English Dub Review: My Hero Academia “Unrivaled”

For the season finale, Mirio Togata makes a big splash.

Overview (Spoilers Below)

The big three have come to Class 1-A to explain what a work study is and why they should all try to get some actual experience working with the pros. They all introduce themselves as Mirio Togata, Nejire Hado, and Tamaki Amajiki. Nejire and Tamaki aren’t terribly good at public speaking, so Mirio takes the point, but he loses his audience’s attention pretty quickly as well. With his powers of speech failing him, Togata decides it would be best to show them all the value of work experience through a fight. Him vs. all of Class 1-A.

As the fight begins, Togata curiously strips to the nude but astounds Class 1-A when he pummels each and every one of them. With his strange power, he’s able to move through the ground and appear all over the place seemingly at will. His powerful muscles deliver blow after blow, and soon, Class 1-A finds themselves defeated, even though Midoriya put up more of a fight by figuring out and predicting Togata’s movements.

When the fight is over, Togata explains how his quirk works, which is the ability to make his body pass through solid matter. Though it appears strong, it is actually rather hard to use, since it causes him to lose his senses when he activates it. He explains that through work experience and training, he’s mastered his quirk and that Class 1-A can do so with theirs as well.

The class departs ready to learn from the pros, with a sense of inspiration in their hearts. Midoriya calls up Gran Torino to see about getting work experience with him, but Torino suggests that he go work for All Might’s sidekick, Nighteye, instead. Meanwhile, Nighteye receives word that the League of Villains has made contact with a new villain, Overload.

Our Take:

Sadly, season four of My Hero Academia has come and gone, and we have to say goodbye to the most popular new shounen of the last few years, at least for a little while. This season finale, as opposed to some others, is less of an end and much more of a beginning. Its main focus seems to be setting things up for season four and building anticipation to see what’s coming next. To that end, its a fun, exciting episode, showing us just enough of the show’s new key players to hook the imagination. While a little light on its storytelling, there’s quite a bit to love here.

Mirio Togata is the star of the show this time around, and he takes to the limelight like a bird to the sunny sky. Though we only get a little bit of him, since this is the last episode, he leaves a strong impression as a character, both as a mentor to the first years and a potential rival to Midoriya. There’s a complexity to his powerset as well, which isn’t inherently useful. His success is defined by his experience and creative thinking, with demonstrates a level of power that class 1-A has yet to reach. His voice acting is on point as well, capturing his “Big brother” persona and the overwhelming positivity that defines his sense of heroism. Doubtless, his first on-screen appearance is a flawless success, generating tons of hype to see the character more in the next season.

This is a fun episode, but one that gets bogged down a little bit in lengthy exposition. My Hero Academia gets a lot of mileage off of its heart and spirit, but there are certain scenes that drag on a bit too long with characters stating the obvious. However, as far as action goes, the Mirio vs. everyone is a satisfying and entertaining watch. Nothing like a complete smackdown to remind us of just how far our cast of characters has to go to become true heroes.

All good things must come to an end, and My Hero Academia is no exception. Yet, the show has done an excellent job of wrapping things up until next year, delivering on a strong final episode with great characters and plenty of hype. Look forward to seeing the release of season four most likely around next June, where things will only go even more beyond Plus Ultra.