REVIEW: ‘My Hero Academia,’ Episode 94 – “Foresight”

My Hero Academia is a superhero-shounen anime produced by Bones. With the second battle underway, the students have already begun to showcase just how much they have grown. But with all the participants still in play, there is plenty more to come before a winner can be crowned. Which team will walk away with the victory? It will largely come down to strategy. But can Yaoyurozu out-think Kendo’s plans in My Hero Academia Episode 94.

Ever since the early days of shonen anime, the emphasis has always been on strength. That the most powerful combatant is the one who will walk away with the victory is a recurring theme in the genre. What sometimes goes overlooked, however, is that there can be many kinds of strength. Mental fortitude can be just as critical as physical strength when overcoming challenges. With the two teams in today’s episode wielding some peculiar mixes of powers, it’ll take lots of smarts to see either team come out on top. Luckily for them, they each possess a top-level strategist.

My Hero Academia Episode 94 dives right back into the action as the two classes resume their battle. With Class 1-B’s initial ambush thwarted, the strategy shifts to another surprise attack against their adversaries. This constant barrage has the effect of keeping Class1-A off-balance as they continually try to recover from 1-B’s newest surprise. This leads to a clear divide between the types of strategy deployed between the two teams.

Kendo’s strategy for Class B is an orchestrated performance that follows a set path. As long as they can keep following the steps that are laid out they will assuredly win. Meanwhile, Yaoyurozu’s approach is less rigid. She comes into the situation with a broad concept and intends to adapt to the changing circumstances of the moment. My Hero Academia Episode 94 does an excellent job highlighting the strengths of both approaches. And while only one team can win, both are shown to shine when their plans seem to be coming together.

Along with the emphasis on strategy, I also love that My Hero Academia Episode 94 does a great job of highlighting some of the show’s secondary characters. Since none of the stars are participating in this battle, the show gets to show off the less focused on characters. This willingness to step away from the stars has always been a strength of the show. It allows the viewer to learn about the wider group and build up their attachments to characters beyond Deku, Bakugo, and Todoroki. This makes the larger battles in the series all the more meaningful as there is more concern for the wider cast.

The animation delivers all the action and superpowers of this episode excellently. There is always a lot of energy in all the characters’ actions as the students’ drive for winning is always well delivered.

When all is said and done, My Hero Academia Episode 94 continues to bring lots of energy, thought, and action to the interclass competition. While there is obviously more competition to come, I think the uniqueness of this episode fight will have it stand out from the rest when it’s all done.

My Hero Academia Episode 94 is streaming on Funimation and Crunchyroll.