Vestiges of the Past Come Back to Haunt Heroes

My Hero Academia Season 5, Episode 2

Okay, so the first episode of the new season of My Hero Academia may have been lackluster. However, now that the obligatory introduction’s done with, we’re finally getting to the good stuff. This episode sees the vestiges of the past come back to haunt the present day as we dive deep into the origin of One for All. And we also see just how bad of a parent Endeavor really was.

Endeavor’s Dark Past

So, My Hero Academia has established the fact that Endeavor has been a pretty terrible husband and father. Granted he’s trying to make things right now, but that’s not going to erase what he did in the past, a fact that most of his kids make clear to him when he returns after his battle with the Nomu.

I’m going to be blunt: even after all this time, I haven’t forgiven Endeavor for what he did to his family. It was the kind of abuse that would land someone in real life in jail. And his kids have every right to not forgive him, much like Shoto’s older brother makes clear in this episode. However, I can tell he’s trying to make thing right. And as I’ve read the manga, I know that he’s only going to get better from here.

The problem is, the vestiges of his past are starting to come out of the shadows. And if you’ve read the manga, then you know what I’m talking about, and what’s going to await Endeavor.

Vestiges of One For All

The real heart of the episode, though, comes in the second half as we get our biggest look yet into the origin of One for All and its creator, All for One. Getting to see how All for One and his brother interacted with each other in the early days following the emergence of Quirks was very…interesting. On the surface, All for One acts like he’s the good guy, willingly taking Quirks away from those who don’t want them and giving it to those who need them. However, this isn’t altruism, but rather, high level manipulation, something that his brother is quick to call him out on. All for One may act like someone’s friend, but in truth, he’s very much a Satanic Archetype that seeks to control everything in this super-powered world.

What I found most interesting, though, is how the vestiges of the original bearer of One for All is trying to talk to Deku in his dreams. It’s like part of the previous user’ will was literally passed down to Deku, and now they’re trying to help him. And again, as someone who’s read the manga, I know where this is going. But it’s going to be fun seeing it happen in anime form.

Next week, though, we get to one of the big turning points in the story with the joint training exercise between the hero courses. Get ready, because a lot of old faces are going to be returning. GO BEYOND, PLUS ULTRA!

I Give “Vestiges” a 2.5/5

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