My Hero Academia - Volume 11 (Review)

By: MithrandielMiss my last review of the MHA manga? Check it out here!

Spoilers ahead!

It's been a few months since we last left the My Hero Academia manga, and boy what a cliffhanger it was! Bakugo, in the grips of the League of Villains, was set upon by some of the top heroes in a bold rescue attempt. Just as things appeared to be going smoothly, the mastermind behind the League and All Might's nemesis, All for One, made his devastating appearance.The volume picks up with All Might going after All for One, though the villain demonstrates a stunning level of power as he stops All Might's punches with his bare hands, and utilizes a variety of quirks to put distance between himself and All Might.The battle rages fiercely, with All for One ultimately revealing All Might's "true form" - a withered and weakened man. Broadcast around the country, aspiring heroes and rising villains alike realize that the Symbol of Peace, All Might, isn't all that he appears to be. Adding insult to injury, All for One informs All Might that Tomura Shigaraki, the unhinged young man responsible for attacking the school not too long ago, is actually the grandson of All Might's former master; a woman that All Might appears to have had tremendous respect and care for.The entire scene with All for One whittling down All Might physically and emotionally was difficult to read through. After 10 volumes of All Might being the undisputed #1 hero and Symbol of Peace, this newly emerged villain has essentially robbed him of everything that made him special. The execution of this scene was impressive, and serves as a catalyst for a lot of the anxiety and turmoil that follows.Back to the scene at hand: this knowledge appears to shake All Might thoroughly. Realizing that he's essentially been hurting his master by proxy, All Might grows increasingly angry and defeated at the same time. Suddenly, from behind him he hears a young girl asking him to save her. With spectators all over the country essentially encouraging All Might to fight on despite seeing his weakened form, All Might channels everything he has left in a final, bold attack. All for One attempts to reverse the attack on him with a "Recoil" quirk, but he fakes out his initial attack and lands a powerful blow that puts All for One into the ground so that he can be arrested.Yet, the victory is shallow. Shiguraki was teleported away along with a handful of villains from the league, now freshly motivated to battle All Might's protegé - Izuku Midoriya. Just as All Might has handed the mantle over, so too has All for One...both essentially telling their students: It's your turn now.All for One is locked away in a prison, but I get the feeling it's not the last we've heard from this supervillain.Following the attack on the school and the kidnapping event, U.A. decides to take a drastic step and introduce dormitories for their students going forward. All of the parents need to give their permission, and the conversations go about as you would expect until All Might gets to Izuku's house to ask his mom for permission.Seeing her son injured, his friends kidnapped and hurt, and U.A. now repeatedly failing to protect their students, Izuku's mother refuses to allow him to move into the dorms or continue his studies at U.A.Initially, Izuku is heartbroken, but then he storms off to his room and returns with papers detailing other hero schools. He challenges her to pick one because he is determined to "become a hero!"All Might then bows before Izuku's mom and pleads for her permission, stating that he believes Izuku can take on his title as the Symbol of Peace, and he's going to do everything he can to raise him properly and train him. After seeing the #1 hero's dedication, she relents, agreeing to let Izuku move into the dorms.The final chapter ends on a lighter note as the students give tours of their new rooms, each decorated to their unique tastes. I appreciated these insights to their design styles and aesthetics, with some moments of comedic relief that signaled a departure from the heavier themes that ran rampant in the earlier chapters of this volume.Overall, this is a pivotal moment in the manga to be sure. All Might will no longer have the same influence and power, which was already waning at the start of the series. It will be interesting to see how he attempts to "raise Izuku right" and elevate his training. How will Shiguraki react to this latest confrontation? It's going to be a couple more months before we find out...but I'm looking forward to seeing where the story goes from here. We'll also have the next cour of the anime to keep us entertained by the time volume 12 arrives. Until then, you can pick up volume 11 here!Note: VIZ Media provided us with a review copy of this volume in exchange for our honest review.