REVIEW: ‘My Hero Academia,’ Episode 90 – “Vestiges”

My Hero Academia is a superhero shounen anime produced by Bones. As the students of class 1-A continue their preparations for hero work, the fallout from the recent nomu attack continues to settle as both of the top two heroes face the ongoing challenges in their lives in My Hero Academia Episode 90. This week’s episode opens with a glimpse back to the immediate aftermath of the nomu attack, as we see Endeavor and Hawks confronted by Dabi as he encircles them in a ring of his blue fire. Before the situation can get out of hand, however, the two exhausted heroes receive back up in the form of rabbit hero Mirko. With this timely interruption, Dabi beats a hasty retreat, leaving the heroes to wonder where the League will strike next.

From here, My Hero Academia Episode 90 follows Hawks for a bit as we learn more about the hero and his motivations. Some big spoilers take place here, so I won’t dive deep into the specifics. This is a big moment for the character’s story, though. 

Next, the episode follows Endeavor home. There he finds his children awaiting him, though there are certainly mixed feelings about the gathering. As has been shown throughout My Hero Academia, there are many mistakes that litter Endeavor’s past, specifically where his family is concerned. The mistreatment of his children, as well as their mother, has been an ongoing theme of Todorki’s arc throughout the series. Here we see some of the further impact of Endeavor’s history as the story continues to expand beyond just Shoto.

This scene is handled with a lot of care and nuance. Endeavor has a lot to make up for. How his motivations, goals, and methods are depicted will all shape how the audience accepts or doesn’t accept the new number one hero.

I like the approach the story takes to Endeavor here. He seems to be well aware of what he has done, and while he seems to want to better himself, he doesn’t seem to bear any expectations of others where forgiveness or acceptance are concerned. 

My Hero Academia Episode 90 wraps up its story spending some time with Midoriya. Returning to his room after an exhaustive day of training, the young hero promptly falls asleep. While asleep, Deku finds himself privy to some form of a vision of the past as he sees some of the early moments of One for All’s journey. 

The visuals throughout this episode deliver the story through some great displays of cinematography. The camera is always just where it needs to be, allowing the full emotion of the episodes many scenes to land. 

When all is said and done, My Hero Academia Episode 90 delivers a great story that is full of moments that deliver lots of emotion, as well as impact the greater story. The new season is off to a great start, and I am looking forward to seeing class 1-A take the spotlight next episode.

My Hero Academia Episode 90 is streaming on Funimation and Crunchyroll.