It’s relatively popular so you might have already, but in case you haven’t:
If you like BNHA / Boku No Hero Academia / My Hero Academia then you should definitely watch Tiger and Bunny
It’s the spiritual 2011 precursor to BNHA in that it is a modern, self-aware, intelligent play on the superhero genre with a cast of unique and likeable characters and interesting world building.
It’s basically the world of BNHA but in reverse. When I first watched BNH I said “this is literally Tiger and Bunny but with school children and more powers”. Tiger and Bunny is like BNHA but with a cast of adults instead of teens.
People with powers are called NEXT, they make up a small percentage of the population, were seen as anomalies and hated until a man decided to make them into reality TV show stars and profit off broadcasting their heroism. Now superheroes are superstars, and the anime was funded specifically by ad revenue for REAL companies that they have on their suits, but with an in-universe explanation. Clever.
The main character is Izuku Midoriya if Midoriya were a hot dad.
Not kidding.
The main character is Kotetsu AKA Wild Tiger, who’s the only hero who seems to truly believe in real heroism instead of the capitalism it feeds. Though people at first think he’s outdated and idealistic and a little stupid, everyone in the cast is basically in love with him by the end of season 1, and he’s inspired all of his fellow heroes, ESPECIALLY his partner, the prettyboy Batman Iron Man pastiche, Barnaby (who Kotetsu nicknamed Bunny), with whom Kotetsu shares a superpower.
There are lots of other great cast members too, INCLUDING A SUCCESSFUL AND WELL-LOVED QUEER CHARACTER WHO HAS AN EMOTIONAL CHARACTER ARC IN ONE OF THE FILMS
The plot of Tiger and Bunny follows Tiger being paired up with Barnaby after his own agency goes bankrupt. Barnaby, meanwhile, is the only superhero without a secret identity, who’s actively looking for the man who murdered his parents. A man who’s literally The Joker. He even has a Harley Quinn.
THEY EVEN HAVE A KILLER WHO BELIEVES HEROES ARE HYPOCRITES AND NO TRUE HEROISM EXISTS ANYMORE EXCEPT IN ONE PERSON AND ALL FALSE HEROES NEED TO BE TAUGHT A LESSON. SOUND FAMILIAR?
Yeah his name is Lunatic and he’s literally Stain the Hero Killer if Stain weren’t a human ninja turtle
You may also have noticed the ridiculous number of BL / Yaoi doujin dedicated to this anime and its two main characters. Which is actually how I got to watching the anime in the first place. Because they’re all really ridiculously beautiful.
Which is unsurprising considering their relationship, which half the creators have stated can be read as romantic.
But it sadly isn’t shown to be onscreen. Yet. Maybe one day.
It’s two seasons long plus a couple of movies (the movies have a different art style but are still mostly worth watching), and there have been teases of films and a third season recently with the still ongoing success of superhero shows, including BNHA.
IN SUMMARY: WATCH THIS SHOW. IT’S VERY GOOD. THE DUB IS ALSO EXCELLENT, ONE OF THE BEST.
The first half of the TV show is a fun modern riff on X-Men style superheroes.
Everything after that is probably one of the best X-Men style stories I’ve ever watched
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