My Hero Academia Final Season Episode 8 Review: Deku Rises To The Top

Today’s episode was the part where Deku got his chance to shine. Let’s see how this episode of My Hero Academia turned out.

My Hero Academia Final Season Episode 7 Recap

Deku finally comes face-to-face with the moment Shigaraki’s trauma began, the horrifying instant his dog is disintegrated. From there, everything unravels, and Deku pieces together the truth behind the tragedy that drove Shigaraki to wipe out his own family. Taking on his childlike form, Deku steps into Shigaraki’s inner world and tries to steer the memory in a different direction. He willingly offers himself up, hoping to anchor Shigaraki before he loses himself completely. In doing so, Deku directly experiences the immense emotional torment Shigaraki has carried throughout his life.

He gently tells Shigaraki that he came because he remembered how it felt when someone reached out to him, and now he wants to extend that same hand. Shigaraki, even in his adult form, is stunned to find his hatred beginning to crumble at such a small gesture. For a fleeting moment, he even imagines a childhood where he could play with his friends like any normal kid. Yet at the last second, he rejects the path of redemption, choosing instead to stay a villain, believing his true role is to stand as the “hero” to the comrades who followed him.

But the illusion breaks when the truth finally emerges: every hardship Shigaraki endured was orchestrated by All For One. He manifests within Shigaraki’s subconscious, taking advantage of the boy’s weakening emotional defences. It’s revealed that even Shigaraki’s birth was part of All For One’s grand design. He stole the quirk factor Shigaraki inherited from his parents and implanted Decay to mould him into the perfect vessel.

All For One’s real objective becomes terrifyingly clear, erasing Shigaraki’s identity so he can claim his body as a new shell. As Shigaraki’s spirit collapses, All For One successfully seizes control, giving rise to a new monstrosity.

My Hero Academia Final Season Episode 8 Review

The episode begins with all the classmates of Deku coming to his aid in helping him fight the last battle. All For One also realizes how he feels a sense of loss after truly losing his brother, and now he can go all out in his battle because, for him, this pain will make him grow. One by one, other characters try to attack All For One, and they get joined by Shoto and Endeavour. Apparently, after defeating Toya, they decided not to take any rest and came to help Deku out instead.

The scene at the battlefield is intense because All For One is unstoppable, even in front of so many people trying to stop him. He evolves into another form and beats everyone and anyone in his path. That is when everyone on the hero side decides to use themselves as a shield and as a means to let Deku get past All For One’s attacks and land the finishing blow.

Must Read: My Hero Academia Season 7 Reviews

This scene was really symbolic as everyone does their absolute best. All For One finally realises that Deku’s weakness is what makes the people around him move and help him out when it matters the most. At that moment, while having support and well-wishes from everyone, Deku lands his deadliest attack yet.

Verdict

Today’s episode was really good, and it clearly made Deku the long-overdue star. He’s finally getting the acknowledgement that he should have had from the beginning. But in the end, the show did not make him a hero who could do everything all on his own, as he needed everyone’s help to achieve his goals.

Must Read: My Hero Academia Season 8 Review