Episode Air Date
15-07-2025
The following contains spoilers for My Hero Academia, Episode 152, “Together with Shoji”, now streaming onCrunchyroll.
Since the beginning ofMy Hero Academia, the existence of heteromorphs has been a widely accepted norm, yet the oppression they face has often gone heavily understated in the plot. At least, thatwasthe case until more recent seasons, and as if making up for lost time, this week’s episode was an emotional and arresting reckoning with how this plight has gone unobserved.
Throughout the season, the heroes have engaged All for Oneand his forces in a fierce battleof attrition after using a copy of Kurogiri’s warp ability tosplit up the villains across Japan. Meanwhile, a group of heteromorphs led by Spinner are fighting their way to free the imprisoned Kurogiri from Central Hospital, where fellow hetermorphs Shoji and Koda are waiting to stop them.
Confronting the Truth About Being A Heteromorph
Ever since Season 2,My Hero Academia’s narrative has been about exposing the flaws of its society and using them to challenge the idea of being a hero in such a broken world. None of this is new, and yet after seeing how this episode tackled the oppression of the heteromorphs, and the yearning for justice it wrought, it’s like this show barely scratched the surface before now. And though that’s not true, the sensation itself speaks to how powerful the execution was here.
This isn’t just a fight between the police - who represent the upholding of current society - and the heteromorphs - who represent how that society has most significantly failed in the most basic ways. It is about the fight between Shoji and Spinner,two heteromorphs on opposite sides of a warthat will not only impact their marginalized group but the fate of Japan and the world.
Why Does Shoji Fight For Those Who Fear Him?
When the episode begins, it wastes no time displaying the worst of humanity as they throw rocks through the windows of a heteromorph’s countryside home on a bleak rainy day. The way it’s directed, any viewer who wasn’t aware might have thought this flashback was about Spinner, but it’s not. As we come to learn not even halfway through the episode, it’s Shoji’s backstory. He understands more than anyone what it means to be a heteromorph in this world.
But the ominous shot of Spinner’s face before the opening theme hits isn’t just misdirection. It represents that Shoji could have easily become like him if things were just a little different.Through Shoji’s painful memories,My Hero Academiaponders howsomeone with such ample reason to harbor hatred for the world would dedicate their life to serving as a hero within it. The answer isn’t a particularly original one, but it is delivered earnestly and with a lot of emotion.
After saving someone’s life when he was young, Shoji decided that the joy he received from helping people far outweighed any satisfaction he might receive from seeking vengeance. Just as dwelling on that event saved him from the pain of all his other memories, he wants to be a hero who can give the children of tomorrow many more pleasant memories. Thus, he hopes the next generation can further combat hate.
The Tragic Weaponization of Spinner
If Shoji’s story was a triumph, then Spinner’s was a tragedy. He’s always been a fascinating character in that he exists as an imitation of an icon.He modeled himself after Stain, inspired to fight back against a broken world, only to become an icon himself to other heteromorphs. But rather than standing tall as a leader of a movement, his transformation sees him stripped of his individuality and turned into a hulking puppet to serve All for One’s ambitions.
It ramps up the tension of the fight between him and Shoji considerably because it’s not just about stopping Spinner anymore. It’s about how much of him will be left, whether the rioters are victorious or not. The unnamed arachnid-type heteromorph preaching from the rooftop is a great villain in how he twists Spinner’s few coherent words to rile up the crowd. It’s painful, because,like many of the best villains in the league, Spinner isn’t entirely unlikable, and now he needs to be saved too.
Why This Episode Works As Well As It Does
There’s a big reason why the focus on the plight of heteromorphs is so effectivenowrather than before, and it’s spoken in this very episode. As viewers, we’ve viewed this society - both good and bad - mostly through the lens of the setting; a densely populated and diverse city. The strides that have been made to be more progressive and accepting of heteromorphs are clear to see. They hold key positions of power in schools and government institutions across the whole series.
And what’s interesting is that most anime viewers probably never thought of it as “progress” but simply the norm. It’s only after the characters, through whose young eyes we follow this story, that we learn thatthe world isn’t as peaceful as it seems. Outside the major cities, life is still dangerous for heteromorphs, and the aggressions against them, be they micro and macro, have only accumulated until violence is inevitable.
Koda’s Time To Shine (Literally)
Shoji stole the show this week, but it would be a crime not to acknowledge how awesome Koda was. The flashback of his mother telling him to be mad “when people laugh at someone important to you” and to be an adult who can “get mad properly” was the cherry on top. It conveys such a wholesome message about defending others, and it cuts through the story’s cynicism through the sheer force of Koda’s adorable positivity, complete with a sick transformation.
Last week’s long-awaited fight was great, but as cool as Deku is and as gripping as the conflict against All for One can be, episodes like this will never fail to beMy Hero Academia’s best. When this series started, the number of characters in Class 1-A was almost overwhelming, but years later, the series has seldom failed to make every one of them a great character. With any luck, it will do so again plenty of times before the anime comes to a close.
