The Heroes Pull Out Their Ace in the Hole!

My Hero Academia S6, Ep. 12 Review

Dang, this whole season of My Hero Academia has been the best. An all-out war between heroes and villains has pushed both sides to their absolute breaking points. We’ve seen people die, characters brutalized, and others traumatized. Despite how desperate everyone is, though, the heroes still have an ace or two left to play. Given how precarious everything is, the heroes need an ace to survive.

Best Jeanist & Lemillion, Ace Heroes Back in Action.

I’ll be honest: I did not remember anything about Hawks pretending to kill Best Jeanist. Maybe I skipped that part of the manga or anime, but that seems irrelevant now. After all, Best Jeanist has returned to battle following an extended leave of absence (which included faking his death.) His timing couldn’t be better, either, as he manages to subdue the League and Gigantomachia. 

Then, when the Nomu try to join the fight, another unexpected hero arrives: Mirio Togata, aka Lemillion, one of UA’s best heroes-in-training. Two seasons ago, his Quirk was taken from him by Overhaul’s Quirk-destroying bullets. However, Eri’s spent that time training her ability to undo the damage, and the day before, she managed to restore Lemillion’s Quirk. Thanks to that, he manages to even the odds greatly for the beleaguered heroes…is what I would like to say. Despite having an ace in the hole like these two, the heroes are still in dire straits.

At least Bakugo manages to enter the fray once more, and he proudly tells Best Jeanist his hero name. Though, admittedly, I was one of the people who thought it sounded too lame and edge lord. I would’ve gone with the name “Nitro” since that’s what his powers use, but Marvel would sue Horikoshi. It does suit him, though. 

Dabi vs. Shoto Gave me Azula and Zuko flashbacks.

A lot of people compare Shoto Todoroki to Prince Zuko from Avatar: The Last Airbender. They both control fire, had abusive Dad’s (but Ozai was way worse), and have scars on the right sides of their faces. In addition, we can add “issues with mentally unstable siblings” to the similarities. The one difference is that the role of the older sibling is reversed. 

That, and their Dad is trying to own up to his mistakes and be better. However, this episode sees him take a step back when he goes into a state of emotional shock from the fact that his eldest son is alive. It’s Shoto who ends up having to fight his own brother, and it isn’t until his life’s in danger that Endeavor finally manages to act. That, and Deku tells him to snap out of it.

Seeing Deku be the one to snap Endeavor out of his shock is a significant moment for both characters, in my opinion. A great hero inspires those around them, and Deku making Endeavor get his act together counts as such. Thanks to that, Endeavor manages to actually knock out Gigantomachia! The Hero Course students pulled through after all.

The Grand Finale is Next Week

Everyone is exhausted at this point, but the war’s still not over. Furthermore, despite all the pain they’ve gone through, the heroes are on a knife’s edge. Using Best Jeanist and Lemillion as their trump cards was a brilliant move, but manga-readers know that an ace alone won’t be enough. 

Overall, I’m loving this season, and I plan on binging the dub over the holidays. With 2023 around the corner, we’re going to be watching the aftermath of the Paranormal Liberation War. Get ready for trauma, and GO BEYOND, PLUS ULTRA!

I Give “Threads of Hope” a 4/5

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