REVIEW: ‘My Hero Academia,’ Episode 131 – “Izuku Midoriya and Tomura Shigaraki”

After spending some time exploring the personal stories of some of the other heroes, My Hero Academia Episode 131 returns to Izuku Midoriya and his battle against All for One. Can he use the powers he’s inherited from the previous holders of One for All to finally save the world?

Even though My Hero Academia Episode 131 goes back to primarily focusing on Deku and his fight against All for One, this episode doesn’t feature the action-packed battles one would expect. Instead, we get to see Deku speaking with the previous holders of One for All trying to come up with a plan to defeat Shigaraki and All for One. Part of creating that plan is to dive into what makes Deku able to use One for All in a way others weren’t. The fact that he was born without a quirk makes him special, and My Hero Academia Episode 131 goes a little more into why that is the case. There is a nice explanation about his powers and how he can become so much more powerful than his predecessors, while also inheriting significantly more responsibility and danger.

I love the focus on Deku’s internal struggle in this episode, not just with his own thoughts but with those of the people who inhabit his own mind thanks to One for All. The previous holders, All Might excluded, feel that All for One is irredeemable and must be killed. Deku, being the hero he is, doesn’t necessarily agree. The conversation that ensues is a really interesting one since Deku doesn’t outright refuse to kill All for One if it comes to it. Instead, he talks about his experience with others and how he might not know the right answer at the moment, but he has faith he will make the right call when needed.

What Deku does realize, however, is that his fight has been putting a target on the backs of those he cares about. He knows that he must confront Shigaraki, but is afraid to hurt those close to him. After finally waking up from his coma, Deku is resolved to go out on his own. He knows his friends would come with him to the very end, but it’s that knowledge that makes him realize he has to leave them if he wants to keep them safe. Whether or not this ends up being true is a whole different matter, but his rationale makes sense for someone in his shoes and I’m glad we got to see some of the internal dialogue behind this decision. We also get a brief glimpse at how his friends, specifically Uraraka, take the news. It sets up the next chapter of the My Hero Academia story, one that even the episode recognizes is likely to be the final story told.

While Deku is going through his own personal growth not dissimilar to the growth other characters have gone through this season, the rest of the world is reckoning with what is going on. Endeavor decides the best course of action is to come clean about Dabi being his son, which does not go over well. Even if it wasn’t the most comfortable decision or one that even all of his allies agreed with, getting to see Endeavor now publicly reckon with his own past mistakes and their consequences is a nice addition. It adds to the depth of his sincerity when it comes to making things right.

My Hero Academia Episode 131 is a masterclass in setup. While there isn’t any resolution here, the stage is set for the final battle between Deku and Shigaraki and anticipation is at an all-time high. The time for debating is over; now, it’s up to Deku and the other heroes to do what must be done in order to defeat All for One once and for all.

My Hero Academia Episode 131 is streaming now on Crunchyroll.