English Dub Review: My Hero Academia “All for One”

Bakugou’s rescue is underway, but a vicious new foe finally reveals himself.

Overview (Spoilers Below)

Things haven’t been going well since Bakugou’s capture by the League of Villains. Aizawa and the headmaster of UA find themselves in the hot seat facing every hero’s most dangerous enemy: reporters. But with a selfless display of heroism by Aizawa, they manage to uphold UA’s reputation another day.

Midoriya and pals are still hot on the case of the League of Villains, trying to scope out their hideout, while Bakugou spits in the face of his captors. Things seem like the shit is about to hit the fan, a hero team led by All Might and Gran Torino puts the League to a swift and decisive capture.

Yet, just as everyone is about to sigh a breath of relief, nomus teleport out of nowhere and surround the team. Bakugou is kidnapped once again, and it becomes clear that this fight is far from over. A menacing takes the stage.

All For One has arrived.

Our Take:

Chalk another point up for My Hero Academia. The season keeps going strong with another powerful display of quality storytelling from the shounen anime that is quickly earning its place as a classic.

We’re treated to several powerful moments that really capture the essence of what heroism is in this series. Aizawa’s willingness to take the blame for Bakugou’s temperament shows us that not all battles are won with superpowers and violent showdowns, but also foreshadows the struggle that is sure in store for the future. The heroes of MHA are really fighting for the faith of the people, and that fight can’t be won with fists and superpowers. It gets talked about a lot in this series, but the “Age of peace” that they’re currently in has never felt more real or more at stake. It’s a testament to the emotional and thematic legitimacy of this series that I feel a deep empathy for the world these characters live in. That tension is everything; without it, the ideals our heroes fight for would feel forced and contrived.

Quality theme-ing is the name of the game here, but this episode doesn’t get caught up in playing the moral card. There’s a lot that happens here, and the pacing is brisk enough to keep us glued to the events on screen. Amazingly, each scene carries with it the depth of each of the conflicts and characters within skillfully. Enough happens here to fill pages of analysis and discussion but doesn’t overstay its welcome. Furthermore, its good to see how these characters, both hero and villain have changed and developed. Shigaraki isn’t the tantrum throwing child we saw in season one, but has evolved into something a lot more sinister. The restraint he shows when Bakugou slaps his face-hand to the ground speaks to this, and lets us know that while he may be down for now, he is far from out.

That isn’t to say, however, that the episode is flawless. The one major exception to the commendation above would be the perceived pointlessness of Midoriya and the gang’s infiltration of the villain’s hideout. They don’t very much and what they do accomplish is quickly overshadowed by the bad ass victory of All Might and Gran Torino putting the League of Villains in their place. One gets the feeling that the episode spends time with them just so they can be there when All For One finally reveals himself.

Speaking of which, All For One stands to be the major star of this season. Though he is only present in this episode for a minute, his hunched, looming specter and the operatic dirge that accompanies him sends chills up my spine. I’m chomping at the bit here; next Saturday cannot come fast enough.

Score
8/10