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My Hero Academia Season 6 Episode 126: Favorites

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My Hero Academia Season 6 Episode 126 – Quick Summary

In My Hero Academia Season 6 episode 126, “Final Performance,” Atsuhiro Sako/Mr. Compress saw that with the arrival of Tsunagu Hakamada/Best Jeanist and Mirio Toogata/Lemillion, the battle had begun to turn in the heroes’ favor. So, he hatched a desperate plan – one that will cost him dearly. Can the heroes hold their advantage? Or will Mr. Compress’s plan bear fruit? Maybe even in a way he did not expect?

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

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Favorite Quote from My Hero Academia Season 6 Episode 126

My Hero Academia Season 6 Episode 126: I miss Jin already

Jin wasn’t about to take any of Dabi’s nonsense! Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

Shockingly, we got a flashback in this episode! Yeah, I know – who would have thought that MHA, of all series, would have a flashback?

Sarcasm aside, it was a decent flashback. We got to see the League of Villains when they were at their lowest. I felt sad seeing Jin Bubaigawara/Twice interacting with Himiko Toga. Of all the villains we’ve seen, Jin’s story hit me the hardest. Dude just wanted to be with his friends. No evil agenda, no desire for world domination. And he was among the first to die in this arc.

In the flashback, Dabi waltzed into their dilapidated accommodations and tried to berate them for not recruiting more followers.

Jin wasn’t about to take any of Dabi’s crap. Pointing at the man, he said (05:52), “You’re just going around burning people to death.”

Which, if you think about it, was a tremendous insight, even if Jin didn’t realize it. Maybe he rest in peace…

Favorite Moment from My Hero Academia Season 6 Episode 126

My Hero Academia Season 6 Episode 126: Tomura was a sympathetic character -- to Midoriya

Deku’s instincts are pure – probably. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

Setup: What’s the Nature of Virtue?

David Brin is one of my favorite science fiction writers. Back in 2002, he wrote a novel called Kiln People. It was an interesting concept: people could create instant clones of themselves using different kinds of clay. Some clay could produce clones with enhanced intellects; some with enhanced physical abilities. The clones had limited lives, and they would report back to the original before they expired. 

My Hero Academia Season 6 Episode 126: What drives heroes to fight to the death?

What drives heroes to fight and die – really? Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

There was a scene that stuck with me, even to this day. A police officer’s clone ventured into a live-fire zone and tried to stabilize a shooting victim. That clone took fire itself, and the point of view character remarked that it wasn’t as bad as it looked. That was because the clone probably had a complex that drove it to save people – and maybe even a touch of masochism that made the experience of being show enjoyable.

MHA often reminds me of Kiln People. My favorite moment from this episode did, in fact.

Tomura Shigaraki, apparently under the control of All for One, had begun his retreat on the backs of Nomu. Shuuichi Iguchi/Spinner accompanied him. In a last-ditch effort to capture Tomura, Izuku Midoriya/Deku used Blackwhip though his mouth (because pretty much the rest of his body was broken) to catch up to the villains.

Delivery: Equality of Origins

If they had been in better physical shape, they might have killed Deku right then and there. Instead, Tomura swatted him aside. As he fell, Deku thought what might be the most Deku thing possible.

“Back then, when you were swallowed up by All For One,” he thought as he fell and consciousness receded (20:06). “Back then, you looked like you were asking to be rescued.”

Yeah, Deku voiced a desire to save Tomura. Even though Tomura had just killed thousands of people – maybe even tens of thousands. Tomura had been responsible for the deaths of a significant number of heroes, too. Yet, Deku wanted to save him.

My Hero Academia Season 6 Episode 126: Burnin's reactions were among the most human

Of all of the emotions we saw on that battlefield, Moe Kamiji/Burnin’s were among the most authentic. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

I’m not saying I agree with Deku. I’m not saying I don’t. Instead, what I’m saying is that Deku expressing that desire despite everything is exactly what I would expect from him. It makes him an interesting character, not because it means he’s such a good man. It makes him interesting because the show’s themes leave open the possibility that Deku’s desires are as much the product of compulsion as a villain’s behavior.

So is virtue really virtuous? Or could it be someone following their instincts — just like a villain would do, only with different instincts?

What can I say? I like shows that ask interesting questions about the human condition!

What did you think of the montage of the conditions of our heroes at the end? What were your favorite moments? Feel free to let me know in the comments!

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5 thoughts on “My Hero Academia Season 6 Episode 126: Favorites

  1. I haven’t followed this series, but it’s interesting how they bring up the various morality of the characters or why Deku would want to save someone despite them doing evil things.

    Besides that, I heard Netflix is making a live-action MHA which I’m concerned about and it annoyed me with the backlash of those who liked the movie Sky High.

    1. The central themes and characters like Deku make this series a treat. Too often, even now, a shonen hero is a shonen hero — for no reason other than being a hero. This show puts the decision under a microscope, and I like it.

      Netflix and live-action just doesn’t have a good track record. From what I can see, by looking at live action films like Ghost in the Shell, Hollywood mimics the form of the original, but doesn’t understand the themes or characters. It’s arguable whether they even get the basics of storytelling down. It’s hard for me to understand. Surely these producers and writers can analyze the previous failures and make corrections, can’t they?

      1. Gotcha. It’s cool how they are doing that with the themes and morality of the different characters.

        Agreed. There’s such a glut of live-action remakes in general and Netflix hasn’t been the best. They’re also going to cover other Shonen Jump works like Yu Yu Hakusho and One Piece. You’re right about Hollywood not getting nuances of anime. You would think they would learn from their mistakes, but that hasn’t happened yet. Also, the Sky High fans bashing MHA of stealing from that movie are so myopic because Sky High didn’t invent the concept of superhero schools as settings and how Japan rips off everything. Yeah, because a company like Disney who made Sky High has never used eerily similar concepts from anime series that predate their movies, right? Of course I’m being sarcastic because I can name two anime works that fit that bill.

Please let me know what you think!

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