REVIEW: ‘My Hero Academia’ Episode 158 — “A Girl’s Ego”

The fight to stop Dabi’s inferno is over, but the Sad Man’s Death Parade marches on. With literal mountains of Twice clones threatening to overwhelm everyone, the heroes are hard-pressed to slow down the tide. But while others battle against the clones, Ochako Uraraka (Ayane Sakura, My Happy Marriage) seeks out the heart of the matter, Himiko Toga (Misato Fukuen, Heavenly Delusion). My Hero Academia Episode 158, “A Girl’s Ego,” will test Uraraka’s resolve as she strives for not only her allies but Himiko as well.

One of the greatest appeals to science fiction and fantasy is that it can take the struggles that reside in the real world and recontextualize them. This allows the audience to absorb the situation in a new light. While taking on elements like superpowers in situations can fundamentally change some of those elements, it still serves as a great way to explore the fundamentals of the discussion.

Himiko Toga’s journey is one such example. Othered for her quirk-borne desire to consume blood, she is labeled a monster and shunned by all. The girl is even rejected by her parents, who, My Hero Academia Episode 158 reveals, even took her to a “therapist” to “fix” her. How all of these rejections and moments of abandonment shaped Himiko into the individual that fans have come to know is easy to understand. The long duration of those rejections makes it hard for her to believe that someone may genuinely be willing to welcome her as she also becomes clear through this lens.

The scale of Himiko’s emotional turmoil provides the greatest challenge for this episode. With the viewer so clearly understanding the depth of betrayal and abuse Himiko has suffered, it has to take something truly momentous to break through the shell she has formed around herself. If it’s too easy, the resolution will feel unsatisfying. Luckily, scale continues to be an element of storytelling My Hero Academia Episode excels at.

The distances Uraraka has to go to reach Himiko deliver everything fans could ask for. The arguments the pair wade through as Uraraka desperately tries to convince Himiko that she thinks she is beautiful and not a monster allow the sequence the weight it desperately needs. The events surrounding their confrontation skillfully enhance this weight.

It is a classic motif to have emotional struggles reflected by environmental elements. This reflection makes the emotions of the characters feel grander than themselves. Like the very world around them is shaken by their arguments. My Hero Academia Episode 158 gets to take this concept to a whole new level due to the infinite copies. As Himiko rages, the sea of Twice rages outwards with her. An angry sea that will drown the world in her sorrow. Shots showing the growing tempest from the viewpoints of exhausted characters like Hawks and the Todorokis help to incorporate the moment into the large struggle, showing how this one girl’s rage could consume them all.

Himeko’s precarious mental state is also driven home through the visual execution of her clones. With the fight going on for so long now, every hero on the battlefield is injured and bleeding. This blood has been consumed by some clones, allowing them to take the forms of characters like Froppy (Aoi Yûki, The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic) and Jiro (Kei Shindo). Rather than just true doubles though, these copies take the form of twisted parodies. These grim duplicates add an element of horror to the sequence as copies visually externalize the trauma and distrust that Himeko carries inside her.

While the emotional side of the conflict is at center stage, what Uraraka does to physically reach her goal is equally impressive. How the young hero has grown in both the use of her powers and how quickly she adapts to the surging forces against her is impressive. The animation does a brilliant job of bringing her efforts to life as it showcases the strain and focus her numerous maneuvers place upon her.

While the struggle, pain, and danger of the scenario come through brilliantly, it is the seed of hope that Uraraka brings to Himeko that shines the brightest in My Hero Academia Episode 158. Weaving the emotional and physical confrontations together, the episode delivers a one-two punch during its final moments that brings tears. The beauty of both moments wraps together, allowing both the cast and audience to take a breath as the tremendous tension of the episode finally breaks.

My Hero Academia Episode 158 brings one of the most emotional secondary arcs to a close with a weight that feels worthy of the build-up. Both Himeko and Uraraka are allowed poignant moments as the latter struggles to reach the former despite the mountain of trauma and pain that keeps her at bay.

My Hero Academia Episode 158 is streaming now on Crunchyroll.