My Hero Academia Finale Season Ending Explained And Recap : A Celebration Of Collective

After a nine-year-long journey that went by in a flash, the legendary modern-age shounen anime, “My Hero Academia,” has released its final episode.  The final season was marked with a perfect, flawless streak, with several episodes of the season featuring some of the most iconic moments in the history of anime. Finally the time has come; with a heavy heart, we have to thank Kohei Horikoshi and bid adieu to the beloved characters of his timeless creation—which defined heroism and captured the spirit of equality for a new generation of viewers. The final episode of the series serves as an epilogue to the overall story, as it lets viewers know about the future of the journey Deku, Bakugo, Todoroki, Uraraka, and their friends have been a part of.

Spoilers Ahead

The final episode of “My Hero Academia” begins with a focus on the strange, tormented kid, who was seen coming out of a dilapidated house in the closing moments of the last episode. As it turns out, the poor kid has a quirk that his family considered dangerous, an insult to the family’s prestige. The family patriarch ordered to have the kid locked up forever, with his mouth sewn shut. Inheriting a unique quirk was a natural ordeal; the kid shouldn’t have been blamed for it, but tragically enough, even his own family didn’t hesitate to subject him to abuse and loneliness from a young age. After Final Wars, the house where the kid was held captive got destroyed, and the kid made his way outside for the first time. Alone and scared, the kid can’t make sense of why people all around him are in such a jubilant mood—as his broken, tormented mind wants to project the pain it has experienced to the world, which didn’t protect him when he needed it most.

At this point, an old lady holds the kid’s hand; seeing him troubled, she wants to help him by providing an assuring presence. It is shown in the flashback scene that the old lady previously crossed oaths with a young Shigaraki as well, who, similar to this kid, was in dire need of help, of a comforting presence. The old lady didn’t attend Shigaraki back then, and at present she wonders what could have happened as Deku’s inspiring example in the Final Wars flashes in her mind. She will not make the same mistake ever again like she did with Shigaraki, and holding the kid’s hand, the lady assures him that she will be by his side no matter what. Experiencing kindness for the first time, that too from a stranger, vanishes all the negative thoughts hovering in the kid’s mind, and his eyes well up with tears. Parallel to this sequence, Hawks shares his opinion with All Might about introducing heroic figures into the hero merit list—common individuals who play key roles in upholding justice in numerous ways, without whom the heroes will not be able to protect the world the way they do. Inspired by Deku and his friends’ heroics in Final Wars, Hawks has realized that every little action counts to make way for a better future. In that context, the old lady who helped the poor kid and changed the course of his life for the better is a heroic figure indeed. Deku’s monologue about sustaining equality in a diverse world, showing empathy to those less fortunate, and working together to achieve greatness perfectly captures the essence of this entire segment. 

Later on, Deku and his friends from UA High graduate together, get their hero license, and follow their own paths. Eight years later, Midoriya has been working as a teacher at UA High, and his job is to help new students to find their place in the school. Deku has lost One For All forever, as the final remnants—the embers—have left him, and once again he is quirkless. Even though he misses the thrill of the battle, Deku has found his fulfillment in guiding the young generation to recognize their talents and find their own path. Chronicling his own experience, having worked with legends and heroes to overcome great adversity, Deku now tries to motivate others through his writing. Todoroki and Bakugo are working as pro heroes and are the most loved ones among the fans. Uraraka is working as a counsellor to guide young heroes on how to better use their quirks, Momo has established herself as a renowned researcher, and Shoji and Koda are working together to strive for equality for heteromorphs and people with unique quirks and appearances. Shinso and Tokoyami are operating as watchful vigilantes, even though the crime rate has dropped quite a bit already. Ida has been helping his brother to run his organization. Everyone has found their calling, and their life at UA High has taught them to recognize their individuality. 

Deku stumbles across a young kid, Dai, as both of them try to catch another kid from falling. Dai has grown up looking up to heroes like Deku, Endeavor, All Might, and Bakugo and he now wants to enroll in UA High to become a hero himself. However, Dai’s quirk is quite unconventional, and he is not sure that if he can ever become a pro hero now that only the strongest ones get the chance to become one ever since crime rates have plummeted. To ease his mind, Dai comes to visit an effigy of All Might, where he crosses paths with Deku, one of his idols. Deku sees a reflection of himself in the kid and at once is reminded how All Might entrusted him with One For All after witnessing how a quirkless Deku selflessly jumped into action all those years ago. This time, a now quirkless Deku upholds the legacy of the heroism that inspired him throughout his life by sharing words of encouragement with Dai. 

In the final moments of the show, All Might meets Deku to hand him over an advanced tech suit he has made, similar to his own Hercules suit, which he used in the Final Wars against All For One. He knows his protégé wants to be a part of active field duty, no matter how much he keeps himself busy in his teaching responsibilities. After a moment’s hesitation, Deku takes the armored suit from his mentor, and in no time, he is seen joining his friends as they go on a rescue mission. For a brief moment, Deku sees a vestige of Yoichi, almost as if the first wielder of One For All is acknowledging how proud he is of the last wielder. The story ends for us, but for Deku and his friends, it’s another beginning of a journey where they will become the legends they were always meant to be.