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My Hero Academia, Season 4, Episode 9 Review/Recap

While Kirishima’s Quirk, Hardening, isn’t as flashy as Bakugo’s or Deku’s, it’s still a powerful ability. As we saw earlier in the season, as Red Riot, he becomes a living shield to protect others. In this week’s episode, his status as a shield’s put to the test.

Recap

With Suneater having taken out three of the Eight Bullets, he’s out of the fight. Thus, Mimic tries to weaken the heroes further by taking out Eraser-Head. Thankfully, Fat Gum’s able to take the blow, but at the cost of separating him and Red Riot from the others. The pair are thus set upon by two more members of the Eight Bullets, the Spear and Shield combo of Rappa and Tengai. To the heroes shock, Rappa breaks though Red Riot’s.

The resulting shock reminds Kirishima of his time in middle school. His Quirk was seen as weak by others, and he lacked the courage to help others. Meanwhile, his classmate Ashido was the opposite who everyone saw as a future hero. It’s not until he remembers the words of his role model, Crimson Riot, of how all heroes face fear. However, it’s the fear of letting someone die that spurs them to act anyway. With those in his mind, Red Riot holds his ground against Rappa. This gives Fat Gum enough time to play his trump card: by burning up his fat reserves, he can absorb the blows he takes and send them back at an enemy. Thus, the Shield becomes a spear that shatters Rappa and Tengai.

Review

One of the hardest things about being a hero is dealing with the fear of death in battle. Not their deaths, per say, but the death of the people they swore to protect. But it’s that very fear that inspires the greatest of heroes to risk everything, and Kirishima faced it head-on. Like a true shield of justice.

I didn’t really care for Kirishima’s backstory, as it wasn’t that interesting to listen to. The thing I was most interested from his backstory, though, was the indirect mention of Deku. Apparently Bakugo’s encounter with that slime villain and Midoriya jumping in to save him was big news. While it makes for one heck of an origin story, here it serves as a sort of inspiration for Kirishima; I think.

I probably said it before, but I have the feeling that most of Class 1-A will end up being top-tier heroes. If Kirishima keeps training his Quirk, I think he’ll become a truly unbreakable shield. I can’t wait to see his progress. GO BEYOND, PLUS ULTRA!

I Give “Red Riot” a 3.25/5

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My Hero Academia, Season 4, Episode 1 Review/Recap

Recap episodes can a difficult thing for a show to master. On the one hand, they provide established fans and newcomers a chance to get caught up. On the other, there’s those who want to dive into the action. Therefore, imagine my surprise when the first episode for the hit anime My Hero Academia is a semi-recap. Thankfully, I ended up enjoying it.

Recap

The world’s still dealing with All Night’s retirement and the ramifications it has. Everyone wants to get a scoop on All Might, but only one guy is able to figure out what All Night’s message really meant:

Now, it’s your turn.

Enter Tokuda Taneo, freelance reporter and the only one outside the main cast to figure out what the hero meant: he was talking to his successor. Convinced that it’s one of Class 1-A, he’s able to get on campus to spend a day watching Class 1A in their daily lives, all to find the next Symbol of Peace. Additionally, it serves as exposition reminding viewers of the students names and powers.

It doesn’t take Tokuda long to figure out that Izuku’s All Might’s successor due to how similar they are. However, it turns out he’s a big fan of All Might, too, and he and Izuku bond. In the end, he chooses not to write his article about All Night’s successor and keep it a secret. Not before a grabbing a selfie with the future Symbol of Peace, though.

Review

I was apprehensive about this episode at first, as recap episodes can be boring. Thankfully, My Hero Academia subverts this by breaking by not following the standard recap formula. All it does is remind us of the most important moment of Season 3, then give us the name’s and powers of the students. Admittedly, I have a problem with remembering their names at times.

The biggest surprise was how much I liked Tokuda. At first, I was worried that he was just someone looking to cash in on All Might and Class 1A’s growing fame. What we got, though, was a true fan who looked up to All Might for saving his father’s life. Truth be told, I think he did this less for the job and more as a way to reassure himself that there’s still light left in the world.

Tokuda’s Smart

I also have to give Tokuda credit. He was able to figure out the real meaning behind All Night’s message to the world. To the best of my knowledge, he’s the only one aside from Midoroya and Bakugo to figure it out. That’s impressive, and this guy wasn’t even in the manga. I actually hope to see more of him in the future, even if I found his Quirk to be a little too convenient for his job. Seriously, he can make cameras appear from his body; that’s weird, even by Quirk standards.

My Hero Academia is a rising star in the anime world, and in an age where superheroes dominate our culture, I don’t see any signs of it slowing down. This episode was a terrific, if quiet, way of starting a new season, and I look forward to watching it. I also look forward to reviewing every episode. That’s right, I’m doing My Hero Academia on top of SAO: Alicization and all my other things! PLUS ULTRA!

I give “The Scoop on U.A. Class 1A” a 4.5/5

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