t take a quirk to guess what might be on the way as the October premiere creeps closer.