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My Hero Academia Season 4, Episode 14 Review/Recap

Last episode, we saw Deku give one of the greatest beatdown’s in MHA history. Overhaul’s been defeated at last, and they managed to give Eri a bright future. Yet with Lemillion losing his Quirk and Nighteye at death’s door, it’s a bittersweet victory. Now Deku must deal with one of the hardest parts of being a hero: losing a comrade.

Recap

With Overhaul defeated, the raid on the Hassakai’s base is over. However, Eri proves unable to deactivate her Quirk, putting Deku in danger until Eraser-Head shuts it off. With their leader beaten, the remaining Yakuza are hauled off to jail.

The League of Villains, though, chooses now to get their revenge on Overhaul. They ambush his transport and steal the Quirk destroying drug. Then, as payback, Tomura and Mr. Compress destroy Overhaul’s arms, leaving him powerless.

As for the heroes, most of them are injured, but will recover. However, even with Recovery Girl to aid them, there’s nothing they can do to save Sir Nighteye. Thus, All Might, Deku, and Lemillion gather to say their goodbyes. All Might finally manages to make peace with his former sidekick, vowing to change his own future and live to train Midoriya. Nighteye then thanks Midoriya for showing him that the future can truly be changed. Then, with the last of his strength, he uses his Quirk on Lemillion, letting him know that he has a bright future as a hero before passing away.

Review

I cannot tell a lie about this: I could feel my eyes welling with tears when I saw Nighteye die. I knew that it was coming because I read the manga, but it still hurt. In the end, the show managed to take an already emotional scene in the manga and turn it into a genuine tearjerker. Everyone who worked on this season deserves a pay raise.

Even though they managed to secure a bright future for themselves and Eri, the road ahead will be rough. At the moment, Aizawa’s the only one who can control Eri’s Quirk, so he’ll have to look after her from now on. In addition, Eri will need Midoriya and Togata’s help to overcome her trauma at the hands of Overhaul. It’s going to be tough, but I know they can do it.

Speaking of which, I think my favorite part of the episode was watching the League of Villains give Overhaul his comeuppance. Stealing the drug he worked so hard to make was bad enough, but taking his arms so he can’t use his Quirk? That’s a deliciously cruel irony, and a fitting punishment after all the people he’s hurt. Not to mention, Tomura looks so menacing in that new long coat.

With the climax of the Hassakai Arc over, now we move on to the falling action as we deal with the aftermath. As a whole, I enjoyed this arc and think it gave us some of the best moments in the series thus far. Here’s hoping the next arc’s as interesting! Go beyond, Plus Ultra!

I Give “A Bright Future” a 4.7/5. Bonus Points for Easter Egg to Marvel

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My Hero Academia Season 4, Episode 13 Review/Recap

So let’s review: Lemillion’s powerless, Nighteye’s impaled, and all the other heroes are too far away to stop Overhaul. If he gets away with Eri, then it could be the end of the era of Quirks. None of that matters to Deku, though. All that he cares about is saving the crying little girl in front of him, even if it means going beyond his limits! At last, we see the true power of One for All!

Recap

On the surface, Ryukyu along with Froppy, Uravity, and Nejire-Chan are still fighting against the Eight Bullets member Rikiya. His drug-enhanced Quirk lets him suck the energy out of the heroes, making him extremely dangerous. Then, Toga appears disguised as Deku and tricks everyone into crashing into the base below, all so they can capture Eri for their own benefit. With Deku the only hero left standing, he’s hellbent on saving Eri, fate be damned. Finally realizing that the heroes won’t stop until they save her, Eri chooses to jump to Deku. Overhaul, on the other hand, uses his Quirk to merge with Rikiya, turning into an abomination hellbent on getting Eri back.

In the midst of saving Eri from Overhaul, Deku realizes that he used One for All at 100%. To his surprise, though, he realizes his body remains uninjured. It’s Eri’s Quirk: she has the power to rewind people’s bodies to a previous state. Whereas Overhaul calls her Quirk a curse, Deku calls it kind and a blessing, moving her to tears. With Eri’s Quirk repairing any damage, Deku unleashes the full power of One for All. The result is something that can’t be put into words, so I’m just going to show you the clip.

…holy cow.

Review

I’ve said this in comments on some of my friends blogs about My Hero Academia, but I’m going to say it again. In my honest opinion, Deku has the potential to become one of the most greatest superheroes in all of fiction. Right up there with Batman, Spider-Man, and the Man of Steel himself. His clash against Overhaul, while not as epic as All Might and All for One, comes close!

This episode may be one of the best in the entire anime. The animation for Deku’s final clash was as god-tier as you can get, letting you feel the raw emotion of the moment. If this is what Deku’s capable of now, just wait until the day he masters One for All; he’ll be a demigod!

Matching the action, though, was the emotions felt, especially regarding Eri. She basically has the power to say “no” to damage; if she could master her Quirk, think of all the lives she could save! Deku’s right: Eri’s Quirk is kind and a blessing, and Overhaul doesn’t know what he’s talking about. Seeing such a cruel man finally get what he deserves made my weekend.

The bottom line is, “Infinite 100%” is one of the best episodes of My Hero Academia. Not only does it see that scumbag Overhaul get his just desserts, it gave us a look at One for All at full power. Mark my words: Deku will be a demigod by the time the series ends in ten-fifteen years. Go beyond, Plus Ultra!

I Give “Infinite 100%” a 5/5

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My Hero Academia, Season 4, Episode 12 Review

All her life, Eri’s known nothing but despair and suffering at the hands of Overhaul. Then she met Lemillion and Deku, who gave a sliver of hope that someone would save her. As we saw in the last episode, though, Eri’s despair reached new levels as Lemillion lost his Quirk and got beaten to a pulp. Fortunately, a new hope emerges in front of Eri in the form of Deku! Now the real fight can begin!

Recap

With Mimicry defeated and Toga and Twice retreating, Nighteye, Deku, and Eraser charge straight for Overhaul’s location. Now utterly infuriated, Overhaul uses his Quirk on himself, fusing himself to his subordinate. As a result, he turns into this four-armed abomination of nature. Deku fights him with everything he’s got, but his lack of experience shows, as the villain quickly figures out his attack pattern.

On the other hand, Sir Nighteye uses his ability to see the future to keep up with Overhaul, yet he can’t do any real damage. To the young heroes horror, Nighteye’s impaled by spikes created from Overhaul’s Quirk. As the villain once more tells Eri that she’s responsible for their suffering, the poor girl almost gives into despair. Fortunately, despite the odds being stacked against them, despite Eri telling them to forget about her, Deku refuses to give up hope. At that moment, Ryukyu, Uravity, and Froppy burst in through the ceiling from the battle above.

Review

If there’s one thing that Shonen anime have taught me, it’s that all the great heroes have something in common. When they face impossible odds, like fighting a god, or the world itself, they don’t give up hope. When people say they’re fated to lose, they’ll walk up to them and say “screw fate”. Guess who ends up losing?

Deku may still have some confidence issues and get nervous pretty easily, but he knows how important it is to never give up hope. That’s why he can’t stand to see a little girl like Eri knowing nothing but cruelty all her life. As a result, he’s not going to stop until he’s beaten Overhaul into the ground.

This season of My Hero Academia’s been a nice, slow burn, but I think that’s worked to its advantage. All the battles we’ve seen thus far have re-affirmed the driving theme of this whole arc: how heroes have the resolve to never lose hope in the face of despair. I think it’s an empowering message, and given us some of the best moments the anime’s seen thus far. So when I say I’m looking forward to Deku kicking Overhaul’s ass, I’m really looking forward to it. A new hope has emerged, Eri! Go beyond, Plus Ultra!

I Give “Unforseen Hope” a 4/5

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My Hero Academia, Season 4, Episode 2 Review/Recap

With the recap episode now out of the way, My Hero Academia can get into the meat of the season with its new villain. The deadly supervillain Overhaul makes his anime debut, and right off the bat, he show’s he means business.

Recap

At the League of Villains hideout, Tomura meets with a man called Overhaul, a member of the Yakuza gang Shie Hassakai. Despite trying to recruit him into the League if Villains, Overhaul lambasts Tomura for having plans, and that he intends to become All for One’s successor. When the League tries to attack him, he shows his power by brutally killing Magnus and somehow shutting down Mr. Compress’ Quirk.

Meanwhile, Deku tries to further his hero training by doing a work study at a hero agency. At Gran Torino’s and All Might’s suggestion, he decides to go to Mirio Togata, who’s studying under All Might’s former sidekick, Sir Nighteye. The first thing that Midoriya must to get Nighteye to acknowledge him, though, is to make him laugh. In addition, this is what he sees when he first walks into his office:

Recap

I won’t beat around the bush: I liked this episode. It manages to effectively introduce our newest villain and a major hero in the same episode, as well as give us insight into their characters. If you read the manga, then you know that Overhaul’s Deku’s toughest foe yet. Worse, unlike Tomura, he has a plan that could shake up the world of heroes.

As for Sir Nighteye, I’m looking forward to seeing him in the anime. Despite his stoic appearance, he considers laughter and humor to be one of the biggest weapons a hero can use. Given how nervous Midoriya can be, we know that he’s going to have a hard time with Nighteye. The end results, though, will be worth it. I’m honestly looking forward to seeing this season. In addition, the fact that it’s simuldubbed the same day it comes out in Japan gets my hyped! Go beyond, plus ultra!

I Give “Overhaul” a 4/5.

Also, can we talk about the video Nighteye was watching. Look at all those dislikes!

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