REVIEW: Chapter 52 (Hero Killer Stain Vs. the Students of Yuuei)

Now Midoriya is certain that the Hero Killer and the Villain Alliance are connected and he might be the only person who knows this. He knew that the reason Iida was not at the scene where the noumus was because he found Stain. This was the part before Midoriya punched Stain.

Present time: Midoriya's punch connected. Stain recognized Midoriya as one of the students in Tomura's photos.

Iida was still unable to move. He guessed that it might be because he was slashed by Stain that triggered his quirk.

Stain said Midoriya's line, " I came to save you" was a nice line especially coming from a friend. But he said he must kill the pro hero and Iida.

Stain said, " It is the weak that shall be culled." Midoriya shivered. Midoriya knew that he is someone who can kill at will.

From Stain's standpoint, I think when he said "the weak", he meant the heroes who worship money and fame. The pro heroes who are fake, according to him.

Midoriya thought that he should have taken a pro hero with him but he knew he needed to save Iida and the other pro, buy his time and drive the Hero Killer away.

Iida told him that he should run away and it doesn't have anything to do with him. Midoriya replied by saying that if Iida say something like that, the heroes wouldn't be able to do anything. He had so much to say but decided to leave it until later.

Then Midoriya told Iida what All Might told him. That "Butting one's nose in is one of the principal qualities of a hero."

By that, Stain smiled creepily. Atleast for me it was creepy.

Midoriya attacked at once. He must have been so fast because Stain acknowledged him by saying, "Not bad."

Because Stain was using a long range weapon, and his arm reach is longer, Midoriya closed in and attacked low.

Midoriya did another Gran Torino move and passed Stain.

Stain swung his sword, with what is now my current favorite panel, Midoriya leapt above him. Stain realized too late because Midoriya gave him a 5% Detroit Smash.

The attack hit Stain in the head.

However, afterwards Midoriya was unable to move. He realized that one does not become completely immobilized by getting cut. Stain generates his quirk by tasting his victim's blood.

Apparently, Stain allowed Midoriya to hit him. He knew what Midoriya's strategy was. He told Midoriya that his power doesn't cut it. However, Stain said there is worth in keeping Midoriya alive.

Stain might've noticed how Midoriya had some hero-quality. I thought he will decide to kill Midoriya when he mentioned All Might. But no, Stain actually smiled. I'd like to think because of what All Might said and imspired Midoriya. I can't think of anything behind the smile.

Stain proceeded to where Iida was lying. Since Midoriya can't move, he was unable to do anything. As Stain lifted his sword to stab Iida, a blast comprised of ice and fire came from behind. Stain was able to dodge the attack.

And Shouto Todoroki appeared. He was well-drawn as usual.

Anyway, Todoroki said that his work keeps getting blocked. Midoriya texted him without much information and said he's late. Maybe he was supposed to act as a support to Endeavor but since Midoriya asked for help, (there was a panel where Midoriya was holding his phone) maybe Midoriya said he found the Hero Killer and Iida was in danger that Todoroki decided he had to help.

The art. The ART is SUPERB. I decided to put some of my favorite panels at the end because they deserve to shine.

Midoriya attack Stain at high-speed, closing the gap

My current favorite panel. Midoriya's attack was similar to Bakugou

What I appreciate about this part is the reaction from the characters.

I admire how Horikoshi is able to illustrate movements with intensity.
Midoriya's Detroit Smash is obviously very powerful

This part is important, it will have a huge impact on the future storyline.

Todoroki's fire and ice attack

And so Shouto Todoroki steals my heart again

From what we've seen, obviously Todoroki's talk with his mom ended well. He is now using his fire side freely. He's also wearing a new hero costume. He used to wear that all-white costume, thank goodness he changed it. He deserves so much better!

Now, the former opponents will work as a tag team! Both are very battle-smart so I'm guessing next chapter will be an awesome one, I can't wait!

REVIEW: Chapter 51 (No, Iida, Stop!)

Gran Torino against the four-eyed noumu

Midoriya rushed out of the train, worried about Gran Torino.

Meanwhile, GT was engaged with the four-eyed noumu but the creature ignored him and started to attack civilians. GT observed that the noumu is quick. However, it appears to ignore its enemy and proceeded to cause destruction.

Just when GT was about to attack the noumu, a fiery blast came into the thing's direction.

Endeavor appeared saying he was aiming for the hero-killer and told GT he will handle the situation.

At first I did not realize the blast was fire until I saw Endeavor's lower face. I totally ignored the fact that this man is the hero who solved most cases so naturally Endeavor would've come into the same conclusion as Iida.

Endeavor appears!

Now that the number two hero is here, will All Might follow?

I wonder if Shouto Todoroki is with him, though. I always assumed Todoroki joined his father's hero office (it's nice to key in Todoroki's name again.)

Midoriya looks real mature in this panel

Back to Midoriya.

He ran towards the direction people are running away from. He heard someone hell the name "Tenya!" and went there.

He witnessed the destruction the other two noumus had done and saw heroes trying to contain the situation.

The heroes are having a difficult time to defeat the noumus

The Merman Guy was there and was loudly despairing because he couldn't find Iida. I understand his situation. Of all times, the kid you're charged with was nowhere to be found. You're responsible for his safety and there are monsters in the city.

It was from Merman Guy that Midoriya heard that Iida was missing.

Midoriya was told to get himself to safety by one of the heroes and he apologetically said yes.

He realized that Stain is in Hosu and went in search for Iida. Midoriya knew that Iida will try to take down the villain who attacked his brother and he was worried.

Tomura and Black Mist are seen, again and we got an interesting flashback from Tomura. Before his attack at Hosu, he was talking with his sensei. From this flashback we gathered the following information: There are six noumus currently operational but none on the same level as the one that attacked USJ.

From this we can assume that:

More noumus are being created and
Either the three noumus are weaker or stronger than the one that attacke USJ.

Tomura's sensei gave him three and I can sense these three are weaker than the other three left.

Tomura's reason for wanting to have the noumus was only because he doesn't like Stain and would like to smash things not to his liking. He wants the world to forget Stain after the sun had risen.

Tomura displayed another petty attitude this time. Just because he doesn't like Stain, he'll go on a rampage so the world will forget the hero-killer.

Now, Iida was actually fighting Stain.

Stain said he let Iingenium live to feed rumors.

But Stain was too strong for Iida, Stain's spiked boots hit Iida's right arm and when he pinned Iida to the ground, his blade pierced through Iida's other arm.

Stain said the brothers are weak because they're fakes.

Iida responded by yelling that his brother was a splendid hero because he gave him a dream and guided so many people. Iida said he will kill Stain.

Stain replied to Iida that he should save the hero first, the one Stain was about to kill before Iida attacked. Stain said,

"Before concerning yourself over yourself, Go rescue others. Do not brandish your power for your sake. Becoming seized by hatred for the enemy before your eyes, merely to satisfy your own selfish desires... That is the act furthest from the title of 'hero'."

Iida felt unable to move. Stain was about to stab him when out-of-nowhere, with Torino-like moves, Midoriya was able to connect a powerful OFA Detroit Smash on Stain's face.

Then Midoriya declared he came to save Iida.

*end of chapter

OOOOH! What a cliffhanger!

There are plenty of information we gathered in this chapter. Gran Torino fought so long ago he couldn't remember the last honest fight he had. Did he really retired as a hero earlier than expected?

Endeavor called him old man, there was no recognition. GT must have been an unpopular ero in his day. Maybe he was known but he looked so different now!

It could also be that in Gran Torino's time. heroes are not marketed and advertised like they are now so it's likely that there are unknown heroes who do well to help but are not given publicity.

I really did not expect to see Endeavor, shame on me. Will he be the one to save Midoriya from Stain? Or will Gran Torino come and rescue Iida and Midoriya?

It will be nice if Endeavor witness how Midoriya will fight Stain. Midoriya will do something awesome and Endeavor will realize there is another one who might be Shouto's prospective rival in the future.

Man oh man, that would be good!

Then there's Tomura who does not need any reason other than he does not like Stain so he'll destroy a populated city. His sensei sure is not giving up hopes in this stubborn, man-child student of his.

Let's now discuss the enigma that is Stain.

He gave me the Itachi-Lelouch vibe because of the way he lectured Iida about the merits of being a hero. That is, putting other people first before your personal feelings and using your power not for yourself (but for the greater good?).

Was he a former hero who got defeated and rejected because he couldn't generate income anymore? Was he someone who was too outspoken about how he wanted to change the system, he was betrayed by the people he trusted? Was one of these questions the reason the upper part of his face is covered with bandages and he's breathing heavily? He also got Gaunt All Might's face shape.

Did All Might gave him false hopes that's why he wants to kill him?

There are plenty of questions that spurned because of that statement from Stain. How could he lecture about saving others when you kill people?

I think, he intentionally made himself a villain and cause so much despair because he wanted the world to see a single form of true evil. The people will unite because they now have a common enemy.

Stain is willing to sacrifice himself so the world will know what it takes to become a hero. The people will now have standards about who the real heroes are. What I meant by this is that whoever killed the hero - killer will be the ultimate hero.

Maybe, by shedding the blood of the innocent, he can change society. That's why he took the name Stain. He's someone stained by doing sinful things. He also added hero-killer because he will be the one who will set the bar of who are deserving to be called hero.

Was also that the reason Stain wants to kill All Might? Murdering the Symbol of Peace will create you the Ultimate Evil the world is afraid of. There will be a clamor among heroes about who will defeat Stain and become the hero who sought justice for the murder of All Might.

Stain might be hiding some noble cause behind his unacceptable acts but killing people is still wrong. Heroes might be viewed as noble people who do noble acts but some of them do these things for selfish reasons which are not all about just fame and money. It's still unfair of Stain to try and kill these heroes. Wait, does he have a hitlist?

So much irony in this character. I had hoped for someone with badass attitude that equals the appearance but I did not expect someone with such complicated ideology.

Probably Deku's current Most Awesome Moment

Now that Midoriya comes face to face with Stain, I don't believe he will kill Midoriya. He might be lenient towards him since the first words Stain heard from Midoriya was he'll rescue Iida. Midoriya might also reason about their friendship which is soooo common in shonen that I won't be surprised of we see it here - in this instance

Or Stain will see the similarity of Midoriya's power to All Might he might perceive him as another fake-hero-in-the-making and decide to kill him..

I like how this manga tackles about the grey areas of heroics. This is not a story where good guys have good intentions, no. There are bad guys veiled with the name heroes and there are good guys fighting undef the wrong flag.

Well, I won't wait that much since I posted this review late (shame!) and the next chapter is about to come out. I can't wait!

REVIEW: Chapter 50 (To Kill Shit)

What an interesting title for the 50th chapter release!

It's Midoriya's third day of workplace experience and he was totally wrecked by Gran Torino. The old man announced that they must stop training because it will not help Midoriya if he continue to fight the same opponent who uses the same battle techniques over and over again. Midoriya should be exposed to different types of opponents and fight in different situation. GT decided they must move to the second phase of Midoriya's workplace experience. GT remarked that Midoriya already had experience battling villains.

They went outside an hailed a taxi while GT explained that the reason there are plenty of hero offices in the urban area is because that's where the population is bigger and the crime rate is usually high. GT announced they are going to the fashionable district of Shibuya because there is no better platform for Midoriya to show his skills than a popular district.

It was stated that Midoriya can only wear his hero costume while being accompanied by a hero. The same applies to every one in his class.

GT and Midoriya rode the shinkansen going to Shibuya, The route will take them past Hosu where Iida is currently located. Midoriya was worried because he texted Iida and got no reply. Usually, Iida replies within three minutes of receiving a text message.

Iida was shown patrolling Hosu with his trainer, the Merman guy. The Merman guy told Iida he knew he joined his hero office to look for Stain. He commented on how Iida was constantly glaring (haha). However, he said Iida should stop acting out of personal grudge because heroes don't have the authority to impose punishment or the jurisdiction to make arrests. Merman guy said "Heroism musn't become vigilantism".

From this statement from a professional hero, we can say that there are limitations where hero duties are concerned. Certain rules about not arresting somebody and punishments are not allowed. I assume that a hero may only arrest somebody if they are caught in the act of doing something illegal. If they are to arrest a criminal, they must issue a warrant like how the police in reality.

Stain and Shigaraki appeared in Hosu with the help of Black Mist's portal.

Stain stated he had to reform the city, Hosu and he needed more sacrifices.

"The title hero should only be permitted to those who have achieved great undertakings."

- Stain

So Stain's creed is to reform society by making unworthy heroes die?

Anyway, he's got a point. Being a hero in that world full of people with super powers seems hollow. A hero can be popular by doing commercials. A hero can be idolized by using the media to market and advertise himself. A hero can be called a hero without making something remarkable. Without inspiring others to do greater good.

Summon the noumus

But it can't be denied that although Stain wanted to rid the world of superficial heroes, the acts he committed is unforgivable.

After Stain left, Shigaraki commented on how they will never get along. Black Mist told Shigaraki that with the appearance of Stain, there had been a decrease in crime rate and an increase in hero awareness.

Shigaraki called Stain as not just a hero-killer but a hero-breeder as well.

"If you wanna kill shit, then kill shit!"

- Shigaraki Tomura

He then ordered Black Mist to release the noumus.

I noticed that Black Mist, even if he's called a villain is a very polite person. When Shigaraki insulted Stain, Black Mist defended Stain and told Shigaraki to not call him names. This is interesting.

Also, Stain acts with a creed, a higher cause then proceeds to attack a hero individually while Shigaraki acts with an impulse to destroy the things not to his liking. The noumu's will be on a rampage.

Back to Midoriya and Old Man Torino riding the bullet train.

The train suddenly stopped and a big explosion was seen. Along the explosion came a hero and the four-eyed noumu. Midoriya immediately recognized the noumu but GT told him to sit down. As quick as lightning, Gran Torino engaged the noumu. Midoriya was left inside the train. He noticed explosions from other nearby places and knew the place was Hosu.

I hope we see the old man in action.

Due to the commotion, the Merman guy told Iida they had to take immediate response. He then ran away. Iida was supposed to follow but something in the dark alley drew him. He went there instead.

In real comic book drama, Stain was there and he was about to kill an unnamed hero when Iida stumbled upon him.

Iida attacked Stain from behind but Stain swiftly moved into action and hit Iida. Fortunately, Stain only managed to hit Iida's helmet with his sword.

Stain, seeing as Iida was very young, told him to go away. Stain noticed Iida's avenging eyes and said that if the situation so demands, even children are fair targets.

Which made me ask. Why is it that Stain won't attack Iida when he attack heroes mercilessly? Was it because Iida was only a boy in his eyes and therefore won't help his cause in any way? He also said about targets. Does he choose the heroes randomly?

I guess Stain had a target list that's why he said he needs to finish his business at Hosu. He knows the heroes he needs to take down. Maybe those heroes are well-known and are wealthy, like Ingenium. And he had a pattern, four victims per place he'd been.

Iida looked quite insulted when Stain told him to go away. He then told Stain about who he is.

Iida revealed to Stain that he is the brother of one of his victims and he came to stop him. That's quite mellow from the statement he had from the previous chapter, he said he will dispose of Stain with the murderous look. Anyway...

What's important to know is that Iida called himself Ingenium. He told Stain that's the name of the hero who will take him down.

Okay so Iida was adamant of taking up his brother's name not because he thinks he's not worthy of it - yet. He would definitely adhere to his brother's wishes after he had his revenge, that is, to defeat Stain.

We are now building tension here, ladies and gentlemen. The phasing is actually fast but it's alright.

I can't think of anyone who will rescue Iida other than the Merman guy. And I don't see Iida getting killed, his character growth is only beginning so it's not reasonable to kill off a character undergoing development.

However, I can see Merman guy dying after protecting Iida.

I think we just saw the two people and two important principle that will have great impact on Iida in this chapter. Those were Merman guy's and Stain's.

Merman guy insisted that Iida must not act out on personal grudges because a hero cannot take the law by his own hands. Stain however, deems a hero as someone who can do things not everyone is capable of doing. In Iida's case, what will make him a "hero" is if he will be able to forgive Stain and let justice run its course. After this, Iida will become the symbol of justice. I know, it's a bit extreme of an assumption and too early to drop guesses like this. Let me indulge myself in it.

Will All Might arrive? I guess so. Three noumus on a rampage will gain attention and everyone knows that it was All Might who defeated the first noumu. But three of them? Even if Gran Torino defeat the four-eyed noumu, there's still another one left. It could be that their abilities differ from the first noumu. They could be improved versions since there was a winged-type.

I have a bad feeling about this. If All Might got heavily injured, it will be a heart-breaking reunion between him and Gran Torino and an enormous character development is on the way for Midoriya my boy.

REVIEW: Chapter 49.5 (The Summer Hope)

Fan service. Definitely.

I'm not sure what label this chapter will be in but it's still a chapter release so I guess I'll put it on review.

What is more fitting precedent for the 50th chapter of BnHA than celebrating bodies, bodies and bodies of the main characters in the female department.

Yes, thank you guys for the support. Here's fan service for you.

Atleast that's what it seemed to me. Heh.

Well, Mineta the pervert to the nth degree is here with his good friend Kaminari. I don't get it why the girls looked like they where blasted at by Bakugou. Maybe it's for the Bakugou fans? I haven't seen Bakugou for ages! But I'm glad his absence made other characters shine. At forums, his name will pop up and there goes the discussion.

Looking at this image, thankfully, Horikoshi does not draw the female form like most of the mangas out there. The girls aren't that skinny, their legs don't look like it would stretch forever, even Momo's hips aren't as fleshless as I'd imagine it to be. Thank you, Horikoshi for deviating from the normal manga heroine.

This release is only a single page. I expected more but I guess I had to be contented with it.

REVIEW: Chapter 49 (Midoriya and Shigaraki)

Midoriya using OFA against Gran Torino.
Forgive me for the lousy photo collage.

As the title of this chapter suggests, Midoriya and Shigaraki Tomura are the obvious characters that will signify Hero and Villain in the future. They are both undergoing a phase of character growth as what was implied by their masters on the preceeding chapter.

Last week, we were left with a cliffhanger of Midoriya channeling OFA in his entire body. As a continuation to this week's chapter, Gran Torino challenged Midoriya my boy to maintain the state of OFA and be able to move at the same time. The old man gave Midoriya three minutes to maintain Midoriya's power level and try to land a blow on him.

Due to his speed, GT was able to hit Midoriya causing his grasp with OFA to snap. GT said Midoriya's reaction time was paltry and he won't be able to save a person with that kind of speed. I think the reason for Midoriya acting slow was because he was overthinking too much about his current state.

Midoriya noticed the downside of Old man Torino's ability. His blows were not heavy so he compensates that by his speed.

Because OFA was snapped off when GT landed a hit on Midoriya, he immediately hid under the sofa to gather himself and to draw out GT to break his movements. Through this, Midoriya blew the sofa towards the direction he knew GT is going to be. He used OFA to blast off the sofa and channeled it through his entire body and became so blindingly fast that Midoriya was immediately on the ceiling about to attack GT who was caught by surprise.

GT was able to dodge Midoriya's surprise attack but hid the fact that he managed to graze him inspite of being earnest in his evasion. He told Midoriya that he's the sort of kid who thinks things through.

I admit that I am prone to praise Midoriya and I will do so again. one week is a very short period for a person to obtain a huge amount of change, but Midorya my boy is an exception. In just two days, he managed to atleast get a grip of OFA. I think Midoriya will be a character whose power development will be so quick, Bakugou and Todoroki will be surprised once the classes starts again.

Stain being able to pin down Shigaraki

Of course let us not forget my two favorite characters with super badass character designs who happened to be both villains - Shigaraki and "Hero-Killer" Stain.

Inspite of being super-fast, Stain managed to pin down Shigaraki. Black Mist was seen unable to help Shigaraki because he said he can't move his body. This is obviously Stain's quirk but it wasn't revealed how he can be able to use it against a person and activate it.

Stain was telling Shigaraki about having a creed to accomplish something. It was another reference to chapter 47 and Stain's dialogue about the sense of bloodlust without a cause. The readers might've forgotten about that so here's a repeat for you. But NO, I HAVEN'T FORGOTTEN, Stain (and Horikoshi).

Stain goes on about how the word hero has lost all its meaning and a society overrun by fakes. However, Shigaraki was able to move his hand and touch Stain's blade and corrupted it.

It hasn't really been confirmed but most people believe that Shigaraki's quirk is to make everything he touches wither and rot. I personally thinks this is true.

As Shigaraki freed himself from Stain, he said he doesn't need a creed. He just wanted the society where All Might stands so high and mighty, destroyed. He doesn't need any other dramatic reason for that.

Apparently, Stain just want to test Shigaraki before he decides to join them. Stain told Shigaraki that a person's true color is only revealed when they know they are about to die.

They are polar opposites but both of them had similar objective and that is destroying society.

For that, Stain joined Black Mist and Shigaraki Tomura's club. Although I'm pretty sure Stain is not the sort of fellow who would obey anyone. He will still do as he pleases and only cooperate if it's to his advantage.

After all the ruckus, Stain told Black Mist to take him back to Hosu because there's still something he needs to do there.

It's interesting that Shigaraki mentioned that they don't have a healer in their party. I'm expecting to see another new character whose quirk is about healing.

As we all know, Iida happened to be undergoing his on-the-job training at Hosu. It was revealed in this chapter that the reason he selected the hero office (and not just because he can patrol the streets and might happen to bump into Stain) was because he found out that Stain had been on seven places and always injured atleast four heroes. Stain only had a single victim at Hosu (Ingenium) which means he'll definitely come back and injure more heroes.

What disturbed me was Iida's dialogue. He said he'll dispose Stain by his own hands. And by dispose he means he'll kill him. Something big is about to happen. Will Tenya be gravely injured by Stain or will Stain corrupt his mind and make society the evil that did that to his brother? Will Iida turn villain? I miss the old Iida. This grim expression really gave me the chills.

Revenge and Hate: Written across Iida Tenya's face.

As usual, packed chapter and fast pacing. The art is beautiful. I definitely appreciated GT and Midoriya's fight (if you can call it that). Super mention to Shigaraki and Stain and Black Mist for the wonderfully executed character designs. Very unique indeed. Can't wait what's going to happen next chapter.