My Hero Academia FINAL SEASON

Episode 167

It's impressive how much this episode manages to resolve without it feeling too bloated, unlike the last episode. I would've liked certain things to breathe or get expanded upon a bit more, but almost everything about this climax felt absolutely perfect. Everything came together for one final blow, and all that's left is the battered remains of what existed before. Things are broken, and there were at least a few sacrifices along the way, but for the first time in a long while, the sky is finally clear again.

I could spend this entire review just listing all of the thematic wrap-ups and narrative callbacks in this one episode. Pretty much everybody who is physically able to be here is. Just like how Deku had his “I'm here” moment when showing up for Shigaraki in his subconscious when he needed it, everybody is here for Deku when he needs it. Everyone is battered, but it's precisely because they are worn out that they want to be there for Deku. After all, they know how much he sacrificed to give them this opportunity. All For One really lays it on thick by breaking down how insignificant everybody is, but that insignificance allows them to create an opening for Deku to deliver the final blow. We pretty much get a cameo from almost every character that has ever made an appearance throughout the series, and it's a great way to thematically and practically show the impact Deku has had on everybody's lives.

It's funny, because this is the exact opposite of what All Might did in his prime. All Might wanted to be the person who saved everybody. He wanted to stand at the very top as a symbol so that nobody else would have to risk their lives. It's very telling that this final confrontation between Deku and All For One is the complete opposite of the final confrontation between All Might and All For One. All Might stood alone, but Deku genuinely would not be able to do this without everybody's help, and that all started when he first ran in to protect Bakugo from a villain all the way back in season one. He ran to protect his friend, who desperately needed saving, and right now, everyone is helping him run. I'm not gonna lie, I got a little misty-eyed towards the end when You Say Run started building in the background as All Might declared that Deku was his number one hero. We have officially come full circle.

The wrap-up with All For One and Shigaraki was also very good. Shigaraki just had to get one last blow in on his old master, and it's funny that Shigaraki declares that he died without really destroying anything meaningful when he did help destroy the final remnants of All For One in his body. The irony is that he did destroy something meaningful; he destroyed an evil that was bigger than him, or rather, he destroyed a selfish evil. I love Shigaraki's final words to Deku about how he wants to be remembered as a villain who went out trying to destroy everything. Even though that hatred in his heart is gone and he fully owns up to the fact that he was always that small child lashing out, he also wants to be more for people. He wants to be remembered as someone who rebelled against this broken system. Interestingly, Deku and Shigaraki are polar opposite sides of this unfair society, and yet they literally end their final confrontation meeting in the middle of an evil greater than they could've ever encountered.

It was interesting how the show kept explaining that Deku manipulated everybody in One For All to survive just long enough to get that sense of closure. There is irony in the fact that obtaining One For All is arguably what led to All For One's undoing. Deku literally beat One For All into Shigaraki's body, and it being incompatible, which was foreshadowed all the way at the beginning of the series, is what caused his body to finally start falling apart. It's very poignant that All For One uses one of the very first quirks he stole, that spite quirk that he stole from his mother, to prevent his body from falling apart, and the desperation in his voice as he tries to hold onto whatever spark of his brother was left was great.

It was very cathartic. It's amusing that All For One still ended up going out like a very needy child who couldn't stand anything being taken away from him. I like that the show doesn't try to absolve him of any of his crimes because he is way too far gone. As his brother says, All For One needs to atone for his sins, and going out all alone on his own is the ultimate payback. This man got everything that he ever wanted and nothing he needed during those final moments.

Now it's time for the wrap-up. What will become of Deku and everybody else now that the smoke has literally and figuratively cleared? How will everybody move on from this traumatic event that nearly ended this entire society? How will it affect the rest of the world, and how can they prevent another Shigaraki or All For One from ever happening again? There's only a handful of episodes left, and I hope they expand upon all of this from the original manga.

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My Hero Academia FINAL SEASON is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.