Welcome back, friends and gentlefolk, as we dive into this week’s episode of My Hero Academia. This week, the conflict is in full throttle as the heroes have begun their raid into the base of the Shie Hassaikai with little hesitation. As much as this is a large scale conflict, however, this episode dives deep into the motivations and history of one of the newer characters from UA’s Big Three. Read on!
1. Tamaki’s first day
The episode opens up with a look at the star of this episode, Tamaki Amajiki AKA Suneater’s early days. We’ve learned in past episodes that this hero has a case of crippling performance anxiety and so we’re shown where this might have its roots. Tamaki came to his school as an awkward transfer student and was largely forgotten about by all the other kids who had already established friend groups. This actually reads as a pretty valid new-kid-on-the-block origin as there’s no ill or good intent, just kids being kids and not wanting to feel uncomfortable.
However, we’re shown that Mirio meets him here for the first time, and they bond over their shared love of heroes. It’s a simple scene but it effectively sets up both Tamaki’s awkward side and his heroic side, as Mirio’s enthusiasm inspired him to pursue an education at UA.
2. The raid
Of course, the discourse at the moment is the raid that the collected Hero agencies are engaging with on the Shie Hassaikai base, and we get some good action from each of the heroes in this first scene. The police serve as a good help to side characters like Mr. Brave as they fend off the massive group of Yakuza thugs sent to distract the team, and I still love this pleasant relationship between the two factions. At this moment, we see that these enemies aren’t your garden-variety mercs for hire. Nighteye explains that they each have extreme loyalty to Overhaul and the overall gang, which makes them even more dangerous.
We also get to see Nighteye flexing his Foresight powers as he uses the knowledge he took from the thug last episode to find a hidden entrance in the corridor. It’s a neat bit of continuity that lets us appreciate Nighteye more rather than just hating him for his attitude towards Izuku. Also, we get to see some Centipeder in action and, my god, it is truly a glorious power to behold.
3. Eraser Head’s talent, Fat Gum’s trust
As a teacher, you forget how handy Eraser Head must be to have around in a brawl. As the team progresses through the secret passage, one of the creepier Hassaikai called Mimic uses a quirk-enhancing booster and possesses the base, enabling him to lead the heroes wherever so he chooses. Eraser Head can’t do anything against him because he’s essentially formless, but when they’re trapped with three of the Hassaikai’s Eight Bullets, he handily uses his quirk to temporarily ‘erase’ each Bullet’s quirk. Coupled with his fighting abilities, its easy to see why he’s so top tier!
We also see the relationship between Tamaki and his mentor Fat Gum explored somewhat here. Tamaki corners off the Bullets, saying that he can handle all three with their powers erased, to which a lot of the team objects. Fat Gum, knowing about Tamaki’s confidence issues, places his trust in him to validate him, and explains to the rest of the team that Tamaki, when he’s confident, is one of the most powerful heroes out there. It’s great to see all these little support groups between each character, making it so dang easy to root for the good guys.
4. True loyalty
Y’know how I touched on earlier about how the Hassaikai gang have some serious respect for their gang leader? That turns out at this point in the episode to be a pretty critical plot point. Each of the Bullets that Tamaki fights against has nothing but burning appreciation for their boss Overhaul. We learn pretty vague yet compelling tales from each of them, talking about how although they’re “trash” (a term which the voice actors and translators seem to love), even trash deserves to be treated well. It’s a little on the nose, but ultimately, Tamaki can’t argue that those scorned by society need a place to go home to.
It actually makes the moment when the Bullets have the upper hand for a moment genuinely concerning. The narrative has spent some serious time fleshing out these villains as just people who were hard done by, so it gets hard to tell whether this might be the final fight for our shy boy Tamaki.
5. Friends don’t eat friends
Luckily for the heroes, Tamaki regains the upper hand after realizing that the camaraderie that these baddies have is the key to their success. It’s a satisfying moment where we see Tamaki acknowledge that these guys have a special rapport as broken people who were saved by Overhaul, basically recognizing them as equals in battle. In what might be the best moral lesson in the season so far, congratulates them by reaffirming the moral that these guys must have lived by, that friends don’t just use each other, that friends don’t eat friends.
That doesn’t stop Tamaki from eating his opponents, however, as he ingests one of Hojo’s crystals and infuses it with his chicken legs to lay down a brutal blow on them all, separating them one by one and removing their group advantage. It’s a battle that feels genuinely equal and fairly won, with some fantastic superpower visuals.
That’s it for this week, folks! Tune in next time as we follow the team deeper into the twisting hallways of the Shie Hassaikai!
