Robbie Daymond and Ryan Colt Levy On Their MHA: World Heroes’ Mission Heavy Hitters, Flect Turn and Rody Soul

 

My Hero Academia is one of those very special anime series that emerges at the perfect time where it feels like pop culture has been steadily preparing the world for such a series. Five seasons in, My Hero Academia comfortably reflects coming of age superhero ideals with a sprawling cast of unique characters. The anime focuses on Izuku Midoriya and his fellow heroes-in-training, but My Hero Academia understands that every hero needs a worthy villain and that it can often be a fine line that distinguishes the two.

Each My Hero Academia movie is a true event that’s worthy of celebration, but often the effectiveness of these self-contained spectacles comes down to the new villain and allies that are on display. World Heroes’ Mission doesn’t disappoint in this regard. Flect Turn is one of the most determined and charismatic antagonists that the series has ever seen and Rody Soul brings a welcome innocence that’s the perfect foil for Izuku Midoriya’s growing confidence as a hero. Robbie Daymond and Ryan Colt Levy make sure that Flect Turn and Rody Soul make their marks on the franchise and the duo get candid on the joys of becoming a part of the My Hero Academia universe, how to bring humanity to villains, and what their ideal Quirks would be.

 

Daniel Kurland: Both of you play new characters and I think My Hero Academia is really a series that allows fresh faces to shine in its movies and not just reduce them to one-note heroes or villains. Was it exciting to get to become a part of this world?

Ryan Colt Levy: Oh yeah! It’s extraordinary. It’s been a gift in every way; an absolute gift. And you nailed it, too. The writing and how characters are brought to the forefront, every time, is just so special and I knew that Rody wouldn’t be any different. 

Robbie Daymond: Same same! I was so glad to get to jump into this universe. I think that Ryan and I were fans of the show for a long time. However, the luxury of playing a new character in a self-contained story is just so cool to me. I feel like it’d be fun to jump into the anime series proper at this point, and you probably get a fun arc for a little bit, but a movie is just a whole other level. I love anime films, so this was just really special to me. 

Listen though, if they want to put me in the show. If they want to throw me into a beach episode as the local boy, or something, that’d be cool. I’d still be happy to be in My Hero Academia. The movie is the way to go though, for me!

Daniel Kurland: Both of your characters are at very opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to their ideals. My Hero Academia is so fulfilling because it makes the villains as fleshed out and easy to empathize with as the heroes. Everyone contains these shades of grey.  Is that gratifying territory to explore and do either of you find yourselves drawn more towards heroes or villains?

Robbie Daymond: That’s a good question….I’ve had the luxury of playing a good mix of characters from all across the spectrum, from the worst to the sweetest, and it’s kind of like asking me to pick one of my babies to make me decide. However, I do enjoy playing villains because I usually find them—at least when the writing is strong, which it is in My Hero Academia—to be the more complex individuals. I think ill intention is against human nature. We could argue that idea all day, but I think that to go against human nature like that and to sacrifice empathy for personal gain speaks to a complicated and tortured past. Those are fun characters to play. You don’t want those attributes in real life, but they’re fun to play as an actor. So maybe I side a little more with the baddies…

Ryan Colt Levy: It’s funny because in this case, when the writing and character development are so strong for both the heroes and the villains, that it’s an excellent reinforcement of how nobody is just one thing in life. My immediacy to understanding the motivations on both sides in the show is crazy because it’s so easy to know where both groups are coming from on some level. It’s never that someone is just being bad for the sake of being bad, but it’s instead like real life where personal experiences have broken or tainted someone. Likewise, the show frequently presents heroes that are literally willing to shatter themselves and go beyond for the greater good. That’s the power of all of this. The writing in this show is just too good to pick either the heroes or the villains.

Daniel Kurland: Robbie, Flect Turn is such a fascinating villain who has differed from past threats because a frightening amount of people side with him and want this revolution. Talk a little on what Flect represents and why he’s so compelling to you?

Robbie Daymond: Yeah, people are generally dumb! It’s really easy for charismatic leaders to sway individuals who are lost in life. I don’t mean that all people are dumb, obviously, but I do think that individuals find power in being able to glom onto some fragment of rationale—no matter how poor it is—and use it to enable their own motivations. It’s easy to trick people into thinking that you’re doing something for the greater good, when in reality it’s reprehensible. 

Hurting people is never the answer, especially in mass groups like what’s looked at in the movie. So to be able to get people on your side it’s essential to present a compelling argument, which typically means that you need to believe it yourself, or at least have tricked yourself into believing it. Flect, in that sense, is no different than anyone else who finds themselves with that much power.

Daniel Kurland: Your characters have particularly unique Quirks here that stray from the norm and are really great. Out of any Quirk from the series, which would you like to have if you could get any of them?

Ryan Colt Levy: I have two answers: A selfish one and a selfless one. The selfish one is that I could just generate coffee out of thin air, at any time. The selfless one—and I’ve said this a few times before because I truly wish that this was an ability—is that I would love to make everyone a little more compassionate; for all of the obvious reasons. We can always use more love in this world.

Daniel Kurland: Love and caffeine. Very nice.

Ryan Colt Levy: Love and caffeine! It’s a great pair. A great pair. 

Robbie Daymond: Maybe find a way to combine those two, Ryan. Become like “The Love Cafe.” Every cup that you fill up there also gives everyone a little boost in empathy. Well cheers to that. Me? I want that big meaty tail! Who’s that guy with the tail? I want that stupid tail! I want that big, meaty tail! It’s so ridiculous. Let me just jump around like a kangaroo all day.

Daniel Kurland: That’s so funny. I feel like you’re the only one who’s gone for that Quirk!

Robbie and Ryan laugh.

 

‘My Hero Academia: World Heroes’ Mission’ is now playing in select theaters