Far Cry [My Hero Academia 416]

With most of Japan’s citizens evacuated and all other battles fought, all eyes turn to a young hero trying to save the world.

No, not Aang from Avatar: The Last Airbender! Izuku Midoriya AKA Deku AKA the current strongest hero on Earth. At least, I think he still is. That final punch of his may have transferred the entirety of One For All to Shigaraki, leaving Deku quirkless again. It’s possible, but let’s be real. At the very least I think the basic OFA quirk, represented by the 1st User, will stay with Deku. Let Deku clean, Horikoshi! That’s what the kids say, right? Clean? Or, is it cook?

While the chapter focused on other characters, every conversation throughout the chapter was centered around our main character peppered with panels showing our favorite crying hero fighting Shigaraki. At the end, Deku seems to have reached the source of Shigaraki’s trauma, Tenko Shimura’s old home.

What’s waiting inside the physical manifestation of Shiggy’s childhood trauma? Tenko Shimura? All For One? Daddy Shimura? Squatters? Who or whatever’s inside, Horikoshi has already setup the ability for Deku to see Shiggy’s memories. He’ll see exactly what went down in that house, earn a psychology degree, then help treat Shigaraki’s long-standing trauma through years of professional therapy and emotional rehabilitation. Or … Deku will punch something and/or give a speech. Who needs a doctorate these days, anyway? Right?

Normally, I’m not a fan of fight cutaways but I love getting the chance to see what’s going on elsewhere in the country through characters we haven’t seen in awhile like Eri and Kaminari. I especially love how Ectoplasm handled the situation with Eri. He was blunt about her being unable to help but there was no malice. All of U.A.’s staff really knows how to talk to kids (Ironically, except for Hound Dog, the lifestyle guidance counselor). I enjoyed that and Kota’s scene of being supportive of Eri while showing himself to be just as worried about Deku as she is very much.

This was a good chapter! Last chapter’s ending with Eri rushing to help Deku was kind of a cop out, but I’ll let it side since it does make sense how a child hundreds of miles away can’t possibly help Deku right now. The emotional scenes with Kaminari and Lady Nagant were good too, but Eri and Ectoplasm stole the chapter.

Deku VS Shigaraki is the very last fight in the series so there shouldn’t be too many— Wait? What about Gashly, the Tartarus escapee? And will Kurogiri and Eraser Head fight? They’re been MIA for months. Ah! Could Horikoshi be saving those plotlines for the series sequel, My Hero Academia Z? That’s the series where we’ll learn Deku is half alien after his extraterrestrial father returns to take over the Earth. I can’t wait!

R.I.P. Akira Toriyama!