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My Hero Academia: More Review

I’ve been waiting to see this come out for months now, and now that it’s here, it was worth the wait! When My Hero Academia ended last year, we all knew that this wouldn’t be the last time we saw Deku and the heroes of Class 1-A. Heck, thanks to Vigilantes, it wouldn’t even be the last time we would see the world of My Hero Academia, with that being put off until at least next year. But the world of the series is so full of potential for future stories, and months after the manga originally ended, Horikoshi came out with a bonus epilogue chapter to tidy up loose ends. This extra chapter, “More,” has now gotten adapted into an anime special, and I’m thrilled it was more of what fans have wanted, and then some!

Uraraka is Living her Best Life…

It’s been years now since the defeat of All for One, and the students of Classes 1-A and 1-B are all grown up and living the life of Heroes. One of the biggest complaints about the end to the original manga was the fact that we never really got to see the main cast actually go out there and do the work of Pro-Heroes, or what their everyday lives are like. The anime did seek to rectify this with a “where are they now?” montage in the credits to the final episode, but fans wanted more. Horikoshi knew this, which is why he made a bonus chapter aptly titled “More,” which is about how two of our heroes realize that they want more out of their lives. The two heroes in question being Uraraka and Midoriya.

In the first part of the episode, we get to see what Uravity’s job is really like, and it’s so wholesome. She and Froppy took the lessons of Toga to heart and are making sure other kids get the help they need before they crash out. And I won’t lie to you, I was laughing when I saw Lemillion turn his “peachy keen” jokes into a game for the students Uravity and Froppy were helping out. It’s embarrassing, but I think the sheer audacity of it is why Sir Nighteye found Togata so funny.

Plus, it was also super wholesome when Uraraka helped the shy kid win the game and become popular with his classmates. No one deserves to be a loner in life unless they want!

All told, Uraraka seems to be living her best life. However, lately she’s been having the same dreams about the late Himiko Toga. As she confides in Tsuyu, she wonders if some remnant of Toga is trying to tell her something…and she is absolutely right. But more on that later.

And so is Deku…

Next, we have Deku, who remains as humble and modest as ever, even as he’s sinking into the backseat of Bakugo’s cool new car. So, around the time My Hero Academia ended, there were a lot of memes going around about Deku growing up to be a worker at a fast food joint. The whole thing was meant to be a joke about how, now that he was quirkless again, Midoriya’s dream to be a hero was over. Even learning that he had become a teacher during the timeskip didn’t change this, as people saw this as him settling for less. But, as Horikoshi said, and as Deku tells Bakugo and Kirishima, he would’ve become a teacher regardless.

When I was younger, there was a brief time when I considered becoming a teacher. I was never that fond of school, but I thought that trying to guide the next generation was a good thing to do with my life. Too bad society doesn’t see the value in teachers and pay them accordingly. So, I respect Deku for wanting to be a teacher, and I think he’s one of the cool ones.

Also, I loved how Deku inadvertedly shot down Bakugo’s invitation to join him at his agency. The fact that the prideful Bakugo was willing to do that for his rival/friend and got rejected before he had the chance is hilarious!

One Last You Say Run

That brings us to the reunion of Class 1-A, all of whom are enjoying their lives to the fullest. And even better, we get to see them all spring into action to stop a pair of criminals, and it’s glorious. Even after all those years, they haven’t lost any of their teamwork! And that shot of them as a group like they’re the Avengers is just the icing on the cake! This is why I love superheroes so much.

But the fans still want more.

So, we all know just how hard people were shipping Deku and Uraraka together. The two always had this great chemistry and brought out the best in each other, and fans just latched onto this like crazy. Sadly, the manga ended without us ever finding out if they ever became an item. Luckily, Horikoshi knew this, which I think is why he decided to make the extra chapter this special is based on. And while I was never that big on the shipping, I did think DekuXUraraka would be an adorable couple.

More importantly, though, I think that Horikoshi used this to address a problem with superheroes that I have grown to despise: how they never want more for themselves.

It’s Okay for Superheroes to Want More

It all started with Spider-Man: No Way Home, but I think the sentiment had been planted in me for a long time. I saw MCU Spidey get completely and utterly screwed over by the powers-that-be. He had to make the entire world forget about himself as Peter Parker, meaning that he was now utterly alone in a world that didn’t like him. And that was just the straw that broke the camel’s back. Why did Spider-Man have to lose his chance at happiness for the sake of everyone else? I know heroes are supposed to be selfless and self-sacrificing, but that’s not fair. They deserve as much of a chance to be happy as the rest of us; maybe even more so, given how much they do!

Thanks to that, I’m now a believer in letting heroes be a little selfish and want more out of life. And it seems that Horikoshi is of that mindset, as while the rest of 1-A go their separate ways, Uraraka and Deku realize they’re not happy with the way things are now. They want more out of their lives, and to see each other more. And whether it’s really the spirit of Toga or not, Uraraka is inspired to take that leap.

Now that is how you get a ship to set sail! It’s a shame that we not get to see how their relationship plays out, but something tells me that those two are going to be very, very happy together. And the rest of the fans are squeeing in joy at the series OTP coming true! I should know; I’m one of them!

I loved this special. This was a really wholesome way to write an epilogue to the series. I hope that we get to see more of My Hero Academia after Vigilantes ends, because it’s just too good a universe to leave sitting around.

Good thing we still got an OVA coming up! Go beyond, PLUS ULTRA!!

I Give “More” a 5/5

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My Hero Academia S2 Ep 4 Review

When you’re a hero in a place full of heroes, team-ups happen pretty often. It’s what they do. When you’re a vigilante, and you have to team up with a licensed hero, though, things can get complicated. By this point, several pro heroes know about Koichi and Kazuho’s vigilante activities. However, since they’re relatively responsible with their Quirks and help cover places they can’t, the pros have let them do what they want. Until, that is, Koichi almost crosses a line to becoming a threat to public safety with his Quirk. And in front of Eraser Head, no less. He’s lucky that the newest experiment of the Villain Factory shows up, or he would be in huge trouble!

Koichi, Why?

In the last episode, Koichi discovered something cool about his Quirk: he can use it to fire repulsion blasts. Since that led him to break his own window, he and Pop agreed he shouldn’t do that again…is what Pop thought! In reality, Koichi keeps practicing this new move in secret until Kazuho busts him and gives him another scolding. And I’m with Pop on this one; he shouldn’t use his Quirk like that!

In the world of MHA, you need an actual license to fire Quirk-based projectiles. Heroes like Eraser Head, Midnight, and Ingenium have been willing to look the other way with the duo because of how helpful they’ve been, but this is a step too far. Koichi could end up in jail for this. Unfortunately for him, he’s forced into a solo situation where he has no choice but to use this new talent: another next-level villain shows up. And then Eraser Head.

Ever since Narufest, Eraser Head has been regularly patrolling Naruhata to find the source of Trigger, much to the dismay of the small-time crooks turned pharmacists known as the Hotta Brothers. I couldn’t resist letting out a giggle seeing him show up just to drink coffee. Either he’s really that inconsiderate, or he’s doing it just to annoy them, and I’m pretty sure it’s the latter. Fortunately, that means when this new villain, Octoid, shows up and sends Koichi running, Eraser Head is there to help.

The bad news? Not only does Aizawa see Koichi use that “shooty go blam” power, as Koichi puts it, but his own powers don’t stop Octoid. It’s all physical. Thus, their only option is to team up to take down this threat.

Another Team-up of Heroes

Having read a lot of comics growing up, I know for a fact that a team-up between street-level heroes is pretty common. In most cases, it helps them take down much larger and more powerful enemies. And seeing the four, plus that other mantis guy, Kirihito, team up to fight Octoid feels a lot like one of those comics. Unfortunately, their efforts almost end up being in vain when Octoid manages to escape from their trap. And as it turns out, Koichi’s new move isn’t that effective. All it did was make the villain angry and make Eraser Head want to bring him in. This should be an important lesson, Koichi: either get good and responsible with that move, or don’t use it.

In the end, it’s not even the group that stops Octoid. It’s the Scarred Man (or Scarred Speedster, as I call him.) We could already tell that this mystery man was dangerous and bloodthirsty, but he takes it up a notch in this episode. When Octoid cuts his face, he crashes out and almost beats the villain to death in response! That is the kind of behavior you see from an unhinged serial killer! Octoid is lucky that he’s alive to be taken to jail!

In the end, Koichi manages to walk away from his team-up with Eraser Head, with the hero deciding not to take him in. He even covers for him by saying he doesn’t know Koichi when they run into each other alongside Tsukauchi. Such is the life of a hero, though. I’m looking forward to seeing Koichi develop further as he continues to go beyond, PLUS ULTRA!!!

I Give “A Rational Man” a 3/5

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My Hero Academia Vigilantes S2 Ep 2 Review

Even when they’re not trying to find it, it seems like trouble seems to find Koichi and Kazuho. All they wanted was to have a nice day trip to do some idol stuff to promote Kazuho as Pop☆Step. Instead, this crab girl cop managed to drag right into the middle of a sting op looking for Trigger being sold using the venue as cover! But since they were just caught up in everything for once, this episode doesn’t really focus on our two vigilantes. Instead, our attention lies firmly with the heroes and cops sting op, and the member of the organization that’s distributing Trigger.

Crab Girl Almost Ruins Everything

As we learned at the end of the last episode, Monika Kaniyashiki, the idol that Koichi and Pop met at the idol event, is actually an undercover cop. And honestly, I can totally understand why she was chosen for the job. Being an undercover cop requires a fair amount of acting skills and charisma to pull off, and Monika’s goofy nature makes it easy for her to win the confidence of strangers. She was able to talk the seafood workers into letting her inspect their goods with no effort. On top of that, she’s a good detective. She was able to figure out that the Villain Factory was using cooling packs in the packages to smuggle Trigger. Unfortunately, it seems her goofiness is genuine, as it ends up putting Pop in danger once she blows the cover on the Villain Factory’s agent.

Who is this Guy?

The scarred man that Fat and the police face is someone we’ve seen before. He was the one who retrieved that last bee from Queen Bee’s hive after Knuckleduster killed them. At the time, it looked like he was some kind of speedster, which seems pretty rare in the MHA-verse. As this episode shows, however, it’s not actually a speedster power. Instead of providing raw speed, the man’s Quirk lets him speed up his brain and perception of time to the point where they can think and react faster than everyone around him, to the point where everyone else is moving in slow-motion. In other words, he just thinks and acts faster than everyone else than actually being faster.

As if to emphasize this, Tsukauchi manages to get a shot off on the Scarred Man that someone like Flash or Quicksilver could avoid. They don’t need a cooldown, which means it’s not a true speedster power. But even so, this guy was able to get away with a classic villain move: distraction. He makes the crab robots the workers were using go berserk and self-destruct, destroying all the evidence of the Villain Factory’s ops. More importantly, it puts Pop☆Step in danger since she’s piloting one of them due to Monika bailing to do her actual job.

Koichi Saves the Day

Good going, crab girl! You almost got an innocent bystander killed! Thankfully, she, Fat Gum, and Koichi were able to prevent a tragedy from unfolding.

As a lover of superheroes, I have to give the anime props for having Fat Gum and Monika perform a fastball special. However, they wouldn’t have been able to save Pop in time if Koichi hadn’t used his new ability to get to her in time. Granted, Monika the crab girl was the one who saved her, and Fat was able to tank the damage. But Crawler was able to get Pop clear of the blast. So, I’d say it was a team effort. And Kazuho did thank him afterwards.

So, the heroes and police didn’t get anything useful, and the villain got away, but no lives were lost. Koichi and Kazuho were able to fly under the radar once again, but their luck might not last much longer. Tsukauchi learned that his sister is acting as their agent/manager. And given how she’s knowingly aiding two vigilantes, that puts him in a bit of a bind. The next episode is going to be plenty awkward.

I Give “Crabtastic Rampage!” a 3/5

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My Hero Academia Final Season Ep 10 Review

We are at the penultimate episode of My Hero Academia, and the show is wasting no time in wrapping things up with its cast. I already know what’s going to happen since I read the manga ahead of time, but it’s still nice to get to see everything play out in the anime. Whereas the last episode more or less focused on the heroes of the story, this episode shifts our attention to the villains. As I’ve said before, I think one of the best aspects of MHA was its willingness to humanize its villains. While All for One could be seen as your generic ultimate supervillain, a lot of the supporting villains were people that society failed, and thus had genuine reasons to hate it. More importantly, they were the kind of villains who inspire the heroes to change things to prevent it from happening again or being forgotten.

Former Villains Get to go Free…Except Overhaul

The episode opens up on a very positive note, as we see Gentle Criminal and La Brava reuniting. Having stepped up to help the heroes in the Final War, the two get full pardons and are free to live their lives. And, honestly, they deserve it. They’re not bad, and without them, Deku wouldn’t have been able to defeat Shigaraki. Even better, the entire world now knows how they were overlooked and will not make the same mistake twice. They deserve to live a happy future.

In addition to Gentle and La Brava earning their freedom, another villain gets a full pardon: Lady Nagant. Though calling her a villain isn’t very accurate. She was a woman who was taken advantage of by those in charge to do morally questionable actions, and when she hit her breaking point, she got locked up for it. With the former president of the Hero Commission dead, though, Hawks is now in charge, and he’s working to ensure nothing like that happens again. Nagant, though, chooses to stay behind bars. She doesn’t want to leave until she knows that society really has changed thanks to Deku. That, and she’s getting free food and lodgings.

There is one villain who doesn’t get a happy ending, though, and that’s Overhaul. The former Yakuza is back behind bars while his old boss, Eri’s grandfather, is awake. As expected, he’s furious over the hell Overhaul put Eri through for nothing, with the Yakuza finished thanks to him. He’ll be spending the rest of his life behind bars and forced to reflect on what he did, and hopefully, Eri will never see his face again. And after what he did to Eri and killing Nighteye, that’s the best ending he could hope to get. Some people deserve to be forgotten, just like there are those who shouldn’t be, no matter how bad they are, like Shigaraki.

Spinner, I Would Totally Read your Book

Now that Shigaraki is dead, the public is already trying to judge him for his actions, as the episode contains news footage of people offering their two cents about him. Some are glad he’s gone, others think what happened to him was tragic and pity him, and others say they shouldn’t pity him. However, none of them got to know Shigaraki as a person, or know what he went through, so it’s not like their opinions are wholly accurate. Part of this episode, though, focuses on two people who did actually know him: Deku and Spinner.

Spinner survived the War, and thanks to the research on Nomu, doctors were able to stop him from turning into one. Now that he’s behind bars, all Spinner can do is mourn the loss of Shigaraki, the first friend that he ever had. That’s when Deku comes to visit him and gives him Shigaraki’s last message: to the very end, he kept trying to destroy everything. He died trying to be a hero to the villains until the moment he died.

I always liked that notion of being a hero to the villains. It sounds like an oxymoron, but what it means is that Shigaraki wanted to be a hero to those that society had turned its back on or failed. As My Hero Academia has repeatedly shown, this world of heroes has managed to fail a lot of people who needed help the most, leading them to lash out as villains. Dabi, Twice, Toga, Spinner, and Shigaraki were all the results of a failed system, and I don’t think people should be so quick to judge them. After all, can these people say they could go through what they went through and not crash out over it?

Ultimately, Spinner decides he’s going to write a book on the story of Shigaraki, something that Deku encourages. Neither of them wants Shigaraki’s life to be forgotten, lest another Shigaraki or All for One rise in the future. As a fan of stories like Wicked, I think that what Spinner’s planning is a good idea. If it were a real book, I know that I would buy a copy for myself. If anything, it would make sure the heroes learned a lesson from Shigaraki’s life.

Uraraka, Live your Best Life for Toga

And with that, we have one final story to wrap up: the story of Urakaka and Toga.

Uraraka almost gave her life in the war to get through to Toga, and it was thanks to her that the Sad Man’s Parade was stopped. Fortunately, Uraraka managed to pull through thanks to Toga giving her her blood. Unfortunately, this final act cost the young villainess her own life, something that continues to haunt Uraraka.

Uraraka has tried to put on a brave face and act like nothing’s wrong, but inside, she’s heartbroken over Toga’s death. She regrets how things had to come to this, how she failed to help her when she needed it most, and how the world pushed Toga to become a villain. And now Uraraka’s, ironically, doing the same thing that Toga did: putting on a smile to keep people from knowing she’s suffering inside. But unlike Toga, Uraraka isn’t alone when she needs it the most.

Deku and Uraraka have a heart-to-heart at the place they spoke before the war, and he opens up about how much she means to him. She was the first friend he made at UA, the first one to believe in him, and when he tried to push everyone away, she stepped up for him. She’s one of the strongest people he knows, and he refuses to let her wallow in regret. Because as much as heroes have to give people hope, they’re still human. And even a hero needs help every now and then. And thankfully, Uraraka has her entire class there to help her.

The Best Heroes are the Most Human

This is honestly such a sweet lesson about what it means to be a hero. As much as we like to see them as these infallible figures, Horikoshi understands that the best heroes are still human, and there’s only so much us humans can do on our own. When we are struggling or suffering, we want help. And if we don’t get it, we risk giving in to despair and hurting the people around us. That’s as true for this anime as it is in real life, and that’s one thing that I’ve loved about My Hero Academia. It’s not just a power fantasy about being a hero. It’s about what it means to truly be a hero, and that means stepping up even when it seems scary.

And now, we are at the end of the story. The next episode is the last one. So, one last time, let’s go beyond, PLUS ULTRA!

I Give “The Girl Who Loves Smiles” a 4/5

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My Hero Academia Final Season Ep 9 Review

Well, the heroes did it! They won! They beat All for One, Shigaraki, and the League of Villains. Deku and his friends are the heroes who saved the world. But just because the war is over doesn’t mean that everything will go back to normal. In fact, for some people, things will never be normal again. The war has scarred them too deeply for that to be possible. With the climax of My Hero Academia over, now comes the falling action and then the epilogue. And much like how it was in the manga, I cannot help but feel like the anime didn’t do as good a job as it could have.

To be fair, though, the Naruto manga never really dealt with the aftermath of its final arc. The next chapter just skipped straight to the epilogue.

Bakugo’s…not Happy about Deku Losing his Powers

With the death of All for One and Shigaraki, the final war against the greatest villains in history is over. Now comes the harder part: cleaning up everything. The fighting between the heroes and villains tore up huge chunks of Japan, so there’s going to be a lot of rebuilding to do. Thankfully, a practical perk of living in a world where superpowers are the norm is that it doesn’t take long to start rebuilding. Japan will be back on its feet in no time.

Sadly, the same cannot be said for the heroes. Many of them are scarred, both mentally and physically, some even permanently, like Hawks. Others like Bakugo are facing a protracted period of physical therapy to make up for the injuries they suffered. Bakugo even refuses to get a prosthetic arm since he needs them intact for his Quirk to work. Everyone knows that he’ll be fine, though…at least, physically. Emotionally, though, he’s devastated by the toll the war extracted. Not on him, but on Deku.

Given how badly Bakugo reacts to learning that Izuku sacrificed One for All, I think Horikoshi was using him to voice the fans he knew would be upset by this. I should know, as I was one of them! I understand why he had to do it to save Shigaraki’s soul (which he did), but it still felt unfair. Without a Quirk, he wouldn’t be able to be a hero for much longer. His dream was now over! Just when Bakugo was getting used to the idea of the two of them pushing each other to the top, this happened to them. I mean, everyone knows that Deku is a hero, but this means that the actual profession is beyond him.

Still, this is a small price to pay compared to what a family like the Todoroki’s have endured.

The End of Endeavor

The Final War had plenty of moments where each of the main cast got to shine, but out of all of them, I think one of the best were the ones with the Todoroki family. The reveal that Dabi was the brother and son they thought long-dead almost destroyed the family. But at the same time, it drove them to come together as an actual family for the first time to stop Toya. Now they all bear the scars of that fight, and they’re never going to fully heal.

Endeavor officially retires as a Hero. Not because he lost an arm, but because he doesn’t feel deserving of being one after everything he did to his family. His other son makes it clear he’s cutting all ties with him, which, while sad, is understandable. Not everyone can forgive someone even after they start making amends.

As for Toya himself, he somehow managed to survive his attempts to go nuclear. His injuries are so great, though, that his death is inevitable; the most the doctors can do is slow it down by keeping him asleep most of the day. Despite this, the Todoroki’s still reach out to him. It’s touching to see how much they care about Toya, even after everything he’s done. But they’re doing it because they want to make peace with Toya before the end; otherwise, they will never find peace.

A Celebration Overdue

The war is over, but scars have yet to heal. Yet all is not doom and gloom. The Big 3 of UA High are able to have their overdue graduation ceremony, much to everyone’s joy. Knowing them and how amazing they each are, they’ll be in the top ten heroes of Japan right off the bat. They deserve it for how amazing they were in the final war. As for Aoyama, while everyone at UA chooses to forgive him for being All for One’s unwilling spy, he still chooses to leave UA, wanting to atone on his own terms. The plus side is that Shinso will be joining the Hero Course alongside Class A. Too bad that we will never get to see how he fits in with everyone because the series is ending.

I really wish that the anime had decided to extend this epilogue for a few more episodes. Maybe build on everything that the cast went through in a way that the manga couldn’t. At the same time, though, I’m grateful that we managed to get what we did, knowing we could have gotten nothing. It evens out, and to its credit, the final chapters are pretty good at being emotional. Come back tomorrow and you’ll hopefully see what I mean as we go beyond, PLUS ULTRA!

I Give “Epilogue: The Hellish Todoriki Family” a 4/5

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My Hero Academia Final Season Ep 8 Review

I know I said that I was going to wait until the dub came out, but this episode was too big for me to ignore. I mean, it’s out now, but it wasn’t when I wrote this. It’s the final battle between the Heroes and All for One. It’s actually ironic that that is the name that the villain of My Hero Academia chose to identify himself with. To him, it symbolizes his belief that everything in the world exists for him. However, that’s not what it means. The phrase “One for all, all for one,” is about how everyone supports the collective whole, and in turn, the collective whole supports everyone. Everyone helps everyone, and is helped in turn. That’s one of the core themes behind My Hero Academia, and in this moment, at the climax of the series, Izuku Midoriya and all the other heroes truly embody this phrase.

Also, You Say Run really does go with everything.

The Final Stand

So, here we are, at the Heroes final stand against the evil Demon Lord All for One, now in control of Shigaraki’s body. Midoriya is all but spent, most of the Heroes are sporting some brutal injuries, and a lot of them can barely stand, let alone fight. But since they’re heroes, they can’t afford to give up and let All for One escape. If they don’t take him out now, then they’ll never get another chance! And so, the true final battle begins.

From the moment that the fight starts, the gamer in me could recognize where Horikoshi got his influence for it from: MMORPGS. This entire fight reeks of it being the final boss of a big dungeon, and I mean it in the best way possible. Battles on that scale require everyone to work together to take down a foe that they can’t on their own. In other words, it requires unity. Or, as MHA would put it, one for all, all for one, something that All for One could never hope to understand.

All for One is a Loser

Speaking of All for One, I’m not even sure if I can properly call what’s possessed Shigaraki to be All for One. Because despite getting the new body that he wanted, he’s still lost. One for All and Yoichi will forever remain out of his reach, meaning that he will never see his brother again. Without that obsession to fuel him, he’s little more than an empty shell, going through the motions and not caring about anything beyond surviving. Honestly, it’s pathetic and fits well with who Izuku pegs the villain to be at his center. At his core, All for One is a sad, lonely man who’s spent his whole life trying to fill a void in his heart that can never be filled. And the reason it can never be filled is because he never cares about anyone but himself. In contrast, because Deku and the other heroes care about others more than themselves, they are able to do what he cannot and work together for a common cause.

But never mind that. We need to talk about what might be the final instance of You Say Run in the series.

You Say Run Does Go With Everything

Since the very beginning of the series, You Say Run has arguably been the theme song for My Hero Academia. Its bombastic nature has made it one of the most famous pieces of music in anime history. It’s gotten so beloved that it became a meme, with countless people taking epic moments and adding in You Say Run to make them cooler. Given how it exists to hype up the series, it’s only fitting that, in this final battle, we get to hear it for what’s likely the final time. And by god, did Toho animation manage to go beyond, PLUS ULTRA!

Everything about this final use of You Say Run is perfect. The way the heroes work to get Deku to All for One symbolizes the meaning of the phrase, “one for all, all for one.” The sight of everyone across the world, even the characters from the movies, cheering for Midoriya to win, is inspiring. Everything is pretty much perfect right up to the moment that Midoriya lands the final hit. Too bad it doesn’t work.

I would best describe what happens next as being the cutscene that occasionally follows the defeat of the final boss in a video game. Out of sheer stubbornness, All for One refuses to die, but he’s not fighting for anything at this point. His will is hollow, and everyone knows it. And he’s unable to save himself when the remnants of Yoichi’s consciousness rebel against him from within. Even better, though, Tenko Shimura gets enough strength to pay his “master” back for a lifetime of pain and suffering. And it leads to a final, satisfying scene where we see Deku and Shimura sending All for One off to Hell.

Good riddance to that waste of life.

A Worthy Climax to My Hero Academia

Wow. What a finale. No wonder this is the highest-rated episode of the entire series on IMDb. Everything about it was flawless from start to finish. It was as close to perfect as we can get. Regardless of the gripes that some people might have about the way the series initially ends, I think we can all agree that this was a good finale. And for one moment, Izuku Midoriya was the world’s greatest hero.

From here on out, the rest of the episodes will be nothing but the falling action. It’s not something I’m looking forward to, but if the anime goes as far as I think it will, it will make it worthwhile.

I Give “Izuku Midoriya Rising” a 5/5

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My Hero Academia Final Season Ep 7 Review

I’ve said it once, and I will say it again: All for One is the Devil. From the moment he was born, he did nothing but use his incredible powers to make everyone else miserable. He ruined countless lives , and like so many others, I cheered when I saw Bakugo put an end to him. Yet, it turns out that Horikoshi wasn’t willing to let him go out like the chump that he is. Because, somehow, All for One not only managed to cheat death, but he robbed Shigaraki of any agency he might have had as a villain. It’s like watching what Sidious did to Ben Solo in Star Wars, except being an anime doesn’t make it better.

Deku’s Resolve

After throwing the entirety of One for All against the mental barriers that Shigaraki put up for himself, Deku managed to break through to the core of his being, Tenko Shimura. Like Nana, he was horrified to see how badly Tenko’s father treated him, with Nana regretting ever having to leave her son alone. His hatred had turned Tenko into Shigaraki, and had caused so much pain and suffering. The most she can do is help her son from beyond the grave by apologizing.

Then comes the big moment where Deku has to prove that everything he was saying about Shigaraki was true. He endures the full weight of Tomura’s unimaginable hatred for everything, but he still refuses to yield. And despite how much he denies it, Shigaraki knows that what he’s doing isn’t who he is as a person. Deep down, he’s still the same kid who wanted to become a Hero when he grew up. He even acknowledges the fact that he wanted to become a Hero for the villains. Someone that people who gave up on the world could admire. No matter what he says, Tenko Shimura would not die. It’s a pretty emotional moment where Midoriya finally gets through to Tenko Shimura. If this were any other story, this could end up being the end of things.

But this is where I feel like Horikoshi’s love of another franchise comes into play in the worst way possible. And it may arguably be an even bigger gripe about the finale than Deku having to sacrifice One for All. Somehow, All for One returns.

Somehow, All for One Returned

Now, the return of All for One from within Tenko’s mind is some evil deus ex machina. It had already been established that Shigaraki had suppressed his master’s Quirk Vestige through his sheer hatred. Once Deku mentally broke his will to keep being evil, All for One was able to reassert himself. That in and of itself wasn’t what I take issue with. It’s the big reveal of what the villain did to Tenko and his family:

• He stole Tenko’s real Quirk as a baby and gave him the defective version of Decay
• He befriended Kotaro Shimura to poison his mind against heroes

In other words, All for One destroyed the Shimura family and ruined Tenko’s life all so he could mold him into his perfect weapon. Everything bad that happened to Shimura was because of him.

All for One!!!

On the one hand, it’s almost impressive to see just how much of a hater All for One is. My headcanon is that he chose to do this to Nana’s family out of petty spite for her and her ideals. On the other hand, I hate this plot twist because it robs Tomura Shigaraki of any agency he might have had. It turns him from someone who was forged by the choices he made and those around him made into another pawn of the true villain. This is the exact same thing that happened in The Rise of Skywalker, and while I love the Star Wars franchise to death, I think that that wasnt a good movie. It was rushed, changed things up without any foreshadowing, and could have been better written. If Horikoshi was using it as the basis for this, then I think he could have done better.

The Cavalry Has Arrived

So, Deku is now down both arms, stuck with the embers of One for All, and unable to keep fighting. Thankfully, this is the moment in comics and other great stories where the cavalry comes charging in. And my god, what a glorious cavalry it is. All of Midoriya’s classmates still able to fight show up. His teacher’s show up. Any Heroes left in Japan show up using Kurogiri’s warp ability. Even better, Eraser-Head uses Eri’s horn to restore Deku’s arms, giving him the chance to fight again. And this is where the episode leaves us as we head into the real final battle of the series.

I may not like some of the story decisions that Horikoshi made with the finale, and seeing it again in anime form only reinforces this belief. However, when he wants to do a finale, he understands the assignment and delivers on it. It’s time for everyone to go beyond, PLUS ULTRA!

I Give “From Aizawa” a 4/5

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My Hero Academia Final Season Ep 6 Review

It all comes down to this. Deku has one chance to stop Shigaraki. By transferring One for All into Shigaraki, he can break through to the core of his mental self and do what he promised: save him. It’s the last hope that the world has, and despite knowing what will happen, I was still at the edge of my proverbial seat watching this! If anyone can reach Tenko Shimura, it’s Izuku Midoriya!!

The Whole World is Watching Deku

The final round between Deku and Shigaraki begins in the most epic way possible, with neither holding anything back. Deku knows that he’s at a disadvantage thanks to losing Danger Sense, but he’s had it for far longer than Shigaraki has. Like Spider-Man’s Spider-Sense, it has its flaws and gaps. Combined with his incredible knowledge of Quirks as a whole, and Deku is able to outsmart Shigaraki. In the fight between brains and brawn, brains often come out on top.

The fight between Izuku and Tomura is not going unnoticed, either. The entire world is watching Deku fight for his life against the monstrous Shigaraki. The anime makes it a point to extend the scenes where the Heroes are recovering and evacuating the flying coffin. In particular, I liked how we see Kaminari bursting into tears because he’s worried that some part of him fears Izuku Midoriya won’t be able to win. I felt that. No matter how much I want things to be all right, there’s always that little bit of annoying doubt in my head that won’t shut up. The only thing we can do is make sure we can’t hear it.

It’s even worse for the kids like Eri and Kota. They desperately want to help Izuku out somehow, but they can’t do anything. All anyone who isn’t fighting can do is pray. The actual fight is nothing short of epic, though, like something out of an AAA video game. When this is all over, I doubt that there won’t be a person in the world who doesn’t know who Izuku Midoriya is.

Seeing Shigaraki’s Memories First-Hand

I really like the fact that as Deku forces One for All into Shigaraki, their memories start to become all jumbled together. They both see how each others lives have gone, and how their choices have led them to be who they are now, and I think it’s great from an artistic standpoint. Eventually, though, we see that Deku manages to force most of One for All into Shigaraki, giving him the breach he needs to enter the core of Shigaraki’s mind. The only vestige left is, fittingly, Nana Shimura, Tomura’s grandmother and the one with the closest connection to him.

Nana, You Shouldn’t Have Said Goodbye like That

Despite knowing how much of a threat her grandson has become, I’ve always thought that there was a part of Nana that wanted to save Tenko as much as Izuku does. So getting to see her see her son’s home up close is a very emotional moment. A moment that only gets more emotional when Izuku and Nana see the memory that gave birth to Shigaraki: his dad beating him.

Nana, I know you left your son up for adoption to protect him, but you still really screwed up. You should have better explained why you had to leave him, and that it wasn’t because you didn’t love him anymore. If you had, then a lot of terrible things could have been stopped. Of course, there are more guilty parties at work.

Even after all this time, I still don’t know how to entirely feel about the ending to My Hero Academia. I think that it could’ve been better written at certain points, but I still think that Horikoshi did the best with what he created. But now, it’s time to finish this. One last time, Izuku Midoriya need to go beyond, PLUS ULTRA!!

I Give “Wrench it Open, Izuku Midoriya” a 4/5

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My Hero Academia Final Season Ep 5 Review

All for One is dead. The greatest villain in history is finally dead. But the battle is not over. Thanks to All for One, Tomura Shigaraki has been molded into someone who wishes to see the entire world reduced to dust. If Deku doesn’t stop him, he will destroy everything, starting with Japan. However, this is when the series decides to do something that never sat right with me. It may have to do with the themes of heroism, or Horikoshi couldn’t figure out a better way to end this, but for Midoriya to beat Shigaraki, he has to give up something important. Something that he shouldn’t have to give up in the first place. Deku really is like Spider-Man, but in this case, that’s not a good thing.

Shigaraki is Really Just that Tough!

With All for One finally dead thanks to Bakugo delivering the final blow, all that is left is for Deku to defeat Shigaraki. A task that is made infinitely harder by virtue of the fact that Deku, despite everything, still wants to help Shigaraki. Or rather, he wants to help Tenko Shimura, the little boy that Shigaraki has suppressed for all these years. Having spent years watching Naruto try to save Sasuke from his own darkness, I get where Deku’s coming from. However, Shigaraki’s gotten to the point where beating him by conventional means may no longer be possible.

Then it gets worse. Using the All for One Quirk, Shigaraki manages to reach into Deku and grab the fourth user, Shinomori, and his Danger Sense.

Suddenly, the game changes entirely. With Shigaraki now having anime Spider-Sense, Deku’s forced on the defensive, and the show really sells to us how bad this is. Even worse, Shigaraki manages to bring their fight to Mount Fuji. AKA one of the most important symbols of Japan as well as an active volcano. If Shigaraki uses Decay on it, it will erupt and take Tokyo along with it. In other words, even if Midoriya wanted to run (which he doesn’t), Japan would be screwed. If he stays and fights in his current state, Deku is screwed. He’s effectively boxed in with no way out. And this is when Deku and the past users of One for All come up with a truly insane plan.

A Plan of Self-Sacrifice

Thanks to Star and Stripe’s Quirk Vestige, a tiny crack appeared in the mental barriers that Shigaraki created to suppress his childhood self. If Deku transfers each Quirk Vesitge into Shigaraki, they could break the sphere and let him reach his true self, taking away his reason to be evil. However, the catch to all this is that this means Izuku Midoriya will have to sacrifice One for All forever. He’ll be Quirkless once more.

I’m sorry, but even as I was reading this in the manga, I was not okay with it. Becoming a Hero was Deku’s dream, and he worked so hard to make it come true. It won’t be impossible for him to keep being a Hero without a Quirk, but it won’t be the same. And I hate that he has to make this kind of decision!

I’m Still Upset about Spider-Man: No Way Home

My reasons for hating it stem from my feelings about Deku’s inspiration, Spider-Man. I’ve been a fan of Spider-Man most of my life. I’ve read the comics, watched the cartoons, played the games, and seen the movies. For many, he’s the ideal hero. But despite deserving all the happiness in the world, the universe (and the writers) find a way to screw him over. I told myself that he could keep bouncing back, but then I saw Spider-Man: No Way Home. I watched as Spidey had to wipe the entire world’s memories of him to save all of reality, and I hated it.

No Way Home was my breaking point when it came to watching Spider-Man suffer. Yes, he did act impulsively and didn’t think things through, but he was a teenager. That’s what most teens are like! But he had to watch as his secret identity was outed, his name unfairly dragged through the mud, his aunt died, and his friends had to forget he ever existed. For God’s sake, Spider-Man doesn’t deserve to suffer that much! Is it so wrong for him to want to think about his own happiness a little? Because looking at Deku, I’m reminded of this exact thing, and I hated it!

With Great Power, Comes Great Responsibility

In the end, though, I have to remind myself that, powers or not, Deku doesn’t need them to be a hero. He’s always been a hero at heart, and nothing can take that away from him. Granted, he technically needs those powers to have a job as a Hero, but Horikoshi has already shown us the workaround for that. In other words, I’m just bummed that Deku won’t be as strong as before. But if he weren’t willing to give up One for All for the greater good, he wouldn’t have been worthy of it in the first place. So, for one last time, it’s time to go beyond, PLUS ULTRA!

I Give “History’s Greatest Villain” a 4.5/5

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My Hero Academia Final Season Ep 4 Review

In fiction, there are many different kinds of villains, but a lot of them can be broken up into one of two categories. There are villains who become evil because of things that happened to them, and villains who might have just been born naturally predisposed to evil. In the case of someone like All for One, though, I would say that he was born evil. From the minute he was conceived, he was going to end up being a menace to society for the next century. But despite all his attempts to become the ultimate villain who rules the world from the shadows, All for One’s story is about to come to an end. And I think the way that Horikoshi chooses to end his story is nothing short of poetic.

The First Quirks

At the beginning of My Hero Academia, we got an explanation at how mankind evolved to develop superpowers, or Quirks, as they came to call them. Officially, the first Quirk was the glowing baby in China. However, that was only the first recorded case. In reality, the first people to be born with Quirks might have All for One and his twin brother, Yoichi Shigaraki, as we see in a flashback to their origins.

The world might be comfortable with Quirks by the time of the series, but as this flashback shows, when Quirks first began emerging, the world acted in a very realistic manner. While some reveled in having superpowers, others were afraid and acted accordingly. It’s like looking at how Mutants are viewed in Marvel Comics: some celebrate them, while others fear and hate them. In a way, My Hero Academia is like looking at what the best future for the Marvel Universe could be. However, while many worked to help Quirks become accepted, there were plenty of those whose powers people should’ve been afraid of. And All for One was one such example

All for One was born a jerk!

From the moment All for One was born, he saw himself as better than everyone else alive. To him, everything existed to serve him, and those who wouldn’t would be punished. And despite claiming that he did love his younger brother, it’s clear that what he felt toward Yoichi wasn’t love, but possessiveness. The narrator even says that All for One only saw Yoichi as something that belonged to him. And despite Yoichi trying to steer his brother right, he just kept abusing him and abusing him until he gave him the Quirk that would combine with his to become One for All. Yet as we see through these video journals that Yoichi made, he still thought that his brother could do good.

And you know what? Yoichi was right!

As a Quirk, All for One is not inherently evil. As Yoichi himself points out, that kind of power could help those with unwanted Quirks and give Quirks to those who needed them. All for One could have changed the world for the better, but instead, he only cared about himself. That would lead to his brother’s death, One for All passing onto its second user, Kudo, and All for One devoting his existence to trying to get back what he saw as his. He even went as far as to wipe out the families of One for All’s users, until All Might defeated him. And now, the consequences of his life of sin have finally caught up to him in the form of Bakugo.

Bakugo Ain’t No Side Character!

After All for One first pointed out their resemblance, there was likely a fan theory that Bakugo was a descendant of Kudo, One for All’s second user. Sadly, the manga never confirmed nor denied this, and the anime seems to have taken the same route. In the end, though, I don’t think it matters. If anything, it’s more important that Bakugo isn’t related to Kudo, but is just someone who made it to where he was on his own merits. He’s a guy whose will and determination have driven him to become one of the best of his generation of budding heroes, yet All for One arrogantly considers him as a side character in the story. As we know by now, Bakugo is not a side character. He’s the co-protagonist of the series. And more importantly, he’s smarter than All for One gave him credit for.

Using his sweat as a delayed explosive implanted into the villain’s body was pure genius. It slowed down All for One long enough for Bakugo to get in close and give the Demon Lord one of the greatest beat downs in Shonen history. And the sight of All for One’s stolen Quirks turning on him from within was just the cherry on top. Absolute cinema!

Good Riddance to All for One!

By the time Bakugo is finished, All for One is reduced to being a baby, crawling around, unable to talk, unable to fight. The big bad of My Hero Academia who’s spent a century terrorizing the world with his evil is a helpless baby, unable to stop himself from fading out of existence. It’s the most pathetic that we’ve ever seen him be, and when I read it in the manga, I couldn’t help but feel how incredibly cathartic it was to see him meet his end like this. Even better, it’s fitting that he meets his end at the hands of someone he considered a side character. Like I said before, Bakugo ain’t a side character. He’s got main character energy written all over him, and he earned this win for himself!

The fight is not over yet, though. Izuku still needs to stop Shigaraki, and with everything else taken care of, our focus can fall solely on the clash that we’ve been waiting for. Bakugo already did it, but it’s time for Deku to go beyond, PLUS ULTRA!!!

I Give “Quirk: Explosion” a 5/5

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