My Hero Academia Season 6

Episode 125

With all the drama last week, it was easy (for me) to overlook that there was some genuine hope for our heroes at the end of the episode. None other than the big bad BJ king himself, Best Jeanist, arrived quite literally from out of the blue to restrain Machia and the rest of the League. He may be missing a lung, but he's ready to save the day and lay down some terrible denim puns. And he's nowhere near out of puns.

It's honestly a pretty cool entrance, though my initial reaction was that it's an odd choice to have a guy who's largely been a joke of a tertiary character become the big hero in the middle of all this turmoil. But “Threads of Hope” does a good job of justifying that thematically, emphasizing that any chance of victory our heroes can claw out is the result of every single one of them giving it their all, piling up tiny victories and chip damage on the big bads. So while Best Jeanist isn't exactly a headliner hero for our purposes, he's not meant to be; rather, he's a single piece of a larger whole that has managed to get this far.

Though that doesn't mean there aren't still some (metaphorical) heavy hitters waiting in the wings, as this episode also sees the return of the man, the myth, the Le Million. And while it's definitely great to see Mirio back in action, it does feel a bit anti-climactic in some respects. Like yes, in the immediate moment it's great to see a familiar and reliable face, especially one the audience probably never expected here, but it's still disappointing we didn't really get to witness the moment Eri restored his powers. That would have been a really phenomenal, heartrending thing to watch play out, and while I get sacrificing that for the surprise here, it's still disappointing for me.

What's not disappointing is the immediate breath of levity Mirio's arrival brings. After weeks of escalating stakes and devastating emotional blows, this bean-eyed boy springs in and immediately reminds us of his and Nighteye's motto. Just having a single ally who isn't beaten down or paralyzed by guilt is enough to bring the heroes' side back to life, and makes for some genuinely funny moments to boot. Bakugo's hero name reveal is both hilarious – even the villains are stunned by how edgy it is – and heartwarming, both because he chose to hold it back until he could say it to Best Jeanist first, and that he managed to work the “Might” from All Might into a pun for dynamite. Hell, Deku gets in on the comedic action too, throwing together the goofiest move he's ever come up with for “Black Whip: Froppy Style” here. It's silly, but also speaks to his earnestness and desperation. Dignity is a luxury none of our heroes can afford right now, so if he needs to turn himself into a midair yo-yo, so be it. Besides, if it's stupid and it works, it's not stupid.

If I have one serious issue with the episode though, it's with the Todorokis. After taking up nearly the whole previous episode, the drama of Dabi and Shoto feels smothered underneath the rest of the chaos, and it loses a lot of the impact that made last week so good. I do like that Deku echoes his words from the sports festival here, telling Dabi that in the same way Shoto is not defined by his father's abuse, neither are Dabi's actions solely the fault of Endeavor. And it's gratifying that Endeavor breaks out of his shame spiral long enough to take action instead of leaving it to the kids this time. But it's sandwiched between so many other things that it just doesn't hit as hard as it could have.

Still, the long-awaited returns and humor make this an overall fun time, and a much-needed reversal of fortune after the heroes have been dangling over a cliff for weeks. But it also signals that this fight, and arc, need to wrap up soon. There's just been too much at this point – reveals, climaxes, new powers – and the momentum is running short quickly. Whatever next week holds, it needs to at least close out this already lengthy story, or it will have seriously worn out its welcome.

Rating: My Hero Academia is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.