My Hero Academia Season 5 ended on a bit of a cliffhanger, with the heroes-in-training of Class 1-A called up to the big leagues for an undisclosed mission. With work-study experience under their belts, it was time for a group team-up.
RELATED: Tickets on Sale Now for My Hero Academia: World Heroes’ Mission
After I binged the entire fifth season in the span of a few days, just before the premiere of My Hero Academia: World Heroes’ Mission, I was hyped to find out what was next.
Not caught up on the series yet? Don’t worry at all, because the film is a fantastic, self-contained experience with an unexpected surprise that’s stuck with me long after the lights in the theater came on.
NOTE: Some spoilers ahead for My Hero Academia: World Heroes’ Mission.
From the top
In this film, the heroes aren’t fighting the League of Villains, but a different criminal organization with extreme beliefs about Quirks. This group is known as Humarise, and they believe Quirks must be eliminated before they become too powerful, and their solution is to, ironically I would add, speed up the process by releasing “Trigger” gas across the world via bombs. The gas gruesomely kills Quirk users by cranking up their powers beyond their breaking point. That’s where Japan’s finest heroes are called to action.
RELATED: My Hero Academia: World Heroes’ Mission Collab with Venom Comic Artist Revealed!
With students from Class 1-A and 1-B split into groups and sent across the world alongside their work-study heroes, it seems like the issue will be wrapped up in no time. But the teams fail to find any trace of the Trigger bombs. With everybody split up, the film focuses on Izuku Midoriya (Deku), Katsuki Bakugo (Bakugo), and Shoto Todoroki (Todoroki), who find themselves under the tutelage of Japan’s number one hero, Endeavor. It’s here that the film really begins, with Midoriya being branded an enemy of the state after he meets a local man, Rody Soul. After a jewel robbery goes wrong, Rody ends up with a briefcase full of information no one is supposed to have.
After Deku chases Rody to track down the jewels, the two are surrounded by a large contingent of police, who are ready to start shooting when Rody fails to comply. The whole thing devolves into chaos after that point, and our good-natured Deku is now in the midst of an international incident that goes much further than a bunch of stolen jewels.
Taking it down a notch
It’s here that the film takes a turn and slows its pace down to explore Deku and Rody’s relationship as the two characters, who are more similar than they would care to admit, go on the lam to a bordering country. Rody’s biggest worry is leaving his two younger siblings on their own, while Deku sends a cleverly coded message to Todoroki.
With the two wearing new threads, they make their way to the border of Otheon. But Rody pulls a double-cross that ends up backfiring, needing Deku’s assistance after he is attacked. Shortly after, they make it to the border where they meet up with Todoroki and Bakugo.
RELATED: My Hero Academia: World Heroes’ Mission Content Coming to My Hero Academia: The Strongest Hero
The quartet finds Humarise’s main base and makes their way to the location in a plane flown by Rody, who revealed his dream to be a pilot. While Rody does have an unexplained Quirk, he’s told to stay behind while the other three handle business. After splitting up, the three have their own separate battles. It’s non-stop action from here on out. Each battle is as deadly as the next, and perspectives constantly change to keep the action going. In between, we see glimpses of the other teams across the world as they continue their search for Humarise’s Trigger bombs.
Where it all comes together
However, the attention stays on the battles, especially Deku’s. The once-Quirkless hero goes up against the main villain, Flect Turn, who can redirect attacks back to the attacker. No matter what Deku throws at Flect Turn, it just gets thrown back at him, over and over again.
Deku just won’t give up. I won’t spoil the ending, but it’s absolutely worth the price of admission.
While the film may not be wall-to-wall action-packed spectacle like the previous My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising film, the ending and its final act more than make up for it. With the action cranked up to the max by the end, as well as the gorgeous animation provided by Bones, My Hero Academia: World Heroes’ Mission is a must-watch film for any fan of the series.
By focusing on three heroes instead of the entire class, we get a more intimate look at the trio’s budding friendships. Sure, Bakugo swears Todoroki isn’t his friend, but after saving the world, I’m sure it’s the beginning of something beautiful. Deku and Rody, too, strengthen their relationship by the end. However, as they part ways, a small, final surprise is revealed, ending the film on an emotional note.
It’s an ongoing theme for the film; every time it seems headed for one way, it subverts your expectations and delivers something better and better with each moment. As I walked out of the theater, I knew one thing: I needed to watch it a second time.
