Fire and Ice collide one final time.
Last time on My Hero Academia
titans laid the smack down on AFO. Dark Shadow pummeled AFO so hard with its giant
fists that AFO had to regenerate into an even younger form. For a moment, it
looks like he’s going to get back up when Gigantomachia arrives, but to his
shock the giant attacks him and is joined by Mt. Lady. We do a flashback to the
villain goons attacking the building holding Gigantomachia. They free him using
a high frequence radio to send AFO’s voice to him. Kirishima tries to grab
Shinso so he can brainwash Gigantomachia, but he was grabbed by Sludge-man.
Shinso is saved by Ashido who runs up and uses her acid on Sludge-man to try to
bail. Shinso brainwashes Gigantomachia and he and Kirishima ride on his scalp
to battle. To their surprise, Gigantomachia fights through Shinso’s control,
but he continues to fight AFO. He’s actually feeling super hurt and betrayed by
AFO and Tomura Shigaraki abandoning him despite his loyalty. AFO takes a truly
glorious beating, but frees himself by attacking Mt. Lady during a lull in
their attacks and then fires a laser to hurt Gigantomachia and dispel Dark
Shadow. He steals Hawks’ Quirk and considers taking Dark Shadow as well.
Mineta, in his most badass moment thus far, distracts him for a moment, begging
AFO to leave Dark Shadow with Tokoyami and take his Quirk instead. Realizing
that he’s running out of time AFO abandons them all and flies off. Depowered,
Hawks says they haven’t lost hope just yet. At the same time, we’re shown via
some journalists that the video of Gentle Criminal saving the Flying Coffin has
gotten out and been viewed by all of the movie only characters, thus canonizing
Two Heroes, Heroes Rising, World Hero Mission, and You’re
Next! to the anime. Neat. Enough recapping. Let’s get to it, shall we?
We open at the underground refugee
shelter at UA. The map shows us the route that the UA plates are going to take
to Shiketsu Academy on the other side of the island. We see the rest of the
Todoroki family, Shoto’s older brother Natsuo is doing his best to watch over
their mom and their older sister. The rest of the civilians are watching the
news feeds and have… mixed feelings about how the heroes are handling them. We
pull in on a video that takes us to Izuku grappling with Tomura. Tomura has
regrown his hands and Izuku is doing his best to keep the hands from touching
anything. We get a close up of Tomura’s face and he looks absolutely deranged.
At headquarters, they’re trying to
assess the situation. They know that AFO is on the move again. Tsukauchi asks
La Brava for a status report. She reports that most of the UA trams are moving
as they should and headed towards Shiketsu. Only one has a malfunction (The one
the Todorokis are on) and she immediately clocks that its sabotage. We are
shown one of the moles shown earlier attempting to blow a fuse using his Quirk
to prove himself worthy of the Demon Lord. A hero spies him and tries to stop
him, but he sets off an explosion. The explosion rocks the container and causes
some debris to fall. Kendo and Tetsutetsu from Class 1B are there and
Tetsutetsu runs to try to catch the debris. But he’s too slow… and it’s caught
by none other than Death Arms. The huge man holds the slab of concrete up,
tears in his eyes as he says that he knows what comes next. People will gawk at
him, call him stupid and just deride him like they did before. We see his phone
on the ground and he was also watching the video. He remembers watching Izuku
run in to try to save Bakugo from Slime-man back on the first episode and says
that his body moved without thinking.
At Headquarters, they say several
more trams are on their way. They also spotted AFO over Ido City. Tsukauchi
asks who they have to intercept him, but none of the heroes that could make it
are in fighting shape. One of the analysts screams and falls back from his
seat, saying they’re all dead. Tsukauchi tells him to calm down and tell him
what’s happening. He says that the heat around Dabi is climbing rapidly.
Endeavor is still okay but they say he’ll be dead soon if he doesn’t get out of
there. They’ve analyzed Dabi and know that he’s building up heat at the core of
his body and has been since his initial capture. He thinks that within the next
ten minutes, Dabi’s body will be consumed by the heat and when he does he’ll
create an explosion 5 kms in diameter. He’s basically turning himself into a
nuke. La Brava tells them that the stalled tram block is right in the blast
radius. Tsukauchi is shocked to hear this and wonders how Dabi could have
possibly known where his family’s block would be on the tram. They think
Skeptic must have filled him in. La Brava says to stall the other blocks, they
can’t save the stalled one, but they can save the ones behind it. In the block
we see the hero Gunhead start leading people to the escape hatches. They’re
then given the worse news that AFO will reach the point where he’ll be able to
sludge warp to Izuku and Tomura’s location. They realize that when that
happens, they’re all dead. Tsukauchi asks if they have ANYONE, and
unfortunately, they don’t. Everyone that could go is down. They’d need a Hail
Mary play if they are to save the day… and who should get in contact over the
radio but one Toshinori “All Might” Yagi, the king of Hail Mary’s.
Back at Kamino Ward, Iida is
helping Shoto to walk, although he loudly reminds his friend that he’s too
exhausted from Phosphor to be of much use. Shoto says that he doesn’t matter,
they need to stop AFO from reaching Izuku. Iida tries to talk to Shoto about
what happened, saying that he empathizes with Shoto about how hard it must have
been to face Dabi and then to see him run off before they could stop him. Iida
admits that he admires Shoto a lot and that he’s reminded Iida of the kind of
hero that he wants to be. He says its unfair that he has to suffer like this.
They’re talk is interrupted by All Might over the radio. He tells them to race
to Gunga, as Dabi is going to self-destruct soon and take the Todorokis and
their whole block out with them. He encourages Shoto, saying that he knows that
the mind and body work together. Shoto asks who is going to stop AFO, and All
Might says he has a hero waiting in the wings to do just that. He encourages
the boys to do their best and stop Dabi. Shoto asks how they can possibly do
that with Iida’s engines shot. Iida clips his mask on Shoto’s face, saying that
the rain has cooled him off and that running like this is what he was born to
do. He activates his engines, which cause just flipping huge exhaust pipes to spring
from his legs. Iida gets Shoto on his back and says that he’s decided that his
Quirk is meant to help lost children find their way home. They’re being watched
from a distance by Stain, who judges Iida and Todoroki as selfless and brave
heroes. Iida rockets forward, the two of them shooting like comet towards their
destiny.
We cut back to All Might who says
he’s proud of those boys and that he’s leaving Dabi to them. He gets a call
from Tsukauchi, who immediately starts yelling at him. All Might says that he’s
fine and it was his fight to begin with. He sees AFO approaching and prepares.
He thinks that Tomura’s hate is affecting AFO and because of that, he won’t be
able to ignore All Might. He whips out a brief case that starts to glow with
green light. He remembers Izuku asking if someone without a Quirk can be a
hero. We see a close up of AFO’s face, yes he has seen All Might, and yes all
other thoughts have left his mind besides ‘Kill that Blonde Bastard that ruined
me!” All Might announces that “I AM HERE!” and his car reacts by transforming
behind him.
Back at the block, Kendo and
Tetsutetsu have restrained the moles as the populace try to evacuate. They’re
about two kms from Gunga at the moment. They system has been fried, though, so
they can’t get it running again. Topside, the Todorokis look behind them
despite Kendo’s warning and see the huge ball of blue fire that is Dabi. Rei
clutches at her heart as she calls out her oldest son’s name. Meanwhile,
Endeavor is racing ahead of his boy. He knows that everyone, the evacuees as
well as the heroes and villains will be incinerated. He can’t run much farther,
either, as he’s exhausted and badly injured from all the fighting today. Dabi
shrieks at his father to look at him. He winds up and unleashes a huge fireball
that sends Endeavor flying back. Dabi tackles him and Endeavor begs Toya to put
out his flames. Dabi then calls out to Natsuo and asks him to play. Endeavor
realizes that his son has absolutely lost touch with reality and doesn’t know
what’s going on. The fire he’s radiating is so hot it’s even burning Endeavor’s
heat-resistant skin. He reaches for Dabi’s chest and wonders how he’s kept
himself together for so long. He wonders if Dabi’s recent near death experience
enhanced his Quirk somehow. It’s that or he’s just going all out because he
knows he’ll die soon. Endeavor sees one of the blue flowers Rei likes blooming
in his minds eye… and then he sees ice forming at Dabi’s chest. He realizes
that that is Rei’s quirk. His life flashes before his eyes and he remembers his
promise to win and keep looking at Toya. He realizes that he’s responsible for
all of Dabi’s actions. He says he swore to find atonement, and yet there was
Dabi, constantly following him and being the ever present example of how weak
that vow was. He admits that he still has that dream of Rei, Fuyumi, Natsuo,
and Shoto having dinner without him and realizes that he has to make that dream
real. He captures Dabi in a bear hug, telling his son that he won’t die alone.
He rockets upward while clutching Dabi to him. He is trying to get them high
enough to protect everyone else, but its slow going. Dabi nearly explodes… but
they’re both hit by a wave of ice. He looks over and sees Rei.
There’s a quick flashback to when
Rei looked back and saw Dabi’s fire. She told Natsuo to look after Fuyumi and
makes a robot take her to them. She unleashes a huge cold wave, but starts to
get burned by the intense heat. Endeavor yells at her to run, but she refuses.
She knows that Endeavor planned to die with Toya and she refuses to let that
happen. Dabi seems to recognize his mom and calls out to her. She apologizes to
him. Dabi then calls out to Fuyumi and Natsuo, who followed and are adding
their ice power. Fuyumi refuses to lose anyone else, and Natsuo tells his
stupid big brother to stop causing the family trouble. Endeavor knows he can’t
get high enough to save them and begs Toya to just kill him and not anyone
else. Dabi becomes more lucid in this moment, realizing that his family are all
watching him right now. He has a mental image of him standing with them,
everyone is healthy and healed and smiling with him. He wonders if just showing
up would have been all it took to bring everyone to him. His body starts to
break down as he wishes he’d known that sooner. According to the analysts, Dabi
isn’t getting as hot as quickly, but he’s still about to blow. We see the
civilians try to escape, the preschool teacher telling the kids they’ll be
fine, Tiger of the Wild, Wild Pussycats telling Uraraka and co to run, that
pink haired kid that idolized Endeavor praying for them, the reporters
recording the incident, and then a high-speed rocket shooting across Japan. The
preschoolers says that Five Wienies is on the way and he’ll save everyone. The
analysts realize that Iida and Shoto, who have made a jet made of ice, are
flying as fast as a fighter jet to Gunga Villa. Tsukauchi is stunned by these
boys and says that All Might must be a hell of a teacher. Iida’s armor and body
give out, he tells his friend that this is as far as he can take him. Iida
drops and Shoto leaps from his back and keeps running, igniting Phosphor as he
does. Iida yells after him that he was inspired by Shoto to become the man that
he wants to be and he begs Shoto to chose to do the same today.
Shoto remembers when he started
writing letters to his mom. He tells her that he’s trying to be more social
with his friends and how they’re growing more connected. In the present, Shoto is
sprinting to the finish to be with his family. He arrives at the last possible
moment and leaps at them. Dabi has the epiphany that he, in fact, loves his
family and that he still wants to be with them. There are things he wants to
talk to them about; to argue with them, he wants more time! He’s about to go
off when Shoto uses his Great Glacial Aegir attack. The flash freeze sucks up
all the heat and destroys the flame bubble Dabi made. Everyone watches, totally
stunned. As the smoke clears, Shoto realizes that his family were all there and
he thanks them for their help. He knows that he wouldn’t have made it in time
without them freezing Toya. All members of the Todoroki house were burned in
that fight, the worst being Endeavor. Dabi is barely conscious at this point,
muttering that they all deserve death. Natsuo wonders what they’re supposed to
do now. Endeavor, broken and burnt, drags himself to Toya, and repeats that
he’s sorry. He says he should have gone to the peak to see him. Dabi cries for
the first time, (its technically condensation from Shoto’s ice… but still
counts) and he says he hates him and blames him for everything. Endeavor sobs
as he apologizes to Toya, his wife, and other children for being a complete
POS. Shoto drops, exhausted as the credits roll.
Well, that was an emotional
rollercoaster. I’ll start with the finale tease, All Might stepping up to face
off against All For One. I like the entire framing of what we know is coming.
All Might knows it’s an obvious trap, that he’s putting himself out as bait to
slow down AFO and that at best he can hope to just be a stumbling block to him.
AFO knows it’s an obvious trap, that All Might can’t possibly hope to beat him
and thus he’s only there to try to buy Izuku more time. But they also both know
AFO can’t resist All Might. They’re each other’s Moby Dick and Captain Ahab, the
center of an obsession that is even greater than AFO’s obsession with getting
OFA. Why? Because All Might beat him. All Might broke him. All Might, the
upstart that didn’t even have Quirk of his own faced off against him and RUINED
the Demon Lord like no previous Wielder of OFA had ever done. He proved that AFO
could bleed, so obviously he must die for that. I’m so hyped to see All Might
whip out his final gambit. The tragic story of the House of Todoroki has hit a
climax, me thinks. Was it schmaltzy to have all of them gather to see Toya,
that it was the combination of their ice and attention that seemed to slow him
just long enough for Shoto to arrive and finally stop him? Yes. But I still
teared up when Dabi had his epiphany that he didn’t want to go just yet and
then Shoto unleashed his ice. Dabi is on borrowed time after this, he’s
basically a skeleton with just bits of burned meat stubbornly clinging to him,
and if he’s feeling anything its pain. But his family has a chance to be with
him for however long he has left. I like that he didn’t stop being angry once
he cooled off, that’s a realistic reaction even if he doesn’t necessarily want
to be the one to kill them all anymore. I also liked how Dabi realized that it
honestly would have been that easy. He could have come home, and they’d have
all come to him. It adds to the tragedy that he didn’t even try. And that
Endeavor sobbed as he apologized. Nothing he says will undo what he did, but I
think he’s shown that his remorse is genuine. My only real complaint about this
episode was how it highlights this friendship between Iida and Shoto that they
never really brought up before. Like... I think they’ve only really had one
not-class or hero related heart-to-heart and that was just before the war
started. That we saw at least. It’s like Shoji’s tragic backstory, I with this
could have been teased or shown earlier so it didn’t feel like an info dump. Do
I buy that Shoto and Iida are friends? Absolutely. They’re similar in a lot of
ways and they have Izuku pulling them both into his orbit. I just would have
liked to see more of them interacting before Iida basically calls Shoto his new
hero role model. It just felt… forced. But that’s a complaint I often have with
these kinds of large ensemble casts, unless you’re One Piece, a lot of
the secondary and tertiary character relationships just don’t get a chance to
shine. Well, now, it looks like Dabi is checked off for certain. With him,
Spinner, Twice, Mr. Compress, and Gigantomachia down, that just leaves Toga,
Tomura, and AFO on the board as final bosses. Let’s see them tie off a few more
loose ends, then. See you later. Have a good night and stay safe.
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/posts/viewer-log-my-ep-159690316
Bluesky: @basicssuperhero.bsky.social
No comments:
Post a Comment