My Hero Academia: You’re Next Review
When I first saw the trailers for My Hero Academia’s fourth film, You’re Next, I had one thing on my mind: who the heck is this fake All Might? Was this Dark Might guy supposed to be an evil twin or clone of All Might? Did the series really need to resort to that for its next film? I was sure that there had to be some kind of explanation behind this faker, and that led me to go see the movie in theaters this past Friday. I’m glad that I did, because while it doesn’t break new ground for the series, it does know how to deliver the spectacle. Plus, I got to see the anime version of Homelander get humiliated by the anime version of Spider-Man.
Anime Homelander Thinks he Can Be New All Might?
Taking place in between the sixth and seventh seasons of the show, You’re Next is set amidst the backdrop of a Japan that’s struggling to stay afloat. The chaos that All for One and Shigaraki have unleashed has forced the students of Class 1-A to work overtime helping the pro heroes capture criminals. Then out of nowhere, a man who looks to be the spitting image of All Might shows up! Calling himself Dark Might, he claims himself to be All Might’s successor, but nobody buys it. Especially not Deku and his friends. It doesn’t take long for the imposter to show his twisted ideas of heroism as he takes countless people hostage and forces Class 1-A into a fight for survival while the pro heroes scramble to provide aid. And at the center of it all is a young woman with a mysterious Quirk and this gun-toting butler version of Hajime from Arifureta.
Dark Might is Basically the MHA Version of Homelander
I was going into this film with no context or clue about who this Dark Might was. As soon as I saw him make his public debut by dispatching a villain with no consideration for collateral damage, something clicked for me. He reminded me of Homelander from The Boys. Both of them claim to be heroes, but in truth, they’re bloodthirsty killers who only want to be worshipped and feared like gods. The main difference is that whereas Homelander continues to fool a good portion of America, no one in Japan buys what Dark Might is selling. It’s pretty telling how messed up this man is when Midoriya openly hates his guts. And I don’t blame him, either. Much like Homelander, Dark Might is insufferable; a dark reflection of what it means to be a hero.
As for who Dark Might really is, that remains a mystery for much of the film, but the payoff isn’t that interesting. We all knew that he wasn’t going to be some clone or evil twin of All Might, but the reveal of his identity makes look even more pathetic than that. He’s just a criminal who only cares about All Might’s power and not his ideals. And as strong as he is, he’s still a chump compared to the real All Might, like how Homelander is a chump compared to Superman. And just like Superman would wipe the floor with Homelander, Deku and the others eventually wipe the floor with Dark Might like the chump he is.
Great Fights, Decent Story
As for the fights, that is the only thing that I can say remains consistently awesome in the MHA films. With this taking place right before the final battle begins, we get to see Deku and Class 1-A near their peak. Most of the heavy lifting winds up being done by Deku, Bakugo, and Shoto, though. During the film’s climax, the three face off against Dark Might alongside their butler ally, Julio, and the animation is some of the best in the series. Wannabe All Might or not, Dark Might is still a strong opponent and hard for the heroes to beat. But he still loses.
As for the story itself, it’s decent. The main plot revolves around Dark Might using this girl whose Quirk amplifies others Quirks at her own expense. Deku and the others team up with her butler best friend, Julio, who, again, reminds me of a red-haired version of Hajime. He’s got a cool cyborg arm, an eyepatch, and a motorcycle. It wasn’t hard for me to be reminded of Hajime from Arifureta. He also happens to be one of those movie characters that’s had a lousy life and needs the main protagonist to regain his sense of optimism and hope. In other words, your standard Shonen film stuff.
Just a Lot of Good Fun
This film doesn’t really add much to My Hero Academia, but to be honest, it doesn’t need to. Whenever I see a movie for a popular anime, the majority of the time, I know that it’s not going to have any bearing on the plot. WHO cares, though? We get to see an anime hero inspired by Spider-Man beat up a guy who reminds me of Homelander. That alone is worth the price of admission. Plus, since there’s a good chance this might be the last film the franchise will get (unless they decide to do an epilogue film), I want to enjoy it. Mainly since Justin Briner kills it as Deku once again!
Also, can you guys settle a bet for us: is All Might considered an expy for Superman? Aaron and I are debating about it.
