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My Hero Academia Season 6 Episode 121: Favorites

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Quick Summary • Best Moment • Setup • Delivery • Other Posts

My Hero Academia Season 6 Episode 121 – Quick Summary

In My Hero Academia Season 6 episode 121, “League of Villains vs. U.A. Students,” Nemuri Kayama/Midnight had turned over command of the Gigantomachia opetation to Momo Yaoyorozu/Creati. Momo was a top student, but was she up to assuming command under these conditions? Are the rest of the students capable of doing what she must ask of them? Meanwhile, Tomura Shigaraki continued to give Enji Todoroki/Endeavor more than he could handle. Even with the help of others like Izuku_Midoriya/Deku, Tomura refused to go down. What was it going to take to stop that villain? Or is there nothing they can do?

Note: This post may include spoilers, so be cautious.

Favorite Quote from My Hero Academia Season 6 Episode 121

My Hero Academia Season 6 Episode 121: Eraserhead was at the limits of his endurance

Eraserhead was very near his limit. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

My favorite fiction pushes its character to the edge. Then it nudges them over. I think it’s safe to say we have several characters on the precipice in this episode. And several others have already tumbled over.

The only reason Endeavor, Deku, and the others are still in the fight against Tomura is because of Shouta Aizawa/Erasehead’s quirk and dedication. He’s kept his eyes on Tomura since early in the fight (and kudos for the hero keeping Shouta’s eyes moist!).

But the dude’s got to be tired. His eyes look even more bloodshot than usual. He’s barely able to stand. On top of all that, it had to feel galling to watch as Tomura monologued to Endeavor and the others.

His voice sounded intensely desperate as he looked on that scene and said (16:05), “Hurry, the finishing blow…”

That was the voice of someone at the very edge of their endurance. It was one of those situations where I hate to say it, because I like this character, but it was my favorite quote because of the tone of near despair in his voice.

And it looks like things aren’t going to get better any time soon!

Favorite Moment from My Hero Academia Season 6 Episode 121

My Hero Academia Season 6 Episode 121: Tomura had a point, but he was sill a villain

Tomura had a point. He expressed it in a murderous way, but it was still a valid point. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

Setup: Art Holds Up a Mirror to Real Life

I admire the care and craftsmanship that went into making my favorite moment so powerful. On the surface, it’s what has become a typical lament for villains – even villains in the real world. How often have we read an analysis that indicated a terrorist group, for example, had convinced themselves that they were right? That the terror and damage they inflicted were actually justified?

Remember in 1979, when militarized Iranian students took over the US embassy in Tehran? I remember when that happened. President Carter tried to negotiate. I’ve even spoken to soldiers who took part in the disastrous rescue attempt. Those students, of course, maintained they had a noble purpose. To them, this was about pushing back on American imperialism.

To this day, I do not believe it was coincidence that the Iranian authorities handed over our people just minutes after President Ronald Regan was sworn in.

As soon as they took hostages, the discussion focused on the heinous nature of their act. Even putting aside national pride, it’s just not cool to take hostages. In the mind of the American public, those students and the government that supported them were villains. I would argue that those acts were, in fact, villainous. So, I agree they were villains.

My Hero Academia Season 6 Episode 121: There is no doubt that Tomura is a villain

There is absolutely no doubt that Tomura is a villain. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

But here’s the problem, and it’s at the thematic core of My Hero Academia. Sometimes villains have a cause that is actually right.

Consider my favorite moment. Endeavor had given Tomura a moment to monologue. Not by choice, I think. Endeavor had exhausted himself. So, I give MHA points for a realistic pause in the fighting. Tomura remembered moments like the civilian telling him some hero or police officer would be along – back in episode 112. Tomura beheld a society that had its share of issues and said (16:52), “Everything that I’ve ever seen — everything you all built rejected me. That’s why I’ll reject you, too.”

Delivery: The Mirror’s View Isn’t Always Pleasant

You know what? He’s right. we watched those events unfold. We’ve seen how this society treated people on the edge. Heck, even people like the Danjuro Tobita/Gentle Criminal from episode 81 ended up as villains against their will, simply because of how the laws had been set up.

That’s the part that gets lost in some of these conversations. Terrorists murdering people is morally reprehensible. Always. But trying to understand what drove them to those acts should not be seen as “giving into” terrorism. It’s simply human problem solving. As a practical man, I like to solve problems.

If the United States had not helped the United Kingdom obey British Petroleum’s orders to instigate the 1953 Iranian coup d’état, would those Iranian students have been inclined to take US citizens hostage? If the US and UK had not removed Mohammad Mosaddegh, the duly elected Prime Minister, might the US even now be enjoying a strong democracy as an ally in the Middle East?

My Hero Academia Season 6 Episode 121: Laws and expectations can drive people to extremes

Laws have an impact on how a society develops. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

It’s hard to say. But what is easy to say is this: yes, those students and terrorists were wrong to take hostages. And yes, creating the conditions that increase the odds of terrorists acts is wrong, too! If that sounds like kowtowing, consider this: I could reword the question like this: Destroying a democratically-elected government to increase oil profits is a bad idea.

Not much discussion on that point, is there? At least, I hope there isn’t!

Also: discriminating against people whose quirks or personalities don’t absolutely conform to social expectations is wrong, too. That’s what I like about MHA. It presents a realistic world, given its idiosyncrasies like quirks, and lets it speak for itself through its characters like Tomura.

What did you think of Momo’s plan for taking down Gigantomachia? What were your favorite moments in the episode? Feel free to share in the comments!

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