REVIEW: ‘My Hero Academia,’ Episode 117 – “Inheritance”

My Hero Academia is an action/adventure anime produced by Studio BONES. With Twice removed from the picture, things are looking good for the heroes besieging the Liberation Front compound. But while things are going well there, the race to take down the Nomus and stop Shiguraki from awakening is still on at the hospital. And while Mirko is giving the battle all she can, it’s unclear if she’ll achieve her goal of stopping the Doctor from waking Shiguraki in My Hero Academia Episode 117.

Before this episode departs the Liberation Front Compound for the hospital, we get some more of Hawks’ confrontation with Dabi in the aftermath of Twice’s demise. We learn a lot about both characters and their personalities in this moderately short sequence, as well as some flashbacks that give us a glimpse into Hawks and his early days as a hero in training. This moment wraps with a tantalizing hint about the mystery surrounding Dabi and who he is.

Once this sequence is complete, My Hero Academia Episode 117 jumps back to the hospital, where it remains till the episode’s completion. The frantic battle with the High-End Nomus delivers both action and drama in spades. Mirko continues to shine in this episode as she is shown to be not only a powerful fighter but a singularly determined hero. I never thought someone referred to as “the Rabbit Hero” could be this boss, but there it is. But while Mirko dominates much of the action and narrative of this episode, the character whose moment hits the best for me is Present Mic. For so much of this show, Mic is mostly used as a comic foil to his rather dour best friend, Aizawa. Because of this, when the show allows him to drop the comic pretenses of his character and show his serious side, it hits so well.

Another element of My Hero Academia Episode 117 that lands great is its use of the huge cast of heroes present at the battle. Rather than treat anyone who isn’t Endeavor, Mic, Mirko, or Aizawa as background fodder, the show makes it a point to give every hero their moment. This keeps relatively unnamed heroes from looking like helpless fools whose only perhaps is to show the situation is serious. As the tension escalates with each step, punch, and explosion, Studio Bones pulls no punches, making sure that every second delivers on the tension and gravity of the moment. The visuals get especially brutal where Mirko’s battle is concerned. The punishment she takes in her struggle to stop Shiguraki couldn’t be delivered better.

When all is said and done, My Hero Academia Episode 117 delivers on everything it wants to present. The action, drama, and stakes can’t get much higher for the heroes, and the show does a fantastic job of making sure the viewer truly feels that.

My Hero Academia Episode 117 is streaming on Crunchyroll.