REVIEW: ‘My Hero Academia’ Episode 150 — “Those Who Defend, Those Who Violate”

Showing no pulse, it looks like Bakugo (Nobuhiko Okamoto) has paid the ultimate price in his quest to become a hero. With All For One (Akio Ôtsuka) regaining his former strength and Shigaraki (Kôki Uchiyama) seemingly unstoppable, will any of his allies end up lying beside him before the battle ends? But even as the situation is at its darkest, My Hero Academia Episode 150, “Those Who Defend, Those Who Violate,” sees the remaining heroes struggling to preserve the lives they’ve been charged with defending.

This episode opens with brief visits to several of the battles raging across Japan. Beginning with Coffin in the Sky, we see the heroes divided in their efforts. While Best Jeanist (Hikaru Midorikawa, Platinum End) tries to restore Bakugo’s life by stitching him up, Mirko (Sayaka Kinoshita, Birdie Wing: Golf Girl’s Story) leads the charge as she unleashes her rage at the self-proclaimed Demon King.

Mirko’s reckless attack lands her where one would expect, immobilized and surrounded by the mass growing out of Shigaraki’s arm. However, she does more than struggle for her freedom in this moment. As her body is restrained, Mirko lashes out at her opponent verbally. Venting her rage, she reveals that she harbors a feeling of responsibility for all the destruction Shigaraki has caused. After all, if she were one step faster back at the lab, he never would’ve awakened. While this blame is clearly misplaced, it does inform Mirko’s actions throughout the fight. While always a punch-first style of hero, the wild abandon she throws herself at Shigaraki makes more sense once her inner turmoil is revealed.

The animation on all fronts continues to shine in My Hero Academia Episode 150, but it is in the emotional moments that it makes its most lasting impact. While Mirko’s isn’t the biggest one here, it is the first salvo of brilliantly animated, character-driven scenes that shine wonderfully.

As the heroes struggle to contain Shigaraki, the episode jumps to Shouto Todorki (Yûki Kaji, Haikyu The Dumpster Battle) as he discovers his battle is not yet over. Dabi stands before him, bearing his own flaming “X” across his chest. As the villain explains how he has duplicated his younger sibling’s technique, the elder Todorki’s flames burn like never before in a moment of gorgeously delivered animation.

This brief moment of setup is followed by another quick stop at the heroes’ headquarters, where we learn their computer systems are under attack by the Liberation Front. If the villains succeed at hacking their systems, the electromagnetic barrier containing Shigaraki could go down. Or even worse, the Coffin in the Sky could come crashing down to earth like a veritable meteor.

My Hero Academia Episode 150‘s worsening situation peaks as the narrative returns to Endeavor (Tetsu Inada) and Hawks (Yûichi Nakamura) as they see All For One restored to his prime thanks to the manipulation of one of Overhaul’s deleter rounds. While the presence of the villain at his peak is a daunting one, there is a silver lining to the situation. Just like when Midoriya was exposed to Eri’s quirk Rewind, once begun the process won’t stop. This means that All For One has a limited amount of time before he rewinds into nothing. This gives the heroes a win condition against their exceedingly powerful foe.

It is a necessary detail that Dr. Kyudai Garaki wasn’t able to modify the deleter round to work exactly as one would want. With so much going right for the villains, the heroes needed something to work for them. This wrinkle gives the heroes a chance again. 

From here, we get a brief sequence that takes the viewer across the globe to Washington, D.C.. Here, we see Angpar (Satoshi Yamaguchi), Star and Stripe‘s former commander, in a meeting with the president. We learn about the shifting approach the world is taking toward Shigaraki and how the President worries that Angpar’s decisions concerning Star’s attack on him may hurt America’s interests. Angpar counters the president’s concerns with an impassioned speech in memory of his former comrade and her ideals and goals.

While this moment provides some interesting details and another tip of the hat to the awesome character that Star was, it feels largely unnecessary. With everything going on in Japan, taking time for this scene feels like more of a distraction than anything, albeit a well-crafted one.

My Hero Academia Episode 150 makes one final jump, taking the audience back to the Coffin in the Sky as Edge Shot (Kenta Kamakarai) launches a desperate attempt to save Bakugo. The ninja hero uses his quirk to slip inside Bakugo’s body to repair the damage done to the boy’s heart and lungs. While the effort of doing this is something Edge Shot is unlikely ever fully to recover from, he is willing to sacrifice to save Bakugo’s life.

Seeing the hero trying to fix what he has destroyed, Shigaraki moves to intervene in the rescue attempt. This prompts another assault on him from Mirko and Lemillion (Tarusuke Shingaki, Freiren Beyond Journey’s End). But something surprising happens as the duo begins to pummel their opponent: Shigaraki feels it. His body, once immune to the attacks of his foes, is being staggered by the relentless onslaught of attacks—at least until the antagonist’s body adapts yet again, evolving into a more defensive form.

The effort to stall Shigaraki soon falls to Lemillion as every other hero is dispatched by the villain’s new form. The mixture of desperation and terror that emanates from the hero is masterfully executed. Both voice work and animation come together to deliver the power of the emotions on display. Lemillion’s pain is ultimately overcome thanks to a brief, tender memory of his teacher, Nighteye, before the hero’s death. Remembering his teacher’s words and his faith in him finally spurs the hero into action as only he could.

If you have been reading my previous reviews for this season, you will probably expect me to level a familiar complaint about Shigaraki’s dragon-scale hard plot armor at this point. While this moment does feel like another expression of that familiar complaint, it is lessened by the timely arrival of Midoriya (Daiki Yamashita). With the wielder of One For All back on the field, the frustration born of Shigraski’s seemingly limitless power set is lessened by the knowledge that the final battle can now begin.

With the anticipation of what’s to come next, My Hero Academia Episode 150 ends on the strongest note it can. With the diametrically opposed forces of Shigaraki and Midoriya finally face-to-face, the season feels primed to kick into overdrive.

My Hero Academia Episode 150 is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.