English Dub Review: My Hero Academia “Bright Future”

OVERVIEW (SPOILERS)

Deku and Eri have beaten Chisaki, but have forgotten about Eri’s out of control quirk erasing things. Exhausted, Deku has no way of keeping ahead of it, forcing Aizawa to intervene and stop her. Chisaki is arrested, but his transport is stopped part way by Shigaraki and Mr. Compress, who sever his limbs and take the Quirk erasing bullets, leaving him completely helpless. With the Shie Hassaikai defeated, peace is restored for the moment, though Eri is kept under quarantine and Sir Nighteye is on death’s door. With his final words, he tells All Might, Mirio, and Deku to make the future a bright one.

OUR TAKE

This episode brings the arc to a close, resolving most matters and tying up loose ends. Chisaki has been put to bed as a threat, having his spirit broken, his work stolen, and his powers nullified. With that, the role of main threat is handed back to the League of Villains, who have walked out of this arrangement with a pretty big gain. I typically really enjoy it when I get to see two villain groups interact and join forces, even if it’s temporary. It’s neat to see two antagonists, as in two moral oppositions the main ideological force of the series (that being the heroes), interact and compliment each other. My Hero has done this before when Stain was introduced, and Chisaki actually has some slight similarities to him in that they both feel heroes are a blight on society as they are now. Though it probably says something that they’re at least good intentions have failed while Shigaraki has persisted being completely driven by hate. Might be no coincidence that Chisaki’s ability to both disintegrate and reform is both similar and different to Shigaraki’s power to only destroy.

Though while I do like me a good interlude villain group (Inuyasha’s “Band of Seven” being another example I like), it IS good to have the league back and with another step in their goals complete. While this arc has ended in a seeming victory, it’s still on a somber note and not without sacrifices. Eri has been rescued but is still a great danger to everyone because of her ability, so she’s still a long way from having a normal life that she deserves away from this trauma Chisaki caused her. Mirio now must deal with the aftermath of his sacrifice, living without a quirk for at least the foreseeable future. And Nighteye, the man who could see the future and predicted All Might would die if he keep fighting, now sees his predictions contradicted and his own life ended. But with that, at least he knows the future can be changed. And it’s probably a good time to get rid of him here so we aren’t constantly relying on his powers for future plot points down the line. Now we transition into the second arc of the season, which looks to be a lot more lighthearted than the previous one. I have my own pros and cons for that, but we’ll get into it when the real second half of the season kicks off next week.