My Hero Academia: Volume 18 (Review)
By: EyeSpyeAlex
Need to catch up? Check out my previous review here!
The Story
My Hero Academia Volume 18 opens with Overhaul revealing his master plan. In short, the villain plans on using Eri’s powers to erase quirks from humanity’s existence. Thanks to a Yakuza mob boss getting him off the streets, Overhaul feels as if he owes them a life debt. His end game is simple: sell villains the anti-quirk serum to use on the heroes, THEN sell a quirk revival serum to the heroes. This puts the heroes and villains in an endless battle for control while the Yakuza reap the rewards.
This dream for the future is quickly knocked out of Overhaul (along with his consciousness) thanks to Midoriya. With Eri on his back, our young hero is getting a power up! He quickly defeats Overhaul at 100% power and with no broken bones. His victory is short lived however as the power boost Eri has been giving him is suddenly overpowering. Thankfully, Eri passes out and avoids killing Midoriya. The heroes’ rescue is a success!
In the aftermath of the battle the heroes and villains are transported off to their respective hospitals. Unfortunately for the van transporting Overhaul he has a run in with the League of Villains. After defeating a pesky hero, Shiragaki leads the way while Dabi and Spinner grab Overhaul out of the ambulance. After some self-righteous monologuing, Shiragaki cuts off Overhaul’s hand.
At the hero hospital, Midoriya is surprised to be greeted by a healthy looking Aizawa. After getting the all clear, Midoriya heads with Aizawa to check on the other students. Luckily, all of the students are in good shape. Nighteye however was mortally wounded in the battle. Midoriya, Mirio, and All Might gather at Nighteye’s bedside to say their goodbyes.
Meanwhile up in the mountains, Gran Torino tracks down Kurogiri, who reveals some shocking information about One for All. As it turns out, Shiragaki wasn’t One for All’s only experiment. He also created a rather large and foreboding monstrosity: Giganto-Machia.
Back at U.A. the other students are relieved to have their classmates back. Bakugo and Todoroki have a brief reunion with Midoriya before heading off for their licensure course. At the course we are treated to a familiar face: Camie! For those that don’t remember Camie, she’s the personality Toga took on to get close to Midoriya during the first licensure test.
We are once again greeted to the familiar face of Orca who reveals the challenge to the young heroes: entertaining a group of raucous grads schoolers! Initially the heroes stumble, their actions coming across as condescending and superior. This behavior riles up the young students, who then initiate an all out battle against the heroes. In a moment of brilliance, Todoroki wins over most of the students by using his freeze technique to shape the debris into a winter wonderland. Our would be heroes learned an important lesson in empathy and connecting with another person for sure.
Before the novel ends we are treated to some scenes of Aoyama working hard to get Midoriya’s attention. Out of nowhere Aoyama feeds Midoriya a piece of cheese. If that wasn’t weird enough, the last panel shows Aoyama outside of Midoriya’s window. What is his motive? We’ll have to wait until the next volume to find out!
Review
This is certainly an intense volume of My Hero Academia. I had a feeling going into it that we would witness a character death. I just didn’t imagine it would be Nighteye who hung up his cape for good. The way his final moments are handled is incredibly touching and heartwarming. With Nighteye giving parting words to All Might, Midoriya, and Mirio, I feel like us readers are given as much closure as the characters. All in all, a job well done.
Volume 18 is filled with as many hilarious moments as it is tearful ones. The segment with Bakugo dealing with the kindergartners had me actually laughing out loud. What made this even funnier was Orca’s reactions to the students’ suggestions. As much as it is a laugh out loud conflict, the issue resolves itself in another heartwarming moment. The students are able to peacefully subdue the children and restore the teacher’s will to live. Huzzah!
If you’re looking for a manga that will make you feel ALL the feelings while still leaving you warm and fuzzy I highly recommend picking up this volume of My Hero Academia. Information on where to purchase can be found here from Viz Media.