My Hero Academia Episode 42 (Review)

By: FallenKing

This week’s My Hero Academia episode builds on the suspense and lurking threats that have been hiding in the background all season. As the League of Villains make their move, Kota comes under the threat of a villain and thanks to Deku’s quick thinking he has the foresight to go search for him. The saving grace for the hero side as they come under attack was Mandalay’s quirk which telepathically allowed them to gear up for the confrontation. We’re teased to a multiple confrontations with character’s like Spinner who are direct result of Stain’s captivating mentality that attracted new villains. However, the real confrontation lies on Kota’s side as he comes across the villain Muscular. As we come to find out he was the criminal who took his parents lives which puts him in a bad emotional state. For Kota, this experience bittered his perspective on heroes and layed the foundation for his beliefs.  From a writing perspective this can be seen as cliche however with most things My Hero Academia, its the execution and presentation that allows us as viewers to fully immerse with the story at hand. Thankfully for Kota, Deku comes in the nick of time which allows us to have our first real confrontation of the season.Unlike, the previous encounters with villains, Deku doesn’t have the luxury of backup since his phone breaks from one of the clashes. This puts him in a bind facing one of the strongest villains he’s ever faced whilst doing it alone. Despite how it may feel, the strengths of My Hero Academia is highlighted as Deku is forced to put all his training into practice and as the series so eloquently puts “Go Beyond” his limits once more.One aspect that impressed me is how even in this overwhelmingly negative circumstances, Deku is considering about his mother’s and All Might’s thoughts uttering “Sorry, Mom”. It’s meant to be an inspiring believe in your power moment but for Deku the sheer weight of having to carry All Might’s legacy is a burden that is brought to a forefront for a brief moment. As things head to a climax, Deku’s courage and sheer force of will give us one of the best action moments of the season so far with his 1,000,000 percent Detroit Delaware Smash which was executed brilliantly with visual presentation that is sure to leave this fight as one of the best for My Hero Academia fans. We wrap up this subplot with Kota bringing things full circle by finally acknowledging heroes and declaring Deku as “My Hero” which ties things up amazingly well however we do still face the overarching villain threat as they seek to clear their own objectives.