My Hero Academia Episode 31 Review: The Aftermath of Hero Killer: Stain

The chaos is finally over in My Hero Academia, so my poor, tense heart can finally take a rest for this week, just like our young protagonists. Well, maybe just a bit of rest, because some things seemed to be brewing behind the scenes! What could it possibly be this time?

Japanese Original Episode Title: 「ヒーロー殺しステイン」その余波

Plot

The hospital is where you should go to when you have serious injuries, and since that’s what Midoriya, Iida, and Todoroki had, the hospital was where they ended up! However, instead of their friends, the one their mentors brought in to visit them was…a really large dog?? On the other hand, how was the public handling Stain’s arrest? While Shigaraki didn’t seem all too pleased at how everything concluded, the civilians should be able to breathe easier now. Peace has come back again, but maybe only on the surface.

Episode Highlights

Safety or Glory: My poor trio just did what any hero should’ve done, saving someone and defeating an infamous villain, but they couldn’t even be publicly acknowledged? If they did, they were going to get punished along with their superiors? Ah, the adult world is terribly complicated indeed. Well, I guess if anyone else heard about it, they’d think they can just attack anyone they want and say they were being heroic, huh? It really is quite unfair, but the safety of the majority comes first before one’s own glory. Their safety as students have to come first, too! At least, at the end of the day, they did what was right and saved a friend and another pro hero. Extreme as his ideals was, we still go back to Stain’s view that heroes shouldn’t seek glory, fame nor money. Still, maybe they could earn some extra credit at school for that? Or will they still get in trouble there?

Following Stain’s footsteps: Any person, whether good or evil, who ends up standing out from the crowd is bound to have one or two folks looking up to them as their role-model. And from how that whole fiasco went about, we saw that Stain truly was different from most petty criminals and street thugs presented in the show so far. Even the ones Shigaraki brought to USJ looked like they just joined him for their own desires, right? But now, with the media’s constant coverage of Stain and some fans putting him on a pedestal, those petty criminals can now say that they act on Stain’s ideals! Or maybe even bank on that and twist it to their own selfish views! Seems like there are a few new faces who could actually already be looking up to him. Uh-oh.

Atonement: Is hand injury the new friendship bracelet now, or is it just with Iida and Deku, with a side help from Todoroki? (I still can’t get over him saying he’s ‘The Hand Crusher’! His character development has surely gone a long way. So proud!) I’m not sure if I should really be happy that Iida can now be aware of the long road ahead of him before becoming a true hero through his hand. Won’t being unable to move his fingers properly get in the way of his hero training? I mean, I guess he’ll really get reminded of his unheroic attitude whenever he encounters this trouble, which is the point. Logically speaking, however, come on! What if the time he’s in danger is when he needs his hand in 100% condition? If their student life was safe despite training for the actual thing, there’d be no need to worry. With the League of Villains looming over everyone’s heads, though, I don’t know.

A bigger goal?: Speaking of the League of Villains, Gran Torino’s conversation with All Might had a point. All this time I thought that Shigaraki’s mentor invited Stain over to their side only to teach his pupil something. But what if at the side, he was actually hoping to use Stain as an avenue? If he was subdued, then he’d be a martyr, like what was happening now. Then the people who wanted to be like him would have a place open to have them. Same thing if he wasn’t subdued. Either way, the League would be in a win-win situation! Shigaraki thought they only played second banana to the Hero Killer, but the idea that they were involved in Hosu could’ve been like an advertisement to potential new members. If villains who saw Stain as a role-model end up strengthening the League’s manpower, then that’s a serious problem! What more if it’s true that All Might’s arch nemesis, someone they called ‘All for One’ was really still alive and actually involved with all of it?

Themes & Trivia

Influence: Never underestimate the power of charismatic people! And it’s not just limited to the ones who know how to speak well in public, but those who could set examples by their actions! That’s why being able to influence other people is a big deal! Over the years there have been truckloads of amazing people who’ve inspired their fellowmen to become better people, like All Might, but there are also a few who’ve inspired them to become the opposite, like Stain. For the latter, maybe their killing method gave people ideas, or maybe their mistreatment influenced the recipient to do the same! I’m sure all of us have our own impacts in society, but will we bring about the good or the bad in it?

Comments

You have got to appreciate shows that don’t hesitate to make a whole episode be all about tying-up loose ends. I personally think that we can’t have action all the time! That’d be quite monotonous! Just as the characters need time to rest and recover, so does the story, and it’s the perfect time to set the stage for the next part. Don’t you agree? We can only wait to see what these small details will bring then.

For peace and for chaos

Pretty sure a lot of you might be bummed that we’ll have an anime-only episode next week, as fillers don’t really have that good a reputation, as far as I know at least. However, for the first time I’m actually stoked to watch one because I want to know more about the other 1-A students! I just hope they feature every single one of them, and with longer screen times!

What about you? Do you feel good about the filler? What did you think about this week’s story overall? Leave a comment down below! Don’t forget to check our other Summer 2017 reviews as well!

NEXT: Everyone`s Internships (それぞれの職場体験)