Welcome back everyone to a new week of My Hero Academia season four coverage! While last week’s season-opening filler was charming in a way that only MHA can be, it’s time to dig into that super-hot fire canon, baby! Midoriya is digging into more internships, while the new villain rears his head on the block. Let’s dive in!
1. Workin’ hard, or hardly workin’?
Like so long ago in season two, we see the class of 1-A participate in internships to further their studies. We got a few exciting secondary-character focused episodes back then, making Tsui the official best girl so hopefully, we’ll get more of the same in this season at some point (my boy Sero needs some more spotlight!).
For now, we get Midoriya struggling with options considering the limited offers he got way back in the sports tournament arc. Gran Torino makes a hilarious appearance as he declines Midoriya’s plea to mentor him. He’s in an office and makes a comment about Midoriya being a useless successor since he never got any other offers after the tournament (brilliant) but he also directs Midoriya to All Might’s old sidekick, Nighteye!
2. Overhaul!
The big bad that we’ve all been waiting for shows his face to the League of Villains and the resulting scene is a doozy. Our villain in question is Kai Chisaki, codenamed Overhaul, who has the brilliant backstory of being a Yakuza captain in a world where supervillains have taken their jobs. His resurgence is another consequence of the ripples from the fight between All Might and All For One – the public may have lost their symbol of peace, but the villains also lost a commanding figure, and since nature abhors a vacuum, Overhaul has stepped up to offer his services to the League.
We get to see hints of his cunning and strategic mind as he ridicules Shigaraki’s lack of a plan, but we also get to see hints of his impatience and aggression, seeding the complex and layered character he’s sure to develop into. Plus, we get a killer fight scene with the help of his Yakuza team, the Shie Hassaikai. What more could you want to kick off a season?
3. All Might’s formative years?
Gran Torino’s recommendation of Nighteye to Midoriya led him to discuss a path of action with All Might. Interestingly enough, this is one of the few times that All Might is not willing to offer his unconditional support, he actually refuses to help Midoriya get in touch with his former sidekick. It’s telling that the man who is infamous for helping anyone in need does the complete opposite, suggesting some unaddressed tension in All Might’s past.
I love that we’re exploring more of All Might’s past here and that the character himself has distanced himself so much from it that he almost breaks character when it’s brought up again. I can’t wait to see the inevitable meeting between him and Nighteye once again based on this mere one minute of dialogue.
4. Mirio “I’m not being nice” Togata
Thankfully for Midoriya, All Might recommends that he talks to one of the Big 3, Togata since he’s currently in Nighteye’s employ. Since his introduction at the end of last season, in which he completely schooled the entirety of class 1-A, I’ve been clamoring to see more of this character and having him interact with our protagonist is the best way to do this. We get a fun big-brother dynamic as Togata lends helpful advice on how to impress Nighteye and offers Midoriya some general hero advice.
We also get a touching side scene where All Might reflects on a time where he considered Togata to be his successor at one stage, and it reframes the way we see the character completely. It’s almost tragic that this character has reached the heights of UA’s schooling system and yet didn’t end up being the one to inherit One For All, regardless of him realizing or not.
5. Comedy Club
The show cleverly plays with our expectations of Nighteye, building him up as a stoic, Batman-esque persona until Togata brings Midoriya to his agency. The first hint we get that he might not be what he seems is the advice that Togata gives: that he’ll have to make Nighteye laugh in order to be considered for work. We then see a… confusing scene of Nighteye holding his assistant in a complex trap where he tickles her to tears.
The ensuing scene is brilliant as we see Midoriya agonize over the fact that he’s simply not funny in being so dedicated to his course, so of course, the one thing he knows to do that might work is something he’s done since he was a kid: impersonate All Might. The episode leaves us on a palpable cliffhanger as we see Nighteye shocked that this kid has mocked his old mentor! Our best boy is in trouble now!
That’s it for this week’s episode recap! Have any thoughts about Overhaul, or speculation for what’s to come (without manga spoilers, of course)? Leave a comment and tune in next week for more MHA!
