My Hero Academia Episode 149 Review

Spoilers for My Hero Academia Episode 149

Despite giving it their all in their fights against All For One and Shigaraki (Kōki Uchiyama), the heroes seem to be making no headway against their enemies. With the battle against Shigaraki about to erupt, it seems like one wrong move could bring the whole situation crashing down. With Midoriya still on the way, can the heroes hold out or will the Coffin in the Sky live up to its name in My Hero Academy Episode 149, “Light turns into rain?”

Final seasons often take what a show has been known for in the past and crank it up to eleven. This gives loyal fans more of all their favorite characters and moments, so that final impression can linger in their memory long after the credits have rolled. But you can have too much of a good thing. Even though My Hero Academy Episode 149 stands alone beautifully, but its light dims a bit when compared to everything the series has done so far this season.

The entire episode follows the ongoing battle with Shigaraki. Picking up where the previous episode left off, we see the villain discard Bakugo (Nobuhiko Okamoto) and dismiss him as uninteresting. As the villain tries to deliver the final blow, Bakugo is saved by UA’s Big Three: Tamaki Amajiki (Yūta Uemura, Floating dragons), Nejire Hado (Kiyono Yasuno, Arknights: PROPHECY TO THE DAWN), and Mirio Togata (Tarusuke Shingaki, Bartender: Glass of God). After a brief planning session, the trio launched their attack on Shigaraki.

The opening gambit of their attack sees Nejire draw the villain’s attention, allowing Tamaki to poison him from behind. When a hit lands, it appears that the duo has found a weak spot in Shigaraki’s armor as the poison spreads. This is quickly disproved, however, as a mouth spontaneously forms near the infection site, expelling the toxins.

This bizarre occurrence is once again dismissed by the villain as his body adapting to its surroundings. Once again, he sidesteps the issue of Erasure still being applied to him. While the mouth is conceptually no more believable than the ever-growing limb Shigaraki has been waving around for a few episodes, it feels a bit lazy to bring up this explanation again. This moment only adds fuel to the construction struggle that My Hero Academy Episode 149 faces.

While Tamaki’s attack fails to injure the villain, it does create an opening for Togata to free Bakugo from the villain’s clutches. However, aside from freeing his fellow student, Togata is unable to sway Shigaraki. The pair soon find themselves at a stalemate. Togata can neither hurt Shigaraki, nor can Shigaraki harm the untouchable hero.

Considering the lengths the heroes have gone to to defeat their enemies this season, it’s surprising that My Hero Academy Episode 149 doesn’t address the obvious answer to Togata’s problem. If he can’t harm Shigaraki externally, why wouldn’t he sink his arm into the villain and let it re-energize there? The massive disruption to Shigaraki’s system that would result would have to be nearly fatal. Even if Togata didn’t want to do it for fear of taking the villain’s life, you’d think someone would have it and need to be dealt with.

Although Togata fails to harm Shigaraki’s body, he does manage to tug at the villain’s heart. When the hero accuses Shigaraki of having no friends, the villain lashes out, naming people he considers his friends. This outburst is accompanied by a brief visit to the Vestige World, where we see the young Shimura making his presence felt once again. There are still parts of Shigaraki that are clearly not yet under All For One’s control.

As Togata and Tamaki both fire their shots, it’s time for Nejire to take the lead role. My Hero Academy Episode 149 opens this part of the episode with a flashback to her past. We learn that Nejire had an almost Midoriya-level fascination with oddities in the past. This interest was often misunderstood by others, causing Nejire to be shunned by many of her classmates. It wasn’t until the shy Tamaki approached her that she was able to find friends to be with.

Once the show returns to the present, we see Nejire unleash her greatest attack as she tries to stop the endless onslaught of Shigaraki’s grotesque limbs. While her attack puts on an impressive show, it only serves as a distraction to distract her target. As Shigaraki struggles with her, Tamaki constructs a plasma cannon using his powers.

A series like My Hero Academy requires a lot of suspension of disbelief. If you take it literally, few of the biggest moments make sense. How Tamaki can use things he’s eaten to build a fully functional plasma cannon, however, feels like a bridge too far. While the visual design makes the device look like it’s been forged from a myriad of food items, it just doesn’t make sense.

The energy blast Tamaki unleashes when his weapon runs out is the most impressive visual moment in an episode full of them. The raw power of the beam is beautifully displayed. As it splits the sky, we see the clouds in the distance being distorted by the beam as a final hint at the power of the weapon. However, all this beautiful visual work and the suspension of disbelief is all for naught, as once again, the heroes’ best efforts are utterly in vain.

Following this anti-climactic moment, My Hero Academy Episode 149 doubles the repetition as Bakugo stands back up. Against all odds, the wannabe number one hero returns to the fight despite the horrific injuries he has sustained. Due to the way he used his powers before, it is no longer just his palms that secrete an explosive, propulsive fluid. His entire body does so now, greatly increasing Bakugo’s movement speed.

During this sequence, we are shown a glimpse, presumably, of an exchange within Bakugo’s version of the remnant world. He is seen standing next to the yellow energy being that 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 alone, despite the flood of such moments viewers have been treated to this season. Seeing the always-screaming Bakugo be quiet and vulnerable around his hero creates a touching moment we rarely get with the character.

As the hero races through the arena, the viewer can feel Bakugo fading away. He gives it his all in this moment as he dances around his opponent. But the moment doesn’t last long. As his newfound power fades, Shigaraki strikes him down, seemingly ending the hero’s life.

While each individual element of My Hero Academy Episode 149 While it’s expertly executed, the rapid repetition of protagonist failures makes every moment feel inevitable, which hurts the story immensely. The layer of plot armor that Shigaraki and All For One now find themselves wrapped in hurts everything the series is desperately trying to create.

If My Hero Academy Episode 149 draws to a close, the heroes nearby are stunned and stand over Bakugo’s body. Whether or not the death proves to be permanent, it feels like a miss. Unfortunately, due to the length of the fight’s remaining runtime and the need to keep the emotional tension high, it seems that Bakugo’s sacrifice won’t be the last offered at the altar of high episode counts. Hopefully, the next hero to fall will be able to leave an impact on the fight, beyond being an emotional salvo thrown in the hopes of keeping viewers engaged for another 13 episodes.

My Hero Academy Episode 149 is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.