The adventures of Midoriya, Bakugo, Todoroki and the rest continue, as their teachers try to improve them in the midst of continuous attacks by the League of Villains. New characters are introduced, both enemies and allies, while the “tournament” at the end of the season pits the protagonists against students from other hero academies.
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The arcs that were set in the previous seasons continue in this one, although the dynamics change significantly after All Might faces All For One, in one of the most impressive sequences we have seen in the whole series. The aftermath leaves the whole world wondering about what will happen in the future, with Midoriya’s fate becoming even more significant and Bakugo’s frustration growing even more. As Endeavor’s role changes radically, Todoroki also feels the impact.
The similarities with “Naruto” are even more visible in this circle, particularly regarding character creation and growth, with the comments about surpassing our limits, the fact that helping people is as important as fighting enemies, and the importance of hard work and restrain being among the most common in the shonen genre. Furthermore, the unfolding of the narrative that follows the path of training, fighting enemies and a tournament has been the same for the category since the days of “Dragonball”, although “My Hero Academia” tries to change it a bit by mixing the three, occasionally.
The elements that allow “My Hero Academia” to stand out from the plethora of similar titles, however, are the ones revolving “outside” the main arc. The role the press, the school, and the parents play is explored quite thoroughly, with the interaction among them forming one of the most interesting aspects of the series. The fact that the school administration has to face scrutiny from the press for the attacks of the villains and the danger children are placed in is quite engaging, with its consequences giving a completely different turn to the whole story. The professionalism exhibited by the faculty is impressive, and finds its apogee to the various episodes of teachers visiting students’ families to apologize and to explain their new policy. Particularly the episode revolving around Midoriya, his mother and All Mighty is one of the most dramatic and at the same time realistic in the whole series, with the whole of this aspect highlighting both the writing and the direction of the series.
On the other hand, I felt that the finale of the season was subpar, particularly when compared to the previous ones, although the events that take place during the 25 episodes, somewhat justify this part. Furthermore, the continuous introduction of so many new characters may retain interest, but at the same time, it makes me wonder how the series will monitor all of them, and how their analysis is going to be. Evidently, this is a series that will continue for many years, but my feeling is that some restraint would actually benefit the whole production, as, additionally, every question answered seems to raise two more.
Regarding the action, the work done in the animation department by Bones is exceptional once more, despite the fact that the design of the characters and the bright coloring point towards a title directed to young adults, for the most part at least. The fights between the professional heroes, however, have a darker essence, while the general hyperbole of the disasters their fights cause suits the overall narrative quite well.
Overall, I felt that the 3rd season is a on a slightly lower level than the previous two, particularly regarding its second half, although this is justified because the last episodes seem to prepare for a number of big events that will probably happen during the 4th. The fans of the series, however, will certainly have a blast with this season also.
