My Hero Academia Season 7’s Big Rematch Was Worth the Wait (2024)

After weeks of waiting, Izuku Midoriya has finally reached the Coffin in the Sky and delivered his first blow to Tomura Shigaraki/All for One, and it's a pleasure to say that it was worth the wait. This is far from the end of an already very lengthy battle, but My Hero Academia made up for lost time splendidly thanks to some incredible animation and the debut of one of Deku's coolest abilities yet.

The last episode was a meditation on the series' themes of legacy and protecting the coming generation, right as the older heroes were wrestling with Bakugo's devastating defeat. While Edgeshot worked to resuscitate him, it came down to a distraught and discouraged Lemillion to hold Shigaraki off until Deku could make his long-overdue debut.

Deku Kicks It into High Gear (Literally)

Since so much of Season 7 has been dedicated to one gigantic battle, the bursts of action come down to short but powerful moments, of which there have been many. There were exceptions, of course, with a few episodes headlined by strong matchups. Season 7 started strong with Star and Stripe's pyrrhic victory, Todoroki and Dabi set Kamino ablaze, and now, Episode 151 is almost entirely dedicated to Deku versus Shigaraki.

Although this is no doubt a contentious point, Season 7 has had - on the whole - some of the best action the anime has seen in years. Not simply for its dazzling spectacle, but for some of the most well-crafted conflicts, be it with the setting, the quirks at play, or the strategies employed. It all goes back to the premiere, where Horikoshi's storytelling truly shined on a conceptual level, and which Bones brought to life beautifully.

The Debut of Gearshift

The same is true of this hotly anticipated rematch, where Deku not only debuts the last of One for All's arsenal but displays a mastery of each power that will leave longtime fans in awe. After so long being kept secret, "Gearshift," the quirk wielded by the second user, needed to be particularly cool to make that wait worth it, and it doesn't disappoint. Best of all, the episode doesn't waste time explaining it - it just shows it.

Gearshift's oddly mechanical presentation is the first thing to catch the eye. It's not clear what it does at first, but its effect on Shigaraki gets the point across well enough. And then the pieces start coming together. Deku's new quirk originally could only alter the speed of small objects, but with how much One for All has grown, he can alter his body's speed as well. Every time Deku gets a new power, it's a momentous occasion, and they have seldom fumbled it.

Deku's Mind Is The Perfect Match for One for All

It's episodes like this where the show reminds everyone why Deku was the perfect person to wield One for All. The deciding factor may have been his kind heart, but his cunning mind has always been his greatest weapon ever since the days when he couldn't use his quirk without breaking a bone. This fight is glorious, but his having access to every quirk within One for All is only half the reason. The rest comes down to how he uses it.

As Deku's arsenal has grown over the seasons, the new powers, as cool as they were, could at times feel random, and not particularly complimentary of the character. However, seeing them all together, it's not hard to see the vision behind this eclectic blend of superpowers, and combined with such a keen intellect, it's like seeing Deku at his absolute peak.

The Renewed "Meaning" of Quirks

Sometimes I wonder if My Hero Academia is confused about its messages. At once, it is a celebration of individuality that espouses that there are no side characters; everyone can be a hero. Then, it simultaneously centers around a single boy who has 6 extra superpowers in addition to super-strength, and who the rest of the characters are placing their hopes on.

It might seem like the themes conflict with one another, but if anything, Deku's nature and how he acquired these powers is reflective of an overarching theme uniting these seemingly disparate elements. Kudo's speech in this episode exemplifies this, talking about where One for All's power truly resides: within the wills of those who wielded the quirks, rather than the quirks themselves.

The meta ability isn't the part you should be paying attention to. What are you using what you have been given for? Who are you using it for? That strong will is what power lives in. That's why people call them Quirks.

What This Quote Says About The Story's Message

The series has repeatedly reinforced the idea that quirks are intrinsically tied to the soul, as evidenced by Deku communicating with past wielders and All for One's quirks rebelling against him. If Episode 150 was a painful lesson about passing the torch when that mission has seemingly failed, 151 demonstrates the resounding success of that mandate.

Kudo's words could be a reminder to Deku or a criticism of All for One, but either way, it is a lesson that binds My Hero Academia's philosophy and its protagonist together. Deku is going to ultimately win this war against All for One, not simply because he possesses One for All, but because he quite literally carries on the will of those who came before, rather than discarding them.

Without that respect he offered, Deku would never have attained even half of his power, much less mastered it. The fact that he could have failed and that he needed to earn the consent to wield it is exactly what separates him from his opponent, who takes power without considering the soul attached to it.

All in all, this was a great episode. If anything felt lacking, it was a slight sense of anticlimax at the end, a side effect of this season's back-and-forth game of attrition. Shigaraki has already evolved so much, and Deku has reached such a peak for his character that one wonders if fatigue will set in. It's a consequence of shōnen villains becoming so insurmountable by the end, a trend begging to be dissected in further detail.

For now, the anime will spotlight other battles, notably the fight between Shoji and Spinner, so it's not as if things have gotten anywhere near stale. My Hero Academia has taken quite a few weeks off as of late, but assuming the breaks are over, these final weeks of the season could be a real treat.

My Hero Academia (2016)

Action

Superhero

Release Date

April 3, 2016

Seasons

7

Studio

Bones

Creator

Kōhei Horikoshi

Number of Episodes

141+

Streaming Service(s)

Crunchyroll , Hulu