“Top heroes have stories about them from their school days. Most of their stories have one thing in common: Their bodies moved before they had a chance to think.” When I first watched BNHA this quote made me tear up a bit.
I don’t cry easily; not with movies, TV shows or even real life events. I have to care a lot about something for it to make me cry, or at least resonate with me in a unique way. So even though I didn’t think a lot about this show the first time I watched it, BNHA got stuck in my head for a long time. I knew it had great qualities, after all I’ve been into heroes since I was a kid, it had stunning animation and very well designed characters. Those definitely helped but that’s not why it suddenly got to my absolute favorites. After I rewatched it a couple of times I realized it’s one of the most touching and creative action shounen I’ve watched so far.
– Spoilers ahead –
When I started watching BNHA I remember thinking Deku’s struggle with One for All was really refreshing and it created the opportunity for a lot of distinctive ways to solve problems he had through out the show. From throwing a ball using just the tip of his finger, to flicking his fingers to create a way to attack more than once. I liked this concept from the start of the show; it gives the sensation that we’re learning organically how people in this world actually learn about their powers. Taking this into account it comes as no surprise that this show is full of clever ways and spins on powers that seem rather simple at first glance.
And that’s what I mean with creativeness in this anime. The fact that almost everyone has a quirk of their own in this world makes for a lot of uniqueness that the creator keeps exploring every season, and not only that but also different ways to use well established powers – like fire control or super strength – in the hero genre. I love how Deku in later seasons opts for a kick based fighting style taking into consideration the damage that he has taken on his arms. This details make it so each season has its own spice, and it keeps the show entertaining and refreshing.
But the main reason BNHA is so high up in my 3×3 is the emotions it makes me feel. I don’t believe in objectivity while explaining your favorites, but this time I find it even more difficult to explain in a reasonable way… so let’s start with what amazes me the most about this series: Every season has one or more moments that made me be in the edge of my seat tearing up.
- Season 1 has All Might vs Nomu.
- Season 2 has Deku vs Todoroki.
- Season 3 has Deku vs Muscular and All Might vs All for One.
- Season 4 has Mirio vs Overhaul, Kirishima vs Rappa and Deku vs Overhaul.
- Season 5 is still airing, so I can’t say for sure, but I’m pretty sure it’s coming soon.
This can be attributed to well developed characters, or to the natural progression and great setup for the emotional pay offs… whatever it is, it never fails, and few shows do that for me.
I could focus on each of these moments, or maybe select one and go from there, but I think that’d be a disservice to the other that are equally great. With that said I do know a thing that all of these moments share, and it is heroism in its purest form. That sounds cliché and obvious considering it’s an anime about heroes, and yet somehow this show manages to live up to the Hero in its name, and pulls off multiple moments worth of calling masterful. Each character that I love – Deku, All Might, Mirio, Kirishima, etc. – inspires me to be braver, to have an unbreakable determination to achieve what I want, and to be helpful and kind to others.
There’s this quote in season 1 that All Might says while fighting Nomu. I think it represents quite well the attitude the show has towards heroism, and it consolidates one of the “mantras” I use whenever I feel like it’s enough and I reached my limits.
“A hero can always break out of a tough spot! Hey, villain… Have you ever heard this words?! Go beyond! Plus Ultra!”
We can talk about a lot of things you can learn from this show, but for me the most important one is that heroism comes from not giving up, and in fact giving your best; no matter the kind of person you are, and what you wanna achieve. So whoever is reading this, Plus Ultra! Every mistake is an oportunity to learn, and every effort gets you closer to being the hero you wanna be.
Draz' Thoughts 