A Little Kindness Goes a Long Way, from MHA

My Hero Academia S7 Ep 16 Review

I’ve said it before, but one thing I love about My Hero Academia is how it humanizes the main villains and antagonists. Instead of committing crimes for the sake of it, many of the villains Deku and the others have faced are people who’ve had it rough in life and turned to villainy to cope. And thanks to people like Deku, a few even managed to change for the better, like Gentle Criminal and La Brava. And, in the case of “one good deed deserves another,” those same criminals jump in to help when it looks like all is lost. The result? Gentle Criminal pulling a CHAD move.

The Villains Threaten to Overwhelm the Heroes…

Last episode, it looked like the heroes were utterly screwed over. Kurogiri escaped the hospital. Dabi’s made his way to where Hawks and Endeavor are fighting All for One. Toga used Twice’s blood to recreate the Sad Man’s Parade and send it across the battlefields. And to top it all off, this episode has that parade disrupt Phantom Thief and Eraserhead’s efforts to block Shigaraki’s Quirks and damage the Flying Coffin.

Oh, and Skeptic hacked the Coffin’s controls and sent it plummeting towards the sea.

In other words, it looks like the heroes are screwed. Dabi’s gone full-on fire demon to kill everyone, and Toga’s in no mood to talk to Uraraka and Asui anymore. When I was reading the manga, it felt like this might be when the heroes backs are against the wall! I even thought that some of them weren’t going to make it out of the war alive!

That is when Deku’s past acts of kindness end up being everyone’s salvation.

A Little Kindness Goes a Long Way

From the end of season four, Deku fought against the fame-seeking outlaws Gentle Criminal and La Brava. Not only did he stop them from crashing the UA School Festival, but his empathy for how bad their lives were made them want to turn over a new leaf. And to prove that, during the nationwide prison breaks engineered by All for One, Gentle single-handedly managed to ensure no one got out of his prison.

Now they’re returning Deku’s kindness as the MVPs of the episode.

Thanks to the manga, I knew that Gentle and La Brava would help save the day, but I forgot when they showed up. Thus, seeing La Brava own the arrogant Skeptic was a sight. But the real highlight of the episode was seeing Gentle using his Quirk to save the Flying Coffin.

This moment highlights a big part of how My Hero Academia views heroes and villains. Labeling both sides as good and evil is easy, but as the series shows us, it’s rarely that simple. The good guys can make bad decisions, and the bad guys can have very valid reasons for why they act the way they do. Not addressing that issue enabled the rise of Shigaraki in the first place; people had stopped having empathy for each other and expected the heroes to do everything for them.

Empathy and Kindness Make Deku a True Hero

I think that Gentle and La Brava’s redemption speaks volumes about how Deku’s kindness can change people for the better. Without sounding too preachy, he knows what it’s like to feel like nothing and thus hates seeing others feel the same way. He’s even willing to try to save Shigaraki, seeing him as another victim of All for One. That kindness gave Gentle and La Brava the strength to turn their lives around, saving everyone in the Coffin.

Then, just as Shigaraki’s ready to use his Quirk, Lady Nagant saves the day by shooting his hand off! Once again, it’s demonstrating how Deku’s way is the best.

The heroes may have their backs against the wall, but thanks to that chain of kindness Deku and the others have forged, they can turn things around. The hopes of the heroes shall endure! Go beyond, PLUS ULTRA!

I Give “The Chain Thus Far” a 4.5/5

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