Tomura Shigaraki learns how to use his new abilities as he goes about his quest to kill Deku.
This review of “My Hero Academia” has spoilers.
My Hero Academia Season 6 Episode Episode 6
“I will destroy everything.”
Shigaraki and Midoriya have been on tracks that lead to each other for a much longer time than either of them knows.
Last season did a good job of setting up the fight that’s about to happen, and now Shigaraki is back and ready to make up for lost time.
“Encounter, Part 2” comes after last week’s “The Thrill of Destruction,” but it’s also a continuation of “Encounter,” the season two end of My Hero Academia, where Deku and Shigaraki first meet and have a bad feeling about each other.
“Encounter, Part 2” starts to cash in on the tension built up over the past few seasons, but it doesn’t live up to the title because it spends more time setting up what will happen next than actually putting Shigaraki and Midoriya together.
“Encounter, Part 2” makes a lot of promises, which is fine until it doesn’t keep them. This is by no means a bad episode of My Hero Academia.
Instead, it’s typical of the way this season is set up, which looks like it will be one big war after another. Some shows will be stepping stones to bigger ideas, and “Encounter, Part 2” is a good example of this.
Shigaraki doesn’t stay in one place for the whole show, but he’s also not nearly as close to Deku as the title suggests.
The best parts of “Encounter, Part 2” are still when Midoriya is scared and quiet. He can tell when he’s in trouble, which can be scarier than the trouble itself. Shigaraki becomes a dangerous force of nature with nothing to lose because he is only interested in finding Midoriya.
Shigaraki has a real voice in his head, but he has also taken over Midoriya’s mind in a metaphorical way and scared him.
These scenes of reflection drive home how hard the battle with Shigaraki is going to be, and they’re easily the best parts of the show. Midoriya is doing everything he can to avoid a meeting with Shigaraki that will be like their first “Encounter.”
After a few shows where other Pro Heroes and bad guys did most of the work, My Hero Academia is slowly getting back to Midoriya. At this point in the season, it’s still fun to see more of Midoriya, but it’s even better that Bakugo is going with him to make sure that as few people die as possible.
It’s a touching way to show how much these two friends and heroes have changed. But Bakugo says that he has his own grudge against Shigaraki because of what happened when he was taken hostage and what that did to All Might’s image.
It’s always nice when Bakugo has Deku’s back, but it’s important that this fight can be healing for him in ways that have nothing to do with his friend. They are both just as determined to get rid of this dictator.
When Shigaraki is at his strongest, “Encounter, Part 2” is at its best. The one big problem with this villain’s new look is that his collected Quirks give him a mental link to All For One.
Shigaraki isn’t too worried about this mind infiltration right now, especially since he has so much power, but there will definitely be a bigger fight for Shigaraki’s freedom in the future.
Before this split happens, he is able to completely control his surroundings as he tries out all of his new skills. It’s scary to see how strong it is, but it’s exciting to see how well the Pro Heroes can fight back.
Another great thing about Shigaraki trying out his new quirks is that it quickly brings up All For One’s victims, which helps the audience remember what tools Shigaraki now has in his arsenal. “Encounter, Part 2” brings back Tomoko Shiretoko of Wild, Wild Pusscats, whose Search Quirk was taken by All For One.
The episode tries to spend some time with the people who have been hurt by All For One’s serious plan, which has been going on for a long time. Himiko Toga has the same amount of time to think in “Encounter, Part 2” as she continues to deal with the loss of Twice in real time.
She comes to life during the fights in this episode, and it’s nice that My Hero Academia doesn’t stop this enemy from being sad.
Some of the interesting ideas that “Encounter, Part 2” throws into a pile and promises to work on later are Toga’s sadness and the sadness of All For One’s past victims.
In “Encounter, Part 2,” Shigaraki’s main goal is Midoriya, but he also fights a lot with Endeavor, who is the present Number One Pro Hero. It’s a beautifully planned fight, and Endeavor finds out the hard way that Shigaraki now has a lot of new Quirks to use.
It’s a good way to show that moves like Hell’s Curtain are completely useless against Shigaraki and that it will take something very special to kill him.
Every episode of Season 6 has given some of the less-used Pro Heroes a chance to shine, and “Encounter, Part 2” is all about Mt. Lady.
There is fan service, but she also gets to show herself in a real way. Against Iceman, she and Cementoss work together in a very creative way, which leads to an exciting clash of elements.
In this season of My Hero Academia, “Encounter, Part 2” is a taste of what’s to come. It’s not a bad episode, but it’s kind of boring, and the format of this season is starting to get old. It’s hard to keep up the speed of a show that keeps getting bigger and bigger.
Some episodes will always feel more quiet or less important to the overall story. “Encounter, Part 2” is a bit of a tease because there isn’t a real fight, but it still has a lot to do with how obsessed All For One and now Shigaraki are with Midoriya and his Quirk. “Encounter, Part 2” takes too long to adjust to its changes and find its target, just like Shigaraki.
