MHA Season 7, Episode 15 is The Anime's Best Display of Villain Complexity (2024)

My Hero Academia's newest episode picks up right where Episode 14 left off, with the Stain-loving villan Spinner leading a massive mob of disgruntled heteromorphs to take back the streets and free the captive Kurogiri, with only a few pro heroes and police officers to stand in their way. Meanwhile, Himiko Toga prepares her ultimate move when Kurogiri's Warp Gate Quirk becomes available again, and Dabi gets ready to face his father one more time. All of this makes for an emotionally charged sequence of events.

More than ever, My Hero Academia's anime is reminding fans of why the villains fight, beyond obvious reasons such as being the enemies of pro heroes or wanting to steal or destroy things. The anime has been humanizing antagonists like Dabi, Himiko, Spinner, and even the mighty Tomura Shigaraki for a while, and it reaches a boiling point in the episode "Butterfly Effect." It's emotionaly resonant and reminds fans that while the villains must lose, so peace may return, these villains are still people with some valid points to make, and society won't truly move forward until the root cause of the villains' anger is addressed.

Spinner's Battle Ends as Words of Understanding Triumph Over Hatred and Violence

Both Sides Have Symbols of Hope, But Only One Side Offers Peace

Physically, the battle between the heteromorph mob and pro heroes like Mezo Shoji and Koji Koda is unremarkable, even with Mezo delivering rapid punches to his enemies and Koji excelling with his Anivoice Quirk, but this is not truly a battle of Quirks. Fighting All For One and Tomura is all about Quirks, while the heteromorph brawl is about society, messages, and what symbols of hope can do for both sides. That is the emotional and intellectual core of this battle, which made the last episode quite engaging as a breath of fresh air. Episode 15 treats fans to more of the same, but this time, with a heartfelt conclusion. Issues with societal inequality can't be solved in a single day, but if Mezo Shoji tries his hardest, serious progress can be made. That is how Mezo will carve out his niche as a pro hero who has more than extra sensory organs and fists.

One major takeaway and theme of the heteromorph battle is the fact that having symbols of hope to inspire people is not a uniquely pro hero affair. Hope is usually associated with protagonists and "good guys" in general, with hope being the emotional foil to negative feelings like despair and fear, but this is not a fight of hope vs despair. The real contrast is between peace and violence, and both sides have strong convictions of hope as the heteromorph battle reaches its climax in Episode 15. Any faction with no hope wouldn't even bother showing up on the battlefield, after all -- Mezo's and Spinner's side each believe that they have something precious to gain here, and will fight for it. Hope is equal here, so the thematic contrast is the hope for peace and understanding vs the hope for revolution and the destruction of hero society.

While All Might was once the symbol of peace, Toshinori Yagi can't say or do anything to soothe the anger and fears of the ostracized heteromorph people, so it falls to Mezo Shoji to be the symbol of hope and peace for them. Mezo uses his fists and words alike to convince the rioters that there is a chance for unity and understanding in society between heteromorphs and everyone else, and eventually, Mezo's words get through to them. One example is a man with a pig snout who realizes that his side is in the wrong when they storm the hospital, only for the staff to oppose them. The pro heroes once evacuated a hospital to keep the innocent staff safe, but if the heteromorphs won't, then they must be the bad guys. It also helps when Spinner falls in battle when facing Present Mic's Voice Quirk, weakening Spinner's status as a symbol of hope and violent revolution.

The events of the heteromorph battle in Episode 15 also remind fans that the best shonen battles are never fought for their own sake, aside from official tournament matches. Shonen battles like these are effectively debates with fists, weapons, and magic thrown in, or in this case, Quirks. Each side in battles like those want to win and win to prove a point, which makes the battle more emotionally and thematically resonant. Such fights may happen to redeem someone, salvage a friendship, or say something about society, creating a two-layer affair that feels like a victory in many ways. That what happens here in Episode 15, with Mezo Shoji proving that Naruto Uzumaki's "talk jutsu" really is something profound and not just a cheap way to make the villain surrender. If the battle is won in the villain's heart, then a physical victory will follow, because the fight was on an intellectual level all along.

Himiko Toga Worries Ochaco as She Drifts Even Further From Redemption

Himiko's Ace in the Hole May Make Ochaco's Personal Mission Impossible

Episode 15 juggles a few notable villains, with Spinner merely being the first. With all this going on, Episode 15 is clearly a setup episode to nudge the story along for bigger payoff later, as opposed to climactic episodes where Katsuki Bakugo seemingly got himself killed. Fortunately, Episode 15's buildup is intense, incredibly threatening, and emotionally charged, so it's all worth a watch. Spinner is a fine warmup with his societal themes, and then Himiko Toga takes over with her personal quest to kill the pro hero Hawks and may him pay for killing twice. For Himiko, this is 100% personal, since Twice had been her good friend, and she's determined to avenge him against the new #2 hero. Not only that, Himiko also defies Ochaco Uraraka/Uravity, who is determined to redeem or at least understand her.

For a while now, Himiko Toga's arc has been quite personal and emotionally heavy, just as much as Dabi's and Spinner's. This makes Himiko both more and less likely to be redeemed or pacified by Ochaco Uraraka's heartfelt words, creating solid personal stakes for Ochaco as well. Just the way Deku wants to find the Tenko Shimura inside Tomura Shigaraki and empathize with him, Ochaco wishes to do the same with Himiko. Those two girls are heroic and villainous mirrors of each other, making them as similar as they are different, and Ochaco won't waste her chance to connect with her counterpart. The problem is that not only is Himiko emotionally distancing herself from Ochaco, she is physically defying Ochaco even more with her ultimate move: Sad Man's Death Parade.

Himiko Toga's vulnerable heart is obscured from Ochaco and Tsuyu Asui as Himiko transforms into Twice via that villain's blood and multiplies into a massive army, just as the original Twice had once done. Himiko is now using Kurogiri's Warp Gate Quirk to flood every battlefield with countless Twices, which is far more than Ochaco can handle as a pro hero with her hands or words. Most of all, Himiko is poised to finish off Hawks while the latter faces the supervillain All For One. Even if Himiko is willing to listen to Ochaco, this physical threat must be addressed first, and there are currently no solutions on hand. If the heroes don't pull off a miracle soon, then Himiko may win the war all by herself, and Ochaco will fail her personal mission for good. All this creates varied and sky-high stakes.

Dabi Prepares to Finish Off His Father

Dabi Has Destroyed Endeavor's Image, and Will Now Destroy His Very Life

Episode 15 clearly shows Dabi and Himiko Toga going through the same experience, making them more similar than ever as fellow League members with a score to settle against the heroes. Like Himiko, Dabi/Toya Todoroki has personal business with the pro heroes, and that is his entire reason for pushing himself so hard to win the day. Dabi cares nothing for creating a new world order or glorifying the League -- he wants to destroy his father on every level. Dabi is ready to destroy himself as well in the process, and by ditching his brother Shoto to confront Endeavor, Dabi proves that he is more emotionally distant from the heroes than ever, just like Himiko. Two different redemptions are on the line here, and at this rate, neither will succeed. Shoto went Plus Ultra to pacify and capture his villainous eldest brother, but not even that was enough. Dabi/Toya is simply too far away for his youngest brother to reach.

By this time, it's also apparent that one way or another, Himiko's and Dabi's personal quests will find a resolution, as they should. Both villains have clashed with the heroes plenty of times and have already spoken from the heart about their intentions, so all cards are on the table. The stakes have also peaked, and it would be redundant to have another fight after this one. One way or another, these personal quests will end, either with Dabi and Himiko dying in vain, which would immensely frustrate them, or end with their redemption. It will be terribly difficult for Shoto, Endeavor, and Ochaco to redeem these villains with a talk jutsu, but this is their last chance. If it works, then this final fight may end with a heartfelt bang, with Quirks being of secondary importance compared to the resonant power of empathy and familial love.

My Hero Academia (2016)

TV-14

Action

Adventure

Izuku has dreamt of being a hero all his life—a lofty goal for anyone, but especially challenging for a kid with no superpowers. That’s right, in a world where eighty percent of the population has some kind of super-powered “quirk,” Izuku was unlucky enough to be born completely normal. But that’s not enough to stop him from enrolling in one of the world’s most prestigious hero academies.

Cast

Daiki Yamash*ta , Justin Briner , Nobuhiko Okamoto , Ayane Sakura

Release Date

May 5, 2018

Main Genre

Anime

Seasons

6

Production Company

Bones

Number of Episodes

145