My Hero Academia Season 4 Review: Trying to Make a Little Girl and the Viewer Smile

I remember hearing so much talk and hype around this recent season of My Hero Academia before it came out from the manga readers. The common phrase that kept getting thrown around was “anime-only fans aren’t ready.” This of course got me very excited for what this season had to offer. I felt like season 3 was the best season of the anime so far and with this news, the only direction this show could go was up. I know the way I have written this so far makes it seem like I am going to say season 4 was bad, because it was definitely not. Nonetheless, I still ended up feeling disappointed with this season overall.

I wouldn’t consider myself a huge My Hero Academia fan, but I do enjoy watching. I try to keep a level head with my opinions on this show. Some people seem to think it is the greatest anime to release and other are quick to dismiss it because of its popularity.

Season 4 follows pretty much the same pattern that has been going on in each season of the anime so far. Training/build up, then the big fight happens and then the characters reflect on what happened. With this season what we received in the buildup was side characters getting some deserved spotlight. Eijiro Kirishima achieving Red Riot Unbreakable form was an awesome moment. His mentor Fat Gum and Fat Gum’s other pupil Tamaki Amajiki also had really great moments.

Then the big battle we received came with Deku against Overhaul. What an absolute blast that fight was to watch, it looked fantastic. However, with all the buildup about Overhaul I was expecting more out of him. He was one of the worst developed villains this anime has seen. Also, I wanna point out the effort that Mirio Togata put in to save Eri before the big battle should not be overlooked. What an admirable character he is.

While I am on the topic of Mirio let’s talk about him for a second. Personally, one of my biggest issues with this show is Deku. Watching Mirio this season made me scratch my head even more why someone like him is not the main character. Deku is winey and cries for seemingly any reason. I would have loved if someone as inspiring and confident as Mirio was the main character.

The cool down we received this season came in the form of the festival which I, like many others found to be pretty slow. Characters who were strangely missing for most of the season like Todoroki and my personal favorite, Bakugo finally made meaningful appearances. Although the roles they received this season were not very desirable. It’s a real shame they got pushed to the side.

The festival itself was a breath of fresh air for the series. I really loved the performance class 1-A put on. It was a very heart-warming moment in the season and probably one of my favorites from the whole show. The song was really fun and well needed after one of the darker seasons so far. Not going to say too much, but the festival really made me see why Eri’s happiness was so valued.

Then this season showed us villains Gentle and La Brava. I actually liked these characters quite a deal, but the anime really seemed to rush their time in the show. They were basically kicked off the stage before they even had a chance to really flourish as characters. The fight involving them was well done, but not really one of my favorites. I expect stunning visuals from this anime as it has shown the heights the visuals can reach. The visuals in that fight really just weren’t on par. Regardless, I do hope that we will see more of La Brava and Gentle in the future.

Then my favorite part of this season came. Suddenly, the anime belonged solely to a character we had only seen briefly and an entirely new one. Endeavor and Hawks. Watching these two provided a perspective that we didn’t really receive very much of, even when All Might was still in action. The side of the professional heroes doing their jobs

Endeavor started off on the wrong foot with not only his family, but the whole society. With All Might gone he had a lot to prove and he really had to step up, as a father and as a hero. The wounds he left in his family were deep. This is shown when he tries to reconcile with them and they reject him. Even society feared that he was a little too harsh to be a hero as cheerful as All Might. Or that he would even be good enough to fill in for him.

They were right to think he is not like All Might. He is Endeavor, and that is more than enough. I will go on the record saying his battle at the end of the season with Hawks at his side was the best in the series so far. Bones really stepped up to the plate and hit a home run with this battle. Visually it is absolutely stunning. The theme that plays is empowering. Hawks proves that he will be a fan favorite for time to come because of how adept he is with his quirk. Endeavor should be a new favorite character of many fans after this fight. I know he is for me.

I really hope that the anime tries fix the pacing by possibly splitting the epic moments with Hawks and Endeavor. This would not only help the pacing, but keep the show feeling fresher and more intriguing. The excessive and unnecessary downtime in this anime really hurts it.