Dhruv Sharma
As much as I loved the previous episode, its pacing felt a bit off. But this week’s episode, which again brings Kirishima’s character in the limelight, is just perfect. I love how the creators of ‘My Hero Academia’ devoted a good number of episodes to the development of the characters in the beginning and now, they’re treating us with the most incredible action scenes. And, of course, this episode again attempts to redefine the true definition of the word superhero. Being a superhero is not at all about being fearless, but it is indeed about standing your ground even in the gravest situations.
Boku no Hero Academia Season 4 Episode 9 Recap
Suneater handles three villains all by himself and by injecting his tentacle venom into their bodies, he slowly makes them weaker, eventually defeating them. But with this, he, too, gets drained from his intense battle with them and falls to the ground. Meanwhile, the other heroes try to catch up with Mirio. As they head further down the underground territory of the villains, they realize that Mimic has suddenly stopped manipulating their surroundings. Assuming that they’ve left him far behind, they keep moving forward. However, Mimic soon returns, and this time, he tries to separate Eraserhead from the rest of the team.
Fat Gum manages to get Eraserhead out of the way and gets cornered into a completely different room. He soon realizes that, somehow, even Red Riot has made his way into that dark room. This is when a villain named Rappa mercilessly attacks them with his insanely strong jabs. In an instant, Red Riot gets crushed under his heavy impact while Fat Gum tries to resist his punches. In contrast to Red Riot and Fat Gum, who possess only defensive quirks, their opponents act as “a shield and a spear” because of their combination of both offensive and defensive abilities. While Red Riot gets completely drained and almost gives up hope, Fat Gum somehow keeps fending the attacks of Rappa.
Red Riot soon realizes that if he does not do anything about it, Fat Gum will probably die right there. This is when he starts thinking about his childhood days when he badly wanted to be a hero, but never really had the courage to stand up for others. He gets reminded that a true hero always defies his fears and never thinks twice before putting his own life on the line for others. This thought does not make him physically stronger in any way, but it gives him the mental strength to fight back. With this, Fat Gum and Red Riot join forces to finally defeat the two overpowered villains.
Boku no Hero Academia Season 4 Episode 9 Review
Apart from the perfect pace of this episode, even its fight mechanics are far better if we compare it with Sun Eater’s battle in the previous one. While both of these fights heavily rely on character flashbacks, Suneater’s showdown was unevenly broken down and went back and forth between the present and the past events. This episode featured a long stretch of a series of background stories that force Red Riot to stand his ground. And these were then followed by the action between the two opposing forces. Moreover, Kirishima’s backstory not only develops his character but also subtly makes Mina’s character a lot more interesting. And not to mention, the new OST that plays along with Red Riot’s battle scenes just adds to the charm.
Episode 9, in some ways, also draws parallels between Kirishima and Deku. Now Deku’s defining moment came in much earlier in the series and he was not even superhero back then. In one of Kirishima’s flashbacks, it is portrayed how he felt worthless after he read about Deku’s act of bravery in the newspaper. But at the end of the day, even Kirishima gets his own “defining moment” and he lets go of all of his insecurities. ‘My Hero Academia’, as always, is just getting better with each episode and we just can’t wait for the next one.
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