MY HERO ACADEMIA “From Aizawa” & “Izuku Midoriya: Rising” Review

ReviewEpisodes 7 and 8 of the final season serve as the final parts of the fight between Deku and Shigaraki/All For One. Not only that, but they also represent the definitive, emotional, and cathartic finale that the entire My Hero Academia saga has spent years preparing us for.

Starting with Episode 7, we see Deku and Nana Shimura learning the truth of what Shigaraki went through as a child and how the world turned a blind eye toward a child crying for help. Deku is able to get through to him, though, and just as it seems things have reached their conclusion, the vestige of All For One takes over Shigaraki’s body completely and expels Deku while also destroying Nana Shimura’s vestige. Back in the real world, we’re shown the horrific cost of Deku’s kindness, and it’s his arms.

A helpless and armless Deku is now left trying to fend off a new All For One, but just when all hope seems lost, Sero of all people flies in at the last second to prevent the new All For One from dealing a killing blow to Deku, quickly followed by the heavy hitters of 1A, Ojiro and Sato, who come in with a combined attack, sending AFO flying backward. They’re not alone, though, as Aizawa steps out of a portal behind Deku along with some more of 1A, ready to join this fight.

This scene feels exactly like the Avengers: Endgame portal scene. Seeing everyone stepping out, all battered and bruised from their own fights elsewhere, but ready to go “Plus Ultra” to finish this. Even having Mineta of all people declaring if they were to stop now, they can’t call themselves Heroes if they refuse to go the distance when the situation calls for it.

A brief flashback shows that Aizawa somehow was able to get through to his childhood friend and quickly went to recruit any and every hero who could help Deku end this fight. Even Eri makes a desperate move to help in a scene that made me tear up.

Going into Eri’s story a bit, this is perhaps one of the best parts of the MHA story, the little girl who didn’t know how to smile, whose entire life was to be experimented on and tortured before being rescued by Mirio and Deku and learning to smile and to even love music (another scene that broke me to tears). Her confession to Aizawa shows she’s learned a lot about her quirk thanks to him and the other teachers and how she wants to help save Deku so she can play music to him one day. In order to achieve this, she breaks off her horn so her quirk can be used to reverse his body’s injuries a little bit.

The rest of the people hiding in the shelter also come forward to offer medical aid, and one lad even gives the shirt off his back. But some of the heroes who threw in the towel at the end of the previous major war arc step up to the plate again, including Death Arms, who we’ve seen in the story since the first chapter and first episode. He gave up after the last major incident, and to see him motivated to help give it his all is inspiring.

It shows Deku’s truest power is inspiration. As cheesy as it sounds, it’s shown in how many people step up to fight alongside him in this episode. Deku’s story, now known to the world, has spurred them all on to give everything they have. Even Bakugo admits his drive is directly linked to Deku.

The stage is now set, the remaining heroes taking on the world’s biggest threat, and the rest of the planet watches on. Similar to when All Might last fought with All For One (prior to this arc), while Deku no longer has the combined One For All quirk within him, he still has some remaining power within him; he just needs to hit AFO directly. Aizawa commands everyone to open a direct path, and Deku begins his struggling journey while AFO throws everything he’s got at the heroes.

This is where my emotions get the better of me, as we see everybody taking the hits for Deku, deflecting for Deku, affirming their stance on everything Deku has done for them. We get Shoto and Endeavor blasting out of portals to strike AFO in a father and son combo, Present Mic and Earphone Jack combining their moves. Invisible Girl taking a direct AFO blast and redirecting it. Hell, it’s not just UA turning up, as mentioned earlier, we have retired heroes, reformed villains, students from Shiketsu High School, and Pro heroes. Rewatching this episode can unlock so many blink-and-miss-it moments, but having them all come together, giving Deku the chance to end this once and for all, was just perfection and did cause me to cheer at the screen.

Finally, Deku is able to get the hit in and destroys AFO’s body, which is revealed to be possible because of the damage previously sustained; his regeneration was not able to work, and we finally see All For One purged from the world as Deku’s final punch split the sky open and finally ends the war.

Some beautiful callbacks, too, seeing the characters from the previous 4 movies cameo as all watching from their parts of the world, cheering their hero on, as well as Deku’s own mother running to the big screen in the same way Deku ran into danger back in Episode 1 of the anime. He really is his mother’s son!

I’ve gone on long enough, but these episodes and this finale to the big final battle was just incredible to witness. The animation didn’t falter, the voice acting was strong, and it all came together to give us an emotional rollercoaster of payoffs worthy of giving My Hero Academia one of the best anime finales around.

We still have a few more episodes left, though, to wrap up the journeys of the students of 1A, but this is the closure of the major iconic battles.

Verdict

A perfect 5-star delivery. Episodes 7 and 8 are near-masterful storytelling, giving us a profound, emotionally driven final sprint to end the war. This is the My Hero Academia finale fans deserve, and if you’ve watched the anime from the start, then you too would be yelling at the screen as you witness everyone go “Plus Ultra!”

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐