REVIEW: ‘My Hero Academia’ Episode 149 — “Light Fades To Rain”

Spoilers for My Hero Academia Episode 149

Despite giving their all in their fights against All For One and Shigaraki (Kôki Uchiyama), the heroes don’t seem to be making any headway against their foes. With the battle against Shigaraki about to break, it feels like one wrong move could see the entire situation collapse. With Midoriya still en route, can the heroes hold out, or will the Coffin in the Sky live up to its name in My Hero Academia Episode 149, “Light Fades to Rain?”

Final seasons often take what a series has been known for in the past and dial it up to eleven. This gives long-time fans more of all their favorite characters and moments so the last impression can shine in their memories long after the credits roll. However, you can have too much of a good thing. Even though My Hero Academia Episode 149 stands wonderfully on its own, its light fades a bit when you take it with everything the show has done so far this season.

The entirety of this episode follows the ongoing battle with Shigaraki. Picking up where the previous episode left off, we see the villain discard Bakugo (Nobuhiko Okamoto), dismissing him as uninteresting. As the villain looks to deal the final blow, Bakugo is saved by UA’s Big Three: Tamaki Amajiki (Yûta Uemura, Drifting Dragons), Nejire Hado (Kiyono Yasuno, Arknights: PRELUDE TO DAWN), and Mirio Togata (Tarusuke Shingaki, Bartender: Glass of God). After a brief planning session, the trio launched their attack against Shigaraki.

The opening gambit of their assault sees Nejire draw the villain’s attention so Tamaki can poison him from behind. When a hit lands, it seems like the duo may have found a weak spot in Shigaraki’s armor as the poison spreads. This is soon disproved, however, as a mouth spontaneously forms near the site of the infection and dispels the toxins.

This bizarre occurrence is once more written off by the villain as his body adapting to its environment. Once again getting around the problem that Erasure is still in effect on him. While conceptually, the mouth is no harder to believe than the evergrowing limb Shigaraki has been swinging around for a few episodes, it feels a bit lazy that this explanation is getting trotted out again. This moment only adds fuel to the building struggle that My Hero Academia Episode 149 faces.

While Tamaki’s attack fails to wound the villain, it does create an opening for Togata to clear Bakugo of the villain’s clutches. However, beyond freeing his fellow student, Togata is unable to affect Shigaraki. The pair soon find themselves in a stalemate. Togata can’t hurt Shigaraki, nor can Shigaraki harm the untouchable hero.

Given the lengths the heroes have already gone to this season to defeat their foes, it’s surprising that My Hero Academia Episode 149 doesn’t address the obvious answer to Togata’s problem. If he can’t harm Shigaraki externally, why not phase his arm into the villain and allow it to re-solidify there? The massive disruption to Shigaraki’s system that would ensue would almost have to be fatal. Even if Togata is unwilling to do it out of fear of taking the villain’s life, you’d expect it would be a thought someone would have and need to be addressed.

Even though Togata fails to wound Shigaraki’s body, he does manage to pull at the villain’s heart. When the hero accuses Shigaraki of being without friends, the villain lashes out, naming people who he sees as his friends. This outburst is accompanied by a brief visit to the Vestige World, where we see the young Shimura once more making his presence felt. There are still pieces of Shigaraki that are clearly not yet under All For One’s control.

With both Togata and Tamaki taking their shots, it’s time for Nejire to take center stage. My Hero Academia Episode 149 opens this stretch of the episode with a flashback into her past. We learn that Nejire had an almost Midoriya level of fascination with quirks in years past. This interest was often misconstrued by others, leaving Nejire shunned by many of her classmates. It wasn’t until the shy Tamaki approached her that she was able to find friends she could be with.

Once the show returns to the present, we see Nejire unleash her biggest attack as she looks to stem the endless onslaught of Shigraki’s grotesque limbs. While her attack puts on an impressive display, it only serves as a feint to distract her target. While Shigaraki contends with her, Tamaki constructs a plasma cannon using his powers.

A series like My Hero Academia demands a lot of suspension of disbelief. When taken at face value, few of its biggest moments make any sense. However, how Tamaki can utilize things he’s eaten to construct a fully functional plasma cannon feels like a bridge too far. While the visual design makes the contraption look like it’s been forged of numerous foods, it just doesn’t make any sense.

The energy blast that Tamaki releases when his weapon is finished is the most impressive visual moment in an episode ripe with them. The raw power of the beam is showcased wonderfully. As it splits the sky, we see the clouds in the distance become warped by the beam as a final hint at the weapon’s power. However, all this gorgeous visual work and disbelief breaking is all for nothing as, once again, the heroes’ best efforts are utterly in vain.

Following up on this anti-climatic moment, My Hero Academia Episode 149 doubles down on the repetition as Bakugo once more rises to his feet. Defying all odds, the would-be number-one hero returns to the fray despite the horrific injuries he has incurred. Because of how he harnessed his powers earlier, it is no longer his palms alone that secrete an explosive, propelling liquid. His whole body now does so, massively increasing Bakugo’s movement speed.

During this sequence, we get a glimpse, presumably, of an exchange within Bakugo’s version of the vestige world. He’s seen side by side with the yellow energy being that has previously represented All Might within One For All. As Bakugo sees his hero, he acknowledges his past shortcomings and begins to ask him for the autograph he never got to ask for.

This emotional exchange stands on its own despite the onslaught of such moments viewers have been getting this season. Seeing the ever-yelling Bakugo being quiet and vulnerable around his hero crafts a touching moment that we rarely get with the character.

As the hero blasts around the arena, the viewer can feel Bakugo fading. He is putting his all into this moment as he dances around his opponent. But the moment doesn’t last. As his new power fades, Shigaraki swats him down, appearing to end the hero’s life.

While every individual element of My Hero Academia Episode 149 is implemented skillfully, the protagonists’ rapid repetition of failure makes every moment feel inevitable, greatly harming the narrative. The layer of plot armor that Shigaraki and All For One feel wrapped in right now hurts everything the series is desperately trying to craft.

As My Hero Academia Episode 149 draws to a close, the nearby heroes are stunned, standing over Bakugo’s body. Whether or not the death proves to be permanent, it feels like a miss. Sadly, due to the battle’s long remaining run time and the need to try to keep the emotional tension high, it seems Bakugo’s sacrifice won’t be the last one offered up at the altar of high episode counts. Hopefully, the next hero to fall will get to leave an impact on the fight aside from being another emotional volley lobbed in the hopes of keeping the viewer engaged for 13 more episodes.

My Hero Academia Episode 149 is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.