My Hero Academia Season 6 Episode 136: Favorites

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

My Hero Academia Season 6 Episode 136 – Quick Summary

In My Hero Academia Season 6 Episode 136, “Deku vs. Class A,” Katsuki Bakugou/Great Explosion Murder God Dynamight and the rest of Class A confronted the exhausted and faltering Izuku Midoriya/Deku. Their goal? To convince him to let them help in the fight against All for One. His goal? To keep all of them safe. Can either convince the other? Does Deku even have the strength to stand much longer? And what does Enji Todoroki/Endeavor think of their confrontation?

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

Favorite Quote from My Hero Academia Season 6 Episode 136

My Hero Academia Season 6 Episode 136: Favorites: Tenya Iida did his part to convince Izuku Midoriya

It wasn’t only his words. Tenya’s honesty and feelings got through to Izuku. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

To file under “what goes around comes around…”

It was beautiful to watch how they all added their voices to the chorus asking Deku to return.

What made it even more special was how each character tried to connect to Deku in a way that reflected how Deku had helped them in the past. Given this is the 136th episode, they had a lot of past to choose from!

One of my favorites came when it was Tenya Iida/Ingenium’s turn. And it took all of Class A working together to help Tenya catch up to Izuku as he tried to fly away. After catching ahold of Deku in midair, Tenya remembered a time when he’d gone after the villain who had hurt his brother. Back then, he had begged to Deku to stay out of it, saying it was not of his business.

Deku’s response then was exactly what Tenya gave back to him now. To Deku, he said (14:30), “Meddling when you don’t need to… is the essence of being a hero, right?”

The waves you send out into the world often come back to you. It’s a good thing Deku has tried to be good to so many people, because it’s supporting him now.

Favorite Moment from My Hero Academia Season 6 Episode 136

My Hero Academia Season 6 Episode 136: Favorites: Katsuki Bakugou gave an honest apology

Katsuki Bakugou had to be the one whose efforts finally pulled Izuku Midoriya back from the brink. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

Setup: Izuku Midoriya on the Edge

As many powerful moments as this episode delivered – and it delivered a lot of them – there was only one I could pick as my favorite. I think you know which one I’m talking about.

And I gotta say that the convergence of vivid writing, understated and emotionally effective animation, and moving voice acting was wonderful to experience. I’m talking, of course, about Katsuki’s apology.

He started off by closing the loop leading all the way back to season 1 episode 2, when Deku saved Katsuki from the Sludge Villain. Deku had said his body had moved on its own. Katsuki said his body had done the same thing when he had pushed Deku out of the way of Tomura Shigaraki/All for One’s attack in episode 123.

My Hero Academia Season 6 Episode 136: Favorites: Katsuki put his bluster aside as he spoke

Katsuki put his bluster aside as he spoke. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

Almost everyone in Class A told a story of how Deku had helped them. They had tried to convince Deku to come back by showing how he had made their lives better. Katsuki, though, used another approach. He decided it was time to come clean. It was time to open up to Deku and lay out how he had wronged him.

And he was honest about it.

No yelling, no over-the-top histrionics. Just a quiet admission of failure. He spoke of how he had looked down on Deku because he had been Quirkless. Yet, at the same time, even young Katsuki recognized Deku’s heroism. It rankled. As he spoke, the animation showed them as children. They grew the longer he spoke. It was an effective way of showing the progression of time and the development of Katsuki’s perspective.

Finally, still speaking in his candid, quiet voice, Katsuki said (17:45), “It’s not something that’ll work itself out just by saying it out loud, but it’s how I really feel, Izuku.”

Delivery: Katsuki Bakugou’s Honesty

Deku, overwhelmed by the admission of guilt, stricken by Katsuki’s use of his given name, could only gape. Then Katsuki delivered the final blow. Or more precisely, the last dose of candor that would heal Deku’s bout of stubbornness.

Katsuki said (17:56), “I’m sorry for everything.”

But he wasn’t done. He knew this moment wasn’t about him, or his apology, or his failings. He told Izuku that he hadn’t done anything wrong, but there were fights that couldn’t be won with ideals alone. Katsuki told him to let his friends handle the things he couldn’t.

My Hero Academia Season 6 Episode 136: Favorites: Katsuki's words got through to Deku

Katsuki’s words got through to Izuku. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

Izuku pitched forward, his exhaustion finally exacting its revenge. Katsuki was there to catch him before he fell.

The problem with his moment – and I use the word “problem” purely from the perspective of structure – is that it bleeds into the next, and the next, and the next. Stopping right here seems apt. It’s an example of growth that I had not hoped to see. It was the culmination of a friendship I thought was one-sided. And it provoked within me the kind of emotion only possible in well-crafted and emotionally resonate fiction. And in case I’ve been unclear, because of word choices driven by my desire not to speak with cliches, I want to be clear: this is good stuff.

What did you think of Denki Kaminari/Chargebolt begging Deku to take a bath? What were your favorite moments in the episode? Feel free to share in the comments!

My Hero Academia Season 6 Episode 136: Other Posts

Other Anime Sites

Reddit: Boku no Hero Academia Season 6 – Episode 23 discussion

This Site (Crow’s World of Anime!)

2 thoughts on “My Hero Academia Season 6 Episode 136: Favorites”

Fred (Au Natural) says:

March 17, 2023 at 9:17 pm

I think his increasingly shredded costume reflected Deku’s sinking into despair and darkness.

Loading...

1. tcrow says:
  
  March 18, 2023 at 9:06 am
  
  That costume did a very effective job of capturing his descent! The show has impressed me with its visual language in general.
  
  Loading...

Please let me know what you think!Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

My Hero Academia Season 6 Episode 136: Favorites

My Hero Academia Season 6 Episode 136 – Quick Summary

Favorite Quote from My Hero Academia Season 6 Episode 136