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My Hero Academia S6, Ep 16 Review

When I first saw the title for this week’s episode of My Hero Academia, I thought it would revolve around the Todoroki family in the aftermath of the war and Toya. However, the title’s a bit misleading, as they aren’t addressed directly until the second half of the episode. Instead, this episode mainly focuses on two things. Firstly, the continued loss of public faith in heroes and rise of the vigilante. Secondly, about the origin story of Hawks and how he became who he is today. Both, though, are equally sad to watch.

A Little Hatchling Yearning to Be a Hero

To call Hawks’ early life rough was an understatement. We already knew that his father was a criminal caught by Endeavor, but this episode hammers home how miserable his childhood was. His Dad was a small-time crook that hid out with his mom, and the three lived in total squalor. It wasn’t until his dad got arrested that Hawks realized that heroes really existed in this world, inspiring him to follow in their footsteps. 

Hawks might be one of my favorite characters among the pro-heroes due to his interesting backstory. Even though his life gave him no reason to continue doing so, he never gave up the optimism he had as a kid. It lets him see the best in others even when they don’t see it in themselves, like Endeavor, or people that others would see as plain evil, like Twice. When Hawks said he liked Twice and was a good person, he meant it. Which, I think, only makes his decision to kill Twice even sadder. Despite this, though, Hawks’ resolve to help those in need remains as strong as ever.

If only the same could be for the public and other heroes.

The Rise of Vigilantes in a Faithless World

Some people might think it would be awesome to live in a world where superheroes existed, but it wouldn’t. In The Boys, we see how letting people with powers but zero training and self-control prove disastrous for everyone. Similarly, My Hero Academia shows us why letting people with zero training go vigilante is a bad idea.

Yet that’s exactly what’s happening in the wake of the Paranormal Liberation War. With so many heroes resigning and the remainder stretched thin, the public can’t rely on the heroes for help anymore. Now they have to help themselves, forcing people to rethink what it means to be a hero. The scene of a now freed Stain looking at his weapon’s drives home how his ideals are now spreading. The “fake heroes” as he puts them, are being culled. 

The major flaw in society in My Hero Academia is that people let the title “hero” become a profession. That not everyone does it for selfless reasons like Deku and All Might. That said, letting people with zero training and access to high-tech support gear can make things worse. If I were the heroes, I would start teaching the vigilantes how to be heroes, though. It would be an easy way to shore up their numbers when they need it.

The Todoroki Family, At Last

The final portion of the episode is the one that addresses the title: the Todoroki family. Everyone in the family’s shaken up by the revelation that Toya’s not only alive, but is now the villain Dabi. All Endeavor can do is sit in his hospital bed and think about how badly he messed things up. We actually start to see him cry; we’ve never seen him cry like this.

As someone who reads the manga, I know there’s more to the story than what Dabi made things out to be. What happened to Dabi wasn’t Endeavor’s failure alone. The whole family ended up messing things up, and now they have a choice. They can either let this tear them apart for good, or try and work through everything together. Either way, next episode, we’re going to learn more about the Todoroki family’s past.

This was another banger episode that didn’t shy away from the dangers of untrained vigilante justice. However, I still think the title’s a bit misleading. But that won’t stop me from wanting to GO BEYOND, PLUS ULTRA!

I Give “The Hellish Todoroki Family, Pt. 2” a 4/5

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My Hero Academia S6, Ep 15 Review

In Greek Mythology, Tartarus was the equivalent of Hell itself. The gods of Mount Olympus used it to imprison the worst of the worst. The souls of the most wicked people in life, or their predecessors, the Titans. It’s very fitting that Tartarus’ also the name of the prison keeping All for One locked up. At least, it was. In one of the best episodes of a season that’s already given us some great episodes, Tartarus falls, and the Demon King’s set free.

Tartarus Mass Breakout! Japan’s Worst Criminals Freed!

Tartarus is the name of Japan’s maximum security prison, home to the most dangerous criminals the country has to offer. It’s protected by an army of heroes, guards, robots, and professional soldiers. However, Tartarus is still breached by Shigaraki, the League of Villains, and All for One is set free. Then, to make matters worse, the freed inmates raid other prisons and set their inmates free. As a result, there are hundreds of criminals now running loose in Japan, and the heroes are left powerless to stop them. 

This whole situation reminded of the second-act climax to Marvel’s Spider-Man on the PS4. In that game, Dr. Octopus raided the Raft and set hundreds of inmates free, along with a cadre of Spider-Man’s worst enemies. My Hero Academia multiplies that scenario a few hundred times onto a national scale. For good measure, some of the escapees from Tartarus include enemies Deku and the others helped put away: Muscular, Stain, and Overhaul. The grim circumstances make it feel like the mythical Tartarus burst open, releasing an army of monsters and demons led by the Devil himself.

This is really good.

No One Believes in Heroes anymore

Between the events of this episode, the losses in the Paranormal Liberation War, and the revelations about Endeavor’s personal life, the public has all but lost faith in its heroes. I do not blame them, either. No matter how you look at things, they’ve failed. They were so close to stopping Shigaraki, and they messed up. All that’s left for them to do now is lick their wounds…and mourn the dead.

In the hospital, Endeavor, Eraserhead, Gran Torino, and many other pros have to heal from their injuries. Bakugo manages to wake up from his injuries and learns how bad things fell apart, and is, predictably, furious about things.

Deku, though? Deku remains in a coma and shows no signs of waking up. 

Compounding the issue is the fact that the hospital’s surrounded by protestors demanding answers from Endeavor and the other heroes. Everything’s falling apart, and the preview for the next episode shows that things only get worse. And I’m enjoying every minute of it.

I hate seeing the heroes of a story reach an all-time low like this. However, I also recognize that it’s a good way to raise the stakes for the climax of a good story. It makes the heroes comeback looking even cooler. Until then, though, expect things to keep getting darker in the story of My Hero Academia. Firstly, though, we need to learn more about the Todoroki family and what happened to Dabi. Or rather, what happened to Toya. 

Tartarus has been breached. The Demon King is freed. Anarchy shall reign. GO BEYOND, PLUS ULTRA!

I Give “Tartarus” a 4.5/5

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My Hero Academia S6, Ep. 14 Review

It’s a new year, but in the universe of My Hero Academia, that would offer little comfort. The Paranormal Liberation War ended, but it was a pyrrhic victory for the heroes. Shigaraki and most of the League of Villains escaped, dozens of heroes died, and don’t forget the cities leveled in the process. There’s only one word for Japan’s going through right now: Hell. Hell has descended onto Earth. The episode’s title even says so!

Firstly, though, I want to talk about the new opening and ending. Anime has a habit of spoiling stuff in the OP and ED’s of shows, and this was no exception. It looks like the second half of the season will also cover the upcoming “Tartarus Escapees Arc.” I’m happy about this, at this arc sees Deku go from a student to a hero in the vein of Spider-Man. It’s cool, but it also sees him pushed to his absolute limits. More on that when the time comes. It’s time for Hell.

War is Hell, and the Heroes Have Been Through It

The first half of the episode has Deku mentally recap everything that’s happened thus far. While recaps aren’t always welcome, in this case, it’s a necessity given the horrors we witnessed. The heroes managed to capture most of the Paranormal Liberation Front, but besides Twice and Mr. Compress, the core of the League of Villains escaped. In addition, the sheer destruction inflicted has left countless dead and injured. Add in Dabi’s outing of his father, Endeavor, and the public’s faith in heroes has reached an all-time low.

This whole episode leaves no doubt that the heroes have been flung into Hell, and we got several gut punches that could leave people in tears. All Might’s statue was vandalized with “I am NOT HERE,” showing everyone’s loss of faith. Seeing the UA students cry when they discover the death of Midnight. The worst moment, though? As Uravity is doing everything she can to help the victims, she hears one of the Pro-Heroes mentally shatter and decide to quit.

Absolute Lowest Point

Even though the heroes succeeded in capturing thousands of PLF members, Dr. Garaki, Mr. Compress, and even Gigantomachia, none of that matters. The fact that Shigaraki escaped means they still lost. That’s how everyone sees it.

This episode was an absolute tear-jerker, and probably one of the darkest in MHA. I remember seeing all of this in the manga, and while I thought it was terrible then, seeing it in anime form makes it seem like an actual Hell. It just goes to show you the power that animation can have on people.

For anime-watchers only, don’t expect things to get better any time soon. The ending shows that All for One’s getting ready to bust out of Tartarus, and when that happens, chaos will reign. So, spend the next week mentally preparing for what’s to come. 

I Give “Hellish Hell” a 4.5/5

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