SPOILER WARNING!!
I have been a My Hero Academia fan since 2018, and a pretty avid one too. So the moment I heard that a new movie was being released for the series, I waited patiently until the day arrived to buy tickets for the opening day (October 29th). The wait was well worth it. Overall, the movie was an amazing experience due to its beautiful visuals, stunning animation, and a fast-paced storyline, however, there were some parts that could have been improved.
My Hero Academia is a show about a world with 80% of the population possessing superpowers known as quirks, which are abilities that can range from ice and fire manipulation to having the abilities of a frog. The protagonist is a quirkless boy named Izuku Midoriya, or Deku. He is passed down a quirk from his idol and Japan’s number one ranked hero, All Might. The story follows his journey to become the world’s greatest hero.
The plot of World Heroes’ Mission takes place during the Endeavor Agency Arc of My Hero Academia, and puts Deku and his friends in a country named Otheon. They are sent there with a high stakes mission to take down the terrorist organization known as Humarize, which aims to eradicate all the quirk users on Earth. According to Rotten Tomatoes, the movie has currently earned $9.8 million dollars in the US box office and received an 84% on the Tomatometer. Additionally, according to Anime News Network, the film also ranked #2 on its debut day, just behind Dune.
World Heroes’ Mission starts off with a bang, beginning immediately with a terrorist attack from Humarize and introducing its leader, Flect Turn. It sets a sense of urgency in the viewer straight from the start, which differs from tamer opening scenes that Two Heroes and Heroes Rising had, giving it a great beginning.
Throughout the movie, I liked that the film had a good mix of extremely fast-paced and calm scenes. I think it really keeps the viewer engaged during the whole film. The animation was also impressive, with action shots being really smooth. However, the amount of extreme camera twists and angle changes were dizzying at times.
The slower parts of the movie make up for the lack of action through beautiful visuals and a great soundtrack. I believe the movie did a good job with this during Rody and Deku’s journey to Klayd. The mix of the movie’s insert song, “Flowers” by Asian Kungfu Generation, along with the visuals of various landscapes, created such a calming and surreal atmosphere in the theater. Despite its lack of action, this scene had an impact on the viewers in its own way. In addition, I thought that the humor of the film was great too; the expressions and emotions of characters were really accentuated without being too corny.
The new original character for the movie, Rody Soul, is one of my new all-time favorite My Hero Academia characters. His character is written really well, and with an emphasis on his values of family and friendship, viewers can see his character develop in the span of just two hours. Through the backstory of Rody’s resentment towards his father changing due to learning of his dad’s hidden sacrifice, I really connected with his character in a sympathetic way. I really felt like I understood his character through the relatable reasons behind his emotions and actions. Furthermore, his expressive and caring personality made him an even more lovable character. That connection is something that many other characters in the show have failed to do for me. The blossoming relationship between Rody and Deku provided an amazing story of a friendship created through hardship and bravery. Additionally, it was also entertaining to see them interact in general.
While I would’ve liked a bit more screen time for the other Class 1-A students and even the other pro heroes, I still believe the movie did a great job on the portrayal of Deku and Rody’s growing friendship. However, the movie was heavily advertised as a story that would be primarily focused on the main trio, so I was a little confused when it concentrated more on Deku and Rody. Even so, I was not disappointed with the individual ending fights each hero got. There were times I couldn’t look away from the screen, such as the intense fight between Bakugo and the Serpenters, where I was certain that Bakugo would’ve been mortally injured. The tension and nail-biting atmosphere those scenes created really emphasized the importance of the time limit they had to save the world.
The movie still displays the same main themes that have been prevalent throughout the My Hero Academia series, such as bravery, perseverance, and heroism. While cliche and repetitive to some, it was a nice refresher for me to see the recurring theme of Deku giving hope to those who he saves in World Heroes’ Mission. When Deku pushed past his limits during the final battle between him and Flect, I felt an overwhelming sense of nostalgia from the other two films, where he did the same as well to defeat the final villains. The battle between Flect Turn and Deku was dramatic and great, however, I did not feel the same emotions nor unpredictableness I felt from the fight between Deku and Bakugo against Nine in Heroes Rising. Admittedly, I laughed in the theater when I saw Deku power up because he looked like he was going “super saiyan.”
Despite all of its flaws, World Heroes’ Mission was overall still an incredible stand-alone story that left an amazing message for its viewers. It is a great story of friendship and bravery. I would recommend it to anyone who loves My Hero Academia or is looking for a fast paced, inspirational, and entertaining movie.
