Highlights

Deku and Shigaraki's intense battle in MHA Chapter 416 delves deep into emotions and sets up a pivotal moment in the Final War Saga.
Eri's desperate attempt to help Deku falls short, highlighting the emotional depth and hope placed in Deku to win the battle.
The focus on the battlefield and Deku's dominance in the fight against Shigaraki leads to a crucial moment that unveils Shigaraki's darkest memories.

My Hero Academia chapter 416 was certainly one of the most exciting ones as not only did the author dive into the battle between Deku and Shigaraki, but at the same time, fans also got a proper look at the battlefield in the aftermath of the many incredible fights that were fought.

deku quirkless agianst shigaraki my hero academia mha

My Hero Academia: Will Deku Be Quirkless Again?

Deku is losing all his quirks against Shigaraki in MHA.

This chapter was charged with emotions from top to bottom, and was one that fans enjoyed to the fullest. At the same time, My Hero Academia chapter 416 set up one of the most pivotal points in the Final War Saga of the story, as Deku finally dives deep into Shigaraki's memories, and gets ready to explore the traumatic past of this particular individual that he wants to save so badly.

Eri's Desperate Attempt To Help

eri tries to help deku my hero academia mha 420

As expected, Eri was getting ready to help Deku in the previous chapter of My Hero Academia. This was something that a lot of the fans expected to be tackled in this week's chapter, however, surprisingly, it didn't really amount to anything. While Eri was certainly focused on quite a bit in My Hero Academia chapter 416, in the end, she was stopped because there wasn't anything that she could do. All she could do was put her hope in Deku, and hope that he manages to win the battle. Eri was ready to use her rewind powers, however, given that Deku was hundreds of miles away, and the fact that they had no way to transport her to him, she could not join the battle.

Furthermore, it was also highlighted that even if she could join the battle, she would not be able to make any sort of a difference. As a result, the best thing for her to do was to stay put, and hope that she would be able to make some difference where she was, and in the meanwhile, pin all her hopes on Deku, and pray that he manages to win his own battles.

While this was certainly a very touching moment in the story, leaving it as a cliffhanger of the previous chapter certainly felt like the last chapter ended on a rather disappointing note. The moment of Eri leaving to join the battle was set up to be a very big one, however, it amounted to absolutely nothing, which left a sour taste in the mouths of the fans. Still, My Hero Academia chapter 416 had so many incredible moments that this one small part of the chapter did not really ruin it for anyone.

Furthermore, it must be noted that the incredible writing when it comes to emotional depth in this week's chapter was absolutely stellar. Be it the moment where Eri put her hope in Deku, or what came after, this week's chapter was absolutely incredible in this regard and left no stone unturned making it one of the most amazing chapters in the story.

A Look At The Battlefield

look at the battlefield my hero academia mha 416

Surprisingly, My Hero Academia chapter 416 moved away from the battle between Deku and Shigaraki for a while. While it did not cut away completely, fans did see the rest of the heroes and all those affected by the war looking at the battle, hoping for Deku to win. At the same time, the heroes, who fell previously in battle, and those who won their respective battles and now needed help finally got some attention. Quite a lot of them appear to be in a very bad condition, and in desperate need of life support. One of them is, of course, Ochako Uraraka, who fought an incredible battle against Toga recently. While she did well in her fight, she is now in desperate need of help, and that came to her in this week's chapter.

Shigaraki greatest my hero academia mha villain

My Hero Academia: Horikoshi Confirms Shigaraki As The Strongest Villain

Shigaraki is confirmed as MHA's greatest villain by the author himself.

Similarly, many other incredible battles were focused upon in My Hero Academia chapter 416 as well, however, the biggest moment of all was Deku continuing his amazing battle against Shigaraki. It is quite clear for the fans to see that Deku was the dominant one in the fight, as he tore through Shigaraki's defenses in a beautifully illustrated panel. With the support of everyone around him, he reached new levels of power, and was even labeled to be the strongest in the entire world explicitly, which just goes to show how far he has come over the years.

Deku Vs Shigaraki Continues

deku vs shigaraki my hero academia mha 417

Clearly, the most important part of My Hero Academia chapter 416 came towards the end, where Deku was so dominant in the fight that Shigaraki actually begged him to not get any closer to him. This is a clear indication of the fact that Deku is the stronger one in battle, and, at the same time, it also showcases that Shigaraki is afraid of letting his guard down in front of him. This doesn't necessarily imply that Shigaraki fears him, but it certainly does mean that he fears that could get deep inside his memory then and dig up things that he once buried. Shigaraki knows what Deku is trying to do and his body is rejecting the Quirk transfer, as was seen in the last few chapters.

Now, he wants Deku to stay away at any cost, knowing that he will soon reach his deepest and darkest of memories. Towards the end of the chapter, Shigaraki’s memories were finally found by Deku, and his biggest fear was unearthed. It is clear for the fans to see that, now, the story’s main focus point is going to be the house that Shigaraki was traumatized in. Deku will finally understand what it is that Shigaraki truly went through long ago, and at the same time, what it is that he needs to do in order to help him get back on the right path. All that and much more is likely going to be tackled in next week's chapter, and given that there is no break, fans are incredibly excited to see what comes their way.

Finally, it appears that Deku vs Shigaraki is in its final phase and this fight will not continue for long now. As Deku witnesses Shigaraki's memories, the final act of the fight will finally kick start and, from there onwards, it will only take a couple of chapters to wrap up. As such, it won't take fans long to find out what decision Horikoshi will take in regards to Shigaraki. This is quite a head-scratcher for the author, as Shigaraki has caused quite a lot of destruction, yet, Deku still intends to save him. Whether Shigaraki will be punished for what he did remains to be seen. It is quite easily the biggest problem that Horikoshi has at hand. For now, the most important point in this fight is up next and that is exactly what fans are incredibly excited for.

My Hero Academia is available to read via Viz Media. The series can be read by the fans officially and for free on the Shonen Jump and the Manga Plus app. The release date for the next chapter of My Hero Academia, My Hero Academia chapter 417, is set to be March 17, 2024.