REVIEW: ‘My Hero Academia: Vigilantes’ Season 2 Episode 7 – “Glass Sky”

My Hero Academia Vigilantes Season 2 Episode 7 is another exemplary installment in the series, as it further expands the backstory of one of the franchise’s more popular characters. Shota Aizawa (Junichi Suwabe), baby-faced, insecure, and cat-obsessed, makes for a wonderful protagonist, so much so that it’s becoming increasingly shocking that this mini arc didn’t happen in the main series but its spinoff. However, despite the fun of exploring his teen years as he struggled to find himself and define the path he wanted to take, there’s an underlying issue with this thematic success. Because this story is so strong, the return to the main plot feels less enticing. 

For now, at least, we simply get to exist with the easy friendship and camaraderie between Aizawa, Nemuri Kayama (Akeno Watanabe), Oboro Shirakumo (Kensho Ono), and Hizashi Yamada (Hiroyuki Yoshino). As they navigate their careers as heroes while struggling to define their strengths, My Hero Academia Vigilantes Season 2 Episode 7 reveals nuance even in the lightest moments. For those who have watched the main series, we know how this story plays out. We know that this friendship defines who Eraser Head is as an adult and a hero, and why he’s so harsh toward students who are willing to break themselves for the sake of self-imposed martyrdom. 

But the appeal of episodes like “Rain and Cloud” and “Glass Sky” is that, for a moment, the series makes us forget the inevitable. Even more effective: it makes us hope for an ending we know won’t come. So much of this comes down to how strong Shirakumo is as a character from the jump.

Shirakumo and Aizawa’s friendship paves the way for a strong hero duo.

From his cool character design and flexible Quirk to his unwavering support for Aizawa, he’s lovable. Even if we’ve barely scratched the surface of who he is as a character and what he’s capable of, there’s enough here, bolstered by Aizawa’s depth, to foster an engaging and exciting new foundation for stories. My Hero Academia Vigilantes Season 2 Episode 7 digs just a little deeper into his innate, freely offered kindness and playful sense of humor to make us understand why someone like Aizawa would be drawn to him.  

And, in many ways, through this arc, we’re getting a lot of what My Hero Academia missed out on as the story grew to high-stakes heights. We’re getting the in-between moments when friendships develop, and team-ups are worked out. It’s present both in the rooftop scenes, where they talk about life, their futures, and cats (an adorable, ongoing thread that highlights Aizawa’s love of them), and in the scenes where they embark on their internships. 

Working through the hero agency Team Purple Revolution and under the tutelage of hero His Purple Highness (and yes, he is just Prince given the Jojo aesthetic), we watch as Aizawa and Shirakumo begin to work together to utilize their gifts better. While His Purple Highness believes Aizawa needs a more bubbly, screen-ready personality to stand out as a hero, that’s not really Aizawa’s objective.

The heroes in training defy expectations and their mentors’ advice to stand out.

Instead, Aizawa and Shirakumo work together to develop their Quirks (which are labeled as difficult to wield in combat) to become a stealthy, unpredictable pair. The first development is small in the grand scheme of things, but it clearly affects Aizawa and has a lasting impact on his work. It’s a pair of goggles, gifted by Shirakumo, in an effort to help him mid-fight so that he can strip villains of their quirks and clear a path for Shirakumo to come in with an attack. 

Through their fights with the Smoke Villain, My Hero Academia Vigilantes Season 2 Episode 7 highlights how much of Aizawa’s pragmatic attitude has always been a core part of him. But it also shows that he wasn’t always suited to be a lone fighter, something he’s clearly become by the time Vigilantes starts. Because he and Shirakumo, whether up against a real villain or another classmate, make for a formidable hero duo as Eraser Head and Loud Cloud. 

It’s why Shirakumo thinks the two of them, along with Yamada, should start their own independent hero agency post graduation. And it’s here where the melancholy, the whispers of heartache, begin to settle into My Hero Academia Vigilantes Season 2 Episode 7. Because while he doesn’t like the idea of relying on others, it’s clear that Shirakumo’s infectious pitch, and the sight of all of his friends playing around and laughing, enjoying what should be the simplicity of youth, has worked its way past any defenses. He smiles, easy and relaxed, in a way that, over the course of “Glass Sky,” he struggled to manage. 

“Glass Sky” builds tension as Aizawa seeks to establish who he is as a hero.

The skies are clear, the wind strong, and Aizawa, in one of the more subtly moving lines of the entire series, thinks that a gentle breeze is enough to lift him beyond his self-doubts and into a world of limitless possibilities. The strength of a good friendship is immense, and can make us believe beyond our own self-doubts and insecurities. Hideyuki Furuhashi’s writing is delicately observational, capturing the innate gentleness of good coming-of-age stories. 

And of course, that glass sky with its vibrant sun suffers a devastating, sobering blow in the end tag when we learn that, one week later, some tragedy will befall them. It’s why these moments together matter so much, not just because they highlight how Aizawa grows to be the character we know in the main series. But it highlights how quickly, in a world of teenage heroes, hope and possibilities can be extinguished. 

Beyond its strong, emotionally driven writing, My Hero Academia Vigilantes Season 2 Episode 7 also excels visually. It’s more noticeable here in the flashback just how distinctive the shift in animation style is. It’s not just the pop-art aesthetic, the comic-book paneling, and influences.

My Hero Academia Vigilantes Season 2 Episode 7 ends on a note of inevitable tragedy.

The grainy, textured compositions and the use of sky and space elevate each sequence. Shirakumo’s leaping off the side of the building mid-fight isn’t just fun for its own sake, but it also adds tangible depth through the motion and the detailed cityscape in the background. Each building has its own coloring, and the heavy lines emphasize the movement of Shirakumo’s hair as he free-falls. It’s an effective blend of styles and techniques that allows for a cohesive, striking image. 

It’s evident, too, in the last moments, as Aizawa stands bracketed against the looming skies. The colors pop without being overly vibrant or cartoonish, despite the comic-book styling. This tactile element offers the flashback a sense of lost time – of recalled memories viewed through a tinted lens. 

My Hero Academia Vigilantes Season 2 Episode 7 reinforces the strength of Aizawa’s flashback through subtle, poignant writing. Through the silly interactions between friends and the easy, optimistic belief in an assured future, “Glass Sky” honors the youth of its characters while reminding us of the inevitable course the story is taking us on.

My Hero Academia Vigilantes Season 2 Episode 7 is available now on Crunchyroll.

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