Episode 6 of My Hero Academia Season 6 aired this past Saturday further proving that this series is the anime to watch this fall season. We’re past talking about the criticisms of the previous season because now it’s time to finally dive into how studio BONES is giving us the best season of My Hero Academia yet and Episode 6 just adds to the list of reasons why.
Manga Shigaraki is Scary, Anime Shigaraki is Downright Frightening
I’ll be honest with everyone, I haven’t been this terrified of hearing the sound of an organ play since we were first introduced to Orochimaru in the original Naruto series. There’s something about the aura of an organ playing that gives rise to this trembling fear of whatever villain it’s playing for. No, I’m not comparing Orochimaru and Shigaraki as characters. But I’m definitely comparing the absolute trembling fear I felt when the music started playing and they both popped up on my screen. And this is something the manga just can’t give its readers as the anime can.
Of course, manga readers can make different arguments about Shigaraki, but I will argue with them until the end of time that the Shiagaraki we’ve received in just these past two episodes have been leaps and bounds more terrifying than he was in the manga at this moment in time. And here I find myself, yet again, praising studio BONES and Yuki Hayashi (music) for their incredible work in this episode. And it’s not just the production, Kouki Uchiyama’s voice acting prowess is showing off ten-fold as Shigaraki and he only makes everything that much more intense in Episode 6.
This is a 2D animated series and yet I still find myself just slightly peeping outside of my windows to make sure no buildings around me are decaying for some reason. Shigaraki’s presence in this season of My Hero Academia, particularly this episode, is just lifted to new heights that BONES manages to create for themselves. And his current fight with Endeavor only proves the allure of why Shigaraki is hailed as one of the best villains in modern shonen anime history.
Bakugo’s Monologue
Not to take away from what was the main premise of Episode 5, but there’s no shot I’m skipping over Bakugo’s monologue while he and Deku try were luring Shigaraki away from everyone. He shined in Season 5 during the tournament against class B and now, after a few comedic moments just here and there in the previous episodes this season, Bakugo hit us with one of the best self-indulging speeches we’ve heard probably from the entire series. But it wasn’t because he was saying it out of pure selfishness like we would’ve heard in previous seasons. Rather he was saying everything out of his own desires by recognizing who All Might was to him and how Deku is still ahead of him. It’s almost like Bakugo has become the character that you just can’t help but root for at this point.
And much like Uchiyama’s performance as Shigaraki, I also have to give praise to Nobuhiko Okamoto as Bakugo. We’re so used to his yelling nature and how it can even be the comedic relief of an episode, but this episode provided us a rare occasion where Bakugo actually maintained a level head (for Bakugo, anyways) while talking to Deku. And once his monologue finished, I couldn’t help but stand up and cheer for him. Right when he says the words “As the man who ended All Might…”, talking about Shigaraki, chills immediately ran down my body.
The moment got even better as soon as the uplifting music started playing. And it was the kind of music you’d hear if Deku or All Might himself did something, or was going to do something, incredible. And it only added to why Bakugo has become a favorite character of mine from the series. Also, shoutout to Bones for this incredible shot of him at the end of his monologue. It’s scary, but for all the right, heroic reasons.
Toga’s Moment Was The Perfect Spice to the Chaos
While the moment was very short-lived, Toga arguably had the most insane close-up out of all the characters in this episode. Not only was her close-up shot full of pure evil and rage, but the artistic details that we didn’t receive in the manga during this moment just made it entirely better. Horikoshi is one of the best artists in Shonen Jump right now, there’s no denying his drawing capabilities. However, BONES outshined his work in Episode 6 and Toga’s moment was a perfect example of that. The side-by-side comparison shows it wasn’t even close. But my favorite part about all of these close-ups, whether it’s Toga, Bakugo, Shigaraki, or Endeavor, it shows that both sides have their own versions of crazy and wild characters–heroes more well-ground while the villains are unhinged.
My Hero Academia Season 6 Wrap-Up
The little things such as the added narrated sound effects popping up at some parts in this episode don’t take away from the fact Episode 6 of My Hero Academia Season 6 was a flawless work of art in so many other ways. We’ve already had flawless episodes this season and now the trend just seems like it won’t stop for the remaining time this season has.
Whether you loved the artwork, the music, or the animation whenever Shigaraki and Endeavor were fighting, the point is that there are so many things right with Episode 6 that there is no wrong answer as to what was the best part. They all were and that’s what made this episode perfect.
Episode 6 rating: 10/10
If you enjoyed My Hero Academia Season 6 Episode 6, be sure to vote for it in our weekly poll! Episode 7 will air on Saturday, November 12.
Images via Crunchyroll
© Kohei Horikoshi / SHUEISHA, “My Hero Academia” Production Committee
