REVIEW: ‘My Hero Academia’ Episode 146 – “Two Flashfires”

With the multi-front battle in full swing, My Hero Academia Episode 146 “Two Flashfires” focuses its narrative squarely on the sons of Endeavor. As the fires rage, we learn about Dabi (Hiro Shimono, My New Boss is Goofy), what happened after he burned on the mountaintop, and how he fits into All For One’s plans. But even as Dabi burns hot with his rage, Shoto (Yûki Kaji, Bubble) is prepared to stop his brother from destroying what he holds dear.

This week’s episode is the first of what I’m sure will be many in the unfolding season I will have mixed feelings about. Not because any of the individual elements are bad, but because of their placement. Understanding what happened to Dabi is important for the audience to know, but I wish it could’ve happened earlier. There is so much going on in the present-day story that detouring the better part of an entire episode to the past feels frustrating, no matter how well-executed the delivery is.

The aforementioned delivery of Dabi’s backstory in My Hero Academia Episode 146 is wonderfully executed. To understand what happened to Dabi after his presumed death, the episode takes an unexpected side trip to the prison cell of Dr. Kyudai Garaki (Minoru Inaba). Through him, we learn how Dabi was stabilized, as well as All For One’s intentions with him.

That One For All saved Dabi so he could function as a backup host in case things with Shigaraki went sour gives his presence within the league an interesting element. Much as Shoto’s arrival in his family pushes Dabi into the background, Dabi is brought into the League to play back up. Even though Dabi doesn’t seem aware of All For One’s intentions, it still adds an interesting layer to the character’s history.

The revelation that stands out though in My Hero Academia Episode 146 is how long Dabi was expected to live. Garaki reveals that, as Dabi was when he awoke from his years-long sleep after the incident on the mountaintop, he should’ve lived for only a single month. Yet, years after walking away from All For One, he returned to join the League. While no concrete reason is given for how Dabi continues to survive, the heavily hinted-at cause is pure spite. His need to punish his father has sustained his crumbling body for years.

While most of the backstory exploration belongs to Dabi, we get some peaks into Shoto’s more recent history as well. We learn about how his training has progressed, and that he has finally found a perfect blending of the two halves of his powers. Being able to manifest both his ice and fire powers together to create a form of “cold flame,” it feels like Shoto has awakened the pinnacle of what his powers can be.

The visual presentation of Shoto’s new balance of powers is the visual highlight of My Hero Academia Episode 146. Presented as a twin-colored flaming “x” streaming from his chest, there is an aura of peace emanating from the visual element, even as it represents Shoto’s greatest destructive power. Even once unleashed and we see what the new power is capable of, one cannot help but connect it more with Shoto’s journey of self-acceptance that began with his battle with Midoriya than the blow used to finally stop his brother’s burning hot rage.

The other crucial element of Shoto’s story we learn is who decided he should fight Dabi. And, notably, that Endeavor was opposed to it. Wanting to face the consequences of his misguided actions himself, Endeavor had wanted to face Dabi. But knowing that his father was one of the few people who could lead the fight against One For All, Shoto knew he couldn’t be spared for the family confrontation. And, as Shoto tells Endeavor over a phone call, Dabi’s actions aren’t his to address, they are “theirs.”

When the moment finally comes, My Hero Academia Episode 146 lets everything go as Dabi and Shoto clash. The flames roar and everything sizzles as Dabi lashes out at his little brother. The animation puts its all into the limited number of attacks we see. Everything is wreathed in flames in no time.

But while the fires dance and Dabi’s rage radiates from the screen, Shoto’s chilling calm comes to stand out. As he weathers the firestorm of his brother’s fury, there is never any doubt that what Shoto does brings him no joy or sense of triumph. He simply cannot let Dabi harm anyone else.

My Hero Academia Episode 146 delivers an enlightening backstory and fire-filled action. While I wish more time could’ve been spent in the present, no element of the episode’s narrative falls short of excellent.

My Hero Academia Episode 146 is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.