Warning: SPOILERS for chapter #382 of My Hero AcademiaMy Hero Academia‘s Final War Arc keeps reusing the same twist of having long-unseen characters show up at the perfect moment to turn the tide of the battle. Chapter #382 does the same with the return of a hero and a villain at the same time, but the twist actually works due to the structure that the manga is using to tell its final story.
In chapter #382 of My Hero Academia, the heroes are trying to figure out a way to take out Himiko Toga before she learns how to use the Quirk she has copied from Twice to duplicate other villains’ powers too. Meanwhile, in the Gunga Mountains, All For One has survived Tokoyami’s powerful attack, and keeps trying to escape the heroes in order to reach Shigaraki and complete his takeover of his disciple’s body. Suddenly, Gigantomachia appears in the distance, one of the strongest villains the heroes ever faced and a faithful servant of All For One. However, it turns out that Machia is actually on the heroes’ side because he is being controlled by Hitoshi Shinso and his Quirk, Brainwashing.
My Hero Academia Is Ending Every Chapter With The Same Twist
Gigantomachia was one of the main antagonists in the Paranormal Liberation War Arc. He is a colossal man, whose Endurance Quirk gives him the ability to withstand various Quirks without destroying his body. All For One made use of this ability to stockpile many powers in Machia’s body, making him the perfect bodyguard, who only moves in response to his master’s voice. Shinso, on the other hand, is a student at U.A. High, who fought against Deku during the U.A. Sports Festival Arc. His Quirk allows him to force people who verbally respond to something he says to obey his commands, which he used to exploit Machia’s reliance on his master voice, using a device that allows Shinso to imitate other people’s voices. In the past, Shinso’s power was very limited and he could not give complex orders, but he has trained and improved a lot, to the point that he was fundamental in enacting the ruse that allowed the heroes to finally lure All For One out in the open.
Shinso was an important character in many arcs of the manga, but he did not appear during the final war. His sudden arrival on the battlefield mirrors many similar occurrences during this arc, such as the recent intervention of the Shiketsu High students, or the timely appearance of the reformed villain Gentle. Every time, these characters who had not been seen for a while show up just in time to save the heroes currently trying to stop All For One. However, despite its repetitiveness, this solution works very well in the current context of the manga. The Final War Arc has the difficult job of tying up every loose end in My Hero Academia‘s story, and at the same time giving readers an exciting and satisfying final battle between the heroes and the villains. This isn’t easy to pull out, but author Kohei Horikoshi is clearly up to the task.
My Hero Academia‘s Repeated Twist Actually Helps The Final War Arc
Considering that the story is constantly jumping from one battlefield and group of characters to the other, the pacing is the most delicate element to maintain. Ensuring that almost every chapter ends with a surprise arrival or a twist makes sure that the rhythm stays high, and readers don’t lose interest. At the same time, the author clearly wants to give all the characters he introduced during the story a chance to shine. Rather than just having Shinso, the Shiketsu High Students, and every other secondary character simply stand in the background of the battle, My Hero Academia gives them the spotlight they deserve, even if this requires repeating the same twist over and over again.
The latest chapter of My Hero Academia is available from Viz Media.
