The fourth film in the wildly popular anime franchise “My Hero Academia: You’re Next” officially came out in theaters across the U.S on October 11th. While it includes interesting character developments and a showcase of Deku’s quirk that feels unique to its season 6 timestamp, it also still manages to deliver the same brilliant artistic quality found within all other My Hero Academia movies. In fact, its excellency speaks for itself as it has recently made an astonishing $26,622,789 in the box office worldwide. While not quite perfect in some areas, the strength it possesses in others brings sense to these results.
Synopsis
Taking place at the end of season six, we witness Deku face off against Valdo Gollini, a villainous All Might impersonator who calls himself “Dark Might”, as he tries using his grandiose power and warped sense of righteousness to bring forth a world at his rule. Trapped in a floating fortress containing different artificial domains, the rest of Class 1A are split into teams protecting civilians from enemies sent by Dark Might and his gang of evil family members. All the while, Deku teams up with a bionic civilian named Giulio to save his companion Anna from Dark Might’s clutches before her quirk makes him too powerful at the cost of her life.
Balance
Starting with the car chase, the film’s opening action scene, we are seamlessly introduced to Deku and a handful of class 1A students getting ready for their heroic act of stopping them right in the heat of the action. While the rest of the class is split into teams stopping crime across the city and later inside Dark Might’s fortress, all of their respective storylines are balanced out very well. There is also a natural transition into scenes showing the pro-heroes taking action to defeat Dark Might from outside the fortress. Especially towards the second half of the film, these scenes are also equally balanced out with ones showcasing all the different rescue operations and fights going on. I found this aspect of the film impressive after watching it as that is sometimes hard to pull off, especially for an action-packed movie belonging to a storyline as grandiose as My Hero Academia.
The Charm of Class 1A
From the moment we see the students of Class 1A, we are continuously treated with the best of their charm from the series. Much of the joy we get from seeing this is due to the masterful delivery of the english dub voice actors who have reprised their roles for this film in a way that so excellently brings their characters to life on the big screen. Justin Briner’s performance makes Deku’s wholesome attitude shine brightly especially upon meeting Giulio. We see him smile upon introducing himself and express a humble adoration for his hero name despite Giulio’s judgment. There is a strong hilarity to be found in their first interactions when Deku doesn’t know what to make of Giulio insulting him with politeness, becomes frantic when used as his human shield, and shares awkward silences with him.
Along with Deku comes the trademark behaviors of everyone else as well. Clifford Chapin brings the classic intensity to Bakugo’s character as we see him yell at Kirishima for driving away from instead of towards the engulfing light of Dark Might’s forming fortress – enthralling us with his desire to fight it head on. Luci Christian so wonderfully brings forth Uraraka’s delightfully optimistic yet focused attitude while trying to help Deku and others throughout the film. Then, Caitlin Glass so excellently voices Mina in one of my favorite moments where we see her riding the carousel after her team ends up in an amusement park domain – only to be told to stop goofing around by Bakugo.
There is a scene where we get to see the class’s antics at their strongest, and it’s during a humorous yet heartwarming sequence where a few members of Class 1A are under a trance living out their personal fantasies. We get to see Kaminari and Mineta pine over random girls, Momo enjoy a perfect cup of tea, Tsu smile with her frog-ish family in the rain, and Iida running with his brother as a heroic duo throughout the streets of Japan. On top of how much fun it was to watch these kids’ personalities shine through in the midst of the film’s seriousness, this specific sequence also served as an amusing reminder of what matters most to these students.
The Growth of Class 1A
Outside of such antics, class 1A is also seen taking initiative in their hero work with a much stronger layer of experience and maturity in this film compared to others – no doubt earned from their experiences in season six. Fans can enjoy taking in their growth as they use the strengths of their respective teams more confidently and focus much more of their actions on protecting the civilians around them.
Such growth shines most prominently within Bakugo during the later half of the film. Here, we see him immediately step up to divide the class based on different objectives to defeat the villains and ensure the people’s safety all in one straightforward announcement. I found this moment quite notable since he’s known to jump straight into the action, preferring to formulate a plan while in the middle of it. To see him take the time to embody a leader by giving out such organized orders, especially without throwing out a few insults, was a rather nice surprise that I think really showcased his maturity as a hero thus far.
I also appreciated seeing Iida showcase his leadership skills like never before, something Michael J. Tatum does justice with his performance. We get to see him give out orders to his group of class 1A members all throughout their charge into battle against a field of Dark Might’s monsters. The strength of his initiative stands out in the film as we see the students remain so unified in listening to his every direction which made for a powerfully heroic scene.
Highlighting Deku’s Development
As the protagonist in a movie tailor made to challenge his greatest attribute, we are able to see Deku showcase his development in more unique ways as well. For instance, when he ends up in a trance living out his own fantasy, it’s immediately set apart from the others’ as he’s seen as a little kid again. Here, we see him in a state of euphoria gawking at all the All Might merch in his room then freaking out at All Might’s sudden appearance where he announces that he’s there just to spend the day with him. This daydream scene is given the time it rightfully deserves as, not only does it come off as nostalgic and youthful, it brings fans back to the very first episode and the core of Deku’s hero story. Given this effect, it’s clear that tapping into Deku’s inner dreams was supposed to land as more meaningful. By the end, the first wielder of One for All helps bring Deku back to the present which then enables him to help Giulio break out of his fantasy. This made for such a well-thought out transition as the audience is able to see the hero Deku has become since inheriting All Might’s quirk having just revisited his past as a quirkless boy who merely looked up to him. We’re reminded of how far his respect for All Might has taken him which directly ties into his objective to defend All Might’s honor in his fight against Dark Might.
Afterwards, though, the kind of heroism we see Deku exercise is one based less on physical strength and more on a higher sense of empathy towards Giulio’s situation. After seeing him confront his struggle to save Anna by killing her like she requested, Deku inflicts a deeper understanding upon Giulio which leads to both of them committing to a better way of helping her. In this moment, Deku embodies the entire franchise’s theme regarding what it truly means to be a hero for a person which is what leads them to the right solution. However, this doesn’t mean his physical strength is lacking at all as we are able to see him so naturally make use of all of his quirks at just the right moments. Yet another point of growth reminiscent of season 6 and unique to this fourth film.
Interesting New Villains
As for the new characters for this film, they definitely delivered in giving Valdo’s desire to take on the Dark Might persona such creepy undertones just within the opening scene. We see him sit in front of a TV inside an ominously darkened room obsessively covered in All Might posters. He watches All Might defeat All for One before pointing to the camera and giving the infamous line “Now, it’s your turn”. When Valdo stands up and declares his understanding, this unsettling scene succeeds in giving a rather off-putting feeling that his ambitions are bound to come from the wrong place. Throughout the rest of the film, Valdo comes off as a pretentiously self-centered villain reminiscent of Gentle Villain who appeared in season four – albeit a lot more ruthless. Christopher Sabat so interestingly brings both All Might and Dark Might to life in different ways, which helps the film highlight how similar in appearance and opposite in moral the two are supposed to be.
Despite how set apart he is from All Might, Dark Might fits right in alongside his family members who each get a chance to show off their unique quirks and eccentric personalities. Seeing them all interact together as a familial group, with Valdo as the rather harsh dictator that they respect and have fear for, was quite interesting to see throughout the film as well. The way the Gollinis worked individually as well as a villain group were diverse in entertainment value when scattered across the story, which definitely helped to make the film feel more unique.
The family also brings something to the film that caters to Scarlet Witch fans. As one myself, I was pleasantly surprised to notice aspects about the Gollini family that seemed reminiscent of Marvel’s Wandavision such as the nature of Dark Might’s fortress and Deborah Gollini’s daydream quirk. The fortress is formed when he drops multiple coin-like objects on the ground all over a city which then collectively form a bubble of light that traps everyone into multiple artificial worlds inside the fortress. This, of course, is similar to Wanda’s hex which traps the town of Westview in a magical bubble and changes it so that everyone lives in a multi-era sitcom. In addition, Deborah Gollini’s daydream quirk allows her to put a trance on people so that they can live out their fantasies. Watching her use it, her quirk is clearly very close to Wanda’s power of manipulating people’s minds to make them live through certain visions. These were two creative choices I found special as they had me smiling in my seat while watching them play out – a reaction many other Scarlet Witch fans are sure to have as well.
New Side Characters
As for this film’s side characters, Giulio and Anna, the film introduces them with a more fascinating intrigue as we don’t get all the answers right away – which is very different compared to side character introductions in the other films. At the beginning, Deku merely recognizes Giulio as a mysterious man on a motorcycle who follows his villain chase. There’s a curious instance where Giulio aims to shoot Deku, although with no danger that he can sense, before aiming at the Gollini family seeming more urgent to do some damage. While they interact exclusively later on in the film, Deku still doesn’t get to know that much about him outside of this. His initial understanding of Anna is also just as limited for much of the film’s first half. During that time, he only perceived her as a distressed civilian to rescue from the villain he is chasing. However, upon making contact with her despite her protests, she is revealed to have an entrancing flower based quirk that pains him with no clear reasoning.
We instead get all the answers about them later on within Giulio’s daydream where, upon seeing him tend to Anna as her butler, we witness who he was before he became such a distant individual by discovering the full story behind their companionship. We learn that Anna is a young girl with a quirk that enhances the strength of those compatible with her at the cost of her own health. Protected by Giulio’s neutralization quirk, which grants her a pain-free life so long as he’s with her, we understand Giulio as a dutifully polite butler who was just happy to give her a good life. In turn, we naturally gain more clarity on his more hardened demeanor as we get a sense of how desperate he is to protect Anna from Dark Might before he kills her. While this is a different approach to properly introducing us to newer characters, I appreciated just how well their backstories were interwoven into the plot. More importantly, it’s successful in getting the audience to really care about them – which is explored much further in this next section.
Emotional Impact
While we don’t get it until about halfway through, the way the film shows us Giulio and Anna’s backstories is more than effective enough to earn the audience’s full sympathy and understanding. Within Giulio’s fantasy, we are able to see him tend to an elated Anna as her butler. While she expresses joy reveling in their friendship, he expresses a heartwarming fondness over caring for her. We then get to discover the deeper story behind this situation as a little later we’re told that Anna used to be a miserable and emotionless young girl since she was born with a lethal quirk. One that, from a single touch, weakens her while strengthening the quirk of those compatible with her and harming the ones who aren’t – keeping her from forming connections with others. Then, when he first meets her, we get to see how much joy it brings Giulio to be the only one she can touch and form a connection with by using his neutralization quirk to help with Anna’s health. Even when his boss warns him that becoming her butler means never leaving her side, Giulio expresses a genuine gratitude for the position as he gets to help Anna live a happy life which is apparently much better than the life he used to lead. Still suffering from the strength of her quirk, however, Anna later tells Giulio to kill her if it becomes too powerful as she is afraid it will overtake her and cause her to harm others. The flashback ends with a villain stealing her away while Giulio is too injured to chase after her.
Demonstrating a strength that’s also shown in the series, I loved how this short sequence was well thought out and emotionally powerful enough to make audiences feel like they’ve spent so much more time with these new characters than they actually have. We get such a detailed sense of both of their stories and perspectives, which helps us fully understand how much Giulio and Anna mean to each other and how much of themselves they’re willing to sacrifice to keep the other safe. In turn, we get to care greatly about the two and their situation as well as root for their happy ending every moment throughout the rest of the film.
All of this helps to elevate another emotional strength of the film which are the stakes in the final battle. The first half of it consists of Deku, Bakugo, and Todoroki giving their all to defeat an immensely powerful Dark Might. During the fight, the film shows us flashes of their past while they all individually scream out how much All Might has impacted them. Combined, such an impassioned element of the film is made crucial as we are shown exactly where our main heroes are drawing their strength from and feel how much of a primary motivation this is for putting a stop to him.
The real intensity comes after they defeat him, though. Anna, having been greatly weakened from giving Dark Might so much power, sees how injured Giulio has become from helping Deku fight against him. However, it doesn’t take long to see her pass out before Dark Might rises again as a totally overpowered monstrosity screaming for even more power – an intense event that takes so much out of Anna that it almost kills her. Shaking the entire fortress and concerning everyone, not even our main heroes are able to fight him off this time. By seeing Giulio struggle to reach Anna in the chaos of everything, though, audiences then become desperate for him to reach her so that he can stop the madness and help restore her life. While devastated that he can seemingly no longer activate his neutralization, he eventually gathers enough strength to use it on her one last time and save the day.
This entire scene completely delivered on the emotional intensity as my fear over how crazy with power Dark Might suddenly became took my worry over Anna’s safety to its highest point. You can’t help but care so much to see Giulio somehow help her in this moment despite all his injuries then feel such a joyful relief to see him succeed. As a result, we see everything set right with Dark Might truly defeated and Giulio and Anna standing before a sunset with the class 1A heroes not too far from them. The chaos that ensued beforehand makes the long period of silence upon entering this scene profound and beautiful. It reels us in as we watch the meaningful conclusion between Anna and Giulio. He explains how she has no further need for him as a butler since his quirk worked well enough to keep her healthy forever, then gets ready to take his solemn leave. Anna then holds him and expresses that she wants to stay by his side regardless. Seeing the last of them in this way, we’re left satisfied with these characters for facing and accepting the true strength of their bond as well as curious to see where their lives go from here.
Beautiful Animation
While the animation in the series is gorgeous on its own, the films always take it to another level and this one is no different. The variation of realms inside the fortress works particularly well in this case as the quality of these landscapes make the film’s artistry so diverse. Each one manages to look so clean while also displaying an impressive amount of detail. Combined with the intense fight scenes taking place towards the end of the film, we get a vast array of colors that makes everything beautiful to look at. At times it’s even immersive, especially in the moments leading up to the fortress’s formation. The contrast of light and dark within the city mixed with all the smoothly animated movements gives the scene a realistic feel.
Cons
Of course, the film isn’t without a few flaws, although they are not so major that it ruins the whole experience of watching it. To start off, I feel as though the film could have spent a bit more time explaining the specifics of Giulio’s enhanced robotic body parts including how exactly he got them and all that they are truly capable of. We get a bit of this here and there, but taking an efficient moment to explain these elements in full would have helped audiences understand his character even further. On top of that, it also would have given them interesting information to consider whenever they saw him use it, helping them come to conclusions about why he used it in specific ways and potentially amping up his action scenes.
Focusing more on class 1A, I also thought they could have made Bakugo and Todoroki’s fight against Ugo and Gil Gollini a little more interesting. Cutting between their fight and Deku and Dark Might’s made this scene feel rather stagnant and longer than it should have lasted. Without going into more specifics to make that fight scene as interesting and dire as the fight with Dark Might, I personally thought it would have made more sense for Todoroki and Bakugo’s characters to figure out a way to defeat them a bit sooner given how much less dangerous their villain was.
Finally, I feel as though the film should have ended with Deku and All Might meeting up and having a heart to heart moment. Since the film’s core theme involves emphasizing how All Might managed to make the impact that he did on so many people, especially Deku as his One For All successor, having them converse about the nature of their battle with Dark Might could have potentially tied the film together with a new perspective on the nature of their mentorship journey and helped the film pay homage to it in a more powerful way.
This also ties into another minor flaw which is that Deku should have also spent a little more time with Dark Might. Deku is a particularly special challenger for him as he is All Might’s successor as well as the current weirder of one for all. Giving that aspect of the story more time with a private scene between them would have also helped the film go a bit deeper with its theme. It also would have amped up the suspense while developing both characters in interesting ways. Regardless, the film still manages to stand out as the one that gives glory to All Might’s character and how important he is to the franchise well enough.
Conclusion
Overall, I thought the film exhibited much more strengths than flaws which contributed to a simply amazing watch. While there were opportunities to heighten certain elements of the film further, it is definitely worthy of being considered another quality My Hero Academia film. With the maturity that comes with the latest season as well as emotionally intense plot-lines and scenes, My Hero Academia: You’re Next doesn’t fail any part of the franchise. If anything, it tells a story that highlights one of the core aspects of what makes it so great. Not only will it make fans laugh, but it’ll keep them on the edge of their seat until they’re emotional by the end.
