REVIEW: ‘My Hero Academia,’ Episode 135 – “Friend”

With Lady Nagant now defeated, My Hero Academia Episode 135 continues to showcase recent events’ toll on the heroes leading the charge for good. Meanwhile, Deku’s friends refuse to accept that he needs to separate himself from them and they set out to help him.

My Hero Academia Episode 135 starts off primarily focusing on Endeavor and the rest of the pro heroes and how they are getting on with their jobs. Death Arms, a former hero, has now resigned from the hero life and is trying to fade into anonymity. He talks about how he has been running himself ragged and all he receives in response from the citizens he is protecting is anger and doubt. The emotional toll it takes on him is too much, and he is not the only hero to feel that way.

I love how this season has given plenty of focus to how heroes deal with a world that doesn’t want them. Citizens not always appreciating those who work so hard to save them isn’t a new storyline in superhero entertainment, but the idea that heroes would actually up and quit is one that is rarely ever explored. The idea that heroes are human too, that they face the same struggles the average person would, is such a neat one to explore. My Hero Academia Episode 134 showed how heroes can turn dark, and My Hero Academia Episode 135 shows how sometimes they just decide to step away from it all entirely. Both reactions feel very authentic, and I’m glad both were explored.

The human side of heroes has been really great to see, but the main attraction this season is Deku and the weight of the world being thrown onto his shoulders. While the adult heroes have their own struggles, Deku has to take on all of that and more and handles it with some surprising maturity. Even his decision to set off on his own, while it might not be the best solution, makes sense when you realize he desperately wants to protect the people he loves.

Even though his decision does have a sense of logic to it, the rest of Class A refuses to allow Deku and Endeavor to keep them out of the loop. They know what they signed up for, and don’t appreciate others making the decision to cut them out for them. It shows surprising maturity from Deku’s friends, that they so deeply want to do what’s right that they don’t care about the risks that they will face. They manage to trick Endeavor and get themselves put back into the mix, leading to a confrontation between them and Deku. Deku has to come face to face with the people he thinks he is trying to protect, and the hurt they feel because of his decision to leave. I’m looking forward to that storyline continuing to be explored in the next episode because I know Deku clearly cares about how he has made his friends feel but he still believes he has made the right decision.

My Hero Academia Episode 135 is a continued look into the psyche of heroes and what drives them to keep going. The pro heroes all handle the pressure differently, and Deku and his friends are all trying to help carry some of the burden. It has been a blast to see their inner struggles play out while trying to save the world from All for One, and I can’t wait to see where things go from here.

My Hero Academia Episode 135 is streaming now on Crunchyroll.