It’s always satisfying to see our favorite characters get to kick some ass and save the day, but there honestly would have been diminishing returns to throw Midoriya back into combat here. Instead, “His Start” centers around a character who in the past has been much more a peripheral presence. My Hero Academia’s prior installment introduces the new responsibilities that Endeavor is ready to accept as the new Number One hero and the nation’s Symbol of Peace, but now he needs to actually prove that he can do it. The result is an exciting, emotional season finale of My Hero Academia that closes out the year on a beyond satisfying note that also helps establish an encouraging direction for what’s to come.
First of all, this episode is essentially just one giant fight between Nomu, Endeavor, and Hawks and it’s maybe the most visually stunning fight that My Hero Academia has ever done. It’s even on par with the climaxes of its feature films. Why hasn’t the series just always been Endeavor and Hawks slaughtering monsters on an epic scale? That’s something that needs to be happening on a regular basis. The bio-engineered Nomu that Endeavor and Hawks are up against exhibits an advanced level of intelligence, which he uses to split himself into more versions of himself and then regenerates Akira style to regain the lost mass.
As strong as the heroes are, this Nomu’s resilience makes it seems like they’re up against an endless goal. This results in quite the stunning battle that’s easily on the same level of All Might’s fight against All For One and it’s the perfect way to show off Endeavor. “His Start” is certainly Endeavor’s time to shine, but this episode is also an excellent vehicle for Hawks, who’s nearly as awesome through this crisis. The way that he uses his feathers to help speed up Endeavor is also a great level of teamwork that should happen more in the series.
The animation doesn’t just look incredible during this showdown, but Bones makes many creative decisions that show off just how ambitious and different they are as an animation studio. There are a handful of moments in this episode that made me shout out loud over the beauty that’s on display. At one point Endeavor briefly turns into a UFO as he smashes through a building. During another Endeavor’s Flashfire Fist Hellfire technique incinerates a building into fire particles. Even just smaller scenes like when Hawks runs backwards on the roof with Endeavor are visual masterpieces. Bones really saves the best for last with this season and it’s immensely satisfying to see that they’ve saved a lot of tricks for this finale and it’s not a lazy retread of old material. It’s the kind of sendoff that this season deserves.
There’s a moment where it looks like the bio-engineered Nomu has possibly defeated Endeavor and it really highlights the city in panic mode. It’s a nice change of pace to get the general public’s reaction as they’re spectators to this clash. The series can often get tunnel vision with all of the highly powered individuals that it throws into the face of danger, but in this case the threat of the Nomus feels much more drastic because of the calamity in the streets. In this case the public’s perspective is actively important because this whole episode is about how important it is for the public to have a Symbol of Hope and a Number One hero. Without someone in that role there’s greater pandemonium than ever before. The necessity of this position really gets to be seen in “His Start.”
