This is one of those episodes of Boku no Hero Academia whose appeal will largely be contingent on your feelings towards its focus character. I like Kirishima Eijirou plenty, though in truth I don’t find him one of the most compelling members of the cast (and I think his best character moments are still to come, anime-wise). As such, while this ep was perfectly fine I confess I found it more interesting at either end than I did in the middle.
The anime has at times introduced original material to give the supporting cast more development, though this story is entirely canon. And while (to me at least) it had a bit of a filler vibe to it, it was connected pretty closely with the main storyline of this arc. After a (too) brief intro pre-credit sequence with Tsuyu and Ochako on their work study with Nejire, the camera turns to Kirishima-kun. He’s engaged with the third-member of the big three, the ultra-neurotic Tamaki, in a work study of his own with the inimitable Fat Gum in Osaka. And if a hero and a city ever matched up, it’s Fat Gum and Osaka.
I give Horikoshi Kouhei full credit for introducing a huge cast on both the hero and villain side and making them remarkably distinctive for the most part. It’s just a function of reality, though, that with this many mouths to feed the story gruel can at times get a little thin. As such Kirishima’s own “I have to get stronger” inner drama here feels a bit out of nowhere, since it’s been such a long time since it got any attention in the story. Fortunately he’s sympathetic enough, and the fact that even when present he’s been overshadowed by the likes of Deku, Bakugo and Todoroki makes his pain more relatable.
The way that drama plays out is very much central to what’s happening in the larger plot, though. Organized crime and weird drugs that do things to quirks – it all ties back to Overhaul’s master plan. And Shigaraki has made that connection too, as he makes clear when he makes the trek to Shie Hassaikai’s underground complex to state his terms for a potential alliance bearing one of those drugs as proof. It’s not necessarily in the nature of men like Shigaraki to seek out alliances like this, but like Overhaul he has larger goals in mind and he seems to be growing into his role as leader of the League of Villains.
Team-ups are very much a theme of the week, as we seem to be on the brink of one happening on the hero side as well. It’s Sir Nighteye at the heart of it, reaching out to Dragon Hero Ryukyu (Nejire’s mentor) and Fat Gum to bring their agencies together to fight the impending threat from Overhaul and his master plan. For Izuku this is a further reminder of the girl he left behind, who’s never left his thoughts – which shows (to me) that Toshinori definitely made the right decision about his successor.
animealex
November 17, 2019 at 2:07 amEven though I knew what was coming, this episode gave me the most “hype” feeling since AfO versus Allmight. Kirishima’s “Unbreakable” form looks sick.
Kirishima is probably my favorite character in BnHA for reasons which were spelled out in this episode. He’s (painfully) aware of his mediocrity compared to most of his classmates, let alone the three real powerhouses (Deku, Todoroki and Bakugou), but he tries to keep up with them nonetheless. And when push comes to shove, he delivers. Interestingly enough one of his key motivators is protecting others, just like Deku, with whom he also shares some other similarities. One of the key differences to Deku is the fact how their quirks and their use of it defines them, but elaborating beyond that, is something I’ll save for later.
There is also a meta reason why I like Kirishima: Like Deku, he throws himself in harms way to protect others. On the one hand, Kirishima’s quirk makes him well suited for that role. On the other hand, sooner or later he might try that in the presence of someone like Shigaraki Tomura or Overhaul, which might end fatally. The fact, that unlike Deku, who narrates the story, Kirishima’s survival is not guaranteed, keeps me on the edge of my seat whenever something like the events of this episode is happening.
Last point on my rant why I like Kirishima: He’s a “manly man” type, but has quite the presence in the class and everyone, even (or especially) Bakugou, likes him. Many readers call the group consisting of Kaminari, Kirishima, Bakugou and Sero the “Bakusquad”, when in fact the uniting factor (which now adds Tokoyami) is Kirishima (look at the seating arrangement in the flashback).
Thanks for reading my little rant, I had to wait for this episode to write most of it because of spoilers. And now some other bullet point observations:
-Shiggy is quite protective of his League of Villains. It’s always interesting to see a villain who cares about his subordinates/comrades in arms. He may be otherwise a bad leader, but at least he has that going for him.
-Fatgum is great addiction to the cast. He’s a “jolly fat man” as a hero, but weaponizes his mass in interesting ways. Not only letting attacks bounce off, but swallowing his enemies. Plus he seems smart.
-Uravity and Froppy got a little expansion compared to the the manga, which is always nice.
Guardian Enzo
November 17, 2019 at 9:17 amI wish they’d gotten more expansion!
I like Kirishima for the same reasons you mentioned, but prior to this point in the story he’d gotten relatively little development so for me at least, there wasn’t much depth to those reasons.
Raikou
November 17, 2019 at 9:04 amSince this episode explores outside of main trio of 1-A,
Out of curiosity Enzo, how would you rate the U.A. students character if it were divided to High tier, Middle tier and Low tier?
Deku would be in High tier, but I just want to know your opinion for the rest.
Guardian Enzo
November 17, 2019 at 9:15 amRate, as in how much I like them, or how powerful they are?
Raikou
November 17, 2019 at 9:44 amHow much you like them.
Guardian Enzo
November 19, 2019 at 5:03 pmInteresting. I’ve never really thought about it tbh. Off the top of my head
Tier A – Deku
Tier B – Todoroki, Tokoyami, Mineta, Iida
Tier C – Yaoyarozu, Ochaco, Froppy, Kirishima, Koda, Kaminari, Aoyama
Tier D – Everybody else
Hors catégorie – Bakugo, because I think he’s a very good character in many ways but I don’t really like him.
raikou
November 20, 2019 at 10:24 amWell I would’ve expected you would exclude Bakugou LoL.
You’re one of rarity that still like Mineta. In the Fandom his reputation getting worse.
I myself still like him in spite of his pervert attitude.
Koda and Aoyama not in the bottom tier? That’s surprising.
Thanks for your opinion btw.
Guardian Enzo
November 20, 2019 at 3:47 pmBakugo is a tough one to rank. As I said I think his character and role in the story is very good and important. I get why he’s there and why he is how he is. I just don’t enjoy him very often. I can’t really rank him like the others.
Mineta… I get what Horikoshi is doing with him. He’s almost a way of getting under the audience’s skin for the author’s amusement, and I like that. And when he has a rare serious moment (like he and Tsuyu teamed up with Deku in the “victimdome” disaster), his soul searching really works. Koda I like because he’s so pure and innocent. And Aoyama probably climbs into that tier for the wonderful two-parter where he proved himself to Deku and confronted his own self-doubts.
raikou
November 20, 2019 at 7:00 pmYou and me both and Bakugou. I still don’t like his personality but I admit he’s interesting character, and how he will be developed.
Yeah, I liked that Mineta moment too. Passed Midnight test by himself is his finest moment yet though. I think Horikoshi already solidify Mineta’s position early in the story. Deku was also the first person to respect Mineta’s quirk. I’m looking forward to see Deku-Mineta tag team again.
I clicked on the wrong reply, how can I delete my comments?
Guardian Enzo
November 20, 2019 at 7:05 pmTaken care of.
Stöt
November 17, 2019 at 11:30 pmThat was a pretty cool intro animation, btw. It reminded me of the budget-destroying action sequences of S1 and S2. I’m guessing it is the same people behind this. These chapters really resonated with me in the manga, and it’s such a treat to see them in anime form. Love it.
Kaz
November 19, 2019 at 4:53 pmYep. Most of them done by the same guy, Studio Bone’s ace and legendary sakuga action animator, Yutaka Nakamura (Deku vs Todoroki’s epic high-five, Deku vs Kachan Part 2’s The Flash/Bruce Lee/heel kick parts) ^_^ He also did the final battle in One Punch Man S1 and a lot of fights in Mob Psycho 100 🙂
Yukie
November 18, 2019 at 3:10 amFavorite part was definitely All Might in place of the Glico man.