My Hero Academia: Winners and losers of Episode 78

With the events of the Overhaul arc concluded, Class 1-A finally reunites as the series sets off in a whole new direction in My Hero Academia Episode 78.

Caution: There are spoilers in this post for My Hero Academia Episode 78.

For basically the entirety of this weekly recap series of mine, My Hero Academia has basically been like the train derailment from Super 8. Every episode has been full of action and tension so high that it comes as a bit of a relief that things seem to be heading back to school life. But that doesn’t mean the episode didn’t have time to tease us with some exciting plot points including a new big (and emphasis on the “big”) bad and the return of our beloved Bakugo.

Winners

Kyoka Jiro/Earphone Jack

A bit of an unexpected choice, right? Well, I have my reasons and those reasons technically don’t have anything to do with the actual episode itself. You see, Season 4 seems to have hit its halfway point as we were given a brand new opening!

Obviously the opening highlights folks like Midoryia and Bakugo, but it was the unexpected featuring of Jiro that was perhaps the most interesting. She’s hardly a main character, after all, but nevertheless it’s an intriguing development. The opening, in general, seems to hint at a much more pleasant second-half season then the direness of what we’ve seen so far. Back to school, baby!

More from Streaming

• The story of a French emperor: Here’s where Napoleon will stream after theaters
• ACOTAR on Hulu: Is A Court of Thorns and Roses based on a book?
• Bridgerton season 3: All the details to know about Penelope and Colin’s love story
• Is Lawmen: Bass Reeves based on a true story?
• The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes: The Hunger Games prequel will come to Peacock but not until 2024

Gigantomachia

So, yeah, this was certainly something that, indeed, happened. Despite all of the chaos of the Overhaul crisis having just been resolved, it seems we’re already getting a look into the next dangers that our heroes will have to contend with. This guy is exactly as his name suggests—a monolithically giant villain the size of King Kong—and seems to have literally destroyed an entire mountain while fighting the police. Sheesh.

Mirio Togata/Lemillion

Despite losing his mentor and his quirk, Mirio somehow manages to keep an optimistic outlook. It’s unclear how he’ll be featured now that he’s powerless, but I imagine he’ll stick around since he’s so clearly a revered character. Perhaps he’ll be more of a mentor figure for other students and such.

I can’t wait to find out, but can we also talk about how Mirio’s eyes give off some serious Pac-Man vibes? My Hero Academia is certainly a friend to gamers and the nerd world, so perhaps this is intentional.

(Mostly) all of Class 1-A

It’s just so cool to see them all back together! While seeing massive battles may get all the attention, I often find that it’s some of the interactions between these characters I adore so much (expect Mineta) that gets overlooked.

People assume I love My Hero Academia because of the over-the-top fights and visuals, but really it’s some of the more minute details that make the whole thing go round. Plus, for those who don’t know, some of my favorite stories are often ones that take place in school. They’re a guilty pleasure of mine, some might say. Add to that the element of superheroes, and a class of students that I find to each be cool in their own way (except Mineta) and I’m pretty much in paradise.

Losers

Kurogiri

Imagine if you go off on a super-secret mission for your team, completely sidelined for the entirety of the Yakuza incident, and are easily captured by the police despite you literally having the ability to warp to different places? Then, even after the intervention of a giant beast, you’re still captured by the police? That, my friends, is what the young lads like to call an “L.”

Am I being mean? I’d say I’m not being mean enough!

Fumikage Tokoyami/Tsukuyomi

Despite all the heartwarming things that the class reunion had, it seems our bird-faced friend was noticeably unavailable to partake in the pleasantries. Early on in this season, it was mentioned that Tokoyami was given a work-study opportunity with a big-time pro her, so I assume that’s the reason for his absence. It’s unfortunate for our boy, but I think we’ll be getting a lot of him soon enough.

From the more upbeat opening theme that goes out of its way to highlight different characters to the focus on Bakugo and Todoroki’s training, it seems like the rest of Season 4 of My Hero Academia is set to seriously focus on a variety of different characters.

As always, remember that you can tune in every Saturday for new episodes of My Hero Academia on Funimation and Crunchyroll followed by breakdowns here on Hidden Remote.