REVIEW: ‘My Hero Academia’ Episode 157 — “I Am Here”

With All For One rushing to reach Shigaraki, the heroes’ plan seems in shambles. But while a lone figure stands prepared to intercept the villain, the situation at the Gunga Villa Site is about to explode. As Dabi (Hiro Shimono, My New Boss is Goofy) approaches critical mass, one of the UA refugee blocks will be caught in the explosion unless something is done. My Hero Academia Episode 157 “I Am Here” sees the heroes racing to resolve the situation, with some unexpected help.

This week’s episode opens with a visit to the heroes’ command post as they try to manage the evacuation of civilians. As they struggle to remove them from the danger zone around Shigaraki, one unit becomes stalled due to sabotage. What’s worse, Endeavor (Tetsu Inada, Baki Hanma vs Kengan Ashura) unwittingly leads Dabi in its direction, putting everyone on board in danger of being consumed when the villain lets his building flames finally release. We also learn the members of the Todoroki family not involved in the fighting are aboard this refugee craft. All these elements come together to perfectly establish the threats and stakes that the episode will deal with.

Along with the establishment of stakes, My Hero Academia Episode 157 also finds a moment to deliver some inspiring actions by a former hero. When the sabotage attack damages the structure around some civilians, a former hero leaps into action to save them. Acknowledging that his body was moving before he could think, this moment harkens back wonderfully to the series’ beginning.

From here, the episode jumps to Shoto (Yûki Kaji) and Iida (Kaito Ishikawa). Recovering from their earlier battle, Shoto is torn over what to do next. While he feels pulled to aid his father, he knows the situation with Shigaraki is desperate and worries that his efforts are more needed there. His fretting is interrupted by a call over their walkie-talkies from All Might (Kenta Miyake, Kaiju No 8).

As always, All Might provides words of encouragement to his young pupils. While not always the wisest teacher, The Symbol of Peace has never lacked in his ability to inspire those around him. Reassuring Shoto that All For One will be stopped, he tells the youngest Todoroki that only he and Iida can reach Gunga in time with the means to avert the calamity that is about to transpire. With their teacher’s confidence ringing in their ears, the pair of boys set out to Gunga to aid in the showdown with Dabi.

As the boys speed away, My Hero Academia Episode 157 cuts away to All Might, as he stands in an unmarked road, watching his old enemy soar towards him. Despite being bereft of One For All, the hero cries out his legendary catchphrase, “I AM HERE!” as he intends to draw All For One’s gaze, hoping that his foe’s hatred will distract him from reaching Shigaraki.

While this sequence is handled amazingly in the moment, it is the one major element of this episode that causes frustration. This is because this shot is the last we see of All Might in this episode. All Might’s arrival on the battlefield was the sneak peek at the end of the last episode. This episode is titled “I am Here,” referencing this moment. Having all these teases leads the audience to believe the confrontation between the two enemies will start here, just to have it get shuffled aside is a poor choice. It doesn’t help build up tension, just deflates it. And from the teaser for next week’s episode, we might not see it then either.

From here, My Hero Academia Episode 157 returns to Gunga as Endeavor struggles with the deteriorating situation. As he faces his estranged son once more, Dabi has overheated his body to an extreme degree. He burns even Endeavor when they touch, and the struggling villain can barely speak coherently. It almost feels as if he is on autopilot. Continuing forward on the last objective he was able to consciously focus on, killing his father.

As Endeavor staggers under the weight of his son’s onslaught, he is at a loss to understand how Dabi can continue to function with such extreme heat coming from his body. As Dabi closes in on him, Endeavor manages to spot an ice crystal that has formed on Dabi’s chest. Recognizing it as similar to his wife Rei’s quirk, he understands what is keeping Dabi functioning. The extreme danger has forced his quirk to adapt, giving it new potential.

Recognizing that Dabi isn’t going to stop, Endeavor takes his son in a bear hug and prepares to try to launch the two of them away from the refugee and the heroes fighting the Sad Man’s Death parade. As he clutches Dabi to himself, he sees flashes of the past and the family that he failed. Comforted knowing that the others will be able to go on without him, he prepares to make one last sacrifice. That is before a surprising chill envelopes them.

Rei Todoroki (Michiko Neya, The Grimm Variations) appears, thanks to the aid of a helper bot, to try to help calm her son’s inferno.  Soon joined by her other two children who were traveling with her, the moment builds as each tries to reach out to Dabi in their way. Apologies and insults come out in turn, as the family faces a fiery end, since not even the ice of the three new arrivals seems to be enough to stem the fires that are about to be unleashed.

That the other three Todorokis step in to play a part in these final moments is a superb choice. While it would’ve been perfectly reasonable for them to remain on the sidelines, seeing them all together elevates the emotional impact of the scene tremendously. But, as one may expect, there is one last arrival coming.

Combining Iida’s speed with both Shoto’s fire and ice powers, the duo has managed to achieve transonic speeds to arrive at their destination in time. Thrown at the situation by a stumbling Iida, Shoto hurtles towards his brother and father, unleashing a tremendous Glacial Aegis to cancel out the heat of Dabi’s blast, nullifying it.

As the dust clears, everyone is still alive, though Dabi is quickly fading. As he does, Endeavor crawls towards his son, apologizing for all his mistakes. He directs his sorrow not only at Dabi but also at the rest of his assembled family. As Dabi’s fire slowly burns out his final words are that he hates his family.

These final words may feel cold, but they are powerful and realistic. By that point, there was no single act anyone could do to simply undo the damage that Dabi had borne for all those years. While there are hints during the scene that Dabi had a realization at the end of what he really needed, his feet had been set on his path for far too long for things to twist into a “happily ever after” now.

There are a thousand things I want to say about the visual presentation throughout this sequence. From how memories are presented to stand out like pools of calm within the torrent of emotions the moment exists in, to the epic scale of Shot’s final act to stop his brother, everything is pitch-perfect in its delivery.

My Hero Academia Episode 157 brings a conclusion to the struggles of the Todorki family that is emotionally impactful and honest in its outcome. Rather than stapling on a cookie-cutter happy ending, the narrative chooses to allow the family to experience the grief and pain that feels more true to the scenario. And it is all the better for it. Not even some poorly chosen side content that serves to distract the viewer with unkept promises can douse the heat of the emotion this episode forges.

My Hero Academia Episode 157 is streaming on Crunchyroll.