Needless to say, this was a very important moment for Boku no Hero Academia. Midoriya has disappeared from the spotlight for stretches before, but this close to the end it’s quite a thing for him to be a non-factor for four episodes. Not to mention the series’ main villain, a disputed title that events have now confirmed beyond debate. But the supporting players have more or less cleared the stage – most important among them last, and spectacularly – and the two figures around whom the entire story revolves are finally and firmly at the center of the universe.
That little Best Jeanist cold open was low-key, but made its point very effectively (and apred uss a recap). From the perspective of the good guys, it would have been better if All For One had been the big bad. A lot better. He loved power and control, and in order to enjoy those things he needed stuff to wield power over. That made him predictable in a sense, as crafty as he was. Shigaraki seems to want nothing more than to be the bringer of death, destruction incarnate. He doesn’t care about power and thus needs to leave nothing standing (or living). That not only makes him more terrifying, it makes him more unpredictable.
This is the reality Izuku – and the ones inside him – are dealing with. Rather than an enemy that wants to rule, they’re facing one who wants to sink Japan under the ocean forever. And what’s worse, he gets a touch in during their skirmishes and steals Shinomori – and Danger Sense, which Shinomori used to make sure he was the only one taken. That was one of the more useful quirks in Deku’s bag for this fight, and of course now not only can he no longer rely on it but must deal with it being used against him.
After a particularly vicious attack he only survives by wrapping Blackwhip around himself in a protective ball, Midoriya-kun is cast all the way to the base of Mount Fuji. And that location is not a coincidence, to be sure. The geology here is pretty well-known – Fuji is dormant, not extinct, and stands poised to rain destruction on the land at any moment (theoretically). If Shigaraki can reach it with his decay he can cause the volcano to erupt with tremendous force. And any volcano you can see from street level if there are no tall buildings in the way is not one you want erupting.
As things seem to go from bad to worse, Kudou emerges as the key player on Team One For All. The second OFA holder, Kudou is effectively the leader amongst the Users – the others defer to him in the end, even if they disagree with him along the way. He sees the desperation in the status quo. The center cannot hold – now that Shigaraki has effectively absorbed All For One, he holds a clear power advantage over Deku. Even if Izuku is able to sustain a holding action for a while, the end result seems inevitable.
Kudou’s plan is about as high-risk as it gets, an all-in gamble based on unfounded assumptions and guesswork. But that’s how bad things are – it’s the only plan with a chance of working. And as it happens, it hinges in part on Deku’s belief that Shigaraki is still a person – that the victim is still alive inside the victimizer. And that a wound exists, perhaps as a result of his fight with Star and Stripe – a mental wound. A forceful transfer of One For All, exploiting that gap, and attacking Shigaraki from the inside. Skepticism among his fellows abounds, but Kudou is right – there’s no other path forward. And win or lose, it allows Deku to fight in a manner consistent with his nature.
