My Hero Academia: Winners and losers of Episode 88

In the Season 4 finale of My Hero Academia, Endeavor is given his most defining moment as one of the series’ most conflicting characters.

Can you believe, fellow readers, that we’ve come this far? I’ve been writing these demented recaps since Episode 71. That’s, like, a lot of recaps! It might come as a bit of a relief for everyone’s sanity, though, that this will indeed be the last one I write. That is, of course, until next season. But given everything that’s happened in the world combined with how long it’s typically taken for new seasons of My Hero Academia to be churned out, who knows?

Maybe by the time Season 5 releases, I’ll be super famous and won’t have time for these recaps! If that’s the case and I do become famous, I’d like to request that my editors delete all of these posts so nobody finds a way to cancel me. Anyways, one last time, let’s break down this week’s episode.

Winners

Keigo Takami / Hawks

For the second consecutive week, we were treated to more of the upcoming greatness that is Hawks. While he wasn’t the main combatant and played more of a supporting role in Endeavor’s bout against the enhanced Nomu, he surely made his mark.

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While last week’s episode made his intentions seem more ambiguous and possibly sinister, Episode 88 was more of the opposite. I’m sure Season 5 of My Hero Academia is going to feature the character even more; he’s had one of the most impressive debuts of a character on the show that we’ve seen so far.

Fandom

Despite being a loser in last week’s recap, fandom does its best to make up for it! I mockingly targeted one of Endeavor’s fans last week for having a ridiculous hipster attitude, but this week that same fan came roaring back with a vengeance! How about that?

The little shrimp yelled on TV about how, despite the shape, he was in, that you can never count Endeavor out. It turns out that fan was right, because even after getting nearly killed Endeavor managed to beat out a supremely overpowered foe. That, my friends, is what we call the best of fandom: dedication.

Enji Todoroki / Endeavor

Well, that’s how you announce yourself to the world. Endeavor is, by and large, a tricky character to discuss. His ambitious nature and obsession with surpassing All Might as the top hero was one of the early storylines of My Hero Academia. But after All Might’s retirement, he’s been going through a metamorphosis, of sorts. With him now at the top spot, his focus seems to have shifted. Instead of wanting his son, through all the abuse he’s done to him, to surpass All Might, Endeavor now wants to just redeem himself.

Has Endeavor redeemed himself after the latest episode? I’d say no. However, it does raise an interesting narrative to keep an eye on for the rest of the series. The top dog in My Hero Academia universe, for the most part, has been All Might.

He was the symbol of peace, and a sigil of altruism reminiscent of Superman. Now, possession of the top spot is held by a character that has been known as an abuser. He’s deeply flawed, yet you can’t help but root for him to turn it around.

Part of me actually wanted Endeavor to meet his end by way of the new Nomu. It would’ve been absolutely devastating and might’ve even elicited some tears from yours truly. After all, killing off a character right when he seemingly was on the path towards good is cruel, but can certainly be effective. It also would’ve made you more uneasy about the future of our favorite characters, and whether or not they can possibly stand a chance against the villains, even more murky.

https://twitter.com/FUNimation/status/1246384517969035265?s=20

But after defeating this outrageously powerful villain — and saving potentially hundreds even at the cost of himself — Endeavor is trying to be the next symbol of peace. He fought with a passion and a drive that was riveting to watch, but it doesn’t seem like the climax of his character. Instead, Episode 88 felt like a confirmation that Endeavor was, at last, shifting towards truly changing. Does it completely make up for all his past grievances? Not exactly, but that grey area is what makes it all so interesting. Whether or not he can keep it up is a question I can’t wait to learn the answer to.

Losers

The New Nomu

The Nomu’s, which are creations made by the villainous leader All For One, have been like the Sentinels of the My Hero Academia universe. They’re essentially mindless killing machines, but shown to be as powerful as even the strongest of heroes, and sometimes even more. Episode 88 featured an all-new enhanced Nomu that was, interestingly, not completely brainless. The new Nomu was able to scar and nearly kill Endeavor.

But this guy takes the loss like nobody else. Could you imagine being stronger and faster than your opponent — with an ability to regenerate faster than Wolverine — and still losing? Sure, Endeavor is the new number one hero, but still. It deserves to be mentioned.

And with all that said, we have come to a close of these weekly recaps. Season 4 of My Hero Academia is officially in the books, and I’d be lying to you if I didn’t stress just how much I’m going to miss the show. Knowing that it’s going to be quite a long time until we see our favorite heroes again. I’m planning on doing one final awards special for Season 4 sometime soon, but the sentiment remains the same.

I hope any of the people who may have stumbled upon these recaps enjoyed them, but most importantly remember to always stay Plus Ultra!