Kohei Horikoshi marked the Japanese premiere of "My Hero Academia: I am a hero too" with a pair of illustrations released Sunday and Tuesday, giving fans a glimpse at where his characters have ended up.

The first illustration, posted just over an hour before the short aired in Japan, shows an adult Deku with the caption "My Hero Academia coming up at 5:30 p.m." A second image features teenage Eri alongside Momo, Kyoka, Fumikage, Bakugo, and Denki, captioned "Now streaming! Awesome!"

The short follows Eri as she pursues her dreams in music, while also revealing that Deku has returned to active hero work in addition to his role as a teacher. It's a lighter glimpse into the cast's lives after the anime's conclusion.

"I am a hero too" originally premiered at Anime Expo in Los Angeles last month before screening at Japan's "Character Match Up" event this past weekend. The short became available on streaming services in Japan on Monday, with Crunchyroll handling distribution outside Japan.

This is the second short anime adaptation from My Hero Academia's manga shorts. The first, titled "More," aired in May as "episode 170+1" and is also available on Crunchyroll (though not in Asia). Both shorts are part of the franchise's broader 10th anniversary celebration.

For context, the My Hero Academia anime concluded last December after eight seasons. The final season premiered in October 2025 on Japanese TV and streamed worldwide on Crunchyroll, excluding Asia. That same English-dubbed version remains available on the platform.

Horikoshi's celebratory artwork underscores the enduring connection between the manga creator and his characters—even as the anime adaptation has wrapped. The short format allows him to explore smaller, character-focused stories that wouldn't fit the main series' scope, giving longtime fans new reasons to revisit the world he built.