My Hero Academia FINAL SEASON

Episode 164

I didn't know that Star and Stripe's involvement in this final arc would end up being so essential to Shigaraki's potential downfall. It feels like I would've appreciated this a lot more if she were set up better. Don't get me wrong, she dominated the screen and became a fan favorite of many in the limited time that she was here. But it is a little bit weird that this plan, concocted throughout the course of the episode, arguably would not be possible without the damage she did to the main villains. Regarding this setup, I always felt like this was one of the more obvious directions that My Hero Academia had to go to resolve its final conflict. All For One is completely dealt with, so now all that's left is for Deku to take down Shigaraki. Interestingly, Shigaraki wants to rip things apart, and yet the ultimate plan concocted by all of the inheritors of One For All is to give something to Shigaraki. Granted, they are giving something to Shigaraki by violently punching him.

Deku doesn't want to fight, and Shigaraki knows that. He is almost baited and getting annoyed at Deku for not trying to kill him. That's because Shigaraki thinks that these heroic ideals are all window dressing, so there's probably a part of him that thinks Deku could be brought down to his level if pushed hard enough, but the thing about Deku is that he doesn't break. He's not strong because he has all these powers; he's strong because he embodies that indomitable hero spirit. All of the previous One For All holders basically say that it would be a lot easier if they just killed Shigaraki in one finishing blow, but that's what Shigaraki wants as well. Everybody else sees a monster, but Deku cannot shake the glimpse of the small, crying child.

It's especially poignant that we see Nana brace herself for the decision to take out Shigaraki, considering that it is her flesh and blood. However, a part of that resolve might be guilt, and it's pretty easy for a dead person to bear the responsibility of said guilt. At the end of the day, Deku still needs to act, so I'm glad that despite everybody having reservations about wanting to save Shigaraki, it is ultimately left up to Deku to make that decision.

I think what makes this so interesting is that, because the previous founders are old, lingering spirits who can't really do anything except instruct Deku, the story actually gives them a means of directly fighting back at Shigaraki from the inside out. This setup should bring the narrative full circle. Deku started his journey by inheriting a power that he wasn't born with, and now he is technically returning the power to save somebody. In a lot of ways, he's sacrificing his dream, and I would've liked it if the show dwelled a little bit more on him making that sacrifice, but then again, dwelling on it too long would potentially harm the character. The whole point is that he will make the sacrifice that nobody else will. He showed from the beginning, you don't need powers to be a hero, and what better way for him to prove that than by giving up some of the strongest powers in the entire show.

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My Hero Academia FINAL SEASON is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.