‘My Hero Academia’ Season 3, Episode 8: “From Iida to Midoriya”

By Eli Sokeland Warning: This review may contain spoilers for this episode and previous episodes of My Hero Academia This week’s episode of My Hero Academia began the next major arc for the series: the attack on the the League of Villain’s base. The cliffhanger from the previous episode was finally addressed through a clear and present debate between the students from Class 1-A. This conflict between the students shows how far each character has progressed.

The episode opens up in Deku’s hospital room with all of his classmates there. Kirishima and Shoto present Midoriya with the option of going to rescue Bakugo. However, Iida counters by requesting Midoriya to leave the rescue to the pro heroes. The show does take quite a bit of time during this scene to showcase the other students’ opinions on the matter. While this might seem time consuming, it was pleasant to see the students carefully think about the consequences of attempting the rescue. Ultimately, Kirishima tells Deku that he and Shoto already have a plan to save Bakugo that night. This urgency from his fellow students worsens Deku's situation when he receives news from the doctor. The episode does a great job at showing the cost that it takes for Deku to be a hero. Remember how he scarred up his hand during the tournament arc? Well, the fight with Muscular caused multiple scars and torn ligaments up Deku’s right arm. According to the doctor, which becomes questionable with plot holes, Deku can only go full out two or three more times. The show then takes a step back by including Deku’s mother. The concerned mother that she is, she urges Deku to quit the hero course. This is especially welcome since the show has not shown Deku’s more normal side of life, such as actual school or home.

Ultimately, Deku decides to join Shoto and Kirishima to rescue Bakugo. Surprisingly, Yaoyorozu and Iida decide to tag along with the group. Yaoyorozu joins because she wanted to make sure that the group wouldn’t get into any fights in order to save their classmate. Iida, also sharing the same concern, states that his responsibility as class representative is to provide a good image for the school. This is the most dramatic part of the episode because Iida specially calls out Shoto and Deku for the Hosu incident. This action Iida takes provides a great contrast for Class 1-A. While the other students’ internships were rather normal, the show especially highlights what sets these three peers apart. They have faced shame before for their fight against Stain, now they have gotten wiser. Iida and Yaoyorozu made everyone agree that if they had to use their quirks, they would drop the rescue mission. The scene is also impressive on an animation level as well. One second Deku looks childish when he gets nervous, next the entire group feels like they've grown up several moments later. Despite the “grownup” disguises they get for the mission, the animation feels sharper and more refined for the series. Also, the funniest moment is how the show explains why the economy isn’t broken because of Yaoyorozu’s quirk. When Kirishima asks why she could just make their disguises, she argues that the economy must contain a consistent flow of supply and demand. Even though this was a minor plot hole, I did find it humorous and informative at the same time.

The episode then provides a much needed break from the group to focus on UA through the media. The school finally held a press conference with the principal, Eraserhead, and Vlad. As expected, the school apologizes for the camp incident and says that they will increase the border patrol around the school. The show then demonstrates that people are no longer content with how many times the heroes have failed recently. However, the show introduced a new development that showcased the top heroes in the world meeting for a brand new mission. Even though this hasn’t been detailed yet, it is safe to assume that they are going to try and take on the villain’s hideout as well.

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