My Hero Academia Season 6 episode 18 aired on Saturday giving us the slowest episode of the season that officially wrapped up the Paranormal LIberation War Arc part of the story. Now, starting next week, we enter the final saga of the series, beginning with Deku’s “Dark Hero” arc. And while episode 18 was indeed slow, it still served as a nice bridge leading into the next arc.
I’d say the highlight of episode 18 comes when the climax of the talks between Deku and the One For All vestiges begins. The piano plays continuously from the height of the scene when Deku tells the others what the One For All power is meant to do–save, not kill–and his resolve to save Shigaraki by any means necessary with destroying him as a very last resort. The moment really gave way to just how far Deku has come and the experiences he’s learned from. And even though he’s personally not a favorite of mine from the series or shonen main characters in general, the moment proved that Deku holds his own in the realm of solid character development.
The moment in the manga didn’t have that emotional weight that the anime did and I chalk that up to the voice acting and, yet again, the music composition. I’ve said time and time again that no other instrument beats out a piano and I’ll forever stand by that. It can make a moment intense, sad, happy, relieved, or even add a little extra pep to something as simple as walking down the street on the way to school. And the beautiful piano courtesy of Yuki Hayashi only made everything that much better, including the scene at the end with all of the students at UA reading Deku’s letter, especially Ochako.
Episode 18 is the worst episode of My Hero Academia Season 6 not because it’s genuinely terrible, but it’s just that it’s a slow set-up episode for the next arc, that’s all. It was an episode to obtain information on All For One and for Deku to make his next move leading up to his next fight with Shigaraki. And it did an overall good job of that. But there weren’t any dramatic shots or insane animation to really have any portion of this episode blow me away, and that’s how it’s supposed to be.
Again, this episode was to get a better understanding of Deku’s point of view regarding One For All and Shigaraki and to transition the story into the next arc which starts the final saga of the series. There’s no reason why this episode should be hated or make a top 10 list in any weekly poll. It’s not going to be an episode I go back and watch because it was exciting or the artwork was on another level, and it’ll probably be forgettable when the next arc starts. But bookmarking the episode as a means for valuable information regarding Deku’s character development and his views on One For All and Shigaraki might be a smart move for discussions that’ll take place later down the line with friends or whoever you’re beefing with on Twitter—trust me on this one anime-only fans.
There’s not much to be said about this episode. Deku had a talk with the One For All vestiges. He proved to them his resolve. Then he woke up and skipped town. And somewhere in between the top 3 heroes had a press conference. It was an episode that was needed for story development and nothing more. Now, begins the arc many fans, myself included, have been waiting for—the Dark Hero Arc. And this is where Deku’s character development takes a dramatic spike.
Episode 18 rating: 7/10.
If you enjoyed My Hero Academia Season 6 Episode 18, be sure to vote for it in our weekly poll! Episode 19, titled “Full Power!!” will air on Saturday, February 11.
Images via Crunchyroll
© Kohei Horikoshi / SHUEISHA, “My Hero Academia” Production Committee