REVIEW: ‘My Hero Academia’ Episode 141 — “Villain”

After failing to take Star and Stripe’s (Romi Park) quirk, New Order, Tomura Shigaraki (Kôki Uchiyama) has to regroup before launching another attack. The Heroes at U.A. have a week to prepare to face off against Shigaraki and All For One in My Hero Academia Episode 141 (Boku no hîrô akademia) titled “Villain.”

My Hero Academia Episode 141 picks up with Shigaraki, All For One, and their allies in a secret cave. Shigaraki is recovering and in some serious physical and emotional pain. His hatred for All Might is reaching new levels. All For One comments that their consciousnesses are combining, leading the two to eventually fully become one person.

Seeing Shigaraki struggle is really interesting. His rage and his intensity are palpable. All For One is essentially a voice of reason here. He sees the fact that Star is gone as a victory. He has the same hatred of All Might and One For All, but he does not show it in the same way. All For One has been a slow build from the start, so it makes sense that after decades of waiting, he is still patient even as the end approaches.

In fact, all of All For One’s allies lack his patience. He talks about how he has made contingency plans for decades in advance, and so he is always prepared for twists and turns. Every other villain acts with passion and anger, but All For One calmly keeps them together thanks to his planning and his patience. It is a fascinating dynamic, but it makes sense that the other villains would gravitate towards someone who can keep so calm under pressure.

My Hero Academia Episode 141 does not just focus on the villains, though. While Shigaraki is healing, the heroes at the U.A. are training for the epic confrontation. There is a visually stunning sequence that shows the young heroes evolving their abilities and pushing past their limits. Studio Bones does a great job of showing how hard the heroes are working and how their abilities have grown.

This is also a great opportunity to see how far the heroes have come from the very beginning. They have learned to use their powers in new ways thanks to their own personal growth. The long-term character development of these young heroes is why they are the world’s only hope. They have matured and are ready mentally as well as physically to take on All For One.

Despite all of this effort, the heroes know they are on the back foot. No matter how hard they train, Shigaraki still has the upper hand. His fully formed body will be more powerful than all of them put together. And, crucially, he has the power to choose when the fight actually happens. This should lead to a sense of dread and desperation, but it never does. In fact, it brings the heroes together even more.

Izuku Midoriya has always tried to fight this battle on his own, but his friends refuse to let him. This comes up again in My Hero Academia Episode 141 when he says that he needs to hurry and is immediately corrected. It still seems like he wants to go off and do all of this on his own, but for now, he accepts their help and continues to work alongside them.

Well, not all of them. There is a traitor in their midst who has been feeding information to All For One. Yuga Aoyama has been forced to help All For One because of his parents. The decisions they made have left him in this terrible position where he has to work against his friends in order to keep him and his family safe. The weight of his guilt is becoming too much for him, but he does not have a choice.

Midoriya finds Aoyama in the woods speaking to his parents. It is an incredibly emotional interaction between the two and the lurking Toru Hagakure, who steps in when Aoyama attacks. It would make sense for Midoriya to be angry and feel betrayed. Instead, he shows why his classmates look up to him. He tells Aoyama he does not have to hurt anyone anymore and that he can still do the right thing.

Midoriya always tries to see the best in people. He does not think anyone is entirely irredeemable. No one would blame him if he lashed out, but he never does. He is an example for the rest of the heroes and continues to show how great of a choice All Might made when selecting him to inherit his powers. It is Midoriya’s approach that actually made Aoyama rethink his actions.

Now that the heroes have found the traitor, they have to be ready to take on Shigaraki. Midoriya’s spirit and resolve have helped bring everyone together and refocus on why All For One must be stopped. The stakes are high for the entire world, but for Midoriya and friends, they are incredibly personal.

My Hero Academia Episode 141 is an emotional calm before the storm moment leading into an all-out war. Midoriya continues to show what it really means to be a hero as he and his friend prepare for the fight of their lives against All For One.

My Hero Academia Episode 141 is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.