WARNING: SPOILERS FOR MY HERO ACADEMIA #154
The latest season of My Hero Academia has been beautifully adapted The Final War Arcbut the appearance and amazing save from one of the best players of the series underrated villains just became one of the best episodes so far. Kōhei Horikoshi's beloved manga recently ended, but its most memorable moments are now being enjoyed by anime-only fans with Studio Bone's superb animation and direction, adapting the series' best revelations in a much more impressive way than the manga.
My Hero Academia #154 takes a dramatic turn for the heroes as they begin to gain the upper hand against All For One, Shigaraki, and the remaining forces of the League of Villains. After Kurogiri's power is unleashed, each battlefield immediately becomes more chaotic and deadly, with the UA High School airborne facility in particular beginning to collapse. Before it can land, the result could kill many people who were once imprisoned. Gentle Criminal is out with perfect timing, animation, music and voice acting.
Gentle Criminal's incredible save has received a lot of love
MHA Episode #154 Adapted from Manga Chapters #375 – #378
Despite facing some of the most dangerous and powerful villains in My Hero Academia, who have inadvertently ended many lives, Deku's battle against Gentle Criminal, aka Danjuro Tobita, stands out among fans for many reasons. Danjuro isn't a villain bent on world domination or someone with a desire to kill to change society. Gentle Criminal is a down-on-his-luck man who wants to help people and be recognized for his efforts, much like the protagonists of some of the most famous storylines. While his methods put him on the wrong side of the law, episode #154 finally showed how the former villain became a hero.
Danjuro and his hacking partner La Brava were stopped by Deku when they attempted to break into UA High School during a strict lockdown. However, when many prisons holding dangerous quirk-using criminals were released by the League of Villains, Gentle Criminal Detention Facility has had no escapes as the rehabilitated criminal has used his newfound determinationHis resilience, along with blood and tears, prevents eager killers from leaving the prison grounds.
This moment of bravery greatly improved Gentle's reputation not only among law enforcement but also among viewers. It was a stance that gave the former villain a chance to once again redeem himself for the mistakes he made during My Hero Academia's UA School Festival Arc. However, it was just an appetizer for the emotional showdown the episode ended on, leading to Danjuro Tobita saving the boy who changed his life and possibly the world.
The man who once disgraced UA, is now the one who saved it
The opening of Gentle Criminal was adapted in episodes #81 – #86
After a dramatic change in the battles of season 7, Shigarki's powers returned to him, immediately causing him to trigger a massive explosion that destabilized the flying UA fortress. As the massive structure designed to defend against the world's most dangerous villain My Hero Academia approached the ground, Gentle Criminal appeared below it and revealed how much his powers and loyalties had changed.
Faced with certain death if he failed, Danjuro shot himself into the sinking island when suddenly, a great power engulfed the previously timid character. Gentle's Quirk allows him to make anything he touches elastic, even air, to use it as a shield or to bounce anything it touches. Episode #154 introduced Quirks on a larger scale as La Brava's Quirk increases someone's power based on how much she loves them. That increase dramatically improves Gentle's abilities, allowing him to gain incredible new levels of mobility and even the strength to hold UA on the ground.
Deku inspires villains to change their ways
The Gentle Criminal's Japanese voice actor is Koichi Yamadera
Gentle Criminal's incredible intervention is directed with a level of presentation that ranks among MHA's best moments in season 7. It's the lives of the enemies Deku once helped that prove crucial in preventing the Final War Arc's villains from winning, which speaks to the twist in the series' ending about how much Deku's power actually saved. My Hero Academiathe world from falling into All For One's hands, and Danjuro Tobita from his own.
