Deku VS Muscular – Worth the wait

April 28, 2018

I’ve been reading the My Hero Academia manga every since the Stain fight in the anime. I just got way too hype and I couldn’t wait any longer. With other manga and anime adaptations, I would just stick to one or the other. I would only follow the manga and the anime would no longer interest me. This was mostly because I felt like it was a waste of time since I already knew how it would end. My Hero breaks that mindset for me. I NEED to watch it because Bones Studio is so great at bringing this series to life. So when season 3 started, I couldn’t wait to see one of my favorite fights in the manga be presented on screen.

I remember reading some My Hero post on Reddit and one thing that jumped out at me was “When the Deku and Muscular fight is animated, Anime onlys will lose their shit.” I couldn’t agree more with this post more after watching it actually happen. The voice actor who plays Muscular was an absolutely perfect fit for what I thought he would sound like. This on top of the fact that they are both of strength-type quirks that both seem to be limitless, I can’t predict a more interesting fight.

There are many reasons why I love this episode but what always brings a smile to my face is seeing Deku’s progression. Not only in strength but as a true hero. As he is saving Kota, he is saving Kota from himself. As a child who lost his parents to a villain, he lost all hope in the society that his parents believed in. Having someone like Deku who is just moving without concern for his own life brings new hope in Kota that his parents did the right thing and Heroes are not as bad as he initially perceived.

Some of my favorite villains are the ones who simply enjoy what they do. They have no true method to their madness, they just like to kill. Muscular makes sure Kota knows this early on. “I just wanted to kill and those two wanted to stop me. It was the result of all of us doing what we wanted.” So no matter if they destroyed his eye, it was bound to happen. Not only that but he is only in it for the thrill. As he is fighting Deku, he shouts out “This kid… Man, you’re the best!” as a sign of respect to him who probably has given him his toughest battle.

I adore Deku’s Voice Actor. He just knows how to make me feel the pain he’s going through and the amount of effort he’s putting in. And nothing breaks my heart than hearing him saying sorry to his mother and All Might for failing to defeat him. You can sense the acknowledgment of death. Deku’s VA provides overwhelming intensity in every line he is given and I just want more of it!

Now, this final blow is what makes this fight great alone. The way that Deku uses One for All to 1,000,000% and breaks through all of Muscular’s muscle fibers to land a perfect hit on Muscular’s face was just amazing to watch. The way the camera rotates around him as he is getting up and then snaps back in place as Deku pulls his arm back to land his Delaware Detroit Smash. Just Breathtaking.

This is very different than my usual post. I never do a review for a single episode but I was just so happy with this adaption and it was so early in the morning so I had absolutely no one to talk to about it. I would love to hear what you thought of the episode so make sure to leave a comment below. I also thought it would be good to show you guys this since many people have had questions about Deku going 1,000,000 percent.