The Dark Hero Arc sees Deku’s story take a tragic turn, as the idealistic young hero decides to shoulder her society’s burdens on his own.
Highlights
- Midoriya hones his quirks in Dark Hero Arc, facing inner guilt and new powers alongside past users of One For All.
- Encounter with assassin Lady Nagant tests Midoriya’s skills, leading to a revelation about her tragic past and a grim transformation.
- Class 1-A teams up to bring Midoriya back from isolation, with Ochaco’s stand as the voice of reason leading to his redemption.
Regarded as one of the best arcs and renowned among My Hero Academia fans, the Dark Hero Arc covers chapters 307 to 328 in the manga, and episodes 132 to 138 in the anime series. Following the events of the Paranormal Liberation War Arc, Izuku Midoriya is on a quest of his own to strengthen his One For All quirk and master the many quirks that linger inside him. Knowing he must become even stronger than before, Midoriya places a heavy amount of the blame and guilt onto himself, realizing his own shortcomings during his fight against Tomura Shigaraki and All For One.
Diving directly into the Dark Hero Arc, My Hero Academia fans quickly learn of Midoriya’s heightened senses and control of many quirks making up One For All. Though he has a new sense of accomplishment and confidence, something inside him is looming and giving off a look of despair as he flies through the skies. Wearing the tattered cape of Gran Torino, who suffered devastating injuries during the fight with Shigaraki, Midoriya carries with him the pain of those he let down, and the need to become stronger and protect everyone.
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Reacquainting Muscular & A New Quirk
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During Midoriya’s recovery, he converses with the past users of One For All, wishing to learn more about their pasts and the powers they once used in battle. Though most appear apprehensive to speak to Midoriya, Daigoro Banjo is the one to break the ice, offering Midoriya some words of advice. His quirk, Blackwhip, is the first of Midoriya’s other powers to manifest, while Hikage Shinomori’s Danger Sense and En’s Smokescreen were quick to follow. The combination of quirks allows Midoriya to feel more confident in battle, as they work together in unity to attack and counterattack at any moment, and offer an exit strategy should anything go wrong.
This revelation is on full display as Midoriya’s first glimpse at action after leaving the hospital and swearing to become stronger occurs in an abandoned city with few heroes remaining. Those that are still around plead with the civilians to flee for their safety, but are met with resistance and the notion that they can fend off any threats with weapons purchased on the black market. Of course, this goes awry at the sign of the first villain, which happens to be a returning Muscular. Though Grand and Turtle Neck are valiant in their efforts to subdue the large villain, Muscular’s growth and increase in power make the Ketsubutsu Academy High School hero students no match for him.
Before things can get any worse for the two young heroes, Midoriya shows up on the scene and confronts the villain he once defeated. This time around, Midoriya has mastered many different quirks and has become exponentially stronger himself, as evident by the gap in power during their battle. Midoriya uses the Smokescreen quirk to set up a mist in the surrounding area, making it hard for Muscular to see him. Then, using Blackwhip and his own strength, Midoriya makes a mockery out of Muscular, humiliating him even further than their first encounter. Thanks to some help from the past users of One For All, and Muscular’s breakdown, Midoriya is able to take down and capture the villain for a second time.
Lady Nagant & The Dark Hero Rises
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Life in My Hero Academia seldom has moments of peace or time to recover, and such is the case in this arc. As Endeavour, Hawks, and Best Jeanist are patrolling the streets, All Might is hot on the trail of Midoriya to make sure the young hero isn’t over doing it. Unfortunately, an assassin is heading towards Midoriya, and when his GPS goes silent and All Might’s car is struck by a grenade, the situation is turned onto its head with the stakes becoming higher than ever. Midoriya’s phone is struck by a bullet that contains a speaker, which echoes a woman’s voice demanding Midoriya come with her. Meanwhile, All Might meets a group of villains who are ready to take him down.
Lady Nagant is revealed to be the assassin, and her Rifle quirk poses a real threat to Midoriya’s safety. Using the strands of her hair, Lady Nagant can shape them into bullets and use her sniper rifle to fire limitless ammo at her target. This ability makes Lady Nagant the perfect assassin for hire, who later is made aware that All For One is behind the plot and hires Lady Nagant for this mission, following her escape from prison. Midoriya is able to hold his own, using Blackwhip to swing around buildings and evade the bullets fired toward him, and spreading Smokescreen around to take away Lady Nagant’s sight.
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In the wake of Midoriya overcoming Lady Nagant’s attack, he learns of her tragic backstory, which includes a past of serving as an assassin for hire with the heroes. Helping her fellow heroes with the murders of terrorist groups and evil henchmen, the death toll creeped up on Lady Nagant and played a role in her declining mental health. Though she was praised for her work, Lady Nagant came to the conclusion that she was just another cog in the machine of a society she grew to despise. Her breaking point came when a post-traumatic occurrence saw her with blood on her hands while adoring young children wanted to be around her. With All For One’s control over Lady Nagant’s power and body, he used a self-destruct bomb at the moment Lady Nagant began to reject his ideals.
Deku Vs. Class A
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The tragic end to Midoriya’s fight with Lady Nagant only cemented his belief that he needs to become stronger and, in order to do so, he must be alone and shed everyone away from him. The descent into Dark Deku is one that My Hero Academia fans still praise, considering this change in his personality to be the best example of character growth and development in the series. Though Midoriya has always relished the bond of friendship and remained a positive influence on the lives of the students of Class 1-A, his sudden rejection of everyone around him, including All Might, came as a shock to everyone. His new mindset led to a grim appearance change, leaving civilians to wonder if he truly was a hero.
This sudden transition didn’t sit well with the remaining students of Class 1-A, who made it their mission to recover Midoriya and change their minds. During their encounter with the disgruntled hero, led by Bakugo, the team of Class 1-A reminded Midoriya that he couldn’t do it on his own and that they were there for him. Midoriya rejects their pleas, opting to escape from the scene and continue working on his own, but the remaining heroes use their powers together to hold Midoriya back and show him that they’re more than capable of holding their own. Their brilliant teamwork and utilization of their quirks was enough to convince Midoriya, who had slowly broken down over time and came to the understanding that if they wanted to win the war against the League of Villains, they needed to do so together.
Unfortunately, convincing Midoriya was the easy part of this quest. Returning him back home and convincing civilians who had seen his drastic change into Dark Deku would be another story, as they had grown scared of the young hero. This scenario was made clear to the students during their briefing before the mission, but Ochaco and the rest of Class 1-A believed in themselves and knew that Midoriya needed rescuing.
How Ochaco Uraraka Saved The Day
Following Midoriya’s return to safety, he was immediately met with rejection and cries from the scared civilians, claiming they couldn’t trust Midoriya after his turn. Despite the pleas from the heroes that Midoriya was the same person they knew and loved, the roaring crowd continued to protest. When all seemed to be lost, Ochaco took it upon herself to be the voice of reason and convince the crowd that they went wrong with their belief. Using her Float quirk, Ochaco flew to higher ground and used a megaphone to gain the attention of the crowd. Pouring her heart out, Ochaco revealed to the civilians that Midoriya had been out day and night, fighting crime and taking down villains, without rest. Ochaco pointed out how worn and beaten up Midoriya had become, which began to wear down the crowd.
As Midoriya breaks down from Ochaco’s kind words, the Mutant girl and Kota Izumi, who Midoriya had both saved in the past, come in to support Midoriya and side with Ochaco. The unity between the heroes, Mutant Girl and Kota was enough to convince the remainder of the crowd, who rushed in to embrace Midoriya. Ochaco not only saved the day and helped Midoriya, she found her voice and shed her fear of speaking up and drawing attention to herself. In one act of kindness and selflessness, Ochaco had turned the tables and rescued Midoriya — both from himself and the surrounding crowd.
The My Hero Academia manga is available to read on Viz and the My Hero Academia anime is available to stream on Crunchyroll.
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My Hero Academia
In My Hero Academia, Young Deku is born into a world where people commonly have something called quirks, also known as superpowers. He himself is born without any, but circumstances lead to that changing. He enrolls at the UA High School, a prestigious academy where the worlds future heroes learn how to use their powers.
Fuente: successacademy.edu.vn
Categorías: Anime
