During Anime Expo, Crunchyroll presented two new OVAs for the My Hero Academia series: Hero League Baseball and Laugh! As If You Are in Hell. These OVAs are set in the same timeline as Season 5, where the students of Class 1-A are in the middle of participating in their hero internships. 

Hero League Baseball

Although the poster for Hero League Baseball was originally an April Fool’s joke, the anime has turned it into a reality. Gang Orca and Shishido, two pro heroes, have recruited interns and pro heroes from rival agencies to form competitive baseball teams. Thus, the Orcas and Lionels clash in the Hero League Baseball finals. To win, the players must try their best to score points by using their quirks. However, just as the ninth inning is about to end, a villain interrupts the game! 

As a fan of baseball and My Hero Academia, I was excited and curious about this special episode. I wondered what hero baseball would look like with quirks and all, but as I watched the episode, I quickly realized that our heroes were basically playing with almost no rules at all! Each batter brings a new challenge to their at-bat, and Orca and Shishido are die-hard team captains who are also sore losers. They simply deal with their own team members to get the results they want. Even though I know what quirks the heroes have, guessing how they will use them to hit the baseball, pitch, or catch makes it all seem more like they are playing mind games more than anything else. Despite the complete chaos that erupts between the players during the game, they all try their best to win.

Laugh! As If You Are in Hell

Laugh! As if You Are in Hell features Deku, Bakugo, and Todoroki during their internship at Endeavor’s agency. They encounter the self-proclaimed artist named Mr. Smiley, who is responsible for the graffiti drawings across town. Due to his special but troublesome quirk, the boys and Endeavor have to put their heads together to catch this elusive criminal. 

Mr. Smiley may be a criminal, but making people laugh is his quirk! Although I found this OVA to be pretty predictable in terms of plot progression and ending, I honestly had fun just watching our heroes at work. Each character has a different kind of response to Mr. Smiley’s quirk when they laugh their heart out. I also ended up smiling and chuckling at the pure silliness that Deku, Todoroki, and Bakugo encounter while trying to catch Mr. Smiley. The team tries everything from attacking with their eyes closed to controlling a robot to deal with Mr. Smiley in an attempt to not end up in a laughing attack.

These two OVAs do not contribute to the main plot, but I think they are worth watching and serve as a great interlude as we wait for Season 6. Catch these special lighthearted and funny episodes on Crunchyroll on August 1!