The fourth season of My Hero Academia is 25 episodes long. It is based upon the popular manga series. The first episode is like a catch up episode as it spends time to explain the world, the events that had happened up to this season, and introduce each of the characters and their quirks. It feels inconsequential to the plot as a result but there are still enjoyable bits. This type of slow pacing continues on for the first third of the season, which can be boring for those that are even the tiniest bit impatient.
The format of the season tends to show a recap of previous episode’s cliffhanger, show a bit of the events leading up to it, have the main draw, cut that short in order to have some flashbacks on the motivations of the characters, and then return to end that part of the scene. It’s used frequently and can become predictable, but cannot be faulted much since it still makes for an addictive view. There is some filler type content as it likes to constantly summarize events, whether that is at the beginning of each episode or the characters’ inner monologue.
Building upon the previous seasons, with All Might in the situation that he is now, the League of Villains (and villains in general), are stepping up as the hero side is “leaderless”. Although the villains side is leaderless as well, there are no shortage of troublemakers. Furthermore, Tomura, the student of All for One, has his position being challenged.
As Midoriya (hero name Deku) discovers more about All Might’s past and his background, including the people he’s worked with, he has to come to grips with his insecurities as All Might’s successor. We have to continue to watch Midoriya grapple with himself and how he is currently so much inferior to All Might. Midoriya is shown to be too straightforward and lacks tact. He can easily blow his cover and allow the villain to become suspicious when it was crucial not to alert them.
The anime is extremely melodramatic, even more so than previous seasons. Characters react to things that were obvious as it if were the most horrifying thing in the world. Midoriya spouts out all the time how he wants to save everyone without really thinking it through. More and more, Midoriya lacks tact and his personality is too rash. Characters just shout out their attack names, which isn’t that bad unless they do it five times in a row which is too cheesy.
The season focuses on a certain subset of the class, rather than all the characters. Granted, the cast was already large and unwieldy without introducing even more characters. The Big Three that was introducing at the very end of last season has a high focus, and they’re pretty likable characters, especially Mirio. It spends a surprising amount of time on fleshing the Big Three out, with backstories and detailed showcases of their powers. It makes you empathize with them, and makes them every part of the core cast as Bakugo and Tororoki were in the past seasons. This makes it all the tougher to stomach what happens to them and the sacrifices that they make.
Despite the slow start, it eventually comes back to what made the past seasons so good. While we already know the background of a lot of Vlass A, this season spends time to help flesh out a few others. These characters were often overlooked, like Kirishima with his hardening quirk. Despite his hotheadedness, we learn what motivates him and the scene in which he truly comes out strong against a powerful villain was perfect in its execution with the amount of emotion it contained. That was actually the first scene that really nailed down the tone and atmosphere of the season, which was one-third of the way in.
Along with the introduction of a new villain group, their objectives are a lot more sinister. They promise to upend the status quo of the hero society, and the usage of quirks. Their leader is unhinged, and their whole organization as a result is intense. This season seems to have heavier scenes, where the consequences of actions result in more serious longer lasting impacts. This coincides with Midoriya starting to move on from hero school to actually gaining work experience at hero agencies and doing real hero work. A mistake here could mean someone’s life that you’ll remember and regret for the rest of your life. It introduces concepts and plot devices, and then to reinforce the importance of them, events later on upend those assumptions. It challenges the characters’ beliefs and understanding of the current scenario.
While the action sequences and fights are not as action packed as previous seasons, they hit harder and feel heavier in terms of emotional impact. Following the trend of past seasons, after a heavier more serious arc, comes one that’s more laid back, relating to the school part of the characters’ lives. The focus shifts out from Midoriya and goes back to Shoto and Bakugo as they continue their struggle to pass the provisional hero license exam. It continues their character development as they accept their weaknesses and continue forward.
Then we are told that U.A. is holding the traditional school festival. Of course, every class has to participate and do something. Class A starts preparing their part, and it shows off their hard work and perseverance in pulling off their best efforts. Wrapped into this do some low key villains that want to ruin the day. Inevitably, Midoriya gets involved. It works into a feel good ending to the season, showing off an idealistic and optimistic view of the world. The season finale goes out with a bang as it focuses on the effect of All Might’s departure as the Symbol of Peace, and the effect this has on the general populace and other heroes. Following the trend of the series, it continues to redeem characters that weren’t show in a favorable light, and gives more meaning to their actions.
Overall, the fourth season of My Hero Academia may not reach the same peaks as previous seasons; however, it is still very solid. The average quality per episode remains fairly high and the build up and anticipate of the key highlights makes the earlier blander sections worthwhile. The second half can feel like a massive mood whiplash with the overly positive tone. After the season finale, you can’t help but try and contain your eagerness and anticipation for the next season.
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