After watching this week’s edition of T & B, the question that stands out in my mind is this – why is the Hero Academy full of students with absolutely useless powers?

The episode followed a pretty standard formula. Youngster is depressed and questioning his place in the world. Kotetsu gives him encouragement and the courage to do what needs to be done. Bunny is Tsun.

The youngster in question this time is Origami Cyclone (Ivan) a young Hero who’s been very much in the background so far. In fact, staying in the background seems to be his creed as a Hero – despite having what seems like a very useful power (shapeshifting and mimicry). He broods over an incident from his school days that cost his BFF and idol his chance to be a hero, blaming himself.

The vehicle for Tiger’s rescue mission is the intervention of Lunatic, who seems to have a great radar for the camera. With Tiger’s encouragement Ivan steps up to save his old friend, and in the process come to terms with his past. Meanwhile, Tiger also lands himself in the hospital taking a flaming bullet for Bunny, and manages to literally crack Lunatic’s facade of anonymity. As hinted he’s the judge we met last week. He also sits on the Board of Directors/Inner Sanctum that seems to be making the decisions for the League of Heroes and the city itself.

There wasn’t much here we haven’t seen before, apart from the reveal about Lunatic. This was safe ground, but I’ll admit it was nice to see Kotetsu not at the bottom of the totem pole for a change. The students at the Academy seemed to hold him in a very high regard, and his gentle encouraging was the perfect approach for the situation. By the end, even Barnaby seemed to be softening in his resistance…