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Table of contents

Highlights

  • All for One's plans continue to unfold while a shocking traitor among Class 1-A is revealed, changing the dynamic of hero vs. villain.
  • Yuga Aoyama's series-long betrayal adds complexity to a character once seen as comic relief, showcasing the show's strength in character development.
  • Aoyama's connection to Deku adds layers to the betrayal, as Class 1-A grapples with the aftermath of the revelation and prepares for the final war.

Title

My Hero Academia Season 7

Director

Naomi Nakayama, Kenji Nagasaki (Chief Director)

Studio

Bones

Episode Air Date

5/18/2024

Warning: The following contains MAJOR spoilers for My Hero Academia, Episode 141, "Villain," now streaming on Crunchyroll.

My Hero Academia has never been a difficult story to follow, but when the action dies down and the series leans on politics or interpersonal drama to carry the plot forward, it can feel a lot more elaborate. Small details from episodes or even several seasons prior can converge into major revelations, one such example being this week's reveal of a traitor among Class 1-A.

Last week, Star and Stripe lost in her fight against Shigaraki, but not without using her quirk, New Order, to impose a rule that would cause her newly stolen quirk to decimate Shigaraki from the inside. As a result, Shigaraki and All for One are at a standstill, while the heroes have been given about a week to train harder than ever in preparation for the final war against the villains.

Every American Hero in My Hero Academia
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One of All for One's Many "Friends"

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Starting the episode with All for One tending to the wounded Shigaraki, no less confident in his plans, was a smart way to start the episode. To have him be completely unbothered speaks not solely to his arrogance, but to his unfortunate aptitude for having many backup plans. Next, the hint towards the mole within the school - and the subsequent visual misdirect implying that it's Hagakure - starts the episode with tensions high before the characters are even shown training.

Even with all the extra time to train, however, it can't quite prepare the students for a villain whose actions have been consistently ahead of them for the entire series. There's All for One's propensity for evading detection, the uncertainty of facing off against Shigaraki at his full power, and the disadvantage of moving second if provoked by the villains. But this familiar sense of uncertainty takes the twist that follows and turns it into a unique opportunity.

Yuga Aoyama's Series-Long Betrayal

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One of My Hero Academia's greatest strengths is the ease with which it can take any of its supporting characters, even those that seem like just comic relief, and transform them completely. Some of the best episodes have been the ones reserved for previously overlooked side characters, much like Episode 72, which delved into Kirishima's backstory, leading to one of his proudest moments.

And now, it's Aoyama's turn, in what might be one of the most significant twists in the franchise thus far. He's been leaking information to the villains since the very beginning, from the attack on the training facility in Season 1 to the attack on the training camp in Season 3. The villains in this story have always been one step ahead of the protagonists, but to know that it was largely because of one of the students is heavy, to say the least.

The Thread Connecting Deku and Aoyama

It's even heavier when one considers that Aoyama's circumstances are like the flip side of Deku's. They were both quirkless and were given their powers, albeit under different circumstances and for very different motivations. What sells all of this are the performances and the character art, which go overboard to portray the deep sense of pain not only in those betrayed but Aoyama himself.

He's always been characterized by the conflict between his outward confidence and his quirk that leaves him feeling a pain in his stomach that he can't quite hide in his facial expression. It's quite apropos; being incredibly anxious is often linked to having a pit in one's stomach. Aoyama has carried this secret - this burden - for seven whole seasons.

It recontextualizes the scene from Episode 80 when Aoyama and Deku bond over their quirks being incompatible with their bodies. In fact, this episode is the culmination of a lot of moments, both big and small, that one might have easily forgotten in the time since. Because of this, the gravity of this revelation feels appropriately devastating to the class.

How Class 1-A Reacts to the News

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For a character who is invisible, Hagakure sure did steal the spotlight, and not just because the viewer finally got to see a glimpse of what she looks like without her invisibility. Even before that big moment, the camera's uneasy sway as she grappled with the revelation conveyed her shock without a face to focus on. And when her face was visible, it was the impassioned rage in Kaori Nazuka's vocal performance that won the episode.

After such an insane opener, My Hero Academia Season 7 continues to impress and the only thing more exciting than this week's twist is what might result from it. Aoyama still has a chance to be a hero and, if he can feed One for All the right intel, the heroes can make the first move. Without a mole lurking in the background, this might be the first real advantage the main characters have had since the series began.