My Hero Academia Appreciation

[Inversed]

spoilers:

Finally getting to see AFO and Yoichi's backstory definitely makes alot of the overuse of AFO feel somewhat worth it. It's cool seeing alot more of the world building behind the nature of Quirks, like how the Luminescent Baby wasn't the first but that propaganda over the years made it seem like that, and that AFO bore an irrational jealously behind the popularity in a very "what makes them so special" kind of way. I'm also glad AFO wasn't "the real first Quirk user", but rather just one of many firsts that were undocumented. Also good to see AFO even as a fetus just be a gluttonous bastard, and the imagery of that infant AFO chewing on the mother's corpse while holding the malnourished Yoichi is incredibly freaky. I am also now curious regarding their names, since now we know their mother obviously didn't give them any, so how did they get them? It could be possible at this point his name really is just "All For One" (Shigaraki being his last name turning out to be a lie), and whether AFO gave Yoichi his name, or maybe even Kudo did.

end of spoilers

[leokearon]

spoilers:

Finally getting to see AFO and Yoichi's backstory definitely makes alot of the overuse of AFO feel somewhat worth it. It's cool seeing alot more of the world building behind the nature of Quirks, like how the Luminescent Baby wasn't the first but that propaganda over the years made it seem like that, and that AFO bore an irrational jealously behind the popularity in a very "what makes them so special" kind of way. I'm also glad AFO wasn't "the real first Quirk user", but rather just one of many firsts that were undocumented. Also good to see AFO even as a fetus just be a gluttonous bastard, and the imagery of that infant AFO chewing on the mother's corpse while holding the malnourished Yoichi is incredibly freaky. I am also now curious regarding their names, since now we know their mother obviously didn't give them any, so how did they get them? It could be possible at this point his name really is just "All For One" (Shigaraki being his last name turning out to be a lie), and whether AFO gave Yoichi his name, or maybe even Kudo did.

end of spoilers

spoilers:

THis is a really good chapter. Seems a bit strange to ahve the big abd's backstory so late but it could be like his life flashing before his eyes. As for the names, I wouldn't be surprised if Yoichi 's name came from the hero comics he read.

end of spoilers

[Dark Soul # 7]

spoilers:

Finally getting to see AFO and Yoichi's backstory definitely makes alot of the overuse of AFO feel somewhat worth it. It's cool seeing alot more of the world building behind the nature of Quirks, like how the Luminescent Baby wasn't the first but that propaganda over the years made it seem like that, and that AFO bore an irrational jealously behind the popularity in a very "what makes them so special" kind of way. I'm also glad AFO wasn't "the real first Quirk user", but rather just one of many firsts that were undocumented. Also good to see AFO even as a fetus just be a gluttonous bastard, and the imagery of that infant AFO chewing on the mother's corpse while holding the malnourished Yoichi is incredibly freaky. I am also now curious regarding their names, since now we know their mother obviously didn't give them any, so how did they get them? It could be possible at this point his name really is just "All For One" (Shigaraki being his last name turning out to be a lie), and whether AFO gave Yoichi his name, or maybe even Kudo did.

end of spoilers

spoilers:

I'm reminded of Gran Torino telling Izuku that him seeing One For All as something special is the wrong way too look at it. To properly use it he needs to understand that it's just a quirk, just like any other. AFO clearly didn't get that messages. He had to be the most special of them all. So much imagery in this chapter is so unnerving. Evil baby AFO is certainly more chilling that I thought it could be. Given how discarded they were I could buy that AFO never actually had a normal name. He and his quirk were one and the same in his eyes. Rather fitting for him.

end of spoilers

[Dark Soul # 7]

Just saw the new card game OVA. It's basically just the kids playing a Yugioh style card game with themselves as the card characters. Not a whole lot more to it, but it's a fun little addition to the series.

spoilers:

I like that Uraraka played Mt. Lady in the boys vs. girls match. Nice little nod to the initial plans for her quirk. Always fun to see Hatsume, and her building this kind technically impressive game without considering balance issues within the game feels very appropriate. The fight between card Deku and card Bakugo looked pretty darn cool. And I appreciate how the real versions were frustrated since the card game represented them before certain developments.

end of spoilers

So yeah, there's not a lot of meat to it. But it's a fun little episode with some nice nods to the rest of the series.

[Inversed]

Just saw the new card game OVA. It's basically just the kids playing a Yugioh style card game with themselves as the card characters. Not a whole lot more to it, but it's a fun little addition to the series.

spoilers:

I like that Uraraka played Mt. Lady in the boys vs. girls match. Nice little nod to the initial plans for her quirk. Always fun to see Hatsume, and her building this kind technically impressive game without considering balance issues within the game feels very appropriate. The fight between card Deku and card Bakugo looked pretty darn cool. And I appreciate how the real versions were frustrated since the card game represented them before certain developments.

end of spoilers

So yeah, there's not a lot of meat to it. But it's a fun little episode with some nice nods to the rest of the series.

Yeah it's just another overall really cute and funny OVA. Really good character and action animation too. spoilers:

The fact that this episode gave us Deku vs. Bakugo Round 3 was not only great, but the fact that it played out exactly how the real one would be, just to end on a stalemate, was perfect. Also laughed hard at the goofy looking dog from Horikoshi's sketches showing up too.

end of spoilers

[Inversed]

spoilers:

We see All For One kill Yoichi, claiming his left hand while Kudo and his resistance flee. AFO realizes his Quirk no longer exists within the body, figuring out that it's been transferred. Kudo and the Third User, whose name is Bruce, realize the same thing, that Yoichi's will now lies within Kudo. AFO proceeds to spend the next decades in a bid to reclaim Yoichi and One For All. We see him killing Kudo and Bruce, starting a cult where he meets Doctor Garaki, fighting Banjo and En, failing to steal OFA from both, Nana taking OFA, and his defeat at All Might's hands. We also learn that AFO survived after the Doctor stole his body from the morgue. Back in the present, AFO wonders if Bakugo is somehow Kudo's descendant, even though he exterminated his bloodline, only to realize they share the same eyes, and that it's more like his will has transcended time. With his time quickly running out, AFO throws caution to the wind and executes his final gambit, unleashing all of his Quirks at once to propel himself forward to simultaneously kill Bakugo and transfer himself to Shigaraki before he reverts to a baby.

end of spoilers

spoilers:

Really like how they play around with AFO's dead pupilless eyes and use that for visual metaphors. It's good to see the confirmation that all this conflict with OFA is specifically just because AFO wants his brother back, aka "his first possession", and see him hiding any vague emotion of his under his stoic nature. The obvious highlight is the "All For One Goal" double page spread which is absolutely phenomenal, just Horikoshi doing his usual of making something incredibly grotesque and detailed (also if you look closely you can see Hawks' vestige in there, couldn't recognize anybody else). Now the big question remains if AFO will finally be gone for good next chapter if this fails, or if it'll succeed and we get the Deku vs. Shigaraki vs. AFO conflict to conclude on.

end of spoilers

[Dark Soul # 7]

spoilers:

Really like how they play around with AFO's dead pupilless eyes and use that for visual metaphors. It's good to see the confirmation that all this conflict with OFA is specifically just because AFO wants his brother back, aka "his first possession", and see him hiding any vague emotion of his under his stoic nature. The obvious highlight is the "All For One Goal" double page spread which is absolutely phenomenal, just Horikoshi doing his usual of making something incredibly grotesque and detailed (also if you look closely you can see Hawks' vestige in there, couldn't recognize anybody else). Now the big question remains if AFO will finally be gone for good next chapter if this fails, or if it'll succeed and we get the Deku vs. Shigaraki vs. AFO conflict to conclude on.

end of spoilers

spoilers:

AFO basically just chasing after the last remains of his brother (OFA), adds a neat little layer of resentment to the whole thing. All the weilders of OFA are, in AFO's eyes, are stubbornly keeping him from retrieving that which belongs to him, and each other is just further rejection from his brother than he can't understand. It really takes his pettyness and self-aborbed attitude to new horrifying levels. Which is great. "All For One Goal" is great in how utterly horrifying and bizzare it looks. I'm not even sure what it's supposed to be. A final attack to wipe out everybody but himself and Shigaraki, or some kind of monster-form to overcome Shigaraki's power. As for how long he'll stay. I give him two to three chapters before moving on the final battle.

end of spoilers

[leokearon]

spoilers:

I'm loving how this final arc is deconstruction AFO, from originally seen as a cunning and purely evil manipulator, when in fact he is a delusional man-child who thinks he's the main character and basically wants OFA because his brother had it. I'm hoping that his final attack is just blown away by Bakugo and he rewinds to nothing

end of spoilers

[Inversed]

In a surprise turn, it's revealed in this most recent issue of WSJ that Season 7 will start airing this upcoming Spring (April) 2024.

This is really unexpected to me since they've been hum on everything, so I just assumed they wouldn't fully start production until the manga was finished. But now it turns out it's starting in 4 months, whereas in the past we would've gotten a release date and trailer like a year in advance.

It's incredibly curious cause we have no idea in what shape this final season will turn out. At the very least we know it won't be able to be fit in just a 25 episode season, meaning it will most likely end up being 36. And then there's the question of whether each of the three 12 episode cours will be split up with season breaks to give them more time (So Spring 2024, Fall 2024, and Spring 2025). We'll probably get all the answers at Jump Festa later this month.

[Dark Soul # 7]

In a surprise turn, it's revealed in this most recent issue of WSJ that Season 7 will start airing this upcoming Spring (April) 2024.

This is really unexpected to me since they've been hum on everything, so I just assumed they wouldn't fully start production until the manga was finished. But now it turns out it's starting in 4 months, whereas in the past we would've gotten a release date and trailer like a year in advance.

It's incredibly curious cause we have no idea in what shape this final season will turn out. At the very least we know it won't be able to be fit in just a 25 episode season, meaning it will most likely end up being 36. And then there's the question of whether each of the three 12 episode cours will be split up with season breaks to give them more time (So Spring 2024, Fall 2024, and Spring 2025). We'll probably get all the answers at Jump Festa later this month.

I've been a bit concerned with how they'll handle the next season. Mainly with how the anime's looming release date might stress Horikoshi out even more, compounded even more with the series nearing its end. And add that new movie on top of it to make it all the worse.

Doing three couers split into 12-13 episodes a piece might be a possible solution. I just hope that they come up with something that gives Horikoshi the time he needs without adding to his stress.

[Inversed]

spoilers:

All For One executes his ultimate attack and blasts forward, only for his face to suddenly explode, disrupting him. Bakugo reveals he snuck some sweat beads into his system during their earlier scuffle and waited for them to activate. All For One rants and raves while Bakugo retaliates using his Quirk to take on the monstrous blob, while yelling back at him. All For One's Quirk vestiges once again rebel against him, due to his overwhelming negative emotions, with the Hawks vestige getting the last laugh. Bakugo finally defeats All For One, pummelling into the ground, as he declares he couldn't have beaten him without everyone else.

end of spoilers

spoilers:

A good climax to this battle. A chapter almost entirely conducted of double page spreads, with more fantastic art between Bakugo's Explosions and AFO's disrupted mass. Love all the little images of just how much AFO's face gets messed up by the explosions. I like that it stands firm in that this isn't Bakugo going "one on one" with AFO and winning, but rather him putting the nail in the coffin after everyone else has done the work before him to beat him down, and him admitting that being a nice wrapper for his character arc. Plus him fighting someone calling him an "extra" also adds to the parallels these two have. And then Hawks getting one last gotcha was funny. Now hopefully this means we'll be able to get back to Deku and Shiggy in earnest (after the break), but since AFO is "technically" still alive right now, begs the question if he still has something left to play to keep himself relevant.

end of spoilers

[Dark Soul # 7]

spoilers:

A good climax to this battle. A chapter almost entirely conducted of double page spreads, with more fantastic art between Bakugo's Explosions and AFO's disrupted mass. Love all the little images of just how much AFO's face gets messed up by the explosions. I like that it stands firm in that this isn't Bakugo going "one on one" with AFO and winning, but rather him putting the nail in the coffin after everyone else has done the work before him to beat him down, and him admitting that being a nice wrapper for his character arc. Plus him fighting someone calling him an "extra" also adds to the parallels these two have. And then Hawks getting one last gotcha was funny. Now hopefully this means we'll be able to get back to Deku and Shiggy in earnest (after the break), but since AFO is "technically" still alive right now, begs the question if he still has something left to play to keep himself relevant.

end of spoilers

spoilers:

I think the only "relevant" thing AFO will do is reflect on his life, come to the conclusion that everybody else sucks for going against him and curse everybody that opposed him, spurring Shigaraki on to destroy it all. Then he fades away. But yeah, this is a good final part of this fight. Bakugo pulls off a win with a sneaky move rather than matching AFO's power, and even then he's humble enough that he couldn't have won without everybody else putting in their hard work before him. AFO is denied everything he wanted, and taunted for it by the vestiges he's held dominion over for so long. And there's a nice parallel of Bakugo fighting someone who basically has all of his worst traits taken to monsterous extreme. That's another major villain down. Only Shigaraki and Kurogiri are left now. And I really want to go back to Deku and Shiggy now.

end of spoilers

[leokearon]

spoilers:

Finally AFO is down and it was very well done. Only two villains to go. I'm betting it will be Kurogiri next.

end of spoilers

[Dark Soul # 7]

And now we have a trailer for the next anime season. Looks pretty dope. They're putting focus on some of the more notable scenes. Including Shigaraki vs. Star, but they're not showing too much at the same time.

[Inversed]

Definitely curious to see how they'll handle the season. It's confirmed that it's starting in May, with April instead having 4 clip show episodes to recap the entire series.

We still don't know how many cours/episodes it'll be, but my guess is we'll be getting about 20 episodes airing up to end of September, and then sometime early 2025 will be the final 13 or so episodes.